FORD - JOHN FLEMING AT 2006 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

SPEECH: John Flemming

Welcome to Ford! …. here at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show! This is a show that has always been exciting and fun. It’s where we come to stretch our imagination, to see new design thinking … and marvel at the latest technologies. It’s a show that not only looks at the future, but it also delivers the most exciting cars in the market, TODAY.

For Ford of Europe, this year’s show is a great start - to a great year. When I took over Ford of Europe, I had a very clear objective in my mind… …..to WIN! ......and it's happening!

We are winning on the stages of the World Rally Championship.We are winning in the market place with record growth in several countries including Russia and Turkey.

And.... we are winning the hearts and the minds of buyers.... with a great range of new cars!So! .... Firstly ... What a result from Marcus Gronholm and the BP Ford World Rally team!They have delivered outright wins in the first two events. Two in a row! That is a stunning performance!

The excitement that the results have created throughout Ford of Europe, adds to the feeling of drive and passion that we have both in our business ...and our cars. It’s the sort of drive that puts our business in such a strong position today and we intend to be winners there as well! Over the last five years, we've made some tough business decisions. Those are now behind us.

We also made some very positive decisions about future products – and today we are here to deliver some of the results.

We’ve had two years of consistent and improving profits, with revenues increasing as consumers reacted to the fundamental changes in our cars.............Once again, two in a row.In a nutshell, we developed a turnaround plan, we're sticking by it and it is now delivering!Our goal is to build on the improvements we have made…….

A significant challenge in a European car market that is one of the most competitive in the world. Our passion for quality, for responsiveness and delivery is about to be revealed here, today...in three more winners…We promised you kinetic design, and here now, we have the first car to reveal what that means.

The new S-MAX, a family car with a difference.It’s our latest offering - a 5 seater or 5+2 seater – aimed at those with active lifestyles It will be built in Belgium on Ford’s latest flexible manufacturing line, alongside the all new Galaxy and .... eventually the new Mondeo.

Now...

For those who like wind in their hair, the elegant, new Focus Coupé-Cabriolet delivers a sporty coupé with the ability to convert to a cabriolet at the touch of a button. I KNOW that the looks and the feel of this car will win many hearts. And NEXT....

For those wanting first-class family travel, we have the all-new Galaxy!

Designed..... engineered... and built, in-house by Ford....You can see and feel the difference from the outgoing model! I am really proud that Ford now has the most complete range of people movers.
From the compact Fusion....
through the Focus C-MAX....
the new S-MAX...
the all-new Galaxy... through our Tourneo models of Connect and Transit.

And whilst I am talking of Transit, after 40 years and 5 million vehicles... later this year, we’ll launch a new winning version of Europe's favourite commercial vehicle!  These vehicles showcase the strength and breadth of Ford’s range. They also say a great deal about why I am so confident that we WILL continue to WIN! With winning teams, winning ways of doing business and winning cars!

And now to show you the first of our two new winners.... here is our head of Marketing, Sales and Service... Stephen Odell......

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