New FiestaConnecting Ford People

March 2008

Feel the difference

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0� Upfront Transit goes globalFlexifuel risesJanuary sales

08 Cover storyThe Geneva Motor Show gets underway with the New Fiesta and Kuga the stars of the show

John FlemingPresident and CEO, Ford of Europe

Ford NewsIncluded with this issue between pages 10 and 11

The Geneva Motor Show has just opened its doors and we are again setting the pace with a strong display of new products.

Centre stage is the Fiesta, our all-new small car that is closely based on the Verve Concept. With attention-grabbing design and a host of big-car features it has already been acclaimed by the motoring media . Designed and developed here in Europe, it is the fi rst major product from Ford Motor

Company’s new global product development process. This new trendsetting model goes on sale in Europe in the second half of this year, some months after the sales debut of another Geneva Motor Show star attraction, our new Kuga crossover vehicle.

And they are not the only new products we are displaying in Switzerland. Alongside them is the full Focus family, including the new-style Coupé-Cabriolet, and our low-CO2 ECOnetic range.

It adds up to a great start to 2008 and our commitment to make this our fi fth year of increased sales and profi t.

I can honestly say that I do not recall a year in which Ford of Europe will have so many new products to launch. By the end of the year, in addition to our new small car range and the Kuga, we will have brought to market over 20 new and improved models across our entire portfolio.

Having strong, appealing products, puts us in a strong position to compete with the best in what is forecast to be another fi ercely competitive year in our industry. It is an industry impacted by a variety of different factors. We know our material costs will continue to rise and we know that competition will get even more intense. Our response, as in the past, is to keep a laser focus on our operating costs while continuing to introduce products that customers want to own.

But while we have the right strategy, the challenge remains formidable. We have to continue to do what we have done over the past four years: build on our success and meet our objectives. We have a solid year of profi t and sales growth behind us and the arrival of exciting new products ahead of us. Be proud of what we have achieved. It has been hard-won and we know that it could easily slip away if we are not diligent.

Our future is in our hands; stayed focussed, stay committed and we will continue to progress.

Our future is in our hands

March 2008

Connecting Ford People

1� SportJari-Matti Latvala triumphs in Sweden, breaking a 28-year-old record

15 FeatureNew Focus gets musical for Ford’s latest ad campaign

16 InterviewIan Slater discusses the importance of communication

18 FeatureFord Component Sales supplies parts for a new generation of greener vehicles

19 DiversityFord continues its support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund

� | March 2008

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has announced plans to invest more than R1.5 billion (€130m) to expand operations for the production of Ford’s next-generation compact pickup truck and Puma diesel engine. The investment will begin in 2009 and be split between the Company’s assembly plant in Silverton, Pretoria, and engine facility in Struandale, Port Elizabeth. Production of the new diesel engine is scheduled to begin in 2010, followed by production of the new pickup in 2011. The investment will transform FMCSA’s current production landscape to enhance South Africa’s significance as a strategic export base for vehicles, engines and components for Ford Motor Company.

The investment will increase annual capacity at the Silverton plant to 110,000 units, with approximately three-quarters of the vehicles being produced for export, primarily to markets in Africa and Europe. The Struandale Engine Plant will increase annual production for its next-generation, turbocharged common-rail Puma diesel engine and components to approximately 180,000 units, with the majority being exported. As part of the investment, FMCSA plans to continue working with the South African government to accelerate and enhance human resources training and development of the auto industry’s current and future workforce.

Ford announces South Africa investment

The Ford Transit has made its debut in China. The legendary load carrier was revealed to the Chinese media in Shanghai earlier this month. More than 600 members of the media attended the launch, which included a speech from Chiang Huang, chief programme engineer, V348 Transit for Asia Pacific, and a Q&A session. The event received widespread coverage on television, in the print media and on the internet. “It is a very special experience for me,” said Chiang Huang. “I feel very proud that the team has delivered a winning product to the Chinese consumers.”

Transit takes a bow in China

St Petersburg produces its first new generation Focus

Production of the new generation Ford Focus has begun at the Ford plant

in St. Petersburg, Russia. The first car was driven off the line by Valery

Serdyukov, Governor of the Leningrad region, and Jim Tetreault, VP,

Manufacturing, Ford of Europe.

The new Focus has caught the imagination of the Russian public, with

around 20,000 customers ordering a car already. It will be assembled in

Russia in all four body styles – 3-door, 4-door, 5-door and wagon – , with

a choice of five engines, automatic and manual transmissions and in a choice

of three trim series: Ambiente, Comfort and Ghia.

“I was hugely impressed by the quick and professional preparations

done for the St. Petersburg launch of the new Focus. Everyone working

at the plant is doing a terrific job – I am very proud of them and the quality of

the vehicles they are producing,” said Tetreault.

The first new Focus is also the 250,000th Focus to be sold in Russia

since the car was introduced to the market in 1999.

March 2008 | 5

The European designed, engineered

and manufactured Ford Transit

Connect is making a splash on the

other side of the Atlantic. Unveiled at

the Chicago Auto Show, it is expected

to prove a big hit with small business

owners who want a vehicle that offers

better fuel economy, larger load

capacity and better cargo accessibility

than commercial vehicles currently

available to them. It will be available

in selected North American markets

in 2009.

Transit Connect will be a white-space

product for North America. Its closest

competitors are cargo vans offered by

Chevrolet and Dodge. Connect will

provide a signifi cant city fuel economy

Transit Connect to be sold in North America

+60%

Flexifuel sales up 60 per cent

Ford of Europe sold a record 17,500 bio-ethanol powered

Flexifuel vehicles across Europe last year, an increase of

60 per cent compared to the previous year. With the all-

new Mondeo, Galaxy and S-MAX to be made available

with Flexifuel powertrains later this year, joining the

existing Focus and C-MAX Flexifuel line-up, this impres-

sive momentum looks set to continue.

Ford is the market pioneer of fl exible fuel vehicles (FFVs)

in Europe, selling more than 45,000 units since introduc-

tion in Sweden seven years ago. The Company can also

claim the largest owner body for FFVs in Europe as a

result of this industry-leading initiative.

All of Ford’s FFVs can be fuelled with bio-ethanol E85,

which is available at a rapidly increasing number of fuel

stations across Europe (currently, more than 1,000 fuel

stations in Sweden and at least 375 in the rest of Europe).

They can also be fuelled with petrol, or any mixture of

E85 and petrol in the same tank, as an alternative to con-

ventional petrol technology only.

advantage, while offering more cargo

space. Both are increasingly important

to small business owners in today’s

changing marketplace.

“More than ever before, consumers

are making the bulk of their purchases

from the Internet and smaller, specialty

businesses, which is increasing the

volume of small package deliveries,”

said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice

president of Global Product Develop-

ment. “Transit Connect is ideally suited

to meet those delivery needs because

of its fl exible package, compact size

and fuel-effi cient powertrain. It will

make the delivery process for small

business owners easier and more

affordable.”

Cologne gets green powerFord has sourced renewable electricity to cover the full electric power demand of its manufacturing and engineering facilities at its Cologne plant in Germany. This includes the electricity needed for the assembly of Fiesta and Fusion models at the plant. Through this initiative, the Company will reduce its CO2 emissions by 190,000 tonnes per year. “The Cologne plant initiative is part of our broader approach to minimise the environmental effects – in particular CO2 emissions – of our vehicles during their entire life cycle,” said Dr Wolfgang Schneider, vice president, governmental and environmental affairs, Ford of Europe. “It marks a cornerstone in our ongoing efforts to implement a broad portfolio of measures across our European plants, aimed at further reducing the CO2 footprint from our manufacturing operations.”The green electric power is recognised as coming from a fully renewable, environmentally friendly source. It is generated by three hydro-power plants in Norway and Sweden, owned by Vannkraft AS (Norway) and Fortum AB (Sweden), and provided to Ford through Cologne-based energy infrastructure service provider Rhein Energie AG. The contract foresees the delivery of 480,000 Megawatt hours per year. Globally, Ford continues to reduce the environmental footprint of its manufacturing operations. Since 2000, the Company has reduced its global operational energy use by 27% overall, CO2 emissions by 31% and water use by more than 25%.

Upfront

Ford market share January 2008

total vehicles by country (+/– 2007)

Segment shares total Europe

January–December 2007

1. Fiat Panda 2. Suzuki Swift 11. Ford Ka

1. Peugeot 207 2. GM Corsa 5. Ford Fiesta

1. GM Meriva 2. Ford Fusion 3. Honda Jazz

1. VW Golf 2. GM Astra 3. Ford Focus

6 | March 2008

Nissan plant to add third shiftFiat launches new engine

Nissan is to recruit 800 additional staff and implement a third production shift at its manufacturing plant in Sunderland, Eng-land, in response to a record production year and continuing high demand for the Qashqai crossover.Last year, the plant achieved a record annual production volume of 353,000 units of Qashqai, Note, Micra and Micra C+C. With orders still above forecast and a customer order bank of 60,000 units, the plant is recruiting 400 permanent and 400 temporary staff. In addition, all current temporary staff will be offered permanent positions.

Fiat has launched a new 1.6-litre MultiJet 16v diesel engine. Available initially in the Fiat Bravo, the engine is Euro V compliant and comes in two versions: The ‘Eco’ package features a 105 bhp unit, in combination with low resistance tyres and optimised aerodynamics. In this form, the engine offers 62.7mpg in the combined cycle. The second version is a 120bhp. Both engines are paired with a manual six-speed gearbox.

Renault reveals Koleos

Renault has unveiled its new compact SUV at Geneva. The Koleos, mechanically related to the next-generation Nissan X-Trail, will be built by Samsung (which is majority-owned by Renault-Nissan) in Busan, South Korea. The Kuga competitor will be powered by Renault’s new 2.0dCi diesel engine (150bhp and 175bhp outputs). It will be available in both front-wheel- and four-wheel-drive versions, the latter having Nissan’s electronic all-mode 4x4 system.Sales start in June.

