17,500 Ford Flexifuel Vehicles Sold Across Europe

COLOGNE - February 7, 2008: Ford of Europe sold 17,500 bio-ethanol powered Flexifuel vehicles across Europe last year. This marks an increase of 60 per cent compared to the previous year and a sales record. In January, Ford had announced a sales record for 2007 across its entire European vehicle range (including Flexifuel), with a 5.4 per cent (93,500 units) increase to 1,833,600 units vs 2006.

"Our European sales record in 2007 confirms that our vehicles continue to attract more and more customers to the Ford brand. And I am more than delighted that our Flexifuel vehicles are part of that success," said Jan Brentebraten, director, Flexifuel / Alternative Fuel Vehicles Strategy, Marketing and Sales, Ford of Europe.

"We have every reason to be optimistic that our momentum will continue, as in early 2008 we will extend our existing Flexifuel range by adding three new models. Together with our brand-new Ford ECOnetic line of ultra-low CO2 conventional technology vehicles, this will give us one of the broadest ranges – and the customer a broad choice - of low CO2, yet affordable vehicles in Europe," he added.

The all-new Mondeo, the Ford Galaxy and the Ford S-MAX will be made available with Flexifuel powertrains from early 2008, and join the existing Focus and C-MAX Flexifuel line-up.

Ford is the market pioneer of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) in Europe where it has sold more than 45.000 Ford Flexifuel units since market introduction in Sweden seven years ago. Ford can also claim the largest owner body for FFVs in Europe as a result of this industry-leading initiative.

While the majority of these FFVs have been sold in Sweden, the two current models – the Ford Focus and C-MAX Flexifuel – have progressively been made available in 16 European markets, including Sweden, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, France, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Denmark – with more likely to come.

All of Ford's Flexifuel vehicles can be fuelled with bio-ethanol E85 (a blend of 85 per cent bio-ethanol and 15 per cent petrol). Bio-ethanol fuel is available at a rapidly increasing number of fuel stations across Europe (currently, more than 1000 fuel stations offer E85 in Sweden; outside of Sweden, there are at least 375 E85 filling stations). And - as the name indicates - Ford Flexifuel vehicles can also be fuelled with petrol, or any mixture of E85 and petrol in the same tank, as an alternative to conventional petrol technology only.

The combined use of bio-ethanol as a fuel and Ford's Flexifuel technology can reduce total life cycle ('well-to-wheel') CO2 emissions by between 30 per cent and 80 per cent (depending on feedstock used and production process; source: EUCAR Concawe study; vs. conventional petrol technology), without compromising performance and driving quality.

Ford believes bio-fuels represent an opportunity to make mobility more sustainable and the company welcomes European Union and individual EU government initiatives to create a certification for sustainable production of bio-fuels.