Ford eNews – May 15, 2013
May 15, 2013 by admin · Leave a Comment
Strategic Vision: Ford Fusion, F-250/F-350 are quality leaders; Ford offers green-living home makeover; Ford futurist helping redefine creativity in industry; Love on the Road in the all-new Fusion
Ford Fiesta Celebrates First Quarter as Best-selling Small Car in Europe
May 13, 2013 by AdrianBrendon · Leave a Comment
The final sales numbers for the first quarter of 2013 are now in, and they add up to a significant success for the Ford Fiesta in Europe. Backed by 77,800 deliveries in the January-March period, the Fiesta was the top-selling small car in the region during that time. In fact, Ford sold 41,600 units in March alone, when customers bought a new model at a pace of one car every two minutes. It was a performance that helped grow the car’s retail market share by 1.2 percentage points and marked an 8 percent jump in volume over the same month last year. While the Blue Oval’s award-winning subcompact isn’t moving at quite that speed in the U.S., the Fiesta has been enjoying considerable momentum in this country in recent months: U.S. deliveries have increased for two months in a row now, capped off by another 18.4 percent gain in April, on the strength of 6,080 sales. The automaker’s new 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine will arrive in European dealerships for the 2014 model year. Named last year’s International Engine of the Year, the powerplant can be found in 25 percent of Fiesta models sold in Europe in 2012. “It’s clear from the rate that our new Fiesta is flying off forecourts that it’s striking a chord with Europe’s small car customers,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “The small-car segment is probably more competitive than it has ever been and the new Fiesta is gaining retail market share and reaching new customers on the strength of its design, technology and drive dynamics.”
Ford Fiesta Celebrates First Quarter as Best-selling Small Car in Europe
May 13, 2013 by AdrianBrendon · Leave a Comment
The final sales numbers for the first quarter of 2013 are now in, and they add up to a significant success for the Ford Fiesta in Europe. Backed by 77,800 deliveries in the January-March period, the Fiesta was the top-selling small car in the region during that time. In fact, Ford sold 41,600 units in March alone, when customers bought a new model at a pace of one car every two minutes. It was a performance that helped grow the car’s retail market share by 1.2 percentage points and marked an 8 percent jump in volume over the same month last year. While the Blue Oval’s award-winning subcompact isn’t moving at quite that speed in the U.S., the Fiesta has been enjoying considerable momentum in this country in recent months: U.S. deliveries have increased for two months in a row now, capped off by another 18.4 percent gain in April, on the strength of 6,080 sales. The automaker’s new 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine will arrive in European dealerships for the 2014 model year. Named last year’s International Engine of the Year, the powerplant can be found in 25 percent of Fiesta models sold in Europe in 2012. “It’s clear from the rate that our new Fiesta is flying off forecourts that it’s striking a chord with Europe’s small car customers,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “The small-car segment is probably more competitive than it has ever been and the new Fiesta is gaining retail market share and reaching new customers on the strength of its design, technology and drive dynamics.”
