Ford 2014 Annual Report Download - page 86

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued)
Risk Factors
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:
• Decline in industry sales volume, particularly in the United States, Europe, or China, due to financial crisis, recession,
geopolitical events, or other factors;
• Decline in Ford’s market share or failure to achieve growth;
• Lower-than-anticipated market acceptance of Ford’s new or existing products;
• Market shift away from sales of larger, more profitable vehicles beyond Ford’s current planning assumption, particularly
in the United States;
• An increase in or continued volatility of fuel prices, or reduced availability of fuel;
• Continued or increased price competition resulting from industry excess capacity, currency fluctuations, or other factors;
• Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices, and interest rates;
• Adverse effects resulting from economic, geopolitical, or other events;
• Economic distress of suppliers that may require Ford to provide substantial financial support or take other measures to
ensure supplies of components or materials and could increase costs, affect liquidity, or cause production constraints or
disruptions;
• Work stoppages at Ford or supplier facilities or other limitations on production (whether as a result of labor disputes,
natural or man-made disasters, tight credit markets or other financial distress, production constraints or difficulties, or
other factors);
• Single-source supply of components or materials;
• Labor or other constraints on Ford’s ability to maintain competitive cost structure;
• Substantial pension and postretirement health care and life insurance liabilities impairing liquidity or financial condition;
• Worse-than-assumed economic and demographic experience for postretirement benefit plans (e.g., discount rates or
investment returns);
• Restriction on use of tax attributes from tax law “ownership change;”
• 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 regulations resulting in higher costs, cash expenditures, and/or
sales restrictions;
• Unusual or significant litigation, governmental investigations, or adverse publicity arising out of alleged defects in
products, perceived environmental impacts, or otherwise;
• A change in requirements under long-term supply arrangements committing Ford to purchase minimum or fixed
quantities of certain parts, or to pay a minimum amount to the seller (“take-or-pay” contracts);
• Adverse effects on results from a decrease in or cessation or clawback of government incentives related to investments;
• Inherent limitations of internal controls impacting financial statements and safeguarding of assets;
• Cybersecurity risks to operational systems, security systems, or infrastructure owned by Ford, Ford Credit, or a third-
party vendor or supplier;
• Failure of financial institutions to fulfill commitments under committed credit and liquidity facilities;
• Inability of Ford Credit to access debt, securitization, or derivative markets around the world at competitive rates or in
sufficient amounts, due to credit rating downgrades, market volatility, market disruption, regulatory requirements, or
other factors;
• Higher-than-expected credit losses, lower-than-anticipated residual values, or higher-than-expected return volumes for
leased vehicles;
• Increased competition from banks, financial institutions, or other third parties seeking to increase their share of financing
Ford vehicles; and
• New or increased credit, consumer, or data protection or other regulations resulting in higher costs and/or additional
financing restrictions.
We cannot be certain that any expectation, forecast, or assumption made 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, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” above.
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