Ford eNews -- Jan. 30, 2013

DEARBORN, MI--Jan. 30, 2013:

'Sir, thou doth protest too much!' In defense of Fiesta, a small car with big personality
Ford's novel response to esteemed British actor Jeremy Irons' daring insult of the company's own Fiesta is generating a lot of buzz. In a recent interview, the thespian equated the award-winning small car to little more than an appliance, an uninspired utility machine. At this, Ford wasted no time, dispatching its own esteemed Bard of Ford to release an official proclamation charged with nobility, Shakespearean quips and goofiness.

Ford achieves all-time high hybrid share while Toyota slides
The 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid is off to a fast start having achieved an all-time sales record in December, helping Ford to record hybrid sales and market share; in the same period, Toyota lost nearly 8 points. Fusion is also expected to see record January sales when results are announced Feb. 4. Nearly 70 percent of new Fusion Hybrid owners are new to the Ford brand, while Toyota's conquest rate for its Camry Hybrid is only 53 percent.

Ford posts highest fourth-quarter pretax profit in more than a decade
Ford Motor Company reported 2012 full-year pretax profit of $8 billion on the strength of record results from North America and continued solid performance from Ford Credit. Fourth-quarter pretax profit was $1.7 billion, or $0.31 per share, an increase of $577 million from 2011. Ford now has posted a pretax profit for 14 consecutive quarters.

Ford, Daimler, Nissan to accelerate fuel cell electric vehicle technology
Daimler, Ford and Nissan signed a unique three-way agreement to accelerate commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicle technology. The goal of the collaboration is to develop a common fuel cell electric vehicle system while reducing investment costs associated with engineering of the technology. Each company will invest equally toward the project.