Tag: ford

Official: 2014 Ford F-150 gets CNG option

Filed under: Truck, Work, Ford

Ford is toiling away, installing heavy-duty engine components into select 3.7-liter V6s to allow them to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) in addition to gasoline. That’s nothing new, but now, Ford has announced that it will offer the 2014 F-150 with this engine configuration, bringing the Blue Oval’s total number of CNG/LPG-friendly vehicles up to eight. The F-150 will be the only half-ton pickup on the market that can run on these gases.

Ford will charge $315 per vehicle to equip the optional engine, but the trucks won’t be ready to run on the alternative fuels straight from the factory and must be upfitted with additional equipment. A Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier will install a separate fuel system for the compressed gases at a cost of $7,500 to $9,500, depending on fuel tank size. With the right-size tank, the F-150 equipped with the CNG/LPG-prepped engine can go 750 miles on one tank of gas, according to Ford, averaging 23 miles per gallon.

The practice of offering flex-fuel vehicles is gaining momentum as businesses take advantage of cheap gas. CNG can be bought for $2.11/gallon on average (per gasoline equivalent), and sometimes for as little as $1.00 in some parts of the US, Ford states. “With the money saved using CNG, customers could start to see payback on their investment in as little as 24 to 36 months,” says Jon Coleman, Ford’s fleet sustainability and technology manager. The automaker expects to sell a total of 15,000 CNG/LPG-prepped vehicles in the 2014 model year.

Check out the press release below to read the details, and to see what other vehicles Ford offers with the CNG/LPG package.

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2014 Ford F-150 gets CNG option originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: Ford celebrates its founder’s 150th birthday around the world

Filed under: Ford

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Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company and the man that is widely considered to have put America on wheels, would have been 150 years young today. Naturally, there are celebrations at Ford’s Dearborn headquarters, and the state of Michigan has declared today, July 30, 2013, Henry Ford Day.

While Ford’s flaws are well documented, his institution of the moving assembly line and $5 work day were largely responsible for the middle class explosion in Detroit during the 1910s and 1920s, while vertical integration in his production contributed even further to the affordability of Ford’s products. Ford’s company was also a key component of the Arsenal of Democracy, with the company’s Willow Run Assembly Plant one of the crown jewels of war-time production.

Besides celebrations in Michigan, Ford facilities around the globe are celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founder’s birth. Ford’s German outlet is holding five road rallies over the course of 2013, while 21 markets in the Asia Pacific region have converted showrooms into displays celebrating Ford’s history, as part of Ford Heritage month. There will be more celebrations in the coming months, as well.

Have a look through the gallery above for lots of historical photos of Henry Ford, as well as celebrations taking place in other parts of the world.

Ford celebrates its founder’s 150th birthday around the world originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford blamed in drug mule lawsuit

Filed under: Government/Legal, Ford

If a college student is caught smuggling drugs across the border, one might think the kid got what was coming to him. But when a Mexican student at the University of Texas in El Paso was caught by Border Patrol agents with duffel bags filled with marijuana in his trunk, the man used a classic excuse: He claimed they weren’t his.

While a claim like that is almost unbelievable, Ricardo Magallanes, the student, is now suing Ford for handling its vehicles’ key codes negligently enough to allow drug smugglers to break into his Ford Focus and stash the drugs, The Daily Caller reports. The twist here is that four other people who lived in Juarez and worked in El Paso were involved in the same type of scheme – allegedly unwittingly, just like Magallanes – and all the cars were Fords except one model from General Motors. FBI agents also found an employee at a Dallas Ford dealership that had accessed the key codes to all four of the cannabis-stuffed Fords.

While we all may not own Fords, the case still causes us slight paranoia. We’ll definitely be checking our trunks before we cross any more international borders.

Ford blamed in drug mule lawsuit originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ford engineer builds haptic shift knob with 3D printer, Xbox controller

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos

Ford's haptic vibrating manual gearshift knob

Vehicles with manual transmissions have been equipped with shift indicators (illuminated or audible) for decades. While some are used to improve performance, most are designed to encourage more fuel-efficient driving. Regardless of the original objective, nearly all drivers become desensitized or learn to ignore the illuminated lights and arrows after just a few short hours behind the wheel.

Enter Zachary Nelson, a recent MIT graduate and an engineer with Ford. Working at the automaker’s Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, Michigan, Nelson devised a haptic shift knob that vibrates when it’s time to select another gear. “I wanted to create something that expands the car’s capabilities and improves the experience for the driver,” said Nelson. “I decided to use OpenXC to provide a new kind of feedback for the driver through the shift knob.”

