FORD F-SERIES TO SPONSOR COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR TOBY KEITH’S BIG THROWDOWN TOUR II

DEARBORN , Mich. , June 24, 2005 – Two top sellers are teaming up once again as Built Ford Tough Trucks take to the stage with the hottest name in country music. Ford F-Series will present superstar Toby Keith’s much-anticipated “Big Throwdown Tour II” in more than 60 cities across the United States .

As presenting sponsor, Ford will have an integral role in the concert series, helping dramatically open performances in all markets with a special effects mini motion picture featuring Keith and an F-Series Super Duty. F-Series trucks also will appear onstage alongside the artist.

“We’ve made a tremendous impression working with ‘Ford Truck Man’ Toby Keith during the last two tours, and this tour promises to be even more exciting,” said Mary Lou Quesnell, Ford Division marketing communications manager.

Ford enters its third straight year sponsoring Keith in concert following Super Duty’s powerful presence during the wildly successful “Big Throwdown Tour” last year and the introduction of a one-of-a-kind “transforming” F-150 in the “Shock N’Y’All Tour” in 2003. Tour sponsorship integration is the product of creative collaboration between Keith and Ford.

Special guests Lee Ann Womack and Shooter Jennings will support Keith as the tour’s opening acts. (Concert dates and locations are attached.)

“I’m honored for Ford to be my partner on this tour,” said Keith. “Ford backs me 100 percent and it’s great to be back on the road with them.”

Musical Powerhouse

Toby Keith currently is one of the hottest performers in music. He is the first country artist to perform an AOL Music Live concert, with a record-setting 850,000 downloads in the first 24 hours. Keith’s new studio album Honkytonk University , released this June, already is the number one album in country music today. The first single, “Honkytonk U,” is an autobiographical song that harkens back to days that Keith spent working in his gr and mother’s nightclub. His fastest rising single, “Good As I Once Was,” is a song that comes from a saying his dad used. “Toby Keith’s Big Throwdown II” began on June 10 in Charlotte , NC .

The singer/songwriter finished last year as Billboard’s 2004 Top Country Artist, Top Male Country Artist, Top Country Album Artist and Top Hot Country Singles & Tracks Artist. Keith’s release the previous year, Shock’N Y’all, also was one of the top-selling country offerings of the year. The acclaimed entertainer’s November release of Greatest Hits 2 is nearing triple platinum and continues to be one of the genre’s top sellers. Keith remains one of country’s top touring acts and is a highly respected musician and songwriter.

Ford began its relationship with Keith – a proud third-generation Ford truck owner – in August 2002 with the “Ford Truck Man” national advertising campaign. Keith continues to appear in the company’s F-Series advertising in a series of humorous commercials that help ‘educate’ naysayers on ‘The Truth About Trucks’ by pointing out Ford’s class-leading advantages over the competition. Keith will star in a new “Ford Truck Man” ad slated to debut this fall. This year, the country music star also joins golf great Phil Mickelson and Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre in Ford’s popular “Phil’s on the Phone” campaign, looking for one lucky fan to complete a foursome.

Keith’s affinity for Ford also can be found in an entirely different arena: the restaurant business. This month, he opens his “Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grille” restaurant in Oklahoma City ’s Bricktown entertainment district, the first of many locations across the U.S. The restaurant will feature an indoor stage for live performances, patriotic décor, lots of Toby Keith memorabilia – and benches made from Ford pickup truck beds.

Built Ford Tough: A Legacy of Leadership

As the most successful vehicle in the history of automobiles, the Ford F-Series is in a league of its own at the top of the automotive game. It’s been the best-selling truck in America for 28 consecutive years and the best-selling vehicle for 23 years in a row. Since its debut in 1948, Ford Motor Company has sold more than 28 million F-Series trucks around the world. Ford sells one F-Series truck every 34 seconds in the U.S.

F-Series has been the only nameplate – car or truck – to cross the 800,000 sales mark in more than 30 years. It has done it nine times – and 2005 would be a 10 th year. Last year, Ford set an all-time truck record with 939,511 F-Series sales. Plans are for 2005 sales of 900,000 or more.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn , Mich. , manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With nearly 325,000 employees and 110 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive br and s include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, L and Rover, Lincoln , Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company and Hertz. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit http://www.fordvehicles.com/.

Toby Keith “Big Throwdown Tour II” Tour Presented by Ford F-Series

Upcoming 2005 Concert Dates Include: