Next Ford Mustang GT will channel GT500
Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Ford, Design/Style
After decades of dominating the pony car sales charts, the Ford Mustang has finally met its match in the latest Chevrolet Camaro. Naturally, this high-profile segment, is one that Ford is loathe to concede. After being infused with completely new engines in 2011, the Mustang will soon receive a visual refreshening that aligns this horse's looks even more with the range-topping Shelby GT500 model.
Our spy photographers have snapped a Mustang GT prototype with just a thin layer of 3M vinyl hiding the changes. Up front, you can clearly see the GT500's influence in this Mustang prototype's protruding grille. Also note that the coupe has dropped the Mustang GT's circular, grille-mounted foglamps, as well as swapped out its galloping horse badge for a new logo that's been moved from the center of the grille to the side. Even the lower air intake is shaped like an open smile, just like on the current GT500. And, is that a splitter we see hanging off the car's chin?
We can also see brand new projector beam headlights up front with some LED tech buried within, and out back, the rear end gets new taillights. That rear wing is also new, and the rear bumper has been slightly redesigned as well.
Ford clearly hopes to imbue the Mustang GT with the GT500's aggressive looks, and these spy shots show they're on-track to do just that. Will it be enough to boost sales above the Camaro? We'll see. The more interesting question is once the Mustang GT looks like the GT500, what will Ford do with its most powerful pony car? With the impending arrival of the 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1, we're sure Ford's got something planned.
Next Ford Mustang GT will channel GT500 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments2012 Ford Focus Electric priced from $39,200*
Filed under: Car Buying, Hatchback, Ford, Electric
The 2012 Ford Focus Electric showed up on the company website's configurator this morning with a base price of $39,200 before state and federal incentives, plus an additional $795 for destination charges. That brings the total base starting price of the Focus Electric to $39,995. Factor in a maximum federal tax credit of $7,500 and the price falls to a more palatable $32,495.
For comparison's sake, the 2012 Nissan Leaf features a base starting price of $35,200 plus $850 for destination charges. Factoring in delivery fees, Ford's EV will cost $3,945 more than Nissan's before incentives.
Options that will inch up the Focus Electric's price are few, but include special Blue Candy ($395) and White Platinum ($495) paint options, as well as leather-trimmed seats ($995) to replace the car's standard Earth-friendlier cloth seats.
What you'll get for your money is Ford's fun-to-drive Focus with a permanent-magnet electric motor producing 123 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. The motor is fed by a 23 kwh lithium-ion battery system and mated to a single-speed transmission. A full charge can be had in 18-20 hours by a typical 120v outlet or 3-4 hours by a special 240v charger. While no quick charge option is available, Ford has partnered with a company called SunPower to offer a home solar charging option for an additional $10,000.
You can reserve your own 2012 Ford Focus Electric by clicking here.
2012 Ford Focus Electric priced from $39,200* originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsUAW workers in Chicago reject Ford deal, strike possible
Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, UAW/Unions
Ford's hourly workforce is having a tough time ratifying the tentative agreement struck between the Blue Oval and United Auto Workers union last week, despite that deal being the most generous among those made this year between the Big 3 automakers and their respective unions. For example, Ford workers will receive a $6,000 signing bonus if the contract is ratified, compared to $5,000 for General Motors workers and $3,500 for Chrysler workers. GM was the first to strike a tentative deal with the UAW in September and has already seen its contract ratified, while Chrysler's deal is the most recent with voting expected to begin soon.
Earlier this week, UAW Local 900, a chapter that represents three Ford plants near Detroit, rejected the deal by a narrow margin. Automotive News is now reporting that Ford's Chicago Assembly plant is joining them in rejecting the offer, though this time "overwhelmingly." Chicago Assembly handles production of the Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Ford Explorer. Of the 2,317 workers who voted, 77% cast their ballots against the proposed deal.
