Archive for the ‘Ford updates’ Category
Thursday, December 27th, 2007 |
Ask someone on the street what consumer item they think is recycled more than any other in the U.S. and they’re likely to guess “newspapers” or “soda bottles.” Most people probably wouldn’t say “cars” — but that is, in fact, the answer.
Roughly 85 percent of each Ford Motor Company vehicle is recyclable. What’s more, Ford is working with Chrysler and GM through the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) and its Vehicle Recycling Partnership to raise that number to as close to 100 percent as possible.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than 95 percent of all end-of-life vehicles in the U.S. are processed for recycling. That’s compared to 52 percent of all paper and 31 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles.
“The U.S. automakers have long taken a proactive stance in vehicle recycling,” says Don Walkowicz, executive director, USCAR. “They continue to work side by side with government and private industry to optimally recycle all vehicles, regardless of age, content or origin.”
The EPA calls recycling one of the best environmental success stories of the late 20th century, reporting that the practice diverted more than 72 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 2003, up from 34 million tons in 1990 — doubling in just 10 years.
The agency cites several key benefits of recycling, including:
Protects and expands U.S. manufacturing jobs and increases U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace
Reduces the need for landfilling and incineration
Saves energy and prevents pollution caused by the extraction and processing of virgin materials and the manufacture of products using virgin materials
Decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change
Conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals
Helps sustain the environment for future generations
Re-use is a big part of the recycling story. Auto recyclers supply more than a third of all ferrous scrap to the U.S. scrap processing industry. When manufacturers use scrap iron and steel instead of virgin ore, they reduce air and water pollution by more than half during the manufacturing process.
For example, steel food cans contain up to 30 percent recycled steel, while household appliances and car bodies are made with about 25 percent recycled steel.
“Ford has been implementing recycled content on our vehicles for several years,” says Ford’s Dan Adsit, manager, Recycling Planning. “In addition to using significant amounts of recycled metals, we include nonmetallic recycled content in vehicle parts such as battery trays, splash shields, engine fan shrouds and carpet.”
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Thursday, December 27th, 2007 |
Ford Motor Company and U-Haul launched the industry’s first fleet of vehicles painted with Ford’s environmentally responsible new technology, which reduces greenhouse gases by 15 percent and cuts Ford’s production costs.
More than 200 Ford E-Series trucks painted with this new technology were delivered to U-Haul facilities around the country. U-Haul began renting the units, tagged with eco-friendly decals, to customers this week.
The technology combines an advanced chemical formulation of high-solids, solvent-borne paint with an innovative three-wet application process that requires a smaller, less expensive and cleaner paint shop than traditional automotive paint facilities.
In addition to reduced CO2 emissions, the new technology reduces VOC emissions (volatile organic compounds) by about 10 percent. The company estimates it can save approximately $7 per vehicle by cutting the time it takes to paint a vehicle by almost 20 percent as well as reducing the size of the traditional paint shop by nearly 15 percent.
“Painting vehicles has traditionally been one of the auto industry’s biggest environmental challenges,” said Mary Ellen Rosenberger, paint manager of Ohio Assembly Plant where the new technology was launched. “Ford has found the solution. It’s environmentally sound. It’s cost-efficient. And it produces beautifully painted vehicles with long-term durability.”
Ford’s new high-solids, solvent-borne paint formulation produces fewer VOC and CO2 emissions than do water-borne and current solvent-borne paints. Because the new formulation contains more color pigment, it requires less paint to cover a vehicle than water-based paint. Furthermore, the new technology allows for three coats of wet paint to be applied to the vehicle one on top of the other, without drying between coats. This eliminates the prime-coat application and its related processes, which means a smaller, more efficient paint shop.
Furthermore, there’s no need for an air-conditioning process or an additional low-temperature oven, which are required in water-borne paint shops to evaporate the water from the paint.
The paint formulation contains new polymers and other additives that prevent running and sagging during the three-wet application process. And Ford’s laboratory tests show the high-solids, solvent-borne paint provides better long-term resistance to chips and scratches than does water-borne paint.
Said Dean Cerimeli, U-Haul’s director of Truck and Trailer Product: “When it comes to the environment and sustainability, we are happy to partner with Ford in this important field test. We believe this is the most environmentally responsible way to paint vehicles. And we applaud Ford for leading the industry.”
In June, Ford won the “Best Technical Prize” for its new paint technology at SURCAR: The International Conference on Automobile Body Finishing in Cannes, France.
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Friday, December 21st, 2007 |
Ford Motor Co. has temporarily shut down at least two factories that build large pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles amid tepid demand, a spokeswoman said.
A Dearborn, Mich., plant that builds F-150 pickups and a Louisville, Ky., plant that builds Explorer SUVs went dark starting Monday – two weeks ahead of their normally scheduled holiday shutdowns, said the spokeswoman, Anne Marie Gattari.
