Ford Motors is stepping up its efforts in performance vehicles, with a senior employee being appointed to the newly created position of Director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development. Jost Capito will be taking up the position at the beginning of next year, and will be responsible for the global development of Ford's performance vehicles business. The North American SVT and European TeamRS performance vehicle organizations will come together, both reporting to Capito, to focus on the development of future performance vehicles.

Additionally, Capito will assume responsibility for Ford's 'global motorsport business strategy', including finding new motorsport opportunities for Ford to compete in. Capito's experience with motorsport at Ford is well known, and between 2003 and 2007 he assumed responsibility for Ford of Europe's motorsport and performance vehicle programs, leading the company's successful World Rally Championship efforts and winning Manufacturers' Championship titles for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally team in 2006 and 2007. In November 2007, Capito was chosen to lead the development of the eagerly-awaited new Focus RS road car which will be launched in Europe in the first quarter of 2009. He was also responsible for the European Fiesta ST and Focus ST performance models.

"Performance vehicles and motorsport have been important to Ford since the company was founded more than a century ago. With Jost's immense experience in both areas, performance vehicles and motorsport, we expect that tradition to continue and be strengthened" said Hermann Salenbauch, Ford's Director of Advanced Product Creation and Performance Vehicles.