Ford Trucks For Sale

Ford trucks are about to start working smarter on the jobsite. Through innovative thinking and industry-first partnerships, customers of the brands popular work-trucks and work-vans will be able to experience enhanced connectivity and security on the go with the newly-announced Work Solutions.

It’s a name given to an umbrella of helpful features intended to help owners better run key aspects of their business. Ford says that four key technologies have been developed to meet the goal.

The first is an in-dash computer system that’s powered by Microsoft Auto and allows high-speed internet access right from the dashboard, using the Sprint Mobile network. Navigation is included with this feature- and it’s the first broadband-capable in-dash computer in production.

Customers can use it to access the internet virtually anywhere, as well as to print or store important information. There’s an SD card slot, a built-in stylus, and full Bluetooth connectivity.

The in-car computer puts a sensitive touch-screen to work in a tough environment that’s commonly filled with dirt and dust, but Ford promises that the system is held to the same standards as the rest of their truck.

The Tool Link system is available under Ford Work Solutions too. It uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags embedded within tools to display a real-time inventory of equipment that’s stored on board. RFID tags are very small and require no power source, as they’re “energized” by an external reader before emitting a signal. This allows a scanner to determine how many of the ‘tags’ are present in a given area without actually seeing or touching them. For Ford’s application, the system was developed with DEWALT tools and ThingMagic- an expert on embedded RFID technology.

“Tool Link increases productivity and saves money,” said William Frykman, Ford Work Solutions product and business development manager. “It helps contractors and tradespeople guarantee they show up at the job site with the right tools for each job– and that they don’t leave equipment behind.”

From keeping track of tools to keeping track of an entire fleet of vehicles is Crew Chief- a telematics and diagnostic system that allows owners to manage their machines more easily.

The system is tied into the vehicle electronics and can warn of undesirable situations like excessive idling or the presence of a check-engine light. Using a web-based application, owners can dispatch workers to job sites quickly while keeping detailed maintenance records on all of the trucks. Crew Chief can also help calculate fuel expenses and even alert the office if a truck is in an unauthorized area- and for how long. It’s a triumph of technology over excessive coffee-breaks.

Finally, a Cable Lock security system was developed with Master Lock and aims to discourage theft of expensive tools that are too large to fit in the cab of a truck.

A heavy-duty, ten-millimeter sheathed metal cable can be woven though large equipment that may have to stay in the vehicle’s box when it’s parked- like a tool-box or generator.

The cable can then be attached to anything else in the trucks box, the tie-down cleats, or even to itself, making sure that the larger items stay just where they were left.

According to Ford, these smart new features add a new dimension to the concept of a work-truck above and beyond payload ratings and maximum towing capacities. “Our truck customers are smart — and they work hard,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. “Ford Work Solutions provides truck customers new technologies and tools to help them work even smarter and further boost their productivity.”

The vision for Ford’s truck team was clear: Redesign America’s favorite truck inside and out to give customers unrivaled capability, unprecedented choice and a host of smart, game-changing features. The result is the new 2009 Ford F-150, the new benchmark in the full-size pickup segment from the industry’s truck leader - which has built more than 33 million F-Series pickups since 1948.

The Ford truck team adopted a holistic, 360-degree approach to revamping the new 2009 F-150 - from its segment-first features to the tough new exterior highlighted by a dramatic three-bar grille and more spacious, flexible and refined interior, to the unparalleled choice of cab styles and trim levels - including a new Platinum series that redefines truck luxury. Under the hood, the new F-150 will be powered by three modern V-8 engines, mated to either a 4-speed or a new fuel-efficient 6-speed automatic transmission.

The improvements are just as dramatic beneath the sheet metal. A new high-strength, lighter-weight chassis is the backbone that allows this tough truck to deliver more horsepower, better fuel economy and safety, and additional towing and payload capacity.

A high-tech suite of features ensures the F-150 is sure-footed and safe in all driving and load conditions. The new F-150 offers segment-first standard AdvanceTrac with RSC (Roll Stability Control) and Trailer Sway Control plus available Rearview Camera Assist as well as Integrated Trailer Brake Controller a segment-first on light-duty pickups.

The interior of the new 2009 F-150 SuperCrew offers more usable space for moving more people and gear thanks to a 6-inch stretch that improves rear seat legroom and cargo capacity. A mechanically articulated second-row seat flips up and out of the way. Combined with a truly flat load floor, the feature gives the new SuperCrew class leading 57.6 cubic feet of space behind the front seats and can accommodate items up to 47.9 inches tall, such as flat-screen TV that needs to be hauled from the electronics store to home.

