When Dana Delaney, the newest character on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” drives down Wisteria Lane, she’ll be behind the wheel of a 2008 Lincoln MKX.

When Dana Delaney, the newest character on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” drives down Wisteria Lane, she’ll be behind the wheel of a 2008 Lincoln MKX. Over on the set of NBC’s “Las Vegas,” an entire caravan of new Ford F-150s is getting ready to roll through the casino. And on the new cop drama “Life,” the lead character is spending much of his time in a 2008 Ford Taurus.

The 2007-08 television season is in full swing and the Ford line-up of vehicles seem to be everywhere. So far, at least 70 vehicles have been placed in 29 TV shows and production for the year isn’t even half over.

“The demand for our vehicles is unprecedented,” said Ford Global Brand Entertainment (FGBE) manager, Bob Witter. “Our placement garage is pretty well empty. We’ve got cars working all over town.”

The FGBE office opened in Beverly Hills three years ago with the mandate of loaning vehicles to studios and networks in exchange for airtime on television, movies and other media. Since then it has rapidly become the go-to place for many of Hollywood’s producers, directors and transportation heads that need the right vehicle for the right character at the right time.

“The guys at Ford have been invaluable,” said Bo Ehrig, the transportation director for “Desperate Housewives.” “On Wisteria Lane, everything has to be perfect including the cars. The Ford team works with our producers in making critical story decisions on what’s right for our characters. They’re always looking for what’s best for Ford and we’re always looking for what’s best for the show. In the process we’ve developed an incredibly strong symbiotic relationship.”

Developing the credibility to be involved in story-making decisions has been a result of long-term connections. While Los Angeles is a big town, the Hollywood community is small. TV series may come and go but the crews, producers and transportation directors remain.

“When a show is cancelled the production people move on to other shows,” said FGBE team member Ross MacKenzie. “So over time we’ve been able to develop relationships at every studio and every network.”

For much of its run, FGBE supplied vehicles for Fox’s “The OC.” When the show finished production and the transportation director moved on to the new NBC series “Life,” he called Brian Daly for advice. Daly, a senior VP with Team Detroit, a Ford advertising agency, is assigned full-time to the FGBE office. The transportation director was looking for an American-made car to be driven by the lead character played by Damian Lewis.

“Lewis plays a cop who spends a lot of time in his car, it’s practically his office,” said Daly. “I sent a 2008 Ford Taurus over for an audition and they loved it. The character is young and the car is brand new. Plus, from a practical point-of-view it’s large enough to accommodate cameras for interior shots.”

When the producers of “The Neighbors,” an upcoming NBC reality series, approached FGBE with a request for one vehicle, Bob Witter had another idea.

The show’s plot calls for five young couples and their families to live next door to each other on an idyllic street in suburban Boise, Idaho. The producer’s goal was to populate the neighborhood with a variety of brands including Honda and Toyota.

“I looked at their script and envisioned a Mazda5 in every driveway,” said Witter. “There isn’t a better example of an upwardly mobile starter car for families. It’s not only sporty looking it has three rows of seats which makes it great for kids.”

The producers auditioned the car and agreed but with one caveat; they needed all five vehicles in different colors to be on location within a week.

After a flurry of calls, Witter found exactly what he needed. A fleet of Mazda5s had just arrived at the Port of Seattle. He arranged to have five shipped post-haste.

“So we got the whole show, not just one driveway. The only thing missing was the zoom-zoom-zoom jingle,” said Witter. “That’s the kind of product integration other companies pay a lot of money for.”

The process of finding just-the-right vehicle at a moments notice can be priceless for TV production teams working under a tight schedule.

“When a producer is under a deadline, someone he can rely on can be more valuable than money,” said Luis Salem, Ford manager Media Planning and Branded Entertainment. “Relationship building has been our key.”

High-profile new shows that feature everything from Fusions to Jaguars to Range Rovers to F-150s include “Notes from the Underbelly,” “Pushing Daises,” “Chuck” and “Dirty Sexy Money.”

The Ford line-up has also been renewed for some of television’s biggest hits including “Brothers and Sisters,” “CSI:Miami,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Desperate Housewives.” In a scene designed to create a big splash on NBC”s “Las Vegas” when someone hits a jackpot, instead of tokens, the entire casino floor is flooded with a caravan of new Ford F-150s.

“That kind of product integration is important because it compliments our traditional advertising and creates a sense of emotion for our vehicles,” said Al Uzielli, FGBE’s senior adviser and one of the creators of the FGBE concept. “By being located in the heart of one of the world’s creative capitals we can seek out opportunities that further our products in totally unique ways.”