Ford Trucks For Sale

Speaking at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said the automaker is committed to improving miles per gallon efficiency and reducing emissions via implementing technological advances.

And the technological advances Ford’s looking to incorporate to help stabilize its market share? Direct fuel injection, smaller-cylinder engines with turbo charges, lighter weight materials, hybrids, and diesels, among others. Moreover, Mulally said Ford’s goal will be to increase fuel economy without sacrificing engine performance or auto safety. Ford’s shares drifted three cents lower to $7.95 in Thursday afternoon trading.

In general, analysts were encouraged by Ford’s presentation, despite the company’s lack of a time-table for efficiency improvements or announcement of changes to specific vehicle models, other than a promise to apply diesel fuel and technology to improve the mpg of its popular but fuel-guzzling F-150 pickups.

MPG and emissions

Further, the initial read of analysts suggests that auto reviews will cut Ford some slack regarding mileage and emissions improvements — in part because it is Ford’s first systematic effort to regain competitiveness versus Asian and European imports, and in part because the technologies hold considerable promise.

For example, turbochargers have the advantage of being used only when needed, as when a driver accelerates rapidly. The turbo, when combined with smaller cylinders, can reduce fuel consumption in typical driving conditions. However, turbos often require premium fuel, so any fuel savings will have to compensate for the higher fuel price.

In addition, lighter-weight materials and assembly plans that substantially reduce weight have the capacity to increase fuel economy by eye-opening amounts.

Meanwhile, diesel technology, which can increase fuel efficiency by 20%-35% compared to comparably-sized gasoline engines, is being viewed by analysts as a bridge, for some models, until Ford figures out its long-term, new engine technology strategy: hybrid, electric, or fuel cell. None of the latter technologies has advanced to the point where the tech could be deployed profitably on a mass scale, involving tens of millions of vehicles.

The prognosis?

Finally, part of analysts’ mild treatment of Ford can perhaps be attributed to concerns about the global economy’s continued expansion, the panorama of auto competitors, and the sheer magnitude of Ford’s task. To say these are not heady times for Ford would be putting it diplomatically. Very diplomatically.

All of which begs the legitimate (and possibly foreboding) question that, given the undeniable realities of the global auto market, will Ford’s new engines and technologies be a day late, and a dollar short?

Ford Motor Co Chief Executive Alan Mulally has said that the automaker could announce the sale of its premium British brands Jaguar and Land Rover by the end of the year.

“We will probably have something to announce by the end of this year, toward the first part of next year,” Mulally told reporters at a ceremony marking the formal signing of the four-year labor contract reached last month with the United Auto Workers union.

Ford has narrowed the auction of Jaguar and Land Rover to three bids. The remaining bidders include Indian carmaker Tata Motors Ltd and rival Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, which has teamed up with buyout firm Apollo.

The US automaker has been exploring a sale of the brands since June. The brands have been valued by a Merrill Lynch analyst at as much as $US1.5 billion ($NZ2 billion) combined.

Mulally was joined at the signing ceremony by Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr and UAW President Ron Gettelfinger at the automaker’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.

The Ford CEO said the automaker is keeping an eye on the slowing US economy and will adjust production of vehicles according to market demand.

US vehicle sales are on track to finish the year with the lowest tally since 1998.

With concern mounting about the risk of recession, many analysts are now expecting a continued slide in US vehicle sales through 2008, which would mark the third consecutive year of lower sales.

Ford, which on Monday posted a 0.4 per cent increase in US sales in November, set its targeted first-quarter production at 685,000 vehicles in North America, a 7.4 per cent reduction from year-ago levels.

“Clearly with the economy and the subprime and the credit (market) being down, we will continue to watch that very carefully through 2008. . . and adjust our production to match demand,” Mulally said.

In wide-ranging remarks, Mulally also said the automaker has made a “significant improvement” in the competitive gap with Asian automakers with the new labor contract.