The process, greatly simplified, has the vehicle transmitting data wirelessly from its on-board diagnostics (OBD) port using a Bluetooth OpenXC adapter. The knob uses the innards of a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller for vibration. “I decided to have a little fun with it and installed an LED display on top that shows the gear position and colored lights that glow from inside at night similar to the ambient lighting in Mustang,” adds Nelson.

Overall, it’s a rather fascinating idea that you can check out in the video below. The software-driven haptic shift knob allows the driver to keep their eyes on the road, while the vibration can be set to alert one of many different parameters, including optimal fuel efficiency, quickest acceleration, maximum torque, redline shifting and so on, giving it many different uses.

Continue reading Ford engineer builds haptic shift knob with 3D printer, Xbox controller

Ford engineer builds haptic shift knob with 3D printer, Xbox controller originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: Ford EcoBoost successful because of Soviet laser weapons system expert?

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Ford

Mike Kluzner is a man of many talents. Not only is he the software engineer responsible for fuel system diagnostics for Ford globally, he “got his start designing laser weapon systems capable of disabling the navigation systems of enemy satellites” for the former Soviet Union. Quite a résumé, wouldn’t you say?

You may be asking yourself the same question that popped into our minds upon reading about Mr. Kluzner: What do laser weapon systems have to do with Ford and its EcoBoost engines? We’ll let the man answer himself. “The same process for analyzing key physical relationships works for what we do today in engine combustion, catalyst chemistry and mechanics,” says Kluzner. “These are all part of Ford’s software engineering expertise.” Who are we to argue?

Ford also employs an engineer who previously designed software to detect damage to the heat tiles on the International Space Station, as well as one who’s past work involved particle physics, says the automaker in the press release below. David Bell (pictured above right), global boost system controls engineer for Ford, describes the software running EcoBoost as “the secret sauce” that makes the technology work as the driver intends and demands.

Scroll down below to find out more, and to learn how Ford’s 125 (and growing, it says) patents related to EcoBoost help keep the automaker at the forefront of engine technology.

Continue reading Ford EcoBoost successful because of Soviet laser weapons system expert?

Ford EcoBoost successful because of Soviet laser weapons system expert? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Jul 2013 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: GM joins Ford in booking $1.2B quarterly profit

Filed under: GM, Earnings/Financials

General Motors' Detroit headquarters at the Renaissance Center

Ford isn’t the only American automaker that’s in the money. General Motors has just reported a second quarter income of $1.2 billion, although that number actually represents a year-to-year drop compared to Q2 2012. This drop can be chalked up to the expense behind launching a new line of full-size pickup trucks (the 2014 GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado), as well as the acquisition of GM Korea. Aside from those one-time costs, GM reported a seven-percent increase in income before interest and taxes, to $2.3 billion.

Like Ford, GM also trimmed its European losses, but by a larger margin – where Ford’s losses were $58 million lower for Q2, GM slashed $284 million over the second quarter of 2012 (the equivalent of $71 million per quarter). GM’s North American success, like Ford’s, can be tied largely to strong demand for pickups. Even with the changeover from the old Sierra and Silverado to the new models, Automotive News reports that full-size truck profits actually increased by five percent versus 2012. According to AN, this is GM’s fourteenth straight quarter in the black since its bankruptcy in 2009.

For all the numerical details, check out GM’s official press release by scrolling below.

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GM joins Ford in booking $1.2B quarterly profit originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Ford hiring 800 more salaried workers than originally expected

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ford

Ford US job creation infographic

Ford is on a roll this year, with excellent quarterly earnings and better-than-expected vehicle sales leading to 800 more job opportunities with the Blue Oval. In January, Ford announced that it wanted to hire 2,200 salaried employees, but, since then, that figure has been revised to 3,000, representing a 36-percent increase over original projections. About 1,500 of those jobs remain, 80 percent of which are technical professional positions.

“Engineers and technical professionals are in as much demand as our cars, trucks and SUVs,” says Felicia Fields, Ford Group Vice President for Human Resources. Helping to spur this job growth are increasing market share on both the West and East Coast and robust demand for the Ford Escape and F-150.

To find job candidates, Ford is reaching out to them via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, in addition to the company’s corporate career site. The Blue Oval is also ramping up its presence on college campuses.

