Ford Looking For 2010 Fusion Owners For Unique Consumer Program

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 21, 2009;  Ford is seeking 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid owners to participate in
      Fusion 41, an automotive relay race designed to build awareness and
      excitement around the all-new Fusion; the Fusion owner of the winning
      team will have their vehicle paid off, and team members will win free
      gas for one year.

  --  Interested applicants must be passionate about their Fusion and have a
      compelling desire and ability to spread the word about it on social
      media sites; to apply, visit www.fusion41.com

  --  Fusion 41 is an extension of the Ford Drive One campaign, which
      focuses on customers sharing all the cool and positive experiences
      they're having with their new vehicle

Ford Motor Company is conducting a nationwide search for passionate 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid owners to participate in Fusion 41, a consumer program designed to build awareness and excitement around the all-new 2010 Ford Fusion.

The Fusion 41 program - named for the unsurpassed 41 mpg fuel economy that makes Fusion America's most fuel-efficient midsize sedan, and the 41 participants - builds on the success of the Ford Drive One advertising campaign, which focuses on actual customers experiencing new Ford vehicles and sharing their stories with others. The Fusion 41 consumer story will come to life on the Internet, through social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

How Fusion 41 works

Eight 2010 Fusion owners from throughout the country will be selected to participate in the Fusion 41 program. They will be chosen based on their passion for Fusion and their ability to share compelling information about the vehicle on the Internet. Applicants must have a current Facebook profile with a minimum of 100 friends and an active photo collection.

Each of the eight Fusion owners will then choose four friends or family members to join their team, and each team will be given a 2010 Ford Fusion or Fusion Hybrid to drive in an automotive relay race. To complete the relay, each team member must fulfill an assigned task within 41 hours, tracking competitive variables such as miles driven, stops made or the number of passengers picked up.

The winning team will be chosen based on their ability to complete the activities and provide proof by uploading photos and videos to various social media sites, including Facebook.

The Fusion owner of the winning team will have their vehicle paid off, and team members will win free gas for one year.

"Fusion 41 is a fun way to engage customers and get them talking about the all-new 2010 Fusion," said Jeff Eggen, Ford Car Experiential Marketing manager. "There's no better way to spread the word about our new products than by putting them into the hands of prospective customers and enabling them to experience our vehicles firsthand."

2010 Fusion owners interested in competing in Fusion 41 may apply at www.fusion41.com between now and November 6.

Ford fuels social media

Research shows that social media sites are increasingly one of the best ways to reach out to consumers. Prior to the development of the Fusion 41 program, Ford expanded its presence on Facebook with a new application for its "Fusion + Hybrid" profile called "You Speak Green" that enables visitors to share their sustainable lifestyle suggestions. Since its launch in mid-July, more than 104,000 Facebook users have downloaded the application to their profile pages and 15,000 have posted tips.

Another example of Ford's groundbreaking social media outreach is its support of the Fiesta Movement campaign to promote the company's sporty, savvy new small car through social media agents. Agent postings have garnered significant numbers on social media sites, including more than 4.8 million YouTube views (www.fiestamovement.com), more than 600,000 Flickr views and more than 3.2 million Twitter impressions.

Fusion sales momentum

With its unsurpassed quality, best-in-class fuel economy, class-exclusive technologies and significant residual value improvement, the 2010 Ford Fusion is delivering the key attributes that midsize sedan buyers want. Even at a time when industry-wide sales of midsize cars are down 26 percent, sales of the new Fusion continue to grow. Through September, Fusion sales are up 15 percent compared to the same period a year ago, and the Fusion share of the midsize car segment is up 3.8 points versus a year ago.

2010 Fusion Hybrid sales account for almost 20 percent of the total Fusion retail sales. More than 60 percent of those sales have been to non-Ford owners, and more than half have been to customers coming from import brands, mostly Toyota and Honda.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.