A - AustriaB - BelgiumCH - SwitzerlandCZ - Czech RepublicD - GermanyDK - DenmarkE - SpainF - FranceFIN - FinlandGB - Great BritainGR - GreeceH - HungaryI - ItalyIRL - IrelandN - NorwayNL - NetherlandsP - PortugalPL - PolandS - SwedenRUS - RussiaTR - Turkey

TOTAL EUROPE

7.3% (-0.2%) 6.7% (-0.5%) 5.1% (-0.6%) 6.8% (+0.5%) 5.6% (–1.0%) 7.9% (+0.2%) 11.1% (+2.8%) 5.4% (+0.4%) 7.5% (+0.3%) 17.6% (–0.6%) 6.3% (–0.1%) 12.8% (+1.2%) 8.7% (-0.1%) 13.8% (+1.3%) 9.1% (+0.5%) 8.5% (+0.4%) 6.2% (-0.1%) 5.8% (–1.0%) 5.0% (-0.8%) 6.5% (–7.1%) 17.7% (+2.1%)

8.81% (-0.4%)

1. Renault Scenic 2. GM Zafira 5. Ford C-MAX

1. VW Passat 2. Skoda Octavia 3. Ford Mondeo 6. Ford S-MAX

1. Renault Espace 2. Ford Galaxy 3. VW Sharan

1. Ford Transit 2. VW Transporter 3. Fiat Ducato

1. Renault Scenic 1. Renault Scenic 2. GM Zafira 2. GM Zafira 5. Ford C-MAX 5. Ford C-MAX 5. Ford C-MAX 5. Ford C-MAX

1. VW Passat 1. VW Passat 2. Skoda Octavia 2. Skoda Octavia 3. Ford Mondeo 3. Ford Mondeo 6. Ford S-MAX 6. Ford S-MAX

1. Renault Espace 1. Renault Espace 2. Ford Galaxy 2. Ford Galaxy 3. VW Sharan 3. VW Sharan

1. Ford Transit 1. Ford Transit 2. VW Transporter 2. VW Transporter 3. Fiat Ducato 3. Fiat Ducato

19.2% 8.9% 4.0%

12.5% 11.4% 10.2%

24.3% 14.3% 12.4%

14.7% 14.1% 13.7%

18.2% 13.0% 8.7%

21.2% 12.6% 10.4% 5.1%

18.2% 16.0% 10.3%

11.7% 10.6% 7.8%

Our 2007 sales momentum continued into 2008, with January sales across our main 21 markets increasing by 1.5% to 142,460. That was a solid performance and it improved our market share to 9.04%.

Britain remained by far our largest single market, selling 33,230 vehicles and gain-ing a market leading share of 17.6%. But both figures were down slightly, reflecting increased competition. Italy was broadly stable, with sales of 22,390 giving a share of 8.7%.

Our sales in Germany slipped to 13,500, taking our share down to 5.6%. This was a planned action to allow dealers to rebalance low mileage inventory. Germany is a major focus for us and with our new models winning increasing media and public acceptance, we are looking to improve our position in Europe’s biggest market as 2008 progresses.

Two of our best performances of the month were achieved in France and Spain. Our team in France increased sales by over 18%, to 12,540, taking 5.4% of the market. In Spain, our sales climbed to over 13,000 units, 12.9% up on last year. Market share was 11.1%.

We gained our highest market share in Turkey. With the market continuing to recover, we sold 5,160 vehicles, over 44% more than in last January. Our share was a market leading 17.7%.

In our other key growth market, Russia, we sold 9,720 vehicles for a market share of 6.5%.

Among other noteworthy performances in January, Finland increased by 21% to 2,160, the Netherlands improved by 7.2% to 5,145 and the Czech Republic was 32.5% higher, at 957.

Focus remained our best-selling model, retailing 37,130 units. That was followed by Fiesta with 29,380. The headline news, however, concerned Mondeo, which leapt by over 50% to 16,800. That was an impressive performance and one which underlines the growing reputation of our new model.

Among our commercial vehicles, Transit continued to motor strongly, increasing by 1,000 units to 17,100. Transit Connect held its own with 7,100 units, while sales of the Ranger pickup soared over 60% to 1,950.

Looking ahead, while 2008 is forecast to be a challenging year for the Euro-pean industry, we expect our sales momentum to continue. Our confidence is based on the strength of our current range and on the exciting new products we plan to introduce this year.

The stylish new Focus is now on sale in key markets and will be followed shortly by the Kuga, which will set a new benchmark in the crossover seg-ment. And that is just the start, our new small car, based upon the Verve Concept, has made its world debut at Geneva Motor Show and we are receiving outstanding feedback.

This great-looking car has all the style, innovation, value and performance that motorists have come to associate with the Ford brand.

** Our FCSD business also made a fast start to the year, with sales up in all of the major categories.

Top 5 markets by volume 2008

Top 5 markets by share full year 2008Market Share

Market Volume

Total industry Europe (2008 YTD)

By Stephen Odell

COMMENT

Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service,Ford of Europe

March 2008 | 7

Honda unveils new Accord

Honda has revealed the new Accord in Geneva. Wider and lower than its predecessor, the Mondeo competitor comes with revised petrol engines and a new diesel, though the exterior styling is more an evolution of the current model than a radical departure.All models have stability control and a new sys-tem called Motion Adaptive EPS, which incorpo-rates the stability control and the electric power steering to aid steering input in slippery condi-tions and during moments of instability. Options include collision-mitigation braking, which monitors the distance to the car in front and alerts the driver if an impact is imminent or applies the brakes to reduce the effect of an impact; lane-keeping assist; and adaptive cruise control.

1. UK 33 2302. Italy 22 3903. Germany 13 5004. Spain 13 0305. France 12 540

1. Turkey 17.7 %2. UK 17.6 %3. Ireland 13.8 %4. Hungary 12.8 %5. Spain 11.1 %

Cars 1 388 740 (+53 113)Commercials 254 476 (+5 810)

Cover Story

8 | March 2008

Show stealersFord of Europe’s new model torrent continues in Geneva with Fiesta and Kuga spearheading a jaw-dropping display of new models and technologies

Small car superstarMaking its world debut in Geneva, the new Fiesta opens another bright chapter in the story of Ford’s popular small car. It has all the strengths associated with the Fiesta name – practicality, value for money, agility and safety – together with a host of big-car features.