Sales of Ford trucks and sport utility vehicles sagged again in March by double digits. Meanwhile, growing sales of the Focus compact car shed light on increasing consumer demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Overall, auto sales last month were the lowest since March 1993, as U.S. new-car buyers pulled back from rising gasoline prices, tighter credit markets and a weak economy.

Ford foresees an even tougher second quarter, said Jim Farley, group vice president for global marketing and communications.

“I would like to tell you the worst is behind us,” he said. The second quarter “may be the most difficult of the year.”

General Motors and Chrysler led the downward sales trend with a 19 percent sales drops in March, followed by Ford’s 14 percent decline compared to a year earlier.

Toyota, Nissan and Honda reported declines of 10 percent, 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

The North American sales outlook for the entire industry for the year could dip as low as 15 million vehicles, Ford executives said.

F-Series truck sales declined 24 percent and Explorer sport utility vehicle sales fell 15 percent, the automaker reported.

Ford sold 54,465 F-Series trucks last month, compared to 71,482 in March 2007. Buyers continue to bypass the Explorer in search of more fuel-efficient vehicles, with the SUV dropping to 10,969 sold in March, down from 12,876 in last year’s period.

Ford’s Louisville plants manufacture the Explorer and F-Series 250 and larger trucks.

Those results are even starker when compared to March 2006, with F-Series truck and Explorer sales plummeting about 35 percent each since then.

Viewed another way, trucks and SUVs account now for 30 percent of Ford sales, compared to 50 percent in 2004, Farley said.

“That is a wholesale change,” he said. “Frankly, this shift puts a lot of pressure on our market share.”

The change is apparent across the automobile market, said Jesse Toprak, chief of industry analysis at Edmunds.com.

Still, with rising sales of the Focus, Ford’s lone entry in the small-car market, and increasing popularity of the Edge, the Escape and other crossover SUVs, Ford is maintaining its 15 percent market-share goal for 2008, Farley said.

Ford continues to enjoy decent sales of the Edge, up 35 percent in March to 13,508 from 10,915 one year ago.

The Focus also appears to be getting traction among buyers looking for a small vehicle for price, fuel economy or both. Ford reported Focus sales rose 36 percent in March to 21,168.

Still, Ford would do well to broaden its small-car offerings beyond the Focus, Toprak said.

“Honda and Toyota have always had quite a few selections in every category,” he said. “That is truly the whole idea of going after the niche markets, to have a car for any customer, in any income bracket, in any kind of size.”

Ford Motor Co. formally took over the Romanian plant Automobile Craiova from the Romanian government on Friday.

Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu handed the factory’s key to Ford of Europe President John Fleming, saying that Ford’s investment of about $1 billion would allow Romania to become the biggest car producer in southeastern Europe.

Last year, Ford bought a 72.4% stake in the government-owned company, paying about $88 million and vowing to invest $1 billion to upgrade and expand car production. Ford said it would increase the number of employees from 3,900 to between 7,000 and 9,000.

The Romanian government took over the debt-laden factory in 2006 after the previous owner, South Korea’s Daewoo Motor Co., went bankrupt in 2000.

Chrysler may be losing

Chrysler LLC may be losing money at some U.S. plants where it cut back production to prepare for a slowing auto market in 2008, the Wall Street Journal said.

Chrysler moved to one shift per day at four U.S. plants, and three other factories will change to two shifts from three. The automaker needs to make better use of those plants to meet CEO Bob Nardelli’s goal of generating more cash and returning to profitability, the newspaper said.

Led Zeppelin’s back together. Stagflation and high gas prices have made a comeback as well. And late next year, you’ll be able to complete a 1970s revival with a two-door car that’s all business up front and party out back.

Answering the wishes of fervent fans — and the fears of some critics — General Motors Corp. was to unveil today its plans for a revival of the Chevy El Camino car-truck as a 2010 model Pontiac hot rod. The “sport truck” doesn’t have a name yet; GM will run a contest over the next month asking for submissions at a Pontiac Web site www.pontiac.com/namethiscar, and announce the winner April 15.

Here’s one: “Australiaino.”

Based on the same underpinnings as the G8 sedan and upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, the un-Camino will be built in Australia, where GM has centered engineering efforts for rear-wheel drive cars. It’s a risky strategy for GM, as Australian-built models have never sold well in the United States, and a weaker U.S. dollar threatens the business case for any imports.

