Ford Fights Back With Bold American Products

Ford Says It's Ready to "Take Back the American Road"

ROANOKE, VA - July 18, 2006 - Ford is taking its story to cities across America this summer and fall bringing the Mustang and later, two other vehicles that represent Ford's bold, American design. "It's easy to sit in our own offices in Detroit and create our own reality about what it means to be competitive, but when you take your story to Americans in the cities where they live, you're seeing reality in the flesh," says tour director Greg Pawlowski who is driving from city-to-city this summer to talk (and listen) to consumers about how Ford is responding to their wants and needs.

"When we say Ford is looking at the world through customers' eyes, we mean every word," adds Pawlowski. "That means bold design, more standard safety features, higher quality and, as of July 13, the best warranty and roadside assistance packages of any full-line manufacturer -- American, European or Asian."

On the first leg of the tour, Pawlowski is bringing along the Grabber Orange Mustang GT as a tangible example of how Ford is reconnecting with its customers.

Nearly one out of every two sports cars sold in America is a Mustang, and it remains one of the hottest-selling cars in the country. It's also America's favorite convertible. It is one of the few products to ever "cross over" into the popular culture mainstream. In its 43-year history, Mustang has co-starred in countless movies and been celebrated in pop music, including the classic, "Mustang Sally." It was voted by Americans to be one of the most popular icons of the last century in a poll conducted by the U.S. Postal Service in 1999.

"Mustang buyers told us that they wanted more options and colors to suit their individual tastes," says Pawlowski. "We've responded with a whole array of features including two new attention-generating colors, heated front seats, SIRIUS radio, and yet another Mustang first, a DVD-based navigation system."

At future stops, Pawlowski will swap out the Mustang for other vehicles that reflect Ford's customer-driven thinking and innovation, including a 2007 ethanol-powered F-150 pickup, and the all-new Edge crossover that is poised to define the hot crossover market in much the same way that Ford defined the SUV market in the 1990s with the Explorer.

"Today's auto marketplace is more competitive than ever before," Pawlowski says. "We've gone from 'The Big Three' to 'The Big Six' carmakers and it's a global dogfight. It is not business as usual and we are listening to our customers and responding to their needs. We are reclaiming the American road, and we will rely on our products, not just our heritage, to do it."