What Ford Atlas Concept Reveals of Truck’s Future
May 6, 2013 by i6c77h2l7l · Leave a Comment
When Ford unveiled its Atlas concept at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, auto fans collectively gasped in genuine surprise. We didn’t cover the show this year, so we jumped at the chance to check out the Atlas when it rolled out at the local Cars and Coffee meet. Our first impression of the concept was that it’s wide. As we later learned, the Atlas has nearly nine inches of extra width than the regular F-Series. Thus, you don’t fully realize that it’s also slightly longer than a standard SuperCab. Mike Levine, truck communications manager for Ford, acted as our guide on all things Atlas. First, he pointed out the features that made the concept a Ford: the drop-down beltline, wraparound front bumper, round-wheel arches, and–of course–the chrome-clad, twin-nostril, two-bar front grille. After our eyes recovered from the sunlight hitting all the cladding, he covered the Atlas’ purpose and explained why the automaker built it in the first place. The Ford Atlas concept is a design study, a hint where the company might be heading with its future vehicles. Many of the features, which Levine called “Active Air Dynamic” elements, aimed at improving fuel economy for trucks while maintaining their utility and even looks. These elements include: Grille shutters that pop open and close to direct airflow around the truck A front chin spoiler that drops during highway driving to smooth airflow Wheel rims that, like the grille shutters, open and close to direct airflow Levine said the elements increase fuel economy by 2-3 mpg, a significant improvement. Other notable features included side-view mirrors with LED floodlights, a birds-eye view camera system, trailer hitch and backup assist, and hidden cargo ramps located below the truck bed, allowing owners to load, for example, an ATV. Levine also said the truck concept came equipped with Ford’s next-gen EcoBoost powertrain with stop/start engine technology. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to peek under the hood, or get inside the cab, to verify this. Overall, we found the visit to be worthwhile. Like the rest of the autosphere, we don’t know which features will ultimately make the cut and show up in future F-Series trucks. Personally, the wheel shutters, which were closed on the front tires of the concept and open on the back pair of wheels, are our favorite feature. They were faves for the Cars and Coffee crowd as well: Levine constantly had to stop curious bystanders from touching or poking them. Written by Joel Arellano .
Ford Celebrates 50 Years of Mustang with New Products, Logo
April 16, 2013 by Jsksu3fed · Leave a Comment
Only a small number of vehicles can boast having seen 50 years of continuous production. To celebrate the Ford Mustang’s landmark anniversary , Ford has authorized 50 companies to sell products commemorating the event, including watches, T-shirts, model cars and video games. “During its first 49 years of production, Mustang has come to evoke a variety of emotions in our customers—freedom, independence and being true to one’s self—just to name a few,” said John Nens, Ford’s team lead for Global Brand Licensing. “We’re marking this Mustang milestone with a distinctive collection of licensed products from select manufacturers that will carry the unique Mustang 50 Years logo.” The new merchandise line will be branded with a custom logo created especially to help observe the event. Ford designer Michael Thomson designed the logo, which features the iconic Mustang galloping pony and the words, “50 Years.” The designs will appear in either black on a white background or the reverse. “We’re working closely with our licensees to ensure every item reflects the unique qualities of Mustang,” said Nens. “Like the car itself, we want our licensed products to convey an attitude of strength, passion and the highest quality.” According to the automaker, new licensees will announce a number of specially branded Mustang products to mark this momentous occasion. Stay tuned. Written by Marc Librescu .
Ford to Launch Fifth EcoBoost Engine
April 11, 2013 by llndnck5ue · Leave a Comment
Even as Ford has sold more than 600,000 vehicles powered by its EcoBoost engines since 2009, global demand for their unique combination of power and efficiency just keeps growing. Luckily for owners, so is the EcoBoost family itself. In fact, Ford is now preparing to debut its fifth EcoBoost powerplant, a 1.5-liter four-cylinder that will increase fuel economy by 20 percent and reduce emissions by 15 percent compared to traditional engines of the same displacement. The new EcoBoost also brings some new technologies. For example, it’s the first from Ford to integrate a computer-controlled clutch with the belt-drive water pump. This will shorten warm-up times so the engine can reach optimum operating temperatures more quickly. The powerplant also features a water-cooled charge air cooler for more efficient air intake. Perhaps more importantly, the new 1.5-liter EcoBoost also can help owners reduce something else in key global markets: taxes. That’s because a number of countries—including China, where Ford is currently making a major push for customers—offer tax benefits for vehicles with engines of 1.5 liters or less. Perhaps it’s no coincidence the 1.5-liter EcoBoost will make its debut at Auto Shanghai 2013 later in April (in the all-new Ford Mondeo, the company’s global midsize sedan). Once it goes into production later this year, the Ford EcoBoost family will number five as it joins a 3.5-liter V-6, 2.0- and 1.6-liter four cylinder powerplants, and the innovative 1.0-liter inline-three that was last year’s International Engine of the Year. “Ford EcoBoost technology has changed the way people look at gas engines and has enjoyed huge success with customers,” said Joe Bakaj, vice president of powertrain engineering for Ford. “The new 1.5-liter unit further extends our EcoBoost promise of economical driving in terms of both fuel efficiency and—in some markets—tax savings.”
