Exhibit 20
NEWS
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gpipas@ford.com
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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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FORD F-SERIES CELEBRATES 25TH YEAR IN A ROW AS AMERICA'S BEST-SELLING TRUCK WITH
RECORD SALES OF 911,597
FORD MOTOR COMPANY'S DECEMBER 2001 U.S. SALES RISE 2.0 % COMPARED WITH YEAR AGO
DEARBORN, MI, January 3, 2002 - For the 25th year in a row, the Ford F-Series is
the best-selling truck in America. U.S. customers purchased or leased 911,597
Ford F-Series trucks in 2001, establishing a new industry truck sales record.
The F-Series also is the best-selling vehicle in America having more than
doubled the sales of the best selling passenger car. F-Series has been the best
- -selling vehicle in America for 20 years in a row.
"This is an unprecedented milestone in the automotive industry - maybe any
industry," said Jim O'Connor, President, Ford Division. "F-Series is the
foundation of the Ford franchise. Celebrating its silver anniversary of truck
sales leadership is a testament to our Built Ford Tough truck heritage."
Overall, U.S. customers purchased or leased 281,158 cars and trucks from Ford,
Mercury, Lincoln, Jaguar, Volvo, and Land Rover dealers in December 2001, up 2.0
percent compared with a year ago. Car sales were down 19.7 percent, while truck
sales were up 14.9 percent.
For the full year, the company's 2001 sales totaled 3,971,364, down 5.5 percent
compared with 2000, which was the highest sales year in the company's 99-year
history. Full year car sales declined 11.4 percent and truck sales declined 1.6
percent.
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December Sales Highlights
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Ford dealers reported December sales of 233,938, up 3.4 percent compared with a
year ago. Car sales were down 22.1 percent, while truck sales were up 13.7
percent. The truck sales increase was led by F-Series' record December sales of
84,278 and higher sales of Ford's No Boundaries sport utility vehicles (Escape,
Explorer, Expedition, and Excursion). December sales of Ford's industry-leading
lineup of SUVs totaled 59,608, up 10.6 percent compared with a year ago. Lower
Ford sales to fleet customers in December adversely affected the year-to-year
car and truck sales comparisons.
Lincoln Mercury dealers reported December sales of 26,719, down 21 percent
compared with a year ago. Car sales were down 31.8 percent, while truck sales
increased 20.9 percent. Sales of the all-new Mercury Mountaineer almost doubled
compared with last year's launch-affected results. Retail and fleet sales
declined at Lincoln Mercury.
Jaguar and Land Rover dealers reported their highest sales for any month in
history. Jaguar dealers delivered 5,546 cars in December, up 31.0 percent
compared with a year ago. The all-new, all-wheel drive Jaguar X-TYPE sedan paced
the record-setting results. Land Rover dealers delivered 4,034 sport utility
vehicles in December, up 51.2 percent. In its first full month on sale, the
all-new Land Rover Freelander accounted for almost 30% of Land Rover's total
sales.
Volvo dealers reported December sales of 10,921, up 24.4 percent compared with a
year ago. The increase reflected higher sales of the S60 sedan (which now offers
an all-wheel drive model) and the V70 XC sport wagon.
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Full Year 2001 Sales Highlights
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Ford dealers reported new car and truck sales of 3.3 million in 2001, making
Ford the best-selling brand of cars and trucks in America for the 15th year in a
row. It was the eighth year in a row that Ford dealers delivered at least 3.2
million car and trucks to U.S. customers. Sales highlights for Ford products
included:
o F-Series - Set all-time industry truck sales record of 911,597 breaking the
previous record (876,716) set by F-Series last year.
o Ford's No Boundaries sport utility vehicles were the best-selling brand of
SUVs in America for the fifth year in a row and set an industry sales
record 792,860.
o Explorer - America's best-selling sport utility vehicle for the 11th year in
a row with sales of 415,921.
o Escape - America's best-selling small sport utility vehicle in its first
full year with sales of 164,184.
o The Ford Ranger compact pickup, the Ford Mustang small specialty car, and
the Ford Econoline full-size van also were the best-selling products in
their segments.
o The Ford Taurus and the Ford Focus were among the top selling passenger cars
in America.
Two of the brands (Jaguar and Volvo) in the Premier Automotive Group set
all-time sales records in 2001. Jaguar sales totaled 44,532 breaking the
previous record (43,728) set in 2000. Volvo sales totaled 125,710 breaking the
previous record (123,178) set last year. It was the third straight year of
record U.S. sales for Jaguar and Volvo. Land Rover posted its second highest
U.S. sales ever. Lincoln full year sales were 158,934, down 17.7 percent from a
year ago. In the next 12 months, Lincoln will introduce four new products
including three this summer.