Ford and the other US automakers were looking to reduce their operating costs through the new UAW contract to be more competitive with Japanese automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp.

Ford clinched a new four-year labor deal for over 54,000 UAW workers on November 3 that will pay new hires lower wages between $US26 and $US31 an hour, including benefits.

Ford, which is restructuring its North American operations to return to sustained profits, also scaled back its plans to close 16 factories.

Ford Chairman Bill Ford said the company will respond to new fuel economy standards passed last week by the US Congress.

“We have to do it,” Bill Ford said, but added that meeting the goal would be a “stretch.”

Toyota unveiled its second-generation 2008 Sequoia full-size SUV earlier this year — which features a new body, a new interior, a new chassis, and an available new 5.7L V8 engine coupled to a six-speed transmission earlier this year — and today released pricing information.

A new platform provides exterior dimensions that are competitive with other vehicles in the Sequoia’s class. Inside, efficient packaging gives the new Sequoia a roomier cabin and more luggage space.

The large V8 engine provides 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque. This engine, which is ULEV-II compliant, uses four valves per cylinder and Dual Variable Valve Timing. The exhaust system, constructed of stainless steel, uses a valve in the main muffler to alter exhaust flow, reduce exhaust noise and improve performance.

As a result, the 2008 Sequoia capacity of 10,000 lbs. In addition to the available 5.7L V8 engine, the 4.7L iForce V8 continues to be offered as standard.

An electronically controlled five-speed automatic ECT (Electronically Controlled Transmission) is mated to the standard 4.7L V8, while a new six-speed ECT automatic is part of the powertrain package when the available with the 5.7L V8.

The truck’s new platform features independent suspension at both front and rear, improving ride comfort and handling.

Sequoia is equipped with Toyota’s STAR Safety System, which includes VSC (Vehicle Stability Control), and TRAC (Traction Control) (2WD models) or A-TRAC (Active-Traction Control) (4WD models), ABS (antilock braking) with EBD (electronic brake force distribution) and Brake Assist.

The eight-seater comes standard with front, side, and curtain airbags, including a curtain system that extends from the front seat to the back of the third-row seat.

Standard equipment and options

The 2008 Sequoia is available in three grades – SR5, Limited and Platinum.

The list of standard items on the SR5 and Limited grades, includes the 276 hp 4.7L V8 engine and automatic transmission, engine immobilizer with alarm, direct tire pressure monitoring system, seating for eight passengers, eight-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, four-way manually adjustable front passenger’s seat, fold-flat feature for second- and third-row seats, auto tri-zone air conditioning, power windows, locks, back window, keyless entry, AM/FM/CD eight-speaker audio system with a mini-plug for iPod compatibility, rear wiper and defogger, tilt/telescope steering wheel, cruise control, spare tire and mud guards.

To that, the Limited grade adds front and rear parking sonar, fog lamps, heated leather-trimmed seats, 10-way-adjustable driver’s seat, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear shift knob, Optitron gauges, multi-information display, electrochromatic rear-view mirror, roof rack, running boards and JBL Synthesis audio system with Bluetooth capability.

The Platinum grade includes all of the above, and also adds the 5.7L V8 engine and six-speed transmission, 20-inch diamond cut-finish alloy wheels, rear load-leveling air suspension, power seat memory package, heated and air-conditioned front seats (driver and first-row passenger), second-row heated seats, rear spoiler, power back door, sunroof, headlamp cleaner, and navigation system with a backup camera.

A wide range of options is available on the SR5 and Limited Grades, including the 5.7L V8 engine and six-speed transmission, four-wheel drive, a towing package, rear-seat entertainment system, heated leather-trimmed seat packages, load-leveling rear air suspension, sunroof, 20-inch alloy wheels, power back door, and more. Laser cruise control is an option exclusive to the Platinum grade.