Ford Explorer Production Goes Global
April 11, 2013 by anniabf246 · Leave a Comment
Surging sales for the Ford Explorer has led to another breakthrough for the Blue Oval’s award-winning SUV. To help satisfy increasing demand in the Russian market, production of the model has begun outside of the United States—in the Republic of Tartarstan—for the very first time. “Russia is on its way to being the largest market in Europe and presents an enormous opportunity for growth,” said Ted Cannis, president and CEO of Ford Sollers, the automaker’s Russian joint venture. “We anticipate SUV sales to continue to grow as Russian customers prefer the image and performance these utility vehicles provide in severe weather and challenging road conditions.” Because of the success of the cutting-edge Ford Production System, deployed last year to ensure world-class quality in its global manufacturing operations, Russian drivers can be confident the locally produced Explorer will live up to the high standards set in this country. “With our partner Sollers, we were able to take the best practices from the Chicago Assembly Plant as well as our other SUV plants around the world, and combine them with our latest advances in the Ford Production System to ensure we achieved world-class quality,” added John Fleming, Ford’s executive vice president for Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs. As for how good those practices are, consider: The impressive quality of the Explorer is a key reason its U.S. sales soared by 32.5 percent last month, when the vehicle entered the national top 20 bestsellers list. Further, with the Chicago plant also supplying the SUVs for more than 60 other international markets, the vehicle’s global sales increased by 65 percent last year, and will soon begin in China as well.
Ford Unveils Super Segment Sales Strategy
March 25, 2013 by mod871 · Leave a Comment
Ford is taking aim at the heart of the marketplace with a sharper-than-ever focus on subcompact cars, compact cars, midsize sedans and small utilities—the four individual vehicle groups that the Blue Oval calls the “ Super Segment .” That quartet is responsible for 50 percent of the country’s new-vehicle sales, and is expected to capture an even bigger chunk of the market as baby boomers continue to downsize and more and more millennials begin purchasing their first new vehicles. Of course, Ford is working from a strong foundation of success. The brand’s Super Segment market share has more than doubled since 2005, with deliveries increasing by 123 percent in that time. This year, through February, Ford’s retail sales in the four key market segments are running ahead of last year’s pace by 33 percent. This makes sense, since the four Blue Oval products competing in the Super Segment include winners like the Ford Fiesta (subcompact), Ford Focus (compact), Ford Fusion (midsize) and Ford Escape (small utility). The Focus and Escape are doing particularly well this year, combining far more sales last month than the Toyota Camry and RAV4, or the Honda Accord and CR-V. It’s not just Ford fans who are re-upping with the brand. All four of the Blue Oval’s Super Segment players have conquest rates above 50 percent, meaning more than half of each vehicle’s buyers are new to the Ford family. “The super segment is where Ford plans to grow in North America,” said Amy Marentic, group marketing manager, Global Small and Medium Cars. “Escape and Fusion have gotten off to very strong starts since being all-new last year, and we expect continued strong interest in both. “We’re encouraged that we have very new products across the lineup,” she added, “two of which—Focus and Fiesta—are best-selling vehicles worldwide.”