Designed and developed in Europe for sale in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and the Americas between 2008 and 2010, the newcomer is the fi rst major product from Ford’s new global product development process.

As Geneva show-goers are currently fi nding out, the Fiesta brings the appeal of the Verve Concept to production reality. European production starts in the autumn at the Cologne plant. Later, as production ramps up, the Valencia plant will bring additional capacity on line in 2009.

Unlike key competitors, which have grown in size and weight, the Fiesta stands on virtually the same footprint as before and is lighter than its predecessor.

Available in 3- and 5-door hatchback bodystyles, it has retained the dynamic, coupé-like profi le and sporty stance of the Verve Concept.

It has also kept the Verve’s wow-factor interior, with its futuristic instrument panel centre stack. One of several key features incor-porated is Ford’s HMI (Human Machine Interface) system. Others include keyless start, Easyfuel capless refuelling, one-shot power windows, built-in jack sockets and Bluetooth® connectivity with Voice Control. Ford fi rsts for a small car focus on enhanced safe-ty and Electric-Power Assist Steering (E-PAS). Fiesta will have fi ve

Show stealersShow stealersShow stealersShow stealersShow stealersShow stealersShow stealersFord of Europe’s new model Ford of Europe’s new model

Show stealersShow stealersShow stealersShow stealersShow stealers

March 2008 | 9

Show stealers

powertrain choices at launch, ranging from the 68 PS Duratorq TDCi diesel to the new Duratec 115 PS 1.6-litre Ti-VCT petrol engine. Two transmissions are offered, the Durashift 5-speed manual and the Durashift 4-speed automatic.

“With the all-new Fiesta, we want to create a world standard for small car quality, design and comfort in a vehicle that is as exciting to drive as it is to look at. We believe this all-new model

will attract a whole new generation of small car buyers, whether they are in Britain, Spain, China or California,” said Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company president and CEO. “The new Ford Fiesta will set the standard for delivering to our customers products they really want and value while taking advantage of our wonder-ful global resources.”

Show stealersShow stealers

Cover Story

10 | March 2008

Fiesta for a new generationThe all-new Fiesta is the latest in a long and distinguished line of Ford small cars.

The first Fiesta started life in the early 1970s as Project Bobcat. It became a personal mission for Ford’s then chairman, Henry Ford II, who was a passionate believer in small cars.

With a global oil crisis adding impetus, the Ford Board met in late 1973 and gave the go-ahead for the model to be developed and produced. Fiesta didn’t get its name until 1974, when a list of 50 potential names was whittled down to just five. The final choice went to Henry Ford II. His preference for Fiesta, a Spanish word, was appropriate given the fact that the car would be manufactured in a new plant in Valencia.

Since the first Fiesta model went on sale in 1976, the popular Ford small car has sold more than 12m units. While it has moved with the times and the fashions over the years, it has remained steadfast in its dedication to provide economical, practical and dependable transportation for people of all ages.

“We’re proud of what the Fiesta has achieved since its original launch in 1976,” said John Fleming, Ford of Europe’s president and CEO. “Ford has a clear vision that small cars should excel in dynamics, quality, features and safety. That’s the philosophy that has guided the development of this, the most sophisticated Fies-ta ever.”

The radical interior styling of the Verve Concept has been carried forward to production reality. The stylish centre stack is inspired by mobile phones, while there is also an MP3 player tray with built-in sockets for audio and USB cables.

March 2008 | 11

Crossover kingIn Paris in 2006 Ford of Europe made a very public commitment. Unveiling the iosis X Concept vehicle, John Fleming promised that a production vehicle inspired by the dramatically-styled model would be launched in two years. That pledge has been kept and the promised model - the Kuga - is currently wowing visitors to Ford’s stand at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Kuga is Ford of Europe’s first entry into the highly competi-tive crossover market and it looks set to make a dramatic impact. One of the advantages of entering an established market is that you arrive with a state-of-the-art model, and that is what Ford has done with a stylish and charismatic vehicle that sets a new benchmark in combining on-road driving quality with impressive off-road capability.

Practical exterior design features are also part of the story and include a two-piece tailgate with separate access to either the upper section only or both sections simultaneously.

The materials chosen for Kuga’s interior demonstrate its close links to the iosis X Concept, with fine leathers and gloss finishes on key areas. Colour-matched details of the interior highlight the instrument panel and door trims.

There is comfortable and spacious seating for up to five adults, with the second row of seats offering a 60/40 split and fold-flat capability. At the rear, there is 1,355 litres of luggage capacity when in two-seat mode, while the enclosed luggage compart-ment achieves a volume of 360 litres.

Behind the style there is very real substance, and the Kuga is a competitive package of market leading driving dynamics, safety and high quality and craftsmanship.

Based on Ford’s C-car architecture – acclaimed in the Focus and C-MAX – the new model is available with a proven powertrain

and two series levels, Trend and Titanium. Those series offer cus-tomers a wide range of equipment, technology and styling options. They also provide a platform for further personalisation, with dedicated Packs which provide additional protection, trans-port, stowage, styling and aftersales products.