Ford has announced that it will trim its first quarter 2008 production by 7.4%. The automaker plans to produce 685,000 vehicles during the first quarter of 2008, down 55,000 units from the same period in 2007. The move is to control inventory amid concerns that the North American car market will be down in 2008.

“Clearly with the economy and the subprime credit and housing being down, we continue to watch that very carefully as we move into 2008,” Ford CEO, Alan Mulally, told Automotive News. “Of course, the most important thing we can do is adjust our production to the real demand, which we’ve done very carefully and very decisively during this last year.”

Ford will cut car production by 6% and Truck production by 8%. The Detroit-based automaker began to cut back production during the fourth quarter of 2006.

Being without a competitive SUV in the market was a situation Holden could not continue with in the Australian market.

The Australian GM outpost must have looked on enviously at sales lost to models like Honda’s CR-V, Toyota’s RAV4, and others.

Now, by tapping into GM’s ownership of Daewoo in Korea, Holden can source as many light to medium-weight SUVs as it likes, with the recently introduced Captiva.

It’s a broad-based range of vehicles which eventually has the potential to furnish five to seven seat models with a spread of four cylinder petrol and diesel engines as well as a 3.2-litre version of Holden’s own ‘World’ engine: the Alloytech V6.

Initially we’re only getting the V6, but with the Captiva SX’s entry price at $43,990, the handsome Australianstyled five-door sits right in the territory of many similarlyequipped but mere fourcylinder Japanese offerings, most of which have neither the carrying capacity nor the urge of the new Holden.

Speaking of Territory, the Captiva is not as large as the big Ford SUV, and is not a direct competitor per se.

However I’d predict there’ll be quite a few potential Territory owners on the Captiva’s hit list, with a view for the Holden to offer a cheaper, only slightly smaller option to the albeit very well placed Ford.

We have three Captiva models in New Zealand: the SX, LX and MaXX models, the latter of which is a slightly more sharply-styled sporty five-seater version with a tag of $53,490.

For our road test, the LX was made available and from the get-go, the new Korean-sourced Holden displays remarkable refinement.

The engine’s quiet, there’s no wind noise, not a lot of road clamour and the stock fivespeed automatic transmission is as subtle a ratio-changer as you’ll find anywhere.

It’s also surprisingly quick, with an easy sub 9.5 second zero-to-100kmh being just a matter of squeezing the throttle.

The five-speed auto can be used manually for dirt work, but it’s so intuitive in its operation that most will leave the shift-lever in ‘D’ and have done with it.

The Captiva’s Holden team penned lines make it something of a slightly scaled down BMW X5 from the front and side, with a nicely contrived stance and nice, wheel-arch filling alloys (on all models).

The hatch opens opens completely or as the upper glass only, while once open, it reveals how neatly the third row of seats sits in the floor.

Even when occupied, there’s room for plenty of soft baggage, and when folded away, the boot area is positively cavernous.

The $49,990 LX is a seven-seater that takes leather, some extra lamps and side vents, seven-spoke alloys, climate control, heated mirrors, eight-speaker 6-CD in-dash stereo, some extra dash and console stowage and a trip computer over the $43,990 SX.

But all Captivas take cruise, air-con, traction and stability control and five-speed automatic as standard, so you’ll not seem underdone if you can’t stretch to the LX and MaXX models.

Interior space is very well utilised, though inevitably third-row occupation is for those of smaller frames or for shorter distances.

Up front, there’s a well laid-out dash, a fine multiadjustable driving position and evidence that GM Daewoo has learned much about the texture and interface of cabin plastics.

The monocoque Captiva rides and handles very well, with a pleasingly incisive turn-in feel and a generally very car-like driving demeanour.

Offroad, the new Holden is as good as most other soft-roaders as they call them.

The State Tax Commission will have the last word whether or not to approve two tax abatement requests from Ford Motor Co.

After two public hearings were held Nov. 26 on the requests, the City Council approved both requests, both of which are for 50 percent for new equipment at the Dearborn Truck Plant and the Dearborn Diversified Stamping Plant.