2013 Ford Fusion Fends off Pollen, Allergens for Healthier Cabin
March 20, 2013 by lovewp · Leave a Comment
Spring is finally here, and that means good weather is on its way. With rising temperatures come rising pollen counts, along with the potential for allergic reactions. WebMD notes that more than half of all Americans test positive for sensitivity to at least one allergen, so plenty of drivers are likely to be affected. Allergy sufferers who drive the 2013 Ford Fusion will be happy to know that Ford’s engineers are dedicated to ensuring an allergy-free cabin environment. “Allergies affect large numbers of people, so anything we can do to reduce potential allergens inside Ford vehicles we do through rigorous, controlled testing,” said Linda Schmalz, supervisor of Core Material Engineering for Ford. For the Fusion and other Ford products, “anything” includes testing more than 100 different materials and components to minimize allergy issues, and reducing the use of natural latex, hexavalent chromium and nickel, all of which can commonly cause allergic reactions. Ford also uses the same strict guidelines for dye and formaldehyde levels as clothing manufacturers do. Not only does Ford work to create a healthy cabin, its engineers go the extra mile to make sure it stays that way by incorporating highly effective air filters. These units help trap soot, smog and tobacco smoke to reduce their effects on vehicle occupants, while keeping the interior of the Fusion cleaner, too. The Fusion also can leverage its available SYNC AppLink system for a proactive approach to pollen season. The Allergy Alert app can provide info about pollen index ratings, allowing drivers and passengers to receive the latest information about potential adverse conditions, including risk factors for asthma, flu, coughs and colds, and ultraviolet rays. The 2013 Ford Fusion is on sale now with an MSRP that starts at $21,900. Spring is finally here, and that means good weather is on its way. With rising temperatures come rising pollen counts, along with the potential for allergic reactions. WebMD notes that more than half of all Americans test positive for at least one allergen, so plenty of drivers are likely to be affected. Allergy sufferers who drive the 2013 Ford Fusion will be happy to know that [JA1] Ford’s engineers are dedicated to ensuring an allergy-free cabin environment. “Allergies affect large numbers of people, so anything we can do to reduce potential allergens inside Ford vehicles we do through rigorous, controlled testing,” said Linda Schmalz, supervisor of Core Material Engineering for Ford. For the Fusion and other Ford products, “anything” includes testing more than 100 different materials and components to minimize allergy issues, and reducing the use of natural latex, hexavalent chromium and nickel, all of which can commonly cause allergic reactions. Ford also uses the same strict guidelines for dye and formaldehyde levels as clothing manufacturers do. Not only does Ford work to create a healthy cabin, its engineers go the extra mile to make sure it stays that way by incorporating highly effective air filters. These units help trap soot, smog and tobacco smoke to reduce their effects on vehicle occupants, while keeping the interior of the Fusion cleaner, too. The Fusion also can leverage its available SYNC AppLink system for a proactive approach to pollen season. The Allergy Alert app can provide info about pollen index ratings, allowing drivers and passengers to receive the latest information about potential adverse conditions, including risk factors for asthma, flu, coughs and colds, and ultraviolet rays. The 2013 Ford Fusion is on sale now with an MSRP that starts at $21,900. [JA1] Subjective. “Blue Oval” is a nickname for Ford as well. Either one will do in this piece.
2013 Ford Fusion, Escape Set All-time February Sales Records
March 1, 2013 by jimmyb · Leave a Comment
February sales gave Ford plenty to boast about, as both the Fusion and Escape —each comprehensively redesigned for the 2013 model year—set new high-water marks for the month. “As more new vehicle buyers continue returning to the marketplace, our fresh new product portfolio of fuel-efficient vehicles is winning over customers,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. Ford’s award-winning midsize sedan welcomed 27,785 new owners (up 28 percent over the previous February, also a record) and the brand’s highly acclaimed compact crossover delivering 24,110 units (up 29.2 percent) and its second monthly record in a row. But that wasn’t the only pair of Ford products to score strong results last month. The 2013 Taurus had its second double-digit gain in as many months, with sales up 16.6 percent in February on 5,047 deliveries. With a 29.2 percent advance in sales compared to February 2012, the Ford Explorer sold 16,586 units last month; it was the SUV’s highest February volume in seven years. America’s best-selling vehicle had its best February since 2007, earning 54,489 sales that reflected a robust increase of 15.3 percent. Bolstered by a stronger economy—and best-in-class fuel-efficiency grades—the Transit Connect saw sales spike 56.6 percent thanks to 3,610 February deliveries. In their first February on the market, the C-MAX and C-MAX Energi combined for 3,183 sales. Overall, Ford sales rose 10.9 percent in February. If deliveries from Lincoln, the company’s luxury division, are taken into account, the overall tally of 195,822 sales represented the automaker’s best February performance in six years.
