Posts Tagged ‘ford news’

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GM Tops Power’s Initial Quality Survey for 1st Time

High-tech problems are now car buyers’ biggest headache.

by on Jun.19, 2013

Hot Wheels...the Camaro was one of eight segment winners for GM in the 2013 IQS.

After years lagging the imports, General Motors has surged to the top of the charts in the 2013 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey, the most influential measure of vehicle quality during the first months off the showroom lot.

The new study also reveals that, on the whole, the quality of this year’s cars, trucks and crossovers actually declined a bit from 2012 – a decline largely the result of design-related problems that, for the most part, can’t be resolved at the dealership. Issued related to the latest infotainment systems and other high-tech devices are the single largest source of these buyer headaches, according to J.D. Power.

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On the positive side, “Manufacturers are doing a lot better when it comes to engines and chasses and other mechanical systems,” explained Dave Sargent, the head of automotive research for California-based J.D. Power and Associates. “Most of the problems people are now reporting involve the latest technology.”

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GM Planning $11 Bil Investment in China

Ford doubling Chinese engine production.

by on Jun.18, 2013

GM CEO Dan Akerson during a visit to China.

General Motors and its Chinese partners expect to invest $11 billion in China between now at the end of 2016 as part of an ambitious expansion plan in what is now GM’s second-largest global market.

GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson told analysts during a meeting at the maker’s Milford Proving Grounds that the company is financially strong enough to maintain a steady investment cadence in the years to come. The planned investment includes spending more than $11 billion in China over the next three-and-a-half years.

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GM isn’t the only maker upping its investment in China, now the world’s largest national automotive market.  During a visit to China, Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally announced the maker will double the size of its Changan Ford Engine Plant near Chongqing. The $500 million investment will bring capacity to 400,000 powerplants annually.

“This kind of expansion is nearly unprecedented, and it really reflects the level of commitment we have to this region,” said Mulally.

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Ford Adds Knobs To MyFord Touch

Makers simplifying touch screens with buttons and knobs.

by on Jun.17, 2013

Ford, like several other automakers, has realized consumers prefer buttons and knobs for basic functions like tuning and temperature control.

After getting hammered in recent quality reports for the confusing and difficult set up of its MyFord Touch and My Lincoln Touch systems, Ford plans to put knobs for volume and station tuning back on its radios as it redesigns models like the Ford Focus and Lincoln MKS.

While Ford has been working to improve the functionality of MyFord Touch, it isn’t alone when it comes to dealing with convoluted infotainment systems. The recently introduced Acura RDX was panned for a lack of a tuning knob on its entertainment system.

Additionally Mercedes’ COMAND, BMW’s iDrive, Chrysler’s UConnect and other systems have all been criticized recently for confusion related to their user interfaces . In fact, the 2012 J.D. Power 2012 Initial Quality Study noted an overall drop in consumer satisfaction scores was due primarily to issues with infotainment systems.

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A few years ago, BMW followed Ford’s lead with the introduction a new touchscreen-based system and was just as quickly criticized for problems with its user interface. BMW has been steadily making improvements to the system, including adding knobs and buttons to the system.

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Ford Turns to Robot Test Drivers

Technology designed to handle tests too strenuous for humans.

by on Jun.17, 2013

No, it's not C3P0 behind the wheel.

We’ve been hearing a lot about autonomous vehicles in recent months, some experts forecasting the first driverless cars could roll into showrooms by the end of the decade – while others say our litigious legal system will never let that happen.

But Ford Motor Co. has already put some robots to work at its big test track in the northern Detroit suburbs, using the technology to handle the repetitive task of test driving vehicles like the new Transit van.

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Dave Payne, Ford manager vehicle development operations at the automaker’s proving ground, said the robotic system is now used for more than 70% of the durability testing done at the company’s Michigan Proving Ground outside Romeo, Michigan.

Test drivers are still used for some of the durability tests, Payne stressed, noting that, “The human brain is a wonderful machine.”

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Ford to Cut Factory CO2 Emissions 30% by 2025

Maker claims it’s already reduced output of global warming gas 37% since 2000.

by on Jun.14, 2013

Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr. has lent strong support to the maker's green initiatives.

Ford Motor Co. aims to reduce the CO2 output of its global factory network by 30% by 2025, part of a sustainability effort that has already seen a 37% drop in the emissions of the global warming gas since 2000, the maker says.

That was one of the key messages outlined in Ford’s 14th annual Sustainability Report released Friday. The maker said its factory effort helped reduce by 4.65 million tons the amount of all emissions it has produced since the beginning of the new Millennium, a 47% overall reduction.