Both are for 12 years, plus two years for construction.

The automaker, which is the biggest taxpayer in the city, will begin the work this month and is expected to complete it by the end of 2009.

According to a Ford Web site, Dearborn Diversified employs about 1,300 workers. It produces frames, suspension parts, tire and wheel and truck axels.

It is about 27 acres and encompasses 850,000 square feet. Ford is estimating it will cost $15 million to complete the project.

That facility will be installing robotics, welding and racks to “refresh” the F-Series truck line. The robotics equipment is being moved from Canada, according to the city.

The Truck plant employs about 3,000 workers. It manufactures the F-150, the Harley-Davidson F-150 and the Lincoln Mark LT.

It’s about 1,100 acres and 2.5 million square feet.

Estimated project costs at the plant are $77.5 million, according to Ford.

At that facility, the abatement is for new machinery and equipment for the new 2009 P415 truck. The equipment is for the body and paint shops, final assembly and manufacturing aids, according to documents from the city.

Mayor Jack O’Reilly said that while the concept of tax abatements have become “institutionalized,” they serve a purpose.

“Some say we know they’re going to do (the work and we know they’re not going to move,” he said. “It’s a risk … We look at it as will it create or retain jobs and will it deal with obsolete property.”

Sometimes, what’s going on among managers inside a company can have a huge effect on the direction it takes.

O’Reilly said at one point, when Ford was asking for tax abatements at its Rouge facility, that then-CEO and President Jack Nassar was considering moving those operations overseas.

Current president William Ford wanted to keep the operation here and build on his great-grandfather’s Rouge Plant legacy.

The upshot of the struggle is that the abatements were approved, Nassar left the company and Ford and Dearborn kept the plant.

“If Dearborn had taken that hard line, why should a company stay?” he said.

O’Reilly added that it’s not that a company is paying less in taxes; the tax relief comes on the new investment the company is making in upgrading its facilities or equipment.

Audi’s Q7 is quite a box of tricks.

It has adaptive cruise control or ACC, which is a tad more reliable than the compensation scheme with which it shares its initials, for up hill and down dale, the car’s radar system will keep the new Q7 well away from the vehicle in front.

Then there’s the Audi’s side assist set-up, which monitors the Q7’s rear blind spots.

Two radar sensors in the rear bumper watch the area behind and next to the Q7 and warn the driver of vehicles approaching from behind that may be hidden by its rear quarters.

The new Audi can be set to a range of five height presets and while it does not have the low range systems and lockable diffs of the Cayenne and Touareg, it uses instead a quattro system with full-time four-wheel drive and a 40:60 front:rear torque-split for normal conditions.

It uses an automatically torsen centre diff to send up to 85 per cent to the rear, and up to 65 per cent to the front if there’s a loss of traction.

It’s quite adept at groping about in sand and dirt and perhaps more importantly would appear to be the right kind of system for those who ski and tow a bit.

Should you feel like getting more serious the Q7’s stability control offers a downhill protocol which uses the ABS system to help brake the car’s wheels to keep it stable and all-square in steep, low-friction off-road situations.

When shingle roads are encountered, the quattro set-up can be sensed doling out torque to the axle with best purchase.

If the surface is gravel, and with few holes and obstacles on it, the car handles best in ‘dynamic’ chassis mode and feels almost sporting, with a pleasingly rearward bias to its power delivery as the all-wheel-drive system responds to the chassis’ sensors’ observations.

The Q7’s refreshingly precise reactions to driver input – not just for an SUV – make for great confidence on backroads where it obeys every move of the wheel and feels amazingly communicative for something that weighs two-and-a-half-tonnes-plus with a driver and passenger.

The Q7 can take seven easily, though rearmost passengers might need to hunch a little under the tapered roofline, but all seven places are grown-up.