Both plants will remain closed the rest of the year, people familiar with the matter said. The moves are part of Ford’s efforts to “align capacity with demand,” Ms. Gattari said.
The Dearborn plant will resume production at the start of the New Year, Ms. Gattari said. Workers are also scheduled to return to the Louisville factory just after New Year’s, a person familiar with the matter said.
Ford, along with Detroit competitors General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, has suffered sharp sales declines among its pickups and SUVs. F-Series pickups are off 12.4% through November, while Explorer sales have plunged 23.5%, according to Autodata Corp. Overall, Ford-brand light-duty truck sales, which include pickups and SUVs, have dropped 6.1%.
Detroit’s Big Three auto makers are feeling the pain of plummeting real-estate values and surging fuel prices, both of which have sapped consumer spending. In addition, a marked decline in residential construction has damped sales of Detroit’s profitable pickups. Ford has tended to suffer the most from that trend, as its F-Series trucks are used a disproportionate amount in the home-construction business.
In addition to December shutdowns, Ford will likely temporarily idle some factories in January as part of a 7% first-quarter production cut.
Ford has generally declined to discuss specific factory plans for January but George Pipas, the auto maker’s top sales analyst, said the company would likely target plants building pickups and SUVs for shutdowns or scaled-back overtime as part of the first-quarter production pullback.
Chrysler plans to halt production at truck plants in Warren, Mich., and Fenton, Mo., right before Christmas and extend the shutdown through all of January, according to people familiar with the auto maker’s plans. A third truck plant in Mexico will shut down for the first two weeks of January.
General Motors has said it will temporarily idle three pickup-truck plants for two weeks in January, in addition to the traditional holiday shutdown.
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Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 |
The truth be known some us think the car should have been named the Taurus 500 from the get-go. For those who remember the Fairlane/Fairlane 500 or the Galaxy/Galaxy 500 we knew that the 500 designation meant a step-up; real good stuff and better all-around. We didn’t quite know what Five Hundred stood for. Others think that Taurus is just old baggage. Then again some of us don’t think the name is going to make much difference. Really.
Aside from saving Ford a fortune in marketing costs relating to a new name and name recognition (sometimes the key to success), there remains debate on Ford’s thinking regarding the name. There are those that consider Taurus, the once-sought-after mid-sized sedan which had considerable value in the late 1980s and early 1990s when it became a hit with the public (it was the best selling car in America for a handful of years surpassing the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry) had lost its luster in the 21st Century by populating corporate, government and most egregiously rental car fleets.
So is the new Taurus moniker a good thing or a bad thing? Will prospective buyers remember the sedan’s glory days or its near inglorious ending? The debate will go on. But forget the name. Five Hundred. Taurus. It doesn’t matter. The real news is that Ford now has a solid full-sized family car that can compete head-to-head with vehicles in its size category such as Toyota’s Avalon as well as slightly smaller but similarly priced sedans such as the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.
But it is not the name we drive, it’s the car, so call it what you will, it’s the new styling upgrades and more to the point, the engine upgrade that will sell the new Taurus.
Here’s the real Ford mistake, and hopefully this kind of thinking is something of the past; if the Five Hundred, a full-sized sedan introduced for the 2005 model year, had been done right (including some edgier styling) from the get-go it probably would have been at least a moderate success. But Ford decided that an existing 3.0-liter V-6 making a rather paltry 203 horsepower was going to wow the car-buying public. It was the only engine available and it was matched up against such heavyweights as the Toyota Avalon, the Nissan Maxima, the Chrysler 300 and the Chevrolet Impala, all with more potent V-6 (and some with V-8) engines available. What the heck were they smoking?
The Five Hundred had a lot of good things going for it including a roomy and quiet interior, a huge trunk and an impeccable safety rating.
The good news, as the new 2008 Taurus it retains all the exemplary things and dumped the junk.
The best news is that Taurus gains a 3.5-liter V-6 making 263 horsepower, a whopping 60 more than the 2007 Five Hundred. The new power comes with no loss in mileage. In fact our all-wheel drive test car was rated at 17 city and 24 highway, slightly better than the 2008-adjusted mileage of the ‘07 Five Hundred at 17/23.
It also gains some exterior styling cues including the new three-bar Ford grille. All to the better!
First, there’s the matter of the engine and transmission.
The 3.6-liter V-6 breaks no new ground, but it offers very adequate power for a sedan that stretches out more than 200 inches. We found the engine a bit course sounding under moderate to hard acceleration, but certainly not annoying.
More importantly, we found the new performance rewarding, especially when quick starts, passing or merging are desired. The Taurus willingly jumps to attention when the throttle is depressed. The new six-speed transmission smoothly handles the horsepower and torque (245 foot-pounds) as speed increases. Thankfully the continuously variable transmission (CVT) offered in the Five Hundred has been terminated.
