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Ford Announces Winners of $2.7 Million Natural Gas Challenge

30 June 1999

Ford Announces Winners of $2.7 Million Natural Gas Challenge

    DEARBORN, Mich., June 29 -- Atlanta, Los Angeles and San
Francisco will become the pilot cities for Ford's new natural gas
marketing program, sharing about $2.7 million in funding.
    Ford announced today that these cities won their bids to be Focus Cities
in the "CNG Challenge" issued by Ford in May at the National Clean Cities
Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
    The CNG Challenge program is designed to encourage sales of vehicles
powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) and promote natural gas as an
alternative fuel.  Select cities from across the nation were asked to submit
proposals for how they would allocate funds to a natural gas marketing
program.  The money could be used for fuel purchases and sales assistance,
advertising, educational programs and a variety of other marketing and
promotional efforts.
    Thirteen cities sent proposals for their marketing plans to Ford.  In
addition to the three Focus Cities, five more cities qualified as Target
Project Markets.  Ford Alternative Fuel Vehicle Sales Managers and Specialists
will continuously monitor target projects in Chicago, Philadelphia, Salt Lake
City, Toronto and Washington, DC and fund them as appropriate.
    "Choosing the cities where we will focus our efforts was a challenging
task," said Ron Robbins, executive director, Ford's North American Fleet
Marketing.  "All the proposals we received were excellent.  We asked for
demonstrated commitment to alternative fuel use and every city we sent the
challenge to responded with great ideas and enthusiasm.  That is an
encouraging indication of the direction alternative fuel use is taking in this
country."
    This program is a key component in Ford's overall environmental and
alternative fuel initiative and demonstrates Ford's commitment to developing
clean fuel technologies.  By encouraging the use of natural gas as an
automotive fuel, the marketing plans developed in the chosen cities will spark
increased sales of natural gas vehicles in these regions.  Increased vehicle
sales, in turn, spark increased development of natural gas infrastructure to
support the vehicles.
    The CNG Challenge effort supports Ford's line of natural gas-powered
vehicles, including dedicated versions of the F-250, Econoline van and Crown
Victoria sedan, and bi-fuel models of the F-250 and Contour sedan.  Ford also
is testing a fleet of 50 dedicated natural gas Expedition sport utility
vehicles across the U.S.