Ford's newest five-passenger crossover vehicle outperformed its segment average by 68 index points, making Edge the highest performing all-new or redesigned vehicle in the industry. Edge also ranked highest overall in the Midsize MAV segment of J.D. Power's APEAL Study, in which customers assess delight with the design, content, layout and performance after three months of driving.

"This is more good news and further affirmation that we're delivering more products people really want -- especially when you consider the newest vehicles in our lineup," said Mark Fields, president, The Americas, Ford Motor Company.

"Last year, Fusion topped its segment in the J.D. Power and Associates APEAL study. This year, fresh on the heels of Ford receiving top honors in five vehicle segments in the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS), Ford receives more strong quality feedback from customers who made Edge the industry standout and a top performer in the fastest-growing and most competitive segment in the industry," he said.

Customers participating in the APEAL study also praised Ford Mustang, making it the highest ranked vehicle in the Midsize Sporty Car segment -- for the second straight year. This is the third year in a row that Mustang has received an APEAL award, having garnered the Sporty Car segment award in 2005.

Three other Ford Motor Company vehicles ranked second or third in their segments: Ford Explorer Sport Trac is 2nd; Lincoln Navigator is 3rd; and Mazda CX7 is 2nd. Additionally, most Ford Motor Company brands improved or maintained their performance from last year's APEAL study.

"It's gratifying to have two strong Ford nameplates -- Edge and Mustang -- leading the pack on consumer appeal," Fields said. "While we'll celebrate this achievement with our employees, we know that the quality race never ends. We're going to continue working harder to provide people even more reasons to consider driving Ford vehicles again."

The new Edge is the first vehicle in its segment to offer an all-glass roof, which was inspired by architectural trends toward greater use of glass in wall-to-ceiling windows, the Vista Roof serves as a large front moonroof and a rear skylight.

The interior makes ingenious use of space, delivering maximum flexibility and functionality. The available EasyFold electro-mechanical seat release switch drops either of the back seats at the touch of a button for easy cargo loading. An innovative use of materials and technology has produced a crossover with luxury-vehicle interior quietness.

As in last month's J.D. Power and Associates IQS study, Ford's recently launched vehicles turned out a solid performance in APEAL.

Ford received 14 total vehicles ranked in the top three in their respective segments, including five highest-ranked segment awards, in J.D. Power and Associates IQS study released on June 6. Many of those vehicles were recently launched.

J.D. Power and Associates IQS and APEAL are among the recent third-party metrics to demonstrate Ford's quality improvements. In April 2006, RDA Group of Bloomfield, Mich., released the Global Quality Research System report (GQRS) showed Ford in a statistical dead heat with Toyota and just behind Honda.

The GQRS report, an analysis of 'things gone wrong' (TGW) in new vehicles as measured by customers, is commissioned quarterly by Ford to study customer feedback. Ford improved its TGW rate by 8 percent, besting the industry average improvement of 2 percent.

"The lineup is growing stronger, and the Ford team's efforts are paying off," Fields said. "We're working to deliver our plan, and creating quality cars, trucks and crossovers for our customers is a key part of it."

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 260,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. Find more detailed findings on new-vehicle APEAL performance as well as model photos and specs by watching a video, reading an article and reviewing appeal ratings at JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies. # # #


Press release via Ford