"World championship rallying will continue to be our headline activity," said Lewis Booth, chairman and chief executive of Ford Europe, in a statement.
"We have signed an agreement with M-Sport's Malcolm Wilson which will ensure Ford remains in the series for the next four seasons," he added.
Ford said an all-new Ford Focus car, to be raced from 2006, would be developed by the British-based team over the course of next season.
While the rally programme is run by Ford of Europe, the US carmaker's Formula One activities with Jaguar were funded directly by its North American base in Detroit.
Ford announced in September they were quitting Formula One after the season that ended in Brazil last month because they could see no compelling business reason for continuing.
They have yet to announce a buyer for either Jaguar or engine maker Cosworth, who provided engines for Formula One and the rally team.
A rally spokeswoman said no decision had been taken on continuing the relationship with Cosworth.