The Kuga comes with a 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi 136 PS 100kW engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. A full-time intelligent all-wheel drive (AWD) system is complemented by a front-wheel-drive (FWD) unit that will appeal to drivers who like the style and presence of Kuga but do not require all-wheel drive capability.

FWD and AWD variants return fuel economy figures of 6.3 and 6.4 litres of fuel per 100 km respectively, using the combined fuel consumption figures. The 4WD’s 169 g/km of CO2 is class-lead-ing.

Manufactured at the Saarlouis plant in Germany, the Kuga will be built alongside the Focus 3-door, 5-door and wagon variants and the C-MAX. It goes on sale in the coming weeks.

The Kuga interior incorporates fine leathers and gloss finishes. First seen on the iosis X Concept car in piano white these now come in a choice of shades depending on the series chosen.

Cover Story

12 | March 2008

The ‘green’ alternativeMany exhibitors in Geneva are emphasising environmental developments.

Ford has one of the strongest stories to tell, displaying

The year of the small car

The Geneva Motor Show shows clearly that 2008 will be one of the busiest, most exciting and most significant years in Ford of Europe’s history. By the end of the year, the Company will have brought to production its new small car range, the Kuga crossover and numerous individual new models across its entire portfolio.

“For us 2008 is very much the year of the small car, and it starts with the all-new Fiesta,” said John Fleming, president and CEO, Ford of Europe. “With over 30 years of success, the new model will challenge perceptions of what small cars stand for and also attract a new generation of customers to the Fiesta brand around the world. We’re proud to keep the Fiesta name

Family celebrationThe enlarged Focus family is having a get-together on the Ford stand. Joining the newly-arrived Coupé-Cabriolet are the 3-door, 4-door, 5-door, wagon and sporty ST models. It adds up to the greatest variety of body-styles for a single vehicle line within the Ford of Europe portfolio. A final addition comes to the family early next year when the RS high performance model is launched.

Also attracting attention is Switzerland is Ford’s big-car range, the Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy. With the launch of a 2.2-litre diesel engine and a sporty Titanium series, they now offer customers even more choice. Developed for perfor-mance, the new Duratorq TDCi is the most powerful

a broad range of low-CO2 vehicle solutions that are practical and affordable.

The ECOnetic range of ultra-low CO2 vehicles offers an alternative to customers who prioritise low emissions perfor-mance in their purchasing decision. The Focus ECOnetic delivers an average fuel consumption of just 4.3 l/100km. This corresponds to a conventional powertrain best-in-class CO2 emission performance of 115g/km.

Joining the Focus is the sub-140 g/km CO2 Mondeo ECOnetic. It will be followed by a sub-100 g/km CO2 Fiesta model.

In adding the ECOnetic diesel derivatives to its product line-up, Ford will offer customers across Europe eight affordable choices for environmentally friendly cars by the end of 2008 – three ECOnetics, and five Flexifuel cars.

for the new model, as it is one of the most recognised small car brands in the world.

“I’m also delighted that we’ve kept all of the style, sophistica-tion and excitement of the Verve Concept, and all of the driving quality and technology features you’d expect from a new Ford. Significantly, the new Fiesta is also the next step in our global pro-duct development process, and tailored versions of the car will be launched between 2008 and 2010 in markets around the world.

“The new Ford Kuga crossover is the latest addition to our C-car line-up and appears in Geneva alongside our entire new Focus range, including, for the first time, the new Coupé-Cabriolet.”

diesel engine available in Ford of Europe’s passenger cars. Maximum power of 175 PS is delivered at just 3,500 rpm.

New sporty Titanium S versions of the Mondeo and S-MAX ranges are being introduced in most markets. Based on the highly specified Titanium models, new features and elements have been added to give both cars more styling presence and an enhanced sporty character.

March 2008 | 13

Drop-top head-turnerThe new 4-seater Focus Coupé-Cabriolet made its public debut in Geneva, joining the 3-door, 4-door, 5-door, wagon and sporty ST models.

The newly designed Focus CC, with its retractable hardtop, will be manufactured by Pininfarina in Italy. With the roof closed, the model offers a best-in-class luggage capacity of 534 litres. Even with the retractable hardtop stowed in the boot, the new Ford provides 248 litres of luggage space under the folded roof.

The model features Ford’s new Rollover Protection Device (RPD) system, which uses electronic sensors and a gyroscope to detect an impending rollover. When this happens, two ultra-strong safety roll bars “fire” into position within a tenth of a second. Combined with reinforced A-pillars and a highly rigid front window frame, RPD provides extra protection for occupants.

1� | March 2008

Sport

BP Ford Abu Dhabi driver Jari-Matti Latvala shattered a 28-year-old record with his maiden victory on Rally Sweden. At just 22 years old he’s now the youngest ever winner of a WRC round

Ford’s new boy Jari-Matti Latvala ripped up the formbook with his exploits in Scandinavia last month. Not only did he secure his first WRC victory, he also eclipsed the late and legendary Henri Toivonen as the youngest ever world rally driver to top the podium.

Toivonen was 24 when he set his mark-er on the RAC Rally in Britain back in 1980. What makes Latvala’s achievement even more remarkable is the manner of his win. He completely outclassed his peers on just his second event with the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

Latvala, who led 17 of Sweden’s 18 stages, said: “Toivonen is a big hero of mine so this means so much to me. I couldn’t have dreamed I could win on

only my second event in a works team, especially after such a disappointing start to the year in Monte Carlo. I can’t really find the words to describe my feelings.”