With the rear seats in use, the wide, high-opening hatch area has 775 litres of loadspace which grows to 2035 litres when they’re folded flat.

The Q7’s load lip can be made more accessible for heavier or more awkward cargoes by lowering the suspension by way of a button in the hatch area.

Audi’s familiar 171kW, 500Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel and 257kW, 440Nm 4.2-litre V8 petrol engines are available in the first Q7s in New Zealand and brand new 206kW, 360Nm 3.6-litre V6 petrol unit will arrive later.

While the V8 is a sonorous and effective option, the V6 turbodiesel makes a great fist of hauling along the Q7’s not inconsiderable bulk and would appear to be the engine of choice, though the 4.0-litre V8 turbodiesel is also hugely impressive.

On its own, the Q7 doesn’t look as large as more square-rigged contemporaries, like Range Rovers, Cayennes and Touaregs, but when parked among them you get to see how big it really is.

By being slightly lower slung and possessed of a styling signature that smacks of a heavily-inflated AllRoad rather than a two-box truck, the Q7 is pleasantly lacking in brashness, but it still has a lot of presence.

Though it may be a little late coming to the party, its easy going nature, clever driving aids and genuinely useful format will ensure it sells well in a crowded market segment.

The 245kW turbo six from the Falcon XR6 could well have been applied to the Territory as early as its 2004 launch.

However, concerns about the engine’s thirst meant that the hot version of the crossover had to wait until a six-speed automatic could be attached to it.

That way Ford could gear it out and mitigate its thirst a tad.

It seems to have worked, because the turbo-charged six creates its peak at just 2000rpm, which means it requires much lighter throttle openings than the ordinary Territory, and can surf along from low speed with very little drama.

Also, having six gears to shuffle through means the big Ford is so nonchalantly relaxed that even when the fuel bills grow as you exploit the car’s full performance potential, it doesn’t hurt that much.

There has to be a proviso here and that’s that the Territory Turbo will down fuel like a camel drinking if you exploit its full performance ability most of the time; and don’t expect to sip gas in slow traffic and while commuting – the big Ford will not defy physics and chemistry at the same time.

The car’s 245kW (that’s 329 horsepower if your prefer ponies to electrickery) is so deliciously seamless and undemonstrative to passers-by, that it draws little attention to itself and shovels out great wads of power and torque from idle to 5000rpm.

The six-speed automatic is a honey, or down a slot manually by using the floor-mounted lever, it would be even nicer to operate some wheelmounted paddles to execute the same changes.

With the longest travel suspension in the indigenous Australian car line-up, the Territory uses it well.

The just over two-tonne up-toseven- seater manages bumps and holes nicely, never jarring and always able to react without wavering when those obstacles are mid-bend.

On the open road, the car’s ride quality is sumptuous, but well-planted.

It doesn’t wallow over backcountry undulations and when things get twisty, popping the transmission down a slot and guiding the vehicle through a curve is as close as you’ll get to emulating a car in a large SUV.

With the Ford’s lightly turbo-charged in-line six, the linear swell of urge from 2000rpm upwards is pleasingly easy to manage and even on the loose, talcum-lubricated roads of the high country, the Territory is always easy to keep balanced, assisted by wellweighted, accurate steering with plenty of good information coming through the rim.

Driving on snow is impressive too, with that predictable throttle being a boon on slippery surfaces, where the Ford’s standard ESP can also lend a hand when understeer finally manages to take the upper hand.

There are two versions of the Territory Turbo.

There’s the Ghia Turbo with leather and all the fruit, and the XR Turbo which uses cloth trim and has nearly all the fruit.

Other differences include a standard rearview camera for the Ghia – it’s an option in the XR – curtain airbags and a six-stack CD player.

Outside, the cars can be separated by their alloy wheel designs (same size, different spokes) and some subtle badgework, but from a distance, unless the big bonnet letterbox intake is in view both turbo versions look largely like any other Territory.

