------------------------------
                                                           OMB APPROVAL
                                                  ------------------------------
                                                  OMB Number: 3235-0287
                                                  Expires: January 31, 2005
                                                  Estimated average burden
                                                  hours per response ........0.5
                                                  ------------------------------
                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

    March 31, 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(01) |    D    |          |
===================================================================================================================================

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     |     |        |    |  A  | |      |     |        |        |             |         |        |         |      |      |
Units          |  02 | 3/31/03|    | (02)| | 3,479|     |   02   |   02   |Common Stock |  3,479  |   02   |  37,124 |  D   |      |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Ford Stock     |     |        |    |     | |      |     |        |        |             |         |        |         |      |      |
Equivalents    |  03 |        |    |     | |      |     |   03   |   03   |Common Stock |  2,797  |        |   2,797 |  D   |      |
====================================================================================================================================

Explanation of Responses:

01:  Includes shares acquired under a dividend reinvestment program.

02:  These Ford Stock Units were credited to the Reporting  Person's  account by
     the  Company  at the  crediting  price of $7.40  per Stock  Unit  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 2, 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.