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                UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                     FORM 4

                  STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

    Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
       Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
               Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

[   ] Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5
     obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).
================================================================================
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*

     Thornton,                        John                L.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (Last)                           (First)             (Middle)
     c/o Goldman, Sachs & Co.
     85 Broad Street
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    (Street)

     New York,                        New York            10004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (City)                           (State)              (Zip)


================================================================================
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol

    Ford Motor Company
    (F)
================================================================================
3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary)

================================================================================
4. Statement for Month/Day/Year

    April 23, 2003
================================================================================
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)


================================================================================
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
   (Check all applicable)

   [ X ]   Director                             [   ]   10% Owner
   [   ]   Officer (give title below)           [   ]   Other (specify below)


               -------------------------------------------

================================================================================
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

   [ X ] Form filed by One Reporting Person
   [   ] Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

================================================================================



====================================================================================================================================
                              Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of,                                          |
                                                 or Beneficially Owned                                                             |
====================================================================================================================================
                          |            |          |           |                                |5.            |6.       |          |
                          |            |          |           | 4.                             |Amount of     |Owner-   |          |
                          |            |          |           | Securities Acquired (A) or     |Securities    |ship     |          |
                          |            |2A.       |3.         | Disposed of (D)                |Beneficially  |Form:    |7.        |
                          |2.          |Deemed    |Transaction| (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)            |Owned         |Direct   |Nature of |
                          |Transaction |Execution |Code       | -------------------------------|Following     |(D) or   |Indirect  |
1.                        |Date        |Date, if  |(Instr. 8) |               | (A) |          |Reported      |Indirect |Beneficial|
Title of Security         |(Month/Day/ |any(Month/|-----------|     Amount    | or  |  Price   |Transactions  |(I)      |Ownership |
(Instr. 3)                |Year)       |Day/Year) | Code  | V |               | (D) |          |(Instr. 3 & 4)|(Instr.4)|(Instr. 4)|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                                                                                          
                          |            |          |       |   |               |     |          |              |         |          |
Common Stock              |            |          |       |   |               |     |          |   27,207     |    D    |          |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                          |            |          |       |   |               |     |          |              |         |          |
Common Stock              |  04/23/03  |          |   P   |   |      1,000    | A   |  $10.40  |              |    I    |     01   |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                          |            |          |       |   |               |     |          |              |         |          |
Common Stock              |  04/23/03  |          |   P   |   |      1,000    | A   |  $10.42  |              |    I    |     01   |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                          |            |          |       |   |               |     |          |              |         |          |
Common Stock              |  04/23/03  |          |   S   |   |      1,000    | D   |  $10.40  |              |    I    |     01   |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                          |            |          |       |   |               |     |          |              |         |          |
Common Stock              |  04/23/03  |          |   S   |   |      1,000    | D   |  $10.42  |     -0-      |    I    |     01   |
====================================================================================================================================

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
          owned directly or indirectly.

* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction
  4(b)(v).

FORM 4 (continued)


====================================================================================================================================
                    Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned                                 |
                            (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)                                         |
====================================================================================================================================
               |     |        |    |       |            |                 |                       |        |9.       |10.   |      |
               |2.   |        |    |       |            |                 |                       |        |Number   |Owner-|      |
               |Con- |        |    |       |            |                 |                       |        |of       |ship  |      |
               |ver- |        |3A. |       |            |                 |                       |        |Deriv-   |of    |      |
               |sion |        |De- |       |5.          |                 |7.                     |        |ative    |Deriv-|11.   |
               |or   |        |emed|       |Number of   |                 |Title and Amount       |        |Secur-   |ative |Nature|
               |Exer-|        |Exe-|       |Derivative  |6.               |of Underlying          |8.      |ities    |Secur-|of    |
               |cise |        |cu- |4.     |Securities  |Date             |Securities             |Price   |Bene-    |ity:  |In-   |
               |Price|3.      |tion|Trans- |Acquired (A)|Exercisable and  |(Instr. 3 and 4)       |of      |ficially |Direct|direct|
               |of   |Trans-  |Date|action |or Disposed |Expiration Date  |-----------------------|Deriv-  |Owned    |(D) or|Bene- |
1.             |Der- |action  |if  |Code   |of (D)      |(Month/Day/Year) |             |Amount   |ative   |Following|In-   |ficial|
Title of       |iva- |Date    |any,|(Instr |(Instr. 3,  |-----------------|             |or       |Secur-  |Reported |direct|Owner-|
Derivative     |tive |(Month/ |(MM/|8)     |4 and 5)    |Date    |Expira- |             |Number   |ity     |Trans-   |(I)   |ship  |
Security       |Secu-|Day/    |DD/ |------ |------------|Exer-   |tion    |             |of       |(Instr. |action(s)|(Instr|(Instr|
(Instr. 3)     |rity |Year)   |YY) |Code |V| (A)  | (D) |cisable |Date    |Title        |Shares   |5)      |(Instr.4)|4)    |4)    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                                                                                  
Ford Stock     |     |        |    |     | |      |     |        |        |             |         |        |         |      |      |
Units          |  02 |        |    |     | |      |     |   02   |   02   |Common Stock | 37,124  |        |  37,124 |  D   |      |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Ford Stock     |     |        |    |     | |      |     |        |        |             |         |        |         |      |      |
Equivalents    |  03 |        |    |     | |      |     |   03   |   03   |Common Stock |  2,797  |        |   2,797 |  D   |      |
====================================================================================================================================

Explanation of Responses:

01:  The  Reporting  Person is a  Director,  President  and  Co-Chief  Operating
     Officer of The Goldman  Sachs Group,  Inc.  ("GS  Group").  Spear,  Leeds &
     Kellogg, L.P. ("SLK") is an indirect  wholly-owned  subsidiary of GS Group.
     The  Reporting  Person  disclaims  beneficial  ownership of the  securities
     reported  herein as indirectly  owned except to the extent of his pecuniary
     interest therein.

     The  securities  reported  herein  as  indirectly  purchased  and sold were
     purchased and sold and were  beneficially  owned  directly by SLK.  Without
     admitting any legal obligation,  SLK or an affiliate will remit appropriate
     profits, if any, to the Company.

02:  These  Ford  Stock  Units  were  acquired  under  the  Company's   Deferred
     Compensation Plan for Non-Employee  Directors. In general, these Ford Stock
     Units will be converted and  distributed to the Reporting  Person,  without
     payment,  in cash,  on January 10th of the year  following  termination  of
     Board  service,  based  upon the then  current  market  value of a share of
     Common Stock.

03:  These Ford Stock  Equivalents were acquired under the Company's  Restricted
     Stock Plan for  Non-Employee  Directors  without  payment by the  Reporting
     Person.  In general,  approximately  20% of the initial grant of 3,496 Ford
     Stock  Equivalents  will be  converted  and  distributed  to the  Reporting
     Person, without payment, in shares of Common Stock on June 1 of the 5 years
     commencing 6/1/2002.







By:  s/ Roger S. Begelman                                      April 25, 2003
---------------------------------------------            -----------------------
      **Signature of Reporting Person                             Date
            Attorney-in-fact


**     Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal
       Criminal Violations.

       See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).

Note:  File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
       If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedures.


       Alternatively,   this  Form  is  permitted  to  be  submitted  to  the
       Commission in electronic  format at the option of the reporting person
       pursuant to Rule 101(b)(4) of Regulation S-T.