At the same time, the UAW is reportedly making it known that, should the tentative agreement not be ratified, the organization will strike. Of the three major U.S. automakers, both General Motors and Chrysler workers lost the right to strike while those companies were restructuring in bankruptcy. Only Ford workers can strike, that company having avoided bankruptcy and its restrictions, and they may do so if the deal is not approved by the majority.
As of this writing, the UAW Ford Department Facebook page reports that 3,256 workers (45.4%) have voted to ratify the contract and 3,915 (54.6%) have voted against. That's a far cry from Ford's 41,000-strong union workforce, and the union has until October 18th to finish voting.
UAW workers in Chicago reject Ford deal, strike possible originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsGM burned by cyber prankster at Chevy centennial event
Filed under: Etc., Chevrolet, Ford
We're not sure how we missed this while attending the centennial event for Chevrolet yesterday, but apparently a cyber prankster got the better of General Motors while we were busying reporting on a new Trailblazer, the Spark EV and the return of the Belle Isle Grand Prix to Detroit.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, visitors to the company's headquarters yesterday would see the word "sucks" on their computer screens after any mention of certain competitors when using a particular Wi-Fi network in the building. The targeted competitors were Chrysler, Ford, Toyota and Honda.
A GM spokesman confirmed that the automaker had nothing to do with the prank, which was quickly fixed. The prank's perpetrator? A subcontractor who had helped set up the network. When pressed on why he/she did it, the prankster reportedly said it was intended to be humorous. We're betting the subcontractor's employer won't find it funny when GM takes its business elsewhere next time, which will probably make life suck for the subcontractor.
GM burned by cyber prankster at Chevy centennial event originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsLast Ford Crown Victoria build documented by St. Thomas Assembly
Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Ford, Police/Emergency, Specialty
Pour a 40 out, dance a dervish or do whatever your people do to celebrate the dead, because yesterday, the final Ford Crown Victoria rolled off the assembly line at St. Thomas Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. Workers from the plant have been documenting the wind-down on a Facebook page, and you can check out some choice build pictures of the last-ever Vicky in our gallery. The final Crown Victoria was a white model with tan interior and optional rear-seat air conditioning for a customer in Saudi Arabia. With the long-serving Lincoln Town Car also ending production, only 250 of the plant's roughly 1,200 workers will be kept through December to help decommission the facility.
On sale for roughly 32 years, the Crown Victoria was a mainstay of the Ford lineup that refused to modernize. Aside from the Lincoln, it was the only rear-wheel-drive, body-on-frame sedan left on sale in America. You could get it with a column-mounted shifter. You could order two bench seats and seat six comfortably (front bench seats in passenger vehicles are now officially dead in America). It rode on the oldest continuously produced platform on sale in America, Ford's tough-as-nails Panther platform that was first used back in 1979. Lastly, it always offered a V8 no matter what gas was going for at the corner station. Click through the jump to continue reading...
Continue reading Last Ford Crown Victoria build documented by St. Thomas Assembly
Last Ford Crown Victoria build documented by St. Thomas Assembly originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsUAW workers want end to two-tier wage structure
Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Ford, GM
Back in 2007-08, U.S. automakers and the United Auto Workers union signed landmark labor contracts that included many concessions on behalf of workers to keep the companies they work for competitive. Among them was an agreement to a two-tier wage structure that allowed automakers to start hiring replacements for retirees at a lower starting wage of $14-16/hour.
As one might expect, the people who got these lower paying jobs aren't too happy about the disparity in pay anymore. They've begun to organize with the hope of repealing the two-tier wage structure in negotiations leading up to the current four-year contracts' expiration on September 14. About 50 people showed up to a rally held at a church in Detroit over the weekend to express their opposition.
These opponents claim the pay disparity causes rifts on the factory floor, effectively turning union members against each other at a time when solidarity is most important. According to The Detroit News, they also argue that the two-tier structure erodes the middle class and could lead to pay cuts for the first-tier workers who start at $28/hour.
