Ford Management of Dealer Lead Systems to FordDirect; FordDirect Signs Agreement with Reynolds and Reynolds

DEARBORN, Mich., May 31, 2006 -- Ford Motor Co. has transitioned management of dealer lead management systems to FordDirect, a dealer- controlled joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and its franchised dealers.

"FordDirect gives our dealers a competitive advantage," said Francisco Codina, Ford Motor Co. group vice president and member of the FordDirect Board of Directors. "The power of FordDirect is that it merges the marketing strength of the automaker with the distribution savvy of our dealer partners. This advantage is why we continue to look for meaningful ways to leverage the strengths of FordDirect."

One way Ford is taking advantage of the joint venture, is by giving dealers more control of their lead management solutions through FordDirect. Ford transitioned the current lead management tool, Salespoint, to FordDirect at the end of last year. Now, FordDirect is announcing an agreement with Reynolds and Reynolds to continue its Salespoint solution, to offer dealers an enhanced campaign management tool called Loyalty Solutions (LSI), and jointly develop a new, integrated CRM solution that will be released in early 2007.

"Having FordDirect handle lead management is good news for Ford Dealers and Ford Motor Company because dealers now have a vested interest in development and utilization," said Steve St. Andre, FordDirect president. "An integrated campaign management approach will help dealers capture consumer inquiries from all their marketing activities and create a consistent follow up process that will help the customer move forward in the purchase process. The result is a better shopping experience for the consumer and more sales for the dealer."

Reynolds' Salespoint is an Internet lead management tool that currently accepts electronic leads from over 70 different sources. It makes following up on all leads simple, fast and effective. It helps FMC dealers capture, consolidate and assign leads for follow-up by their sales staff.

Reynolds' LSI is a campaign management system. It provides dealers a comprehensive set of customer relationship management tools to manage all consumer leads from inquiry to close and throughout the ownership cycle. For example, a dealer can create a campaign consisting of e-mail, regular mail, and phone calls, then execute and track its success through LSI's built-in reporting features. The campaign can include customer information from Salespoint Internet leads, walk-in customers, call tracking systems, and any other source. It can be further enriched by integrating with any Dealer Management System (DMS) to provide accurate vehicle data to include in customer follow-up.

"Reynolds is known for its CRM leadership and on-going commitment to provide world-class tools to automotive retailers. We are excited about working with FordDirect to deliver these solutions," said Jill Gehrhardt, CRM solutions director for Reynolds. "For years Ford franchised dealerships have been benefiting from Salespoint and LSI, and we look forward to collaborating with FordDirect to enhance these tools."

About Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds (http://www.reyrey.com/ ) helps automobile dealers sell cars and take care of customers. Serving dealers since 1927, it is a leading provider of dealer management systems in the United States and Canada. The company's award-winning product, service and training solutions include a full range of retail Web and Customer Relationship Management solutions, e-learning and consulting services, documents, data management and integration, networking and support and leasing services. Reynolds serves automotive retailers and OEMs globally through its incadea solution and a worldwide partner network, as well as through its consulting practice.

About FordDirect

FordDirect (http://www.forddirect.com/ ) is a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its Ford franchised dealers to create a comprehensive web presence for dealers and provide marketing services that help dealers sell more cars and trucks. Last year, dealers sold more than 250,000 vehicles through FordDirect referrals. FordDirect is the only dealer-manufacturer partnership in the industry. Launched in August 2000, FordDirect has more than 4,500 participating Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover dealers located in all 50 states. FordDirect is headquartered in Dearborn, Mich.