One of Fords goals has been to create 12,000 hourly jobs in the US by 2015, and this latest announcement does alter that goal, Ford says, which is sitting the 75-percent mark since the company hired over 6,200 hourly employees last year. Learn more in the press release below.

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Ford hiring 800 more salaried workers than originally expected originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Galpin imagines what Ford’s GT would look like today with Pebble-bound coupe

Filed under: Performance, Ford

Galpin Auto Sports will be bringing its first coachbuilt supercar to this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Called the Galpin Ford GTR1, it’s a 1000-plus-horsepower monster based on the Ford GT. The reimagined supercar sports a 5.4-liter, supercharged V8 capable of rocketing the slinky GT-based coupe to over 225 miles per hour. Yowza.

When the GTR1 enters production, owners can choose between both carbon fiber and aluminum vehicle bodies. The car that will arrive at Pebble Beach will wear a metal body, sporting a smoother, more modern shape than the Ford GT. Actually, it kind of reminds us of the Shelby GR-1 Concept from the 2005 Detroit Auto Show. The cabin features plenty of machined aluminum and leather, while a McIntosh stereo will pamper audiophiles that tire of the mid-mounted V8.

Pirelli PZero tires hug 20-inch, forged aluminum wheels, while six-piston calipers and carbon rotors are poised to bring that crazy speed to a sudden halt. We’ll have more on the Galpin Ford GTR1 when it makes its first public appearance at The Quail on August 15, before it’s grand debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18.

Continue reading Galpin imagines what Ford’s GT would look like today with Pebble-bound coupe

Galpin imagines what Ford’s GT would look like today with Pebble-bound coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford to build next F-150, outgoing model concurrently?

Filed under: Spy Photos, Truck, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Earnings/Financials

Ford's Atlas-based F-150 testing spy photo

Ford is rumored to be considering concurrent production for old and new F-150 models in a bid to minimize supply chain disruptions and inventory. Automotive News is reporting that the Blue Oval will build both the current F-150 and its replacement, which we showed you testing just last month, side by side for about half a year before switching over entirely to next-generation production.

As IHS Automotive analyst Mike Jackson told AN, “In order to ramp up, you have to retool…and that means you have to take capacity offline.” Building both models alongside could allow Ford to cope with the still strong demand for the current F-150, while populating dealer supplies and working out supply chain kinks for the new model before making a full-time switch.

A loss of capacity when demand is so strong, even for a short period, could spell bad news for Ford, which nets an estimated 90 percent of its global profit on pickups and large SUVs. As AN states, Ford produces the F-150 in both Kansas City, Missouri and Dearborn, Michigan, which allows it to maintain some degree of flexibility in production. The new F-150 is expected to arrive at the 2014 North American International Auto Show as a 2015 model, with a design inspired by the Atlas Concept first shown at the Detroit Auto Show last January.

Ford to build next F-150, outgoing model concurrently? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford books $1.2B profit in second quarter on strength of trucks

Filed under: Ford, Earnings/Financials

Ford logo

Ford is rolling along nicely, with a positive second-quarter sales report and a $2.3 billion profit in North America. The Dearborn, Michigan-based manufacturer captured $1.2 billion globally from April to June, with a $177 million profit in Asia. Even in Europe, the land of doom and gloom for automakers not named Mazda, Ford saw some success as it lowered its expected full-year loss from $2 billion to $1.8 billion. The company lost $348 million in Europe during the second quarter, which, believe it or not, represents a $56-million improvement over 2012.

According to the report on CNBC, Ford enjoyed a three-percent increase in pre-market trading thanks to the news. The strong demand for the F-150 propelled growth in the US market, while Ford’s 47-percent increase in Asian sales can be attributed to the new EcoSport crossover and Kuga (Ford Escape in the US) arriving in the somewhat fragile Chinese market.

Pre-tax profits for Ford are expected to be in the neighborhood of $8 billion by the end of the year, with sales the US, Europe, and China all looking up. The company also shifted $4.78 billion of asset-backed debt in the form of bonds, according to a report by Bloomberg. This move came amidst rumors of the Federal Reserve cutting back on its $85-billion-per-month bond purchases. Ford wasn’t alone among automakers looking to sell off debt, though, as Mercedes-Benz and Nissan shifted around $1 billion each in bonds relating to auto loans.

Ford books $1.2B profit in second quarter on strength of trucks originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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