Ford Motor Company Increases Hurricane Relief Efforts to Mobilize $6 Million in Aid to Gulf States

* Ford provides Mobile Communications Command Center * Volvo to match dealer contributions for $500,000 * Vehicle donations increased to 275 * Jaguar/Land Rover to match dealers/employees contributions for $150,000 to charity food bank * Funds, vehicles, in-kind contributions top $6 million

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 16 -- Ford Motor Company has increased vehicle donations, money and in-kind contributions by $2 million to provide more than $6 million in relief efforts to the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Volvo Cars of North America will match dealer contributions up to $500,000 to the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, while the Jaguar and Land Rover operations will match $150,000 U.S. dealer and employee contributions to America's Second Harvest, a food-bank charity.

Vehicle donations have increased to 275 units with the addition of 115 used vehicles to the units already in the Gulf States. Land Rover LR3 sport utility vehicles, Ford Econoline vans, plus other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles are being added to the fleet being utilized by local, state and federal emergency workers.

The company has also dispatched its "Ford Mobile Incident Communications Command Center" to St. Bernard Parish, a community of 70,000 people just outside of New Orleans which has been devastated by the hurricane. The Ford Mobile Command Center has become the headquarters for the St. Bernard Parish sheriff's office which is coordinating law enforcement and military relief teams.

The Ford Mobile Incident Communications Command Center is a 40-foot trailer which has the latest in high-technology communications equipment that can link all police and military radio communications through one system. Equipped with 120 Motorola radios, the command center is a self-sufficient operation with five power generators. Ford security and radio communications volunteers are staffing the effort.

Ford has already launched multiple initiatives to assist in the relief efforts. As part of the Ford Team USA effort, company actions include:

* Ford Motor Company Fund has pledged a total contribution of $1 million to disaster relief organizations including a match of Ford employee donations.

* Customers in the affected areas can defer payments for up to 90 days to Ford Credit, Jaguar Credit, Land Rover Capital Group, Mazda American Credit, PRIMUS Financial Services and Volvo Car Finance;

* A $750 Disaster Relief Program incentive, on top of other incentives, to assist affected people in the purchase of replacement vehicles as they begin to rebuild their lives.

* Ford Division donated national television advertising airtime in September to the American Red Cross campaign to appeal for donations. The Red Cross spots have replaced previously planned Ford vehicle ads on NFL and other prime-time programming.

* On September 9, Ford donated the use of 13 toll-free customer call centers in the US and Canada for a major network telethon fundraising program. More than 1,300 Ford call agent volunteers staffed phones to assist in taking donations.

The company has more than 50 dealerships in the affected area with six remaining completely closed at this time. Although dealerships have reopened, they face tremendous challenges in repairing damage to facilities and assisting employees in locating housing.

"Words cannot express the response we have received from the local and state officials who we are assisting with our vehicles and mobile command center," said Dan Brouillette, vice president of Governmental Affairs, Ford Motor Company. "The Ford employee volunteers on the ground here in Louisiana are working with real heroes who are directing relief efforts at a time when they too, have lost homes." Brouillette, who is originally from Louisiana, has been dispatched to the state to lead the company's efforts on the ground.

Meanwhile, individuals and organizations within the company and dealers are finding ways to help, through fundraisers, blood drives and other activities. Dealers in the southwest region have committed nearly $275,000 in money, non-cash and in-kind contributions, such as providing housing for evacuees at locations like Ford Park and Ford Arena in Beaumont which is near Houston.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With nearly 325,000 employees and 110 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company and Hertz. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.fordvehicles.com/ .