Latvala’s win, coupled with team-mate Mikko Hirvonen’s two second place finishes in Monte Carlo and Sweden has propelled the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team into a 10-point lead in the Manufacturers’ series after two rounds. Hirvonen leads the Drivers’ standings by six points with Latvala tied for second.

“I just can’t wait for the next event,” Latvala told @Ford. “I’m really happy with the team, the Focus is an amazing car to drive and hopefully Mikko and I can score many more wins this year.”

What the experts say …Jari-Matti’s win in Sweden points to a glorious future for Ford but it came as a surprise to everyone in the sport. @Ford spoke to team-boss Malcolm Wilson, former driver Marcus Grönholm plus co-diver Timo Rautiainen to get their views.

Malcolm Wilson: “We’re proud to have the youngest ever winner of a WRC event in our team. I knew Jari-Matti would win this season but it came sooner than I expected!”

Marcus Grönholm: “I always knew Jari-Matti was quick but to win just your second rally with the team is really impressive, especially because he did not have such a good rally in Monte Carlo. It’s good for Ford. I think Jari-Matti and Mikko can push each other and take a lot of points off Sébastien Loeb this year. Mikko and Jari-Matti are the future of rallying. I’m just glad I’m not competing against these guys now.”

Timo Rautiainen: “It was the performance that impressed me most. The conditions in Sweden were terrible, there was hardly any snow, but Jari-Matti drove really well. He coped better than anyone else and to beat Henri Toivenen’s record which has stood for so long is something special. It will do his confidence a lot of good and I’m sure Ford can look forward to many more wins this season.”

Rick Franks

Latvala comes of age

March 2008 | 15

Focus on the musicWhat do you get if you cross a new Focus with a fi lm composer, a sound-designer and an orchestra? The new Focus commercial…

The 31 instruments include:Transmission Case Cello-DulcimerClutch GuitarRear Suspension Spike FiddleFender BassHatchback Kick DrumHandheld Gear TambourineDoor HarpOpera Window ViolinWindscreen Wiper Metronome

The advert, currently being screened across Europe, is part of the launch programme for the new Focus. Conceived by London-based ad agency Ogilvy, the concept was brought to life in the USA by producer and sound-designer Bill Mil-brodt and Hollywood fi lm composer Craig Richey.

Milbrodt was the catalyst for the project. For him, the challenge of creating beautiful, haunting sounds from the most unlikely of objects has been a long-standing obsession. “It’s called ‘musique concrete’,” he explains. “I work with a guy who can make music from rocks and logs, and people have been playing things like brake drums since the late 1930s.”

Milbrodt’s own obsession with ‘musique concrete’ began more than a decade ago when he turned his old car into musical instruments. The Focus ad, though, was to be a much tougher

brief. Director Noam Murro decided against the contemporary sounding music of most current car ads and instead wanted a waltz.

Richey explains: “Noam wanted it to be a beautiful, melodic piece of music that you’re not expecting to hear from a car, so that sold me instantly because I thought it was an intriguing challenge.”

But with the instruments not yet made, it was a dive into the dark for Richey. He started com-posing without knowing if the Ford parts would be able to make the sounds he required. In all, he wrote between 20 and 30 waltzes.

He reveals: “I gave most of them Italian names, but for this one piece I couldn’t think of anything, so I called it ‘Ode to a Ford’. It ended up being the winner.”

With the music received, Millbrodt set about

creating the instruments from a Focus fi ve-door hatchback. “There were six guys working on it, and it took them about seven hours to break it down. They took the doors and fenders off, but we had the body shell intact and we later cut out of that the parts we wanted.”

With the instruments made, an orchestra was assembled and the advert was shot at California’s Universal Studios in December. Despite some of the 31 instruments being technically hard to play, the musicians extracted the sounds that both Richey and Milbrodt had hoped for.

“After all the losing sleep wondering how good or bad it might sound, it’s kind of ironic that it sounds so good that maybe it isn’t going to be believable,” shrugs Richey. “All I can say is believe it, because it’s the real thing.”

Richard Noble

Interview

16 | March 2008

How would you summarise the role and the goals of C&PA?On a simple level, PA tries to communicate effectively good news about Ford and its products to the outside world. On a more sophisticated level, we try to manage and improve the Company’s reputation. The third thing that we try to do, and maybe this is the most important of all, is to feedback what people outside the Company really think of Ford, whether it is good or bad, showing how we can improve as a business.

What is the feedback you are getting at the moment?That Ford in Europe and its products have never been better. We are doing great things with our new cars and commercial vehicles, which we help get recognised externally, and we have never had a greater volume of positive media coverage.

You mentioned volume of media coverage, or share of voice as it is often called, how do we measure that?Share of voice is a convenient term to encapsulate in one measure the vol-ume of coverage that Ford is getting for its products in the media, compared with competitors. Ford is averaging a share of voice in Europe of over 10%,

Information channel Effective internal and external communication

plays a key role in helping Ford of Europe meet its business objectives, says Communications & Public Affairs vice president Ian Slater

which beats just about all our competitors and is ahead of FoE’s actual market share.

How do you get the media to talk more about your products?Every day in one country or another we’re issuing press releases about Ford, so that’s one basic way. Another effective route to news coverage is through central launches for new products. Sometimes for a major launch we’re inviting almost 2,000 journalists to one location to drive our products over several weeks. These events are a very cost effective way of getting a great deal of media attention, in print and on television, for our new products. Inter-national auto shows, such as Geneva, are always a great opportunity for us, and we’ll have no shortage of news this year.

