Ford Motor Co. and FordDirect Name Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury 2006 Lincoln Mercury Internet Dealer of the Year

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 8, 2007 -- For the second year in a row, Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury Lakeside, located in Clinton Township, Mich., has been recognized as Ford Motor Co. and FordDirect's Lincoln Mercury Internet Dealer of the Year.

"We are proud to name Stewart Evans and Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury Lakeside our 2006 Lincoln Mercury Internet Dealer of the year," St. Andre said. "Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships sold more than 270,000 vehicles through FordDirect Internet referrals last year. Sales from online referrals will continue to grow and it will become even more important for dealers to have sound Internet processes to maximize these sales opportunities."

At Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury 10 percent of all their retail sales in 2006 started online with an Internet referral.

"To us the Internet is more than an advertising tool, it is our second showroom and all online customers are treated as a customer who walks in the door," Evans said. "The most important thing to the Internet customer is a timely response, so we focus on getting back to Internet leads within an hour."

Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury has six people in their Internet department, and Evans meets with them on a regular basis to track results and fine-tune their Internet process.

"It's important to create a process, ensure that everyone is following the process and constantly monitor the metrics to drive improvement," Evans said. "We have a strong Internet team and one of the key factors for their success is our organization's attitude about the Internet."

This year, Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury is looking to expand their Internet operations into the service department. They are planning on enabling customers to select the type of service they need and schedule appointments online.

About Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury - Lakeside

Stu Evans has been providing Metro Detroit area customers with world-class sales and service since 1945. Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury Lakeside is located on Hall Road between Romeo Plank and Garfield. Find Stu Evans Lincoln Mercury on the web at www.stuevans.com.

About FordDirect

FordDirect (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 270,000 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.