But without its Australian arm, GM would not likely have enough resources to give Pontiac new models.

In addition to the mini-truck, GM also was to unveil today a version of the G8 sedan with the Corvette’s 402-horsepower engine that is to come to showrooms in the next year.

Australia has the longest history with so-called utes, since they were invented there by a Ford engineer in 1934 who got the idea from a farmer seeking one vehicle for church on Sundays and the pig market on Mondays. Ford brought the idea to the United States in the late 1950s, and GM followed, with the Chevrolet El Camino growing to define the segment.

GM’s U.S. production peaked in 1973 at nearly 72,000 El Caminos and GMC Caballeros. By the early 1980s, tighter fuel rules for cars had made small pickups more competitive, and GM ended production in 1988.

And by then, the El Camino and its ilk had become a punch line. President Bill Clinton told workers at GM’s Louisiana truck plant in 1994 that he owned an El Camino in the ’70s: “It was a real sort of Southern deal. I had Astroturf in the back. You don’t want to know why, but I did.”

Abandoned in the United States — save for some unsuccessful stabs at a comeback such as the Subaru Baja — the utility market flourished in Australia, where Ford and GM’s Holden have continued to build several models.

The G8-based vehicle will come only with the 361-horsepower V8 offered in the G8 GT paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. It will haul more than 1,000 pounds and tow 3,500 pounds — as much as some small pickups.

After approving a motion to buy a Dodge Charger police car last month, the Silver Lake Town Council heard from Dave Cox of Kerlin Ford Tuesday.

Cox told the council that he was disappointed that they did not decide to purchase a Ford vehicle from the Kerlin dealership. He said it was upsetting that the town did not choose to buy locally.

After Cox’s presentation, the board said they would take the issue under advisement and make a decision at a later date.

In other business, the council:

n Approved a motion to spend $1,200 to hire Bob Murphy to conduct a community survey to help the town receive low- to middle-income federal grants.

n Opened bids for the town’s trash collection and approved a motion to have Stafford Solid Waste pick up the town’s trash for $31,416 per year. Other bidders were Veolia at $52,800 per year and Waste Management at $61,564 per year.

n Looked at three possible layouts for the town’s new Web site from The Green Banana. After choosing their favorite layout with one change, they learned that the site will be up by the beginning of April. The site’s address is www.townofsilverlake.com

n Approved a motion to pay G&G Tree Trimming Service $1,100 to cut down and remove a dead tree in town.

n Tabled two motions. The first motion was a request to replace a bumper and paint the town’s small Ford truck. The motion will be revisited next month when snow and sand are no longer needed for the roads. The second motion pertained to the employee Health Savings Accounts. Council members will decide how much money to put in the accounts next month.

n Approved a motion to give one month’s sewer credit to resident John Wolfe at the request of the sewer department. Because of the location of his sewer pit, the sewer department believes that he has lost more than a month’s sewer service over the years. Wolfe is close to the lake, and many times water in his sewer pit will prevent town workers from restoring his sewer service for a few days at a time.

n Approved a motion to spend $12,736 on phase monitors and surge protectors for the pumps in the town’s well houses. Last month a three-phase pump in the north well house burnt out after something caused it to switch to one phase for an extended period of time. The monitors and surge protectors will prevent the same thing from happening in the future.

“Protection is always better than failure,” said Josh Naibauer, water superintendent.

n Signed a permit application to close Ind. 14 for Silver Lake Days in June.

n Approved Ordinance 03-01-07, which codifies all the town’s ordinances into one book. The binder that contains all the ordinances is available in the town offices.

n Approved a motion to give a water and sewage adjustment to Shannon Hyden, who had a water leak.

n Heard that the town received a letter from Brenda Wadkins requesting documents.

n Set an executive session for 5:30 p.m. March 27 at the town hall. The meeting will be to discuss annexation litigation with Vern Landis, the town’s attorney.

n Heard that Town Superintendent Phil Shalley plans to hand in his letter of resignation April 8.

Silver Lake Town Council members are Gale Owens, president; Ronald Jones and Linda Baker. Clerk-Treasurer is Angie Glass.

Used Ford trucks for sale at TrucksJunction.com

Two recent incidents have Cochrane RCMP concerned about the theft of new Ford trucks in town.

In the early morning of Friday, Jan. 4, a Ford pickup and trailer were stolen from the Bow Meadows area of Cochrane.

This incident follows another truck theft on Friday, Dec. 28. That truck was stolen from the Glenpatrick area.

