August 18th, 2003

FPV joint venture extended

CONTINUING to accelerate its position as one of Australia’s most advanced high performance car companies, Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) has confirmed a five-year extension to the joint venture agreement between Ford Motor Company of Australia Ltd and Prodrive Automotive Technology Ltd.

FPV is 51 per cent owned by British-based Prodrive, one of the world’s leading independent automotive engineering companies, and 49 per cent owned by Ford Australia.

FPV builds the GT, GT-P and Pursuit Ute, all of which are powered by the high-tech Boss 290 engine - the only V8 engine to be developed and produced in Australia exclusively by Ford Performance Vehicles.

The joint venture agreement between Ford Australia and Prodrive to manage FPV was reviewed recently between Ford Australia president Geoff Polites and Prodrive group CEO Nick Fry, and subsequently has been extended to 2008.

“This is great news for everyone concerned with our business – but most importantly for our customers,” said David Flint, managing director of Ford Performance Vehicles.

“This extension gives us increased confidence to move forward and execute plans to expand the business and FPV’s product portfolio, capitalising on the impact we have generated with the range of FPV models this year.

“It also sends a clear signal that the joint venture is working, and the cars we are building have hit the spot with the Australian market.

“It is a sign of confidence from its two shareholders, the Ford Motor Company of Australia and Prodrive Automotive Technology, that FPV has the right ingredients in place to produce the most outstanding range of Australian high-performance cars ever built.”

Ford president Geoff Polites said the extension of the joint venture agreement highlights the success that FPV has achieved in less than 12 months and complements the outstanding results Ford Australia has received with its BA Falcon.

“The partnership we have formed with Prodrive Automotive Technology to create Ford Performance Vehicles is as good as we could ever have imagined,” added Polites.

“It was therefore a simple decision to move forward and extend the joint venture agreement for a further five years, and Ford Australia is confident the benefits of this decision will further boost the success of our business.”

The announcement of the joint venture extension coincides with record sales of FPV models since deliveries began in March.