Ford earns $2.6b in 1Q

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DEARBORN, Mich, April 26 (AP): Ford Motor Co says it earned $2.6 billion in the first quarter, helped by new vehicles like the Ford Explorer. It was Ford's best first-quarter performance since 1998. The company earned 61 cents per share, compared with 50 cents per share in the same quarter a year earlier. Ford's revenues rose 18 per cent to $33.1 billion. The company was profitable in all regions even as commodity cost rose. Ford ended the quarter with $16.6 billion in debt, down $2.5 billion from the beginning of the year.