UAW President Bob King has reportedly said that the union would like the starting wage of second-tier workers increased in the next contract, but has not committed the organization to calling for its outright repeal. The other interesting wrinkle is that union workers for both General Motors and Chrysler gave up their right to strike by accepting government-funded bailouts. Only union workers for Ford may choose to exercise that right next month if things don't go their way at the bargaining table.
UAW workers want end to two-tier wage structure originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord receives nearly 17,000 applications for open positions in Louisville
Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ford
Here's a measure of how bad the economy is. Ford is getting ready to start assembling the upcoming all-new Escape at its Louisville Assembly Plant after having built the Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer there since 1990 (see the last one ever made in the mob of people above). To that end, the company recently began accepting applications for 1,800 open positions to shore up the 1,100-strong workforce already there. According to reports, nearly 17,000 people showed up to apply - 16,837 souls to be exact.
Unfortunately, most of those people don't have much of a shot at becoming part of the Blue Oval family. According to USA Today, the open spots will first go to Ford workers laid off at the Louisville plant since production of the Explorer was moved to Chicago, then to workers laid off at other Ford plants around the country. If there are any spots left after that, Ford will hold a lottery to determine who gets to move on for consideration, but even then, current Ford workers can refer friends and family as potential applicants, making the lottery pool that much larger.
What do they get if they make it to the factory floor? $15.51/hour, which is the lower second-tier wage that's now being offered to new workers, a concession the United Auto Workers granted Ford in its last contract negotiations.
Ford receives nearly 17,000 applications for open positions in Louisville originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsStrategic Vision disses J.D. Power, crowns VW and Ford quality leaders
Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, Volkswagen
Quality studies can be funny things in the auto business. It's not unusual to have one completely contradict another, which can result in an automaker that was panned as a loser in one study claiming to be a leader based on another. That's exactly what Volkswagen and Ford get to do thanks to Strategic Vision's 2011 Total Quality Index.
Back in June, J.D. Power released its annual Initial Quality report, which ranks vehicles and their brands based on how many problems are reported per 100 vehicles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Volkswagen ranked near the bottom as per usual, but Ford was also smacked down from 5th to 23rd place thanks to owner complaints about the automaker's complex SYNC/MyFordTouch technologies and Powershift dual-clutch gearbox issues.
Well J.D. Power, Strategic Vision thinks your definition of "quality" is terrible, and they believe that their Total Quality Index, which they say measures not just individual problems, but also the "total positive experience created for the owner/driver," is the way to go.
On those grounds, Volkswagen was rated the best full-line automaker in Strategic Vision's 2011 Total Quality study, which surveys 37,069 buyers who bought 2011 models late last year. Owners rated Design and Exterior Styling as the most impressive things about their VWs.
Ford, meanwhile, which suffered so harshly at the hands of J.D. Power's problem-counting study, comes up roses here, tying for second place with Honda and Nissan. Strategic Vision does say that Ford owners reported more problems than the industry average, but its designs and brand strength helped it overcome those issues to create an overall positive experience for owners.
Follow the jump for Strategic Vision's full report, which also shows the best-ranked vehicles in each segment - including surprisingly positive results for Chrysler, Jaguar and Land Rover.
Continue reading Strategic Vision disses J.D. Power, crowns VW and Ford quality leaders
Strategic Vision disses J.D. Power, crowns VW and Ford quality leaders originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsReview: 2011 Ford Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon [w/video]
Filed under: Minivan/Van, Work, Ford, Reviews
A Minivan For Entrepreneurs, Not Moms
2011 Ford Transit Connect XLT - Click above for high-res image gallery
You are no doubt familiar with the Transit Connect, the panel van that Ford began importing from Europe in mid-2009. You've probably noticed them in your neighborhood with things like custom cakes, cable companies, cat groomers and cleaning services advertised on their flat, windowless sides. You'll be seeing even more of them soon as the Transit Connect Taxi begins replacing the Crown Victoria