“We can’t say at this point if the two thefts are connected,” said Cochrane RCMP Sgt. Audrey Robinson.

The vehicles that were taken on Jan. 4 were parked in a cul-de-sac and were taken by unknown persons as their owner observed.

The owner followed the vehicles, but was unable to stop them before losing sight on Hwy. 1.

Another Ford truck observed during this incident might have been involved, but that has not been confirmed at this time.

RCMP responded but were unable to locate the vehicles.

The RCMP say that at this time it appears that newer model Ford pickups are being targeted.

“Generally, new vehicles have anti-theft devices built in them but obviously there are new ways that we are not aware of that is allowing culprits to get into these vehicles,” said Robinson.

She added that in the most recent theft, the truck was locked and the keys were not in the vehicle.

“We have no way of knowing how they got into the vehicle and we won’t know until it is hopefully recovered.”

Robinson reminded residents to be vigilant in securing all vehicles.

“The best defense is a good offense so do whatever you can to secure your vehicle, whether that be using The Club or other anti-theft devices or just locking your doors.”

Ford India has registered a profit after tax in 2006-07, for the first time since it started manufacturing at a greenfield plant here eight years back. Hyundai Motor India’s net profit for the year is down compared to that in 2005-06.

Ford India’s financial performance has been boosted by a 45-per cent increase in vehicle sales, mainly driven by the Fiesta sedan it launched towards the end of calendar year 2005.

Hyundai Motor India’s vehicle sales increased 19 per cent during the year.

Both Ford India and Hyundai Motor India have their plants on the outskirts of Chennai. Ford India’s plant is at Maraimalai Nagar, about 35 km south of the city, and that of Hyundai Motor India at Irungattukottai, about 45 km to the west.

Ford India signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu Government in January 1996 and started manufacturing operations at its plant here in 1999 while Hyundai Motor India signed the agreement in early 1997 and launched its first car in October 1998.

Ford produces the Ikon, Fiesta, Fusion and Endeavour, while Hyundai manufactures the Santro, i10, Getz, Accent, Verna and Sonata.

Ford India carries over an accumulated loss of Rs 768.80 crore.

The company has not declared a dividend for the year.

Pressure on cost Hyundai Motor India, in its annual report, has attributed the lower profit figures to the pressure on cost as a result of launch of new models, higher selling expenses, surge in interest costs and to the withdrawal of export benefits such as Target Plus scheme.

Hyundai has not declared a dividend for the year “as part of prudent financial measure” and “keeping in view the fund requirement for meeting the company’s investments in the new capital projects.”

However, Hyundai Motor India has paid a royalty and technical assistance fees of Rs 369.77 crore for the year (Rs 308.30 crore in the previous year) to its parent Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai has transferred its “after service parts” – manufacturing and marketing auto parts, components, spare parts and related accessories – business division to Mobis India Ltd on a slump sale basis, so that it can concentrate on vehicle manufacture only. Mobis is a Hyundai group company.

Hyundai had an other income component of Rs 356.86 crore (Rs 470.48 crore), which included Rs 45 crore as gain on exchange fluctuation, and about Rs 190 crore as export benefits compared to export benefits of Rs 363 crore in the previous year. Hyundai Motor India had protested the Centre’s move to withdraw the Target Plus scheme for exports (under which it got Rs 160 crore in 2005-06, compared to Rs 8.5 crore under a new scheme this year) retrospectively from April 2006.

Accumulated losses Ford India’s auditors have noted that the accumulated losses of Rs 768.80 crore exceeded 50 per cent of the company’s net worth as on March 31, 2007.

Jason from Maineville, Ohio: I’ve been a longtime Ford fan, and I think it’s terribly unfortunate that they only field about eight cars on a regular basis when a few years back they had more cars than any other manufacturer, including Chevrolet. I know Ford has dropped the ball when it comes to their research and development teams, but what is it going to take to get them back on top again?

Larry McReynolds: I’m seeing them flirt with getting back there. Matt Kenseth was lights out at the last race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, winning the event in runaway fashion. Even though we’re done with the “old car,” look at how strong Kenseth also was at Texas. Also consider Greg Biffle, who won Kansas and finished second at Phoenix. Carl Edwards sat on the pole at Phoenix and led every lap until his engine had issues.

Do I think Ford could stack the deck with more than Roush-Yates and the Wood Brothers? Of course, all of their engines come from one source. They probably could stand a little more. When I was part of the Ford camp in the 1990s, it was three or four operations strong.

