Posts Tagged ‘Ford’
Makers cite strong sales, new tooling and maintenance methods.
by Michael Strong on May.23, 2013
Detroit Three workers are likely not going to get their usual two weeks off for summer shut down this year.
As the Detroit Three automakers switch from checking the wind chill to heat index, the usual mid-July shutdown looks to be a thing of the past: at least this summer.
Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group are reducing their annual two-week summer shutdowns to one week at several plants while General Motors Co. may not shut down at all.
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New vehicle sales jumped 7% through the end of April and projections are showing that’s unlikely to abate in the second half. The industry is running at seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.2 million in units, which means no one wants to get caught short of supply in the second half.
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Tags: Chrysler Group, Detroit Three, Ford, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., TheDetroitBureau.com., annual shutdown, chrysler, gm, michael strong, production.summer shutdown, thedetroitbureau, tooling changeover, union shutdown
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Engine problems "almost killed me," alleges one owner.
by Michael Strong on May.16, 2013
Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines undergo torture testing. The engine is now the subject of two lawsuits.
The lawsuits against Ford Motor Co.’s highly acclaimed EcoBoost are mounting as two disgruntled F-150 owners filed a class-action suit in the state of Louisiana. They make essentially the same claims as were found in a separate suit filed in Ohio last week.
In the Louisiana lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine “can shudder, shake and then rapidly lose power while drivers are accelerating.” The suit claims the “aggregated claims…exceed the sum value of $5,000,000…”
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“My Ford EcoBoost almost killed us,” said one of the drivers in the filing. Both plaintiffs drive 2011-2012 Ford F-150 pickups.
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Tags: Ecoboost, F-150, Ford, Ford Ecoboost, Ford Motor Co., Ford class action lawsuit, Lincoln MKS, MKS, NHTSA, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, TheDetroitBureau.com., class action lawsuit, flex, ford f-150, ford flex, ford taurus sho, michael strong, taurus sho, thedetroitbureau
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Agency begins investigations into Ford, Chrysler and Mazda.
by Michael Strong on May.13, 2013
NHTSA is investigating 192,000 Chrysler vehicles, including the 2006 Dodge Magnum.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is garnering as much media attention these days as the automakers subject to their investigatory efforts.
The agency announced it is opening investigations involving Ford, Chrysler and Mazda.
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NHTSA is looking into claims of possible steering loss in 340,000 2008 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickup trucks, 192,076 2006 Chrysler 300C, Dodge Chargers and Magnums for stalling issues and 39,000 Mazda 6s for door latch issues.
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Tags: Chrysler 300C, Dodge, Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Ford, Ford F-250, Ford Super Duty, NHTSA, NHTSA investigation, NHTSA recall, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, TheDetroitBureau.com., car investigation, car recall, chrysler, ford f-350, ford pickup, mazda, mazda 6, michael strong, recall, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Low rate gives Japanese makers pricing advantage.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.10, 2013
Toyota gains a pricing advantage over U.S. competitors due to the weak yen.
American carmakers are complaining that the Japanese government’s deliberate manipulation of the yen is giving Japan’s carmakers an unfair advantage.
Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the interests of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler in Washington, D.C., said Japan is taking unfair advantage of the global trading system after the value of the yen dropped to a new low relative to the U.S. dollar.
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“The depth of Japanese currency manipulation has reached a new low,” Blunt said in a statement.
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Tags: Alan Mulally, Ford, Ford CEO Alan Mulally, TheDetroitBureau.com., U.S. automakers, car sales, chrysler, currency manipulation, general motors, gm, honda, japan currency manipulation, japanese car sales, l Joseph Szczesny, mazda, nissan, subaru, thedetroitbureau, toyota, yen
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Michigan firm expands list of now-closed loan recipients.
by Michael Strong on May.08, 2013
The VPG MV-1 is specifically designed for wheelchair access.
The list of companies that accepted government loans and then closed their doors due to financial or other difficulties now has a new entry: Vehicle Production Group (VPG) of Allen Park, Mich.
The maker of vans for the disabled called the MV-1, shut down operations and laid off its staff in February after the U.S. government froze the assets of the company. VPG received a $50-million Energy Department (DOE) loan to produce a compressed natural gas version of their vehicle. The company no longer met the minimum requirements that were a condition of the loan.
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At this point, the company has not filed for bankruptcy protection. The MV-1 is the only purpose-built vehicle that was designed from the ground up for wheelchair accessibility. It features a deployable access ramp with a 1,200-pound weight capacity, a 36-inch entryway and an interior that accommodates up to six occupants.
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Tags: AM General, Coda Automotive, DOE, DOE loan, Department of Energy, Ford, TheDetroitBureau.com., VPG CEO John Walsh, Vehicle Production Group, bright automotive, fisker, fisker automotive, general motors, michael strong, nissan, tesla, thedetroitbureau, vpg
Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments »
Japanese maker reports better-than-expect results for year.
by Michael Strong on May.08, 2013
Toyota reported stronger than expected sales results for the quarter.
A combination of increased global auto sales and favorable exchange rates allowed Toyota Motor Corp. to report a $3.2 billion profit this quarter: double the result from the year-ago period.
