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.

December Sales Highlights
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.