Either car’s cabin is a very pleasant place to be, however, with the same terrific ergonomics as the Falcon, albeit on a deeper dash and fascia platform.

Hot Falcons and FPVs notwithstanding, there are few who wouldn’t agree that the Territory is the best thing to wear a Ford badge out of Australia.

Now there’s a turbo version of the machine, it gets even better.

Collin County neighborhoods are increasingly populated by people of Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Latin American descent – a veritable United Nations.

And then there minorities like me. FORDs: Fat, Old, Rumpled Democrats.

In the land of Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes and Hummers, it is the BMW – those initials symbolizing Collin County’s insatiable appetite for consumption – that is all too often seen and heard. And to the dismay of the FORD, the BMW also rules politically; they’re just called Republicans.

Being a FORD is a family affair for me. My father was pretty much a FORD man until the day he died – the older he got, the more partisan he remained. So what makes a FORD run? We don’t like paying taxes anymore than others, especially when they surface in the New Age form of road tolls – an increasingly popular mechanism among the ruling party in Austin to snatch money from its citizens without truth in labeling. When “See the USA in your Chevrolet” was popular, it meant driving the open roads – free from cost other than related to the vehicle. Hey, Buzz Murdock and Tod Stiles drove their Corvette on Route 66 for nothing.

FORDs want to save the environment, but many among us care less about what’s being recycled and more about the brown stuff we call breathable air.

Mostly, a FORD cares about who made this nation strong and vibrant – the men and women who built things, from skyscrapers to bridges, to the tools that created them. American workers are more responsible for the economic success and growth of this nation following World War II (our golden jubilee, apparently) than corporate management.

Sadly, too many worker-bee positions have been sacrificed overseas for profit’s sake, while not enough suits-and-ties have seen the same fate. You see, workers tend now to be FORDS like me, and suits tend to be BMWs.

When I was a pup, American-made meant something – top-grade quality. Of course, I come from a time when my refrigerator was made in Amana, Iowa; my Zenith television came from Chicago; my Emerson radio was built on Long Island; and the phone was made by Western Electric – an American company. My baseball glove was an American Wilson model, my shoes came from Brockton, Mass., and my baseball bats had “Louisville, Kentucky” stamped on each piece of wood. The cars we drove were only made in Detroit, because we supported the home team.

Our homes stood for American products. You did get what you paid for; the purchase of anything “USA” kept the economy strong. Wages from buying our products circulated through families, neighborhoods and businesses – to buy more American goods and hire more American workers – the ones who actually stood on that factory line.

Too many BMWs have turned the word “union” into something dirty, unpleasant and vilified. But those same BMWs scream the loudest when all these foreign-made products, which have flooded the market because of the low, low cost-per-unit price, have begun to make children sick as dogs.

That really didn’t happen when American workers made those same items, did it?

In this land of BMWs, the honk from this old FORD just can’t be heard. The local BMW drivers run everything from the courthouse to the outhouse, where many of us find our current lot in life.

I have always believed that no man needs to own a Rolex or any other expensive watch in order to tell time. A Bulova or Timex does the same thing at a fraction of the cost. After all, isn’t that the “function” of a watch? Same holds true for being a FORD. My beliefs will get me to where I want to go; no need to own and maintain an expensive, overpriced philosophy. And when the others in this area realize that a FORD works as well, or better, than any BMW, things might get changed for the better.

Sears announced this week that its Craftsman brand will not be the title sponsor of NASCAR’s truck series after 2008. This year NASCAR officials found Nationwide to replace Busch as title sponsor of the #2 series. Now NASCAR needs to put its sales hat on one more time and seek out a title sponsor for the Truck series.

Craftsman is the only title sponsor that the Truck series has had since it was founded in 1995. The trucks put on a great show wherever they go and is often the best race of the weekend. I hope NASCAR can locate another great sponsor to drive that great series into the future starting in 2009.