Edgar Filing: FORD MOTOR CO

form8k.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report: December 1, 2008

(Date of earliest event reported)

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

1-3950	38-0549190
(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

One American Road, Dearborn, Michigan	48126
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code 313-322-3000

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 140.14a-12)

o	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

-2-

Item 8.01. Other Events.

Our news release dated December 1, 2008 concerning our evaluation of strategic options for Volvo Car Corporation, filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this report, is incorporated by reference herein.

Our news release dated December 2, 2008 concerning U.S. retail sales of Ford vehicles in November 2008, filed as Exhibit 99.2 to this report, is incorporated by reference herein.

A copy of the text of our submission to members of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee concerning our Plan for viability, filed as Exhibit 99.3 to this report, and our news release dated December 2, 2008 concerning this submission, filed as Exhibit 99.4 to this report, are incorporated by reference herein. A copy of the text of our submission to members of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, which is substantially similar to Exhibit 99.3, is available on our website at www.ford.com.

Statements included or incorporated by reference herein may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, forecasts and assumptions by our management and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated, including, without limitation:

·	Continued decline in market share;

·	Continued or increased price competition resulting from industry overcapacity, currency fluctuations or other factors;

·	A further increase in or acceleration of the market shift away from sales of trucks, SUVs, or other more profitable vehicles, particularly in the United States;

·	Further significant decline in industry sales, resulting from slowing economic growth, geo-political events, or other factors;

·	Lower-than-anticipated market acceptance of new or existing products;

·	Further increases in the price for, or reduced availability of, fuel;

·	Currency or commodity price fluctuations;

·	Adverse effects from the bankruptcy or insolvency of, change in ownership or control of, or alliances entered into by a major competitor;

·	Economic distress of suppliers of the type that has in the past and may in the future require us to provide financial support or take other measures to ensure supplies of components or materials;

·	Labor or other constraints on our ability to restructure our business;

·	Work stoppages at Ford or supplier facilities or other interruptions of supplies;

·	Single-source supply of components or materials;

·	Substantial pension and postretirement health care and life insurance liabilities impairing our liquidity or financial condition;

·	Inability to implement the Retiree Health Care Settlement Agreement to fund and discharge UAW hourly retiree health care obligations;

·	Worse-than-assumed economic and demographic experience for our postretirement benefit plans (e.g., discount rates, investment returns, and health care cost trends);

·	The discovery of defects in vehicles resulting in delays in new model launches, recall campaigns, or increased warranty costs;

·	Increased safety, emissions, fuel economy, or other regulation resulting in higher costs, cash expenditures, and/or sales restrictions;

·	Unusual or significant litigation or governmental investigations arising out of alleged defects in our products or otherwise;

·	A change in our requirements for parts or materials where we have entered into long-term supply arrangements that commit us to purchase minimum or fixed quantities of certain parts or materials, or to pay a minimum amount to the seller (“take-or-pay” contracts);

-3-

·	Adverse effects on our results from a decrease in or cessation of government incentives;

·	Adverse effects on our operations resulting from certain geo-political or other events;

·	Substantial negative Automotive operating-related cash flows for the near- to medium-term affecting our ability to meet our obligations, invest in our business, or refinance our debt;

·	Substantial levels of Automotive indebtedness adversely affecting our financial condition or preventing us from fulfilling our debt obligations (which may grow because we are able to incur substantially more debt, including additional secured debt);

·	Failure of financial institutions to fulfill commitments under committed credit facilities;

·	Inability of Ford Credit to obtain an industrial bank charter or similar banking status;

·	Inability of Ford Credit to access debt, securitization or derivative markets around the world at competitive rates or in sufficient amounts due to additional credit rating downgrades, market volatility, market disruption, or otherwise;

·	A prolonged disruption of the debt and securitization markets;

·	Higher-than-expected credit losses;

·	Increased competition from banks or other financial institutions seeking to increase their share of financing Ford vehicles;

·	Changes in interest rates;

·	Collection and servicing problems related to finance receivables and net investment in operating leases;

·	Lower-than-anticipated residual values or higher-than-expected return volumes for leased vehicles;

·	New or increased credit, consumer or data protection or other regulations resulting in higher costs and/or additional financing restrictions; and

·	Inability to implement our plans to further reduce structural costs and increase liquidity.

We cannot be certain that any expectation, forecast or assumption made by management in preparing forward-looking statements will prove accurate, or that any projection will be realized. It is to be expected that there may be differences between projected and actual results. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of their initial issuance, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For additional discussion of these risks, see "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2008.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

EXHIBITS

Designation	Description	Method of Filing

Exhibit 99.1	News Release dated	Filed with this Report
	December 1, 2008

Exhibit 99.2	News Release dated	Filed with this Report
	December 2, 2008

Exhibit 99.3	Submission of Ford Motor Company to the Senate Banking Committee dated December 2, 2008	Filed with this Report

Exhibit 99.4	News Release dated	Filed with this Report
	December 2, 2008

-4-

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

		FORD MOTOR COMPANY
		(Registrant)

Date: December 2, 2008	By:	/s/Louis J. Ghilardi
		Louis J. Ghilardi
		Assistant Secretary

-5-

EXHIBIT INDEX

Designation	Description

Exhibit 99.1	News Release dated December 1, 2008

Exhibit 99.2	News Release dated December 2, 2008

Exhibit 99.3	Submission of Ford Motor Company to the Senate Banking Committee dated December 2, 2008

Exhibit 99.4	News Release dated December 2, 2008