We like to gauge performance by 0-to-60 runs for comparison purposes and the Taurus accomplishes the feat in 6.8 seconds as measured by a major automobile publication. That’s very acceptable time for a family hauler.
The Taurus handles well with - by 2008 standards - a rather soft ride but not barge like floatiness. Let’s not forget this is a family sedan, not a sports sedan so road comfort is important. And it offers a confident driving experience.
Perhaps the biggest advantage the Taurus has over nearly all its competitors is passenger room and cargo space. Even though the Ford measures only 201 inches in length, small by traditional American large-car standards, it has a huge 21.2 cubic-foot trunk and a very generous 41.2 inches of leg room for rear-seat passengers.
The Taurus advantage is big in most cases. For instance, the Ford has nearly six cubic feet more trunk space than the Maxima, seven more cubic feet than the Avalon, six more than the Chrysler 300 and a foot more than the Impala.
As to leg room, only the Avalon and the 300 can come close to the Ford’s 41.2 inches at 40.9 and 40.2 respectively.
Even the old Crown Victoria, for decades Ford’s biggest sedan and a much longer vehicle (212 inches) than the Taurus, has three inches less leg room in back.
The sedan’s enormous trunk capacity was demonstrated at Ford headquarters a few years back at the introduction of the Five Hundred when officials started pulling out sets of golf clubs. When they were finished, there were eight bags standing by the car. One pundit asked where the eight golfers were going to sit.
But you get the picture. The Taurus will swallow up four or five riders and their golf clubs, perhaps the only sedan sold in the world that can accomplish this task.
The second biggest advantage - perhaps better defined as a selling point - is the Taurus’ safety rating. The Taurus received perfect five-star ratings in all areas of National Traffic Safety Administration’s crash testing.
The Taurus comes in two trim levels, SEL and Limited. All-wheel drive is available in both trims. The SEL begins at $23,245 and the Limited at $26,845. All-wheel drive adds $1,850 to the bottom line and we figure it well worth the investment especially if you live in a cold-weather state that sees horrible winter conditions.
The standard Taurus comes with all the necessary standard equipment including full power, air conditioning, stereo with CD player and MP3 capability and cruise control. On the safety front, antilock brakes, traction control and a full compliment of airbags are standard.
Move up to the Limited and additional standard equipment includes leather seating, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a neat-looking oval analog clock, upgraded audio system and 18-inch wheels.
Some of the desirable options available include moonroof, navigation, rear DVD entertainment system, satellite radio and upcoming soon Ford’s Sync system that allows voice activation of cell phones and entertainment systems that is actually easy to use.
Our test car was a Limited version with all-wheel drive and a handful of options including navigation that brought the bottom line to $32,750.
By whatever name, the new large Ford sedan is now a job well done.
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Monday, December 10th, 2007 |
Those cagey spy shooters over at KGP Photography have managed to capture the heretofore-unseen 2009 Ford F-150, virtually unadorned with industrial camouflage.
In the latest iteration of Ford’s pickup, we can see a version of the corporate three-bar grill and headlights that are not dissimilar form those found on the Edge or the Taurus X. Additionally spotted by the photographers were revisions to the taillights, rearview mirrors, and a slight tweaking of the character lines on the F-150’s flanks.
The gentle nature of Ford’s visual updates to the new truck aren’t terribly surprising, considering how important the F-150 is to the company’s bottom line, and the relatively conservative nature of the American pickup consumer.
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Monday, December 10th, 2007 |
Led by Ford F-Series, truck sales momentum continues into November
November proved to be another winning month for Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, where truck sales increased three per cent. Not to be outdone, Ford cars also saw a rise in sales in November – namely the newly redesigned Ford Focus and Ford Taurus.
November Highlights:
* Ford F-Series sales up 4%
* Ford Focus sales increase 6%
* Ford Taurus sales rise 14% in November
* Ford Ranger sales increase 33% and achieve best November on record
* Ford SUV sales are up 11%
“Our showrooms are bustling with pre-holiday traffic,” said Bill Osborne, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. “The ‘Get in and Drive’ year-end clearance has given Canadians even more reason to take a second look at the great products Ford has to offer. From the bold new look of the 2008 Ford Focus, to the enduring Ford Ranger and the reliable Ford F-Series work-horse, Ford of Canada provides vehicles to suit any need.”
Last month, Ford of Canada’s overall sales decreased 8.3 per cent to 15,971 units. Total truck sales were up 2.7 per cent at 12,039 units and total car sales of 3,932 units mark a 30.9 per cent decline compared to last November. This shift in car sales volume is partially due to a planned reduction in fleet sales.
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Monday, December 10th, 2007 |
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?
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Monday, December 10th, 2007 |
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.”
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Friday, December 7th, 2007 |
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.
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Friday, December 7th, 2007 |
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.
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