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 22, 2003
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(Date of earliest event reported)
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
1-3950 38-0549190
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(Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)
One American Road, Dearborn, Michigan 48126
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(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code 313-322-3000
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Item 5. Other Events.
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Our news release dated December 22, 2003, concerning new agreements with
Visteon and an increase in our full-year 2003 earnings guidance, filed as
Exhibit 20 to this Report, is incorporated by reference herein.
Ford Motor Company conducted a conference call at 9:00 a.m. on December 22,
2003 to review the new agreements and its increase in full-year 2003 earnings
guidance. The conference call was hosted by Don Leclair, Ford's Group Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer. Investors can access replays of the
conference call by visiting one of the following web sites:
www.shareholder.ford.com or www.streetevents.com or by dialing 888-286-8010
(617-801-6888 for international dial-in), passcode 36338027.
Exhibit 20 to this Report includes, among other things, an increase to
Ford's full-year 2003 earnings guidance excluding special items, which guidance
constitutes a "non-GAAP financial measure" as defined in Item 10 of Regulation
S-K of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Exhibit 20 indicates
that Ford is increasing its full-year 2003 guidance from $0.95-to-$1.05 per
share to $1.05-to-$1.10 per share, in each case from continuing operations,
excluding special items. The most directly comparable financial measure
calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP to earnings per share excluding
special items is net income per share. Page 5 of Exhibit 20 contains a
reconciliation of our earnings per share guidance excluding special items and
such guidance on a net income per share basis. On a net income basis, our
full-year 2003 earnings guidance is $0.18-to-$0.23 per share. We believe the
earnings per share excluding special items measure is useful to investors
because it excludes items that are not related to our ongoing operating
activities and, therefore, are not necessarily reflective of the operating
results of the company for the covered period. As a result, our guidance on an
earnings per share excluding special items basis provides investors with a more
relevant measure of the results generated by our operations. In addition, we
understand that many people in the investment community look to this measure
when tracking our results.
Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.
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EXHIBITS
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Designation Description Method of Filing
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Exhibit 20 News Release dated
December 22, 2003 Filed with this Report
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SIGNATURE
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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 thereunto duly authorized on the date indicated.
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
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(Registrant)
Date: December 22, 2003 By: /s/Peter J. Sherry, Jr.
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Peter J. Sherry, Jr.
Secretary
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Designation Description
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Exhibit 20 News Release dated December 22, 2003