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The maker said that its “Blueprint for Sustainability” calls for other steps to benefit the environment. It is using less water, for example, while also finding ways to do more work while consuming less energy.

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Toyota Named the World’s Best Global Green Brand

Ford, Honda, Nissan and VW also land in Top 10.

by on Jun.12, 2013

The popular Prius hybrid helped Toyota land at the top of the Best Global Green Brand list.

Toyota has once again been picked as the world’s greenest brand, according to an annual consumer study that found five automotive brands among the Top 10.

While the automobile itself may be linked to an assortment of environmental issues, from smog to global warming, automotive manufacturers are gaining increased recognition for their focus on sustainability, whether reducing fuel consumption, eliminating plant wastes or recycling materials like rubber, plastic and metal into new components.

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Repeating in the number one spot, “Toyota is a leading example of what can result,” noted an announcement from Interbrand, a major brand consultancy and author of an assortment of studies rankings global brands. The newest is the third annual Best Global Green Brands report.

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Ford Breaks the 40 MPG Barrier for Fiesta

New SFE model hits 41 mpg for 2014; may make even more when 1.0-liter EcoBoost debuts.

by on Jun.07, 2013

The 2014 Ford Fiesta will get a nice bump in mileage.

The good news is that Ford will bump the fuel economy of its little Fiesta model up to 41 miles per gallon with the addition of the new SFE model for 2014.

What is likely to be even better news for Ford Fiesta buyers is the likelihood the little car will stretch even further – without much performance sacrifice – when the maker adds the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine to the Fiesta line-up later this year.

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As we’ve been seeing over the past couple years, 40 is the new 30, especially when it comes to fuel economy, so the 2014 Ford Fiesta SFE is likely to get a welcome reception – though we’ll have to wait for a drive to see whether there’s much of a penalty in the performance category.  That and premium pricing have been the two big drawbacks when it comes to sales of other models, especially those given the “Eco” designation.

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Ford 1.0-liter EcoBoost Named International Engine of the Year

Second win for downsized powerplant.

by on Jun.05, 2013

The 2014 Ford Fiesta will offer an optional 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine.

For the second year in a row, Ford Motor Co.’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine has been named International Engine of the Year.

The high-mileage powertrain has been available in Europe for several years and is just being launched in the U.S., as well as China and India, later this year. The newest member of the EcoBoost family was picked as “Best Engine Under 1.0-liter,” according to Engine Technology International Engine.

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“Who’d have believed it? A 1.0-litre engine that has it all, powerful, fuel efficient, clean and lightweight,” said Peter Lyon, a British juror and freelance journalist. “This is a masterpiece.”

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Ford Boosting Production as Sales Heat Up

Maker separately plans to end production in Australia.

by on May.23, 2013

A Ford C-Max Hybrid rolls off the line at the maker's Michigan Assembly Plant.

Ford Motor Company plans to roll-out 200,000 additional vehicles this year to meet customer demand in the U.S.  where the market is continuing to gain momentum after the worst industry downturn in decades.

The maker expects to pick up a large chunk of that added volume by trimming back its normal two-week summer shutdown at select plants. That alone should add another 40,000 units of volume, Ford said.

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At the same time, the second-largest Detroit maker has decided to shutter the company’s manufacturing operations in Australia. The maker has been losing money “down under” for years and follows a number of other automakers who have decided to cease production there.

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It Anchored the Arsenal of Democracy but old GM Plant Soon to Come Down

Former B-24 plant, ironically, to fall for new aviation museum.

by on Apr.26, 2013

B24s under production at the old Willow Run plant.

Editor’s Note: Most of Detroit’s historic assembly plants have vanished over the years, and the one-time General Motors plant in Willow Run, Michigan, is apparently next to meet the wrecking ball. If the factory simply turned out cars for a few decades it likely wouldn’t have been missed. But as columnist and historian Mike Davis points out, the old factory was one of America’s most important during World War II.

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It was a firing pin in the “Arsenal of Democracy,” at its World War II peak in April 1944 rolling out a new four-engine B-24 heavy bomber roughly once an hour. In contrast to the aviation industry, which then bench-built airplanes one at a time, Willow Run employed automotive-type mass-production assembly lines.

To help fulfill President Roosevelt’s vow that America would build 50,000 airplanes a year to counter the Nazi threat, Ford Motor Company had agreed early in 1941 to use its mass-production mastery for plant construction and then assembly of Consolidated Aircraft’s giant bomber.

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