Ford and Kmart Team Up to Offer Savings on Enhanced Child Car Seat System

DETROIT, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and Kmart Corporation (NYSE: KM) will beat the competition to market by providing consumers with early access to a child car seat system that is easier to use and provides a more secure attachment.

New owners of a 2000 model year Ford Windstar minivan will receive $20 and $35 coupons for use toward the purchase of any advanced child safety seat sold at Kmart.

Kmart is the first retailer at any level to sell LATCH system (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) car seats.

LATCH, also known as ISOFIX, is intended to improve the attachment of car seats in vehicles. Under a new federal regulation, lower attachment hardware will be required on all vehicles and child restraints manufactured on or after September 1, 2002.

"Partnering with Ford on the LATCH-system child car seat project is rewarding. It gives us further assurance that the car seats we sell will be used properly and help keep our youngest Kmart customers safe and sound," said Lorna Nagler, Vice President and General Merchandise Manager, Kidsworld and Menswear, Kmart Corporation.

The first LATCH seats offered are Cosco's Triad child car seat ($79.99), which are available in Kmart stores nationwide, and the Fisher Price Safe Embrace II ($129.99), which will be available this summer at any of the 1,159 Big Kmart or Super Kmart stores that have Kmart Solutions electronic shopping kiosks. As other LATCH-compatible child car seats are introduced, they also are expected to be available at Kmart.

Approximately three weeks after new owners of Windstar minivans take delivery of their vehicles, they will be mailed $20-off coupons for LATCH car seats that retail for $100 or less and a $35 coupon to be used toward the purchase of a LATCH car seat that is more than $100. Current owners of the 2000 Windstars will receive their coupons beginning in April.

The 2000 Windstar is the only minivan that comes equipped with the special lower anchor attachments that are part of the LATCH system. The standards already require most forward-facing child car seat manufacturers to equip their car seats with an upper tether strap to help meet more stringent head protection requirements. And all 2000 Ford Motor Company vehicles come equipped with upper tether anchors.

"Ford and Kmart are both committed to putting available safety technology into the hands of consumers as soon as possible," said Mary Ellen Heyde, Ford's vehicle line Director for Lifestyle vehicles. "We worked closely together to encourage child car seat manufacturers to make the seats available about the same time the 2000 Windstar hits dealerships."

Proper Use Saves Lives

Most serious injuries result when child safety seats are either not used or not used properly. Improper installation and buckling are the most common safety seat mistakes. More than 600 children under five are killed annually in motor vehicle crashes and more than 70,000 are injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A child seat attachment system simplifies installation and should increase the effectiveness of child car seats and help to reduce fatalities and injuries.

How the System Works

The Ford Windstar system incorporates universal rigid, metal anchoring points in the vehicle seat bight (where the seat back and cushion meet), providing a secure and easy installation of the child car seat. The child safety seat is connected directly to the metal anchor points in the second and third row seats of the vehicle. The lower anchor points not only make installation of child car seats easier and more secure, they also reduce the variability associated with different vehicle safety belt/child safety seat designs and components in the past.

The universal anchor system is also available on model year 2000 Ford Focus cars and will be available on the all-new Ford Escape SUV. The system will be phased-in over the next several years on all Ford Motor Company vehicle lines worldwide. Vehicles in the U.S., Canada and Australia will also have built-in anchors for a top tether strap. More information on Ford vehicles and safety technology is available on www.ford.com.

Ford/Kmart Car Seat Offer

Kmart Corporation serves America with 2,177 Kmart, Big Kmart and Super Kmart stores. In addition to serving all 50 states, Kmart operations extend to Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More information about Kmart is available on the World Wide Web at www.bluelight.com . To locate the Kmart store nearest you, call 800-866-0086.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company

CO: Ford Motor Company; Kmart Corporation

ST: Michigan