Exhibit 20
[OBJECT OMITTED] News Release
Contact: George Pipas
(313) 323-9216
FORD MOTOR COMPANY'S OCTOBER U.S. SALES DOWN 6%
DEARBORN, MI, November 1, 2000 - U.S. consumers purchased or leased 299,639 cars
and trucks from Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Jaguar, Volvo, and Land Rover dealers in
the month of October, down six percent from a year ago.
Sales of passenger cars totaled 112,866, down 12 percent from a year ago. The
decline in car sales primarily reflected lower sales for the discontinued Ford
Contour and Mercury Mystique compact cars and also Ford Crown Victoria and
Mercury Grand Marquis full-size cars where Ford shipments and dealer sales have
slowed until air bag modules can be replaced.
Truck sales totaled 186,773, down one percent from a year ago. The decline
primarily reflected lower sales for minivans, which also were affected by the
air bag module problem, and lower sales for the Ford F-Series pickup. Ford
Windstar sales were down 21 percent and Mercury Villager sales were down 26
percent.
To expedite replacement efforts of defective air bag modules, Ford has reduced
production schedules this week and will suspend production next week at the St.
Thomas (Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis) and Oakville (Windstar) assembly
plants. These actions will divert air bag modules from new vehicle production to
vehicles in dealer and company inventory.
Including these actions, Ford Motor Company's fourth quarter North American
production plan totals 1,110,000 vehicles (385,000 cars and 725,000 trucks),
three percent lower than fourth quarter 1999 (cars down 11 percent and trucks
equal to a year ago).
In other truck segments, October sales of Ford sport utility vehicles totaled
65,691, up 11 percent from a year ago. Sales of the all-new Ford Escape compact
SUV more than offset
_______________________________________________________________________________
Sales Analysis and Reporting, The American Road, Room 1017, Dearborn, MI 48121
Telephone: (313) 323-9216; Fax: (313) 323-0610
Internet: http://media.ford.com
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the decline in Ford Explorer sales. Ford Escape sales were 9,818, up 29 percent
from September. Ford Explorer sales were 29,611, down 16 percent from October
1999.
Year-to-date through October, Ford Motor Company's car and truck sales total
3.63 million, up three percent from the same period a year ago.
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