FordDirect Completes 50-State Roll-out

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 20 -- FordDirect, the online joint venture created by Ford Division dealers and Ford Motor Company, today announced that its nationwide roll-out is complete, and customers in all 50 states may now shop for cars and trucks directly from Ford dealers over the Internet.

``Today marks an important milestone,'' said Devon Cohen, chief executive officer of FordDirect. ``A year ago, FordDirect began operations with 15 dealers in New Jersey. Today, FordDirect is a national operation, and thanks to more than 2,500 participating dealers, it's happened far faster than even our very aggressive forecast.''

FordDirect was established in August 2000 to facilitate the automotive customer in finding their preferred Ford vehicles through the Ford Dealer retail network. In its first year of operation, the results have exceeded expectations for both customers and dealers. Closing rates for sales to customers generated through FordDirect exceed 16 percent, well above the industry average of 10 to 12 percent. In July, Ford dealers were able to offer used cars through FordDirect. To further extend its reach to automotive consumers, FordDirect established several affiliate relationships with industry-leading independent websites in addition to Ford Division's website, www.fordvehicles.com , effectively doubling the referral volume originally provided to Ford dealers solely by the Ford website.

FordDirect allows the online customer to specify a new or used car or truck, search for it in a dealer's inventory, and request a dealer contact to complete the sale. The process is transparent from visit through delivery. Financing or leasing also is available online from Ford Credit. Once the consumer has finalized the sale with the dealer, delivery can be arranged at the customer's preference.

``FordDirect is unique in the industry,'' said David Kain, chief operating officer. ``The customer is in control of the entire process, but the local dealer is there not only for the sale but for the all-important service after the sales transaction has long been completed.''

During the past year, FordDirect has conducted extensive training for dealership personnel to stress the unique needs of the online customer. Moving forward, FordDirect will provide resources to help dealers enhance Internet sales in addition to its existing customer referral services.