Executive Appointments

Ford Motor Co
10 September 2004


NEWS

Contact:   Marcey Evans 
           313-322-9211 
           [e-mail]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FORD ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS

     •    James G. O'Connor is retiring as group vice president, North America, 
          Marketing, Sales & Service at year's end, and will be succeeded by 
          Earl Hesterberg, currently vice president, Ford of Europe, Marketing, 
          Sales & Service.
     •    Marv Adams is promoted to senior vice president, chief information 
          officer.
     •    Tony Brown is promoted to senior vice president, Global Purchasing.
     •    John Fleming is elected president, Ford of Europe, reporting to Lewis 
          Booth, Ford of Europe's chairman and chief executive officer.
     •    Geoff Polites is elected a company vice president and vice president, 
          Marketing, Sales & Service for Ford of Europe, reporting to Lewis 
          Booth.
     •    Antonio Maciel, currently president of Ford South America, is elected 
          a company vice president. 

DEARBORN, Mich., September 10, 2004 - Ford Motor Company announced today key 
executive appointments in its Americas and Ford of Europe operations and two 
corporate staff promotions.

In the Americas, the company announced Jim O'Connor's plans to retire on 
December 31 as the company's group vice president, North America, Marketing,
Sales & Service. O'Connor will be ending a distinguished 40-year career as one
of Ford's marketing, sales and service leaders as he assists in the transition
to his successor over the next three months. Earl Hesterberg, a company vice
president and Ford of Europe's vice president of Marketing, Sales & Service,
will succeed O'Connor as group vice president, North America, Marketing, Sales &
Service. Hesterberg will report to Greg Smith, executive vice president of the
Americas, effective October 1.

'Jim has stayed longer than he planned at my request, and for that the Ford
Motor Company will always be indebted to him,' said Bill Ford, the company's
chairman and chief executive officer. 'It will be hard to imagine a Ford Motor
Company without Jim. He'll always be remembered for his professionalism, as well
as his terrific sense of humor and ability to tell a good story. Jim led our
marketing, sales and service efforts over the years, and he has been one of our
company's most valuable ambassadors. We'll miss him, as will the many Ford and
Lincoln Mercury dealers who have counted on his support. Fortunately, our
company will continue to benefit from the talented teams he has built and from
the organizational foundations he has created.'

'Looking ahead, we expect Earl Hesterberg to continue as a strong and effective
marketing, sales and service leader,' Ford added. 'At Ford of Europe, he was
successful at improving its sales performance, even as the European marketplace
grew increasingly competitive. His previous leadership experience at other
automotive brands should also prove to be valuable as he takes on new challenges
in North America.'

Hesterberg began his Ford career in 1975. In 1982, he moved to Nissan and spent
16 years in various assignments, including Vice President, General Manager,
Nissan Division in the U.S. from 1991 to 1995, and later vice president, Sales,
Nissan of Europe. In 1997, Hesterberg was appointed president and chief
executive officer of Gulf States Toyota, Inc., a private company that imports
and distributes Toyota products in the south and central U.S. Hesterberg
returned to Ford in 1999 when he joined Ford of Europe as vice president,
Marketing, Sales & Service.

In addition, the company announced two corporate staff promotions. Marv Adams
has been promoted to senior vice president, chief information officer, and Tony
Brown has been promoted to senior vice president, Global Purchasing. Adams and
Brown previously had been leading their global corporate staff functions as vice
presidents. The promotions reflect the scope and complexity of the functions
they lead.

At Ford of Europe, the company announced two key executive appointments:

   • John Fleming, Ford of Europe's current vice president of Manufacturing, 
     will become its president, effective October 1. He will report to Lewis 
     Booth, Ford of Europe's chairman and chief executive officer. Fleming, a 
     37-year veteran of the Ford Motor Company, has distinguished himself as a 
     leader in driving manufacturing flexibility and productivity at Ford's 
     European plants, which are now among the market's most efficient.

   • Geoff Polites, currently vice president, European Sales Staff, Ford of 
     Europe, will succeed Hesterberg as a corporate vice president and as vice 
     president. Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe, effective October 1. 
     Polites, who started his career with Ford in 1970, also served 11 years as 
     a dealer principal at City Ford in Australia, where he won Ford's coveted 
     President's Award three times and served on the Ford National Dealer 
     Council for five years. He rejoined Ford in 1999 as president of Ford 
     Australia after selling his interests in City Ford.

'We will miss Earl Hesterberg, but the appointment of Geoff and John will ensure 
that we maintain leadership strength and continuity at Ford of Europe,' said 
Lewis Booth, Ford of Europe's chairman and chief executive officer. 'These moves 
also mean a continued focus on the Ford of Europe priorities of great quality, 
exciting products, returning to profitability, and inspiring our people.'

Separately, the company announced the election of Antonio Maciel as a company 
vice president, effective October 1. Maciel continues as president of Ford South 
America, which he assumed October 2003.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn,
Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six
continents. With more than 318,000 employees worldwide, the company's automotive
brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury
and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Credit, Quality Care and
Hertz. Ford Motor Company celebrated its 100th anniversary on June 16, 2003.



                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange