The five-millionth Explorer was produced on the assembly line at Ford’s Louisville, Kentucky, assembly plant Sept. 16. According to Ford, it was driven off the assembly line by Chief Operating Officer and President Nick Scheele. National UAW-Ford Department Vice President Gerald Bantom and Scheele presented the keys to Patrick Berry of Louisville. The five-millionth Explorer is Berry's fourth. The first Explorer was produced in Louisville on Valentine’s Day in 1990. In 1991, Explorer’s first full year of availability, sales jumped 38 percent to more than a quarter-million units, and the model became the first sport utility vehicle to join the ranks of the top 10-selling vehicles, holding the seventh spot. In 2001, Explorer marked its 11th straight year as America’s best-selling SUV with sales of 415,921, according to Ford. In August 2002, Explorer achieved it best sales month ever, with more than 51,000 sold.