Even though they only had two drivers in the Chase for the Nextel Cup in 2007, I witnessed some pretty strong performances in the fall that should make everybody fairly excited about next year with the Ford camp as the Sprint Cup starts racing the Car of Tomorrow full-time in 2008.

Racing’s about people, not manufacturers

Nick from Huber Heights, Ohio: Hi Larry. What are your thoughts on the Wood Brothers situation? I am a diehard Bill Elliott fan so I was wondering what are the chances of us seeing him in the No. 21 car next year?

Larry McReynolds: I don’t know Elliott’s status, but I do know the Wood Brothers are looking for sponsorship. You ask a good follow-up question from the one above. Whether you run a Chevrolet, Toyota, Dodge or Ford or whether you’re running the Busch, Cup or Truck Series, the difference between winning and losing isn’t because a manufacturer has a better car or more horsepower. It’s about the people. Rick Hendrick has done a phenomenal job with not one or two teams but three to four teams with good people.

What is it going to take to get more Fords competitive? It’s not that they need more horsepower or need to build a better race car. Let’s face it — chassis and bodywise — the Ford Fusion isn’t going to be any different than a Chevy Impala, Dodge Charger or a Toyota Camry. It’s about making sure that good people are working together.

That’s probably what’s missing with the Wood Brothers. Even though Elliott is one of the greatest drivers we’ve ever had, the way these cars drive and are set up may have outrun him just a little bit. I’m not saying that if Bill Elliott climbed into Jimmie Johnson’s car, he couldn’t win 10 races. But the way that these guys are winning races is different from the way Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Dale Jarrett and Darrell Waltrip won races.

Those guys used to race the racetrack. When the last 100 laps came along, they would see who fell by the wayside and then step it up. I worked as Darrell’s spotter during a Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville. He told me, “Larry, make sure you let me know when there’s 50 to go.” He was going to reach down in that barrel and grab some more.

Today, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are running up front, and they’re at the bottom of the barrel when the green-flag waves. They aren’t racing anything but wide open from Lap 1 to the final lap. You’ve still got to be smart, race the racetrack and not overextend your equipment. But these guys are not laying back to win races like they used to 10 to 20 years ago.

In 26 years of selling cars and trucks, Ken Venema says he has never seen a feature impress customers like Ford’s SYNC.

“I must have a half-dozen sales because of SYNC. I strongly believe that,” said Venema, a sales consultant at Pfeiffer Lincoln Mercury in Grand Rapids, Mich. “I’m sold on it. And I’m sure glad Ford’s got it.”

The dealership even switched its radio spots recently from advertising price to promoting SYNC.

“I am using (SYNC) as a showroom builder. I am pumped on it because it’s something that we can offer the market that doesn’t focus on price, and it’s something we have that our competitors don’t,” said Kim Winkler, new car sales manager, Pfeiffer Lincoln Mercury.

SYNC, Ford’s industry-exclusive technology that provides customers in-vehicle voice command compatibility with portable digital media players and most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, is helping drive vehicles sales across the country.

SYNC-equipped Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles were moving more than twice as fast off dealer lots in November than those same vehicles without SYNC. And customer satisfaction is high.

According to a Ford survey of SYNC customers, nearly 80 percent of respondents “definitely would” recommend it to a friend. Microsoft, which collaborated with Ford on the technology, was very encouraged.

“It’s early in SYNC’s launch — we’ll know more about its impact in a few months — but so far all indicators are extraordinarily positive,” explained John Emmert, SYNC marketing manager, Ford Motor Company.

The survey also revealed that most customers thought SYNC was easy to use, and that dealers were helpful in explaining and demonstrating the new technology.

Sales consultant Everton McLeod of Manhattan (N.Y.) Ford says extensive in-dealership training prior to SYNC’S launch was very beneficial.

“It wasn’t like they just told us about it. Everybody had to do something — pair a phone, dial a number — so the instructor could see that we actually grasped what he taught us,” said McLeod.

SYNC is also hitting its targeted customers, which include a savvy, tech-toting younger demographic as well as an older group that likes the convenience of hands-free mobile phone operation.

Emmert says Ford employees frequently stop him at work to relate stories about SYNC’s ability to raise awareness and purchase consideration for the company’s products among relatives and friends who swore off domestic vehicles years ago.

“When you think about a feature having the power to put Ford back on customers’ shopping lists, it’s pretty impressive,” he said.

SYNC currently is offered on 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. The first SYNC-equipped vehicles, including the redesigned 2008 Ford Focus, began reaching customers in late September. When offered as an option, the system is priced at $395.