Ford shows off new Explorer minus Firestone tires.(Sun-Sentinel, South Florida)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. _ Ford Motor Co. unveiled its 2002 model Explorer sports utility vehicle Friday at the South Florida International Auto Show without mentioning the name Firestone.

The new model, which will go on sale in the first quarter of 2001, was shown to auto industry reporters in the morning before the show opened Friday evening.

And the name Firestone, the biggest controversy in the auto industry, never came up till reporters asked about it after the prepared remarks were finished. Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. are the center of controversy over a series of tire separations that led to fatal rollover accidents in Explorer cars.

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