One example of recent success was at the Frankfurt show when we intro-duced the new ECOnetic range of vehicles with very low CO2 emissions. We had a very strong response from the media to these products. I’ve been hearing about how much showroom traffic PR has generated. ECOnetic is something we haven’t advertised yet in a major way so it is very pleasing that, through PR alone, we’ve been able to drive people to seek out these vehicles in the showroom.

March 2008 | 17

BIOGRAPHY

Ian S. Slater is vice president, Communications & Public Affairs for Ford of Europe and the Premier Automotive Group (PAG). In this capacity he has global responsibility for product, corporate and internal communications for the PAG brands and for Ford of Europe.

He joined Ford Motor Company in 1980 as an eco­nomist with Ford of Europe’s finance staff, moving on to governmental affairs. Over the past 20 years, he has held a number of key positions in Ford public affairs in Europe, and also the role of Global news director at world headquarters in Detroit.

Born in Perth, Scotland, in 1953, Ian Slater holds an MA Honours degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh.

We’ve unveiled the Fiesta in Geneva but the market launch is at the end of the year, how do you keep momentum during the period in between?To begin with, it’s important to start to build awareness of a new product at the right time. The first step is to issue an official photograph and, a little later, start to introduce the vehicle more widely in the media. Then we’ll conduct our first drive appraisal, which is key to forming journalists’ first impressions of the vehicle. Sometimes at that stage the media compare our vehicle in back-to-back comparisons with competitors’ models. During that period we’re building up awareness of the new product just before the product goes on sale.

How are you adapting to the challenges of new ways of communicating? The proliferation of news media is one of the biggest challenges faced by the Public Affairs team globally. In a typical European country, 10 years ago perhaps there was just a handful of TV channels. Now people are able to access up to 100 through satellite and cable networks. There is also a proliferation of magazines, and of news coming across the internet. In response, we are making sure that we reach all influential forms of communication.

With more European products going global, in line with the ONE Ford strategy of Alan Mulally, what’s the impact on PA Europe?This is an exciting challenge because a lot of the new products that Ford is going to sell globally are going to be coming out of the European product development process. So PA in Europe is taking the lead in developing communication strategies around these new products.

Another challenge is on the Corporate communications side, where the reputation of a company can quickly be damaged. How do you handle this? Sometimes there is negative news about problems that we may be having in part of the business. For example, we’ve had to take difficult actions in recent years to align our capacity to demand, but the media has given Ford credit for how it has approached this. An important role for our team is to demonstrate that Ford is handling hard challenges in the right way, in a very responsible way.

As a corporation Ford isn’t doing too well at the moment, unlike Ford of Europe. How do you manage this gap?Over the past couple of years, the overall performance of Ford has attracted attention in the financial media. That has come at a time when Ford of Europe as a business has been performing more strongly. Our message remains that the European business is growing; our quality is very competitive; our product range is highly desirable. We are also operating at 100 % capacity. These are positive messages that we communicate strongly.

What are the immediate and longer term challenges of PA?The immediate challenge is to continue to build on the strong reputation that we have. This year we have a record number of major and minor product introductions. The challenge is to make the most of that opportunity, drive further improvement in our product reputation and also encourage people to come into our showrooms. The longer term challenge is to continue to improve the overall reputation of Ford.

Interview by E.Lubrani

reportaje

18 | marzo 2008

Redacción: Emmanuel Lubrani, elubrani@ford.com | Redacción en español: Amaya Godia, agodia@ford.com | Maquetación: Manfred Müller, mmuell86@ford.com,

Annette van der Linde, Alexander Bertrams | Digital Reproducción: purpur, Colonia | Producción: Zetweka, Print & Production Management, Colonia | Imprenta: Neef &

Stumme, Wittingen | Publicación de Ford Europa, Asuntos Públicos

Ford

Crece el negocio ecológico

Conocido por sus acuerdos comerciales con fabricantes automovilísticos especialistas como Morgan, Caterham, Jineta y Westfield, y con importantes fabricantes de equipamiento original (OEM) dentro de los sectores del mercado agríco-la, de la construcción, municipal y de carreteras, FCS se está diversificando incluso más para lograr que los OEM y las compañías que fabrican vehículos diseñados para emitir cero o reducidas emisiones de CO2, cumplan con los requisitos medioambientales actuales y futuros.

El Transporte de Londres (TfL) ha aprobado una ley que exige que todos los autobuses nuevos registrados a partir de 2009 sean diesel híbridos y actualmente está probando autobuses

Ford proporciona desde hace tiempo componentes a la industria automovilística, siendo uno de los primeros ejemplos Morgan Cars en 1993. Esa tradición sigue actualmente a través de Ford Component Sales (Ventas de Componentes Ford o FCS) situado en Warley

para cargar las baterías. Con esta carga continua, el vehículo tiene un rango operativo mucho mayor que un autobús diesel convencional porque ofrece un menor consumo de combustible.

Al compararlos con los autobuses convencio-nales que recorren la ruta de prueba del autobús, los híbridos consiguen mejoras medioambienta-les considerables. Según las primeras pruebas, estas mejoras incluyen la reducción del:

• 89% de óxido de nitrógeno• 83% de monóxido de carbono• 40% de uso de combustible• 38% de dióxido de carbono• 30% del nivel de sonido percibido

Roush, un contratista de ingeniería de Ford y socio técnico de FCS, está apoyando a Wright-bus en el desarrollo de la calibración y el genera-dor del motor para el autobús de TfL.

