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1:04pm -- demand for some of Ford's smaller passenger cars and crossover vehicles were very strong in March -- with some crossover models setting sales records.

1:05pm -- sales were also up for the Expedition and Navigator (Ford and Lincoln brands). Lincoln retail sales are up 8% in the first three months of 2007 over the year-ago period.

1:08pm -- over 84,000 F-series Ford trucks were sold in March 2006, and over 71,000 were sold this past March. A little of a dip based on inventory carrying at dealers across the U.S.

1:11pm -- 573,000 vehicles are in inventory at this time throughout Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers at this time, with this figure being 212,000 lower than at the same time from 2006.

1:14pm -- Ford's fleet mix was 34% in March compared from the year-ago March figure of 33%. The "fleet mix" includes Ford vehicles (all brands) in rental and commercial fleets. "Retail" sales are all others (dealer sales to customers, in general).

1:17pm -- an uptick in gasoline prices, the housing bust and the subprime mortgage mess are being mentioned as areas where Ford is monitoring to see how its business is being (and going to be affected). Ford's U.S. economist is going over general U.S. economy conditions compared to Ford's outlook for sales here.

1:20pm -- retail business in the U.S. auto industry is faring "pretty well" all economic indicators considered. I agree with that one.

1:21pm -- the investment community Q&A starts. The first question is this: are there any new trends in the Ford product mix in the face of rising gas prices in the latter half of March. The answer comes in as: not much shift has been seen in the last two weeks. Yes -- it's probably too early to see that level of detail so quickly, yes?

1:24pm -- the second question comes in: trade-ins from Ford's older Explorer models for the new Ford Edge -- are they happening? The answer: it's not "cannibalization" but "keeping current owners" -- so yes, existing Explorer owners are trading in for the newer Edge and even the crossover Freestyle model.

1:26pm -- the third question: why aren't Ford's retail sales relatively flat in the face of falling prices? The answer: F-series trucks comes in as the overall answer -- as those truck sales were up in the first calendar quarter of 2007.

1:28pm -- the next question: breakout between cars and trucks in inventory at this point. The answer (with a little detail): 192,000 cars and 381,000 trucks are in Ford's overall inventory (on lots and in transit) at this time.

1:31pm -- the next question: the Super Duty truck engine issue in terms of issues getting enough engines -- is it resolved? The answer: April sales of the Super Duty Ford trucks will probably be depressed in April as well as these issues are ironed out.

1:33pm -- the next question: what is the Ford truck incentive situation as of the end of March with the Dodge truck $5k/free Hemi engine incentive. Answer: Ford is second only to Toyota in terms of truck incentives and Ford is very competitive with truck incentives and pricing levels.

1:35pm -- the next question: were Fusion incentives (currently at $3,000) indicative of increasing incentives, and where did Ford drop incentives on other vehicles? The answer is not directly answered based on competitive reasons. Heh.

1:38pm -- the media Q&A starts. The first question: on the Fusion and Escape, is there a breakdown of units sold with the 4-cylinder compared to the 6-cylinder? Answer: there is not enough data yet to see how that breaks out.

1:42pm -- the next media question: is the subprime loan fallout affecting Ford Credit or other Ford business? Answer: so far, subprime loans are not affecting Ford's business with its in-house credit business or on general auto loans for Ford vehicles.

1:45pm -- Ford's business appears to be in pretty good standing for March with many economic factors against it: subprime loan defaults, higher gas prices, seasonality and intense competition in the truck market (where Ford makes a lot of sales). Is Ford on the way to a return to profit in 2008?

1:50pm -- the conference call ends. Looks like Ford has nothing really bad here for March, although it is still on the way to a comeback after a disastrous 2006. That's it for now, folks. I'll be back in May for Ford's April results!