Additionally, the Japanese automaker projected a $13.8 billion profit for its fiscal year, which ended in March. That result was perhaps the most impressive as it exceeded analysts’ estimates of $9.2 billion in earnings and its own initial forecast of $8.7 billion in annual profit. The company expects the strong results to continue for its new fiscal year.
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While the weak yen yielded a better return on export sales, Toyota officials were quick to point out that played a secondary role in the company’s impressive result. The biggest driver was increased sales in each one of its global markets last year. The company recaptured the world’s top-selling automaker last year.
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Tags: Ford, Hyundai, Lexus, TheDetroitBureau.com., Toyota Motor Corp., chrysler, global auto sales, gm, honda, kia, michael strong, nissan, thedetroitbureau, toyota, weak yen
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Meeting the demand for F-150 pickup, Transit.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.02, 2013
Ford is adding 2,000 jobs at Kansas City Assembly to account for an increase in F-Series sales.
Ford Motor Co. is investing $1.1 billion and adding more than 2,000 jobs at its Kansas City Assembly Plant to meet rising demand for the Ford F-150 and planned production of the all-new Ford Transit.
“Customer demand for today’s F-150 is strong and continues growing, the truck segment is growing three times faster than the overall industry, the housing market is strengthening, and we are seeing growth in the U.S. economy,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of The Americas. “Our ‘Built Ford Tough’ F-150 is America’s favorite pickup, and we are going to expand operations in Kansas City to ensure we have enough trucks to meet customer demand.”
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Ford is adding 900 jobs and a third crew in the third quarter of 2013 to build F-150. U.S. sales of Ford’s F-Series trucks increased 24% in April and is up 19% year to date. Ford also is adding another 1,100 jobs starting in the fourth quarter to prepare for the introduction of the all-new Ford Transit full-size van in 2014.
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Tags: F-150, F-Series pickup, Ford, Ford Kansas City plant, Kansas City Assembly, TheDetroitBureau.com., best-selling pickup, ford transit, ford trucks, jobs, joseph szczesny, pickup trucks, pickups, thedetroitbureau, trucks
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Mid-size segment competition getting fierce.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.02, 2013
The Honda Accord took over the top sales spot from the Toyota Camry in April.
As U.S. car sales continue to heat up in 2013, no segment is as hotly contested as the mid-size segment. If the offerings and efforts of carmakers and the April sales figures are any indicator the competition in that arena is only going to even more fierce.
For one thing, the Toyota Camry, the best-selling passenger car in the U.S. for the past decade, lost its edge in April as the Honda Accord took over the top spot after Camry sales fell 17% last month. Toyota still holds the top through the first place through the first four months of 2013 in what has been a healthy market for new cars during the past half year.
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Toyota executives suggested part of the reason for the drop in Camry’s total was decision to pull back from fleet sales. Overall, Toyota sales dropped 1.1% in April.
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Tags: Audi, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, TheDetroitBureau.com., U.S. Auto Sales, april auto sales, chrysler, general motors, honda, joseph szczesny, mercedes, nissan, porsche, thedetroitbureau, toyota
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Detroit Three help push April sales results.
by Michael Strong on May.01, 2013
Ford's April sales were up 18% with Escape sales rising 52% this month compared with last April.
The Detroit Three automakers posted sales increases for the month of April with a mix of full-size pickup trucks and new products, such as the Lincoln MKZ and Jeep Grand Cherokee, helping to lead the way. The remaining automakers report sales this afternoon.
For the month, automakers, analysts and other industry observers are reporting April sales will come in between 1.31 million and 1.34 million units for a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of about 15.5 million to 15.6 million units.
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Ford sales in April were up 18% led by Fusion and Escape. Both models posted April records with increases of 24% and 52% respectively. For the month, the Dearborn-based maker sold 212,586 units.
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Tags: ATP, Cadillac, Chrysler Group, Dodge, Ford, Ford Sales, GM sales, Ken Czubay, Kurt McNeil, Nissan sales, Ram, TheDetroitBureau.com., average transaction price, buick, chevrolet, chrysler sales, gm, gmc, jesse toprak, lincoln, michael strong, reid bigland, thedetroitbureau, truecar
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After delays Lincoln ships 11,000 units to dealers.
by Michael Strong on May.01, 2013
Lincoln sold 4,000 MKZs in April exceeding sales for the first three months of 2013 combined.
After a slow start to eliminate potential quality issues in early production vehicles, Lincoln Motor Co. is finally selling MKZs in volume. The maker sold more than 4,000 units in April.
The figure exceeds the combined sales of the car for the first quarter of 2013. Total MKZ sales from January through March were 3,758, a 47 percent drop from the same period in 2012.
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Additionally, Lincoln has shipped more than 11,000 MKZs to dealers in the month, although some are still in transit, according to Jim Farley, Ford’s executive vice president of global marketing and the head of Lincoln.
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Tags: 2013 MKZ, Flat Rock, Ford, Ford's Jim Farley, Hermosillo Mexico, Jim Farley, Lincoln MKZ, TheDetroitBureau.com., hybrids, lincoln, lincoln motor co., michael strong, mkz hybrid, thedetroitbureau
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