Además, Roush, junto con la organización patrocinada por el gobierno CENEX, ha hecho una oferta para la producción de Transits de cabina doble de 2.3 litros propulsados por hidrógeno para un proyecto de TfL.

FCS también colabora con Think!, proporcio-nando más de 60 componentes diseñados

probablemente utilizará las principales platafor-mas de montaje y componentes de Ford.

Smith Electric Vehicles, el fabricante más importante del mundo en la fabricación de vehículos comerciales de cero emisiones, produce el modelo Faraday que cuenta con la dirección, la suspensión y los componentes de control de Ford.

La compañía también ha lanzado versiones eléctricas del Transit actual. Modec otro fabrican-te de vehículos de cero emisiones, utiliza varios componentes de la refrigeración y del cierre y bloqueo de Ford en el diseño de su vehículo.

“FCS está encantado de participar en estas iniciativas ecológicas”, dijo Chris Harrison, direc-tor de Ventas de Componentes Ford. “Para los fabricantes de bajo volumen tiene sentido emplear los recursos de un gigante internacional buscando en su extensa gama de piezas para obtener las motorizaciones y componentes adecuados”.

“Eso significa que los costes de diseño y de desarrollo se mantienen al mínimo, ya que no tienen que diseñarse desde cero y se garantiza fiabilidad y calidad a un precio competitivo. Y lo que es más, las soluciones de FCS hacen que los productos lleguen mucho antes al mercado”, concluyó.

Wrightbus híbridos en las rutas del centro de Londres.

Wrightbus, actualmente el mayor fabricante de autobuses privados en Europa, es líder del mercado en el desarrollo de autobuses híbridos diesel utilizando un motor diesel del Transit y un motor eléctrico que, juntos, propulsan el autobús. Los autobuses tanto sencillos como de dos pisos, tienen un paquete de baterías de 336 vol-tios que proporciona potencia a las ruedas vía un motor eléctrico de 120kW. Este paquete se mantiene a la potencia óptima a través de un motor diesel de 2.4 litros fabricado en Dagenham.

Además, cuando el autobús frena, la energía que normalmente se perdería, es regenerada

especialmente para el modelo eléctrico Think! City, que puede circular unos 170 km sin repostar.

Además se está desarrollando un vehículo del tamaño del Focus de cinco asientos que

Ford and JDRF walk towards a cureDiabetes currently affects 246 million people worldwide and is expected to affect 380 million by 2025. According to World Health Organisation estimates, this number will more than double by 2030. In the U.S. alone, a new case of diabetes is diagnosed every 30 seconds.

Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating disease affecting every organ system. There are two major types: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables a person to get energy from food. This type usually strikes in childhood, adoles-cence, or young adulthood, but lasts a lifetime.

A child diagnosed with diabetes at 5 years old will inject themselves with insulin 1,800 times in just one year, 23,400 injections before they become an adult. They will have upwards of 6 finger prick blood tests a day, 2,190 a year and

28,500 by the time they reach 18. Insulin, however, is not a cure for type 1 diabe-

tes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications

which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease,

stroke and amputation. JDRF funds excellence in

research into the causes, prevention, treatment and cure of type 1 dia-

betes. It is the largest voluntary health organisa-tion in the world, raising more money to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications than any other voluntary health agency.

Among the advances made thanks to JDRF’s support is the development of an artificial pancre-as. The device could allow users to more tightly control their blood glucose levels without the need for repeated jabs. It consists of a credit card-size sensor, a computer programme that calculates how much insulin is needed to keep blood sugar in check, and an insulin pump. The sensor contin-ually reads glucose levels and transmits this infor-mation to the insulin pump, which provides a dose as necessary.

Ford has been a major supporter of JDRF for 10 years, raising a total $23m. In 1998, Edsel Ford II, whose son Albert is type 1 diabetic, led the team that organised the first global Ford walk. 11 Ford sites worldwide took part, raising more than $760,000. It was the start of big things and since then Ford’s support has gone from strength to strength.

By 2000, the Ford Global Walk embraced 26 sites and had raised $1.6m. The trend continued upwards the following year with Ford employees, families and friends uniting to raise over $2.3m at 32 global sites. Last year, Ford and its partners, including BP, Mazda, the US Union of Auto Work-ers and WPP, the world’s largest communications

services company, raised $3.3 million.

Among the thou-sands of Ford of Europe employees who took part in fundraising walks was Arvinder Singh Marway, a lab tech-nician at Dunton. His mother was diag-nosed with diabetes in the 1960s when little was known about the disease and medication was not widely available. Arvinder was part of a team which took part in the London walk in Greenwich Park.

“I would dedicate all my effort to support JDRF fundraising events,” he said. “We are all affected by diabetes in one way or another and we should all join in to raise awareness and funds. It con-cerns all communities everywhere. I have also learnt that diabetes is particularly prevalent among the Asian community. Nobody knows why at the moment, but I know this is something that JDRF is working on.”

For more details on JDRF and diabetes, go to www.jdrf.org. The Walk to Cure Diabetes 2008 will take place throughout Europe later this year. If you would like to get involved, look out for details of your local walk or contact your HR representa-tive.

March 2008 | 19