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Ford's 24.7 Pickup Concept Designed as Adventure Companion

9 January 2000

    DETROIT -- The 24.7 concept pickup is ready for any adventure its occupants 
desire -- whether it is climbing rocks by day or listening to a favorite band 
at night.

    "The 24.7 pickup is designed to be like a backpack," says J Mays, Ford
Motor Company vice president of design.  "It can be loaded up with all of the 
necessary adventure gear for a weekend out in the wilderness, or you can fill it 
with books and roam around campus during the week."

    Like the wagon, the pickup concept features customer-focused technologies
that allow the driver of the vehicle the ability to access e-mail, hands-free
mobile phone, real-time route assistance, weather reports and custom features
such as stock readings.

    "The 24.7 pickup is not just a truck that can take you where you need to
go," Mays adds.  "It is your connection to the world -- a companion to help
you explore its endless possibilities."

    The technology in 24.7 allows the driver to personalize the instrument
panel to suit his or her personality and needs.

    Voice technology coupled with a reconfigurable projected image display --
developed by Visteon Automotive Systems -- gives each driver the ability to
customize the instrument panel by changing the layout of the gauges and
engaging additional functions, such as e-mail, GPS and video phone as needed.

    The pickup's exterior design, like the wagon, features simple geometric
shapes and machined surfaces that give the vehicle a technical look and feel
that complements the advanced communications and telematics technologies that
make up the essence of 24.7.

    The two-door, two-passenger pickup truck features 17-inch, six-spoke matte
aluminum finished wheels wrapped in specially cut 245/50R-17 Goodyear tires
with digital patterned tread.  The side mirrors have been replaced with
"lipstick cameras" that give drivers a panoramic view of their surroundings
projected on the surface of the instrument panel.

    The doors feature elongated rectangular push-button handles and additional
glass panels that allow for increased driver visibility.  Once the front doors
are open, the half doors at the rear can be opened from the center to the
back, providing unrestricted access to the rear of the cab.

    The headlamps and taillamps are made up of white and red Light Emitting
Diode (LED) lamps that illuminate instantly, last the lifetime of the vehicle
and consume only a fraction of the power that traditional halogen lamps
require.  The 24.7 badging mounted at the center of the grille area is lighted
orange to match the exterior oracle orange body color.

    When the key fob is pressed to unlock the vehicle, a light panel mounted
in the interior headliner glows orange -- showing that this pickup is always
ready for any adventure.

    The interior features specially designed bench seats that resemble a
clamshell in their construction.  The exterior seat surfaces are covered in a
light beige leather while the inner parts of the shell are painted the bright
orange accent color seen throughout the interior.  The parts of the seat
structure that are exposed are aluminum finished.  The bench features a unique
center console that, when raised, functions as an armrest and reveals a
cupholder.

    Like the wagon, the pickup instrument panel is a high-definition
projection screen.  Once the vehicle has been powered up and the driver has
been selected, the gauges appear on the instrument panel in the ideal
configuration for the specific driver.

    Using voice commands, the driver is able to choose which gauges are active
when needed.  The available choices include: speedometer, oil, fuel, GPS/map,
Internet, e-mail, mobile phone, compact disc/tape/radio and clock.  All the
operations are voice activated, allowing the driver to keep both hands on the
wheel.

    24.7's one-spoke steering wheel includes the controls for the auto/manual
shift feature that allows the driver to shift gears by pressing a button.  In
addition, the voice activation button is mounted on the opposite side of the
steering wheel.  A camera mounted below the rearview mirror can be positioned
to transmit images of the driver and passengers while in the vehicle and using
the hands-free videophone capabilities.

    The pickup's floor, like the wagon, is covered in rubber matting that has
a unique pattern with randomly alternating circular shapes in the bright
orange accent color.

    24.7 is built on the all-new Ford Focus platform that has been lengthened
two-inches and is powered by Focus' 2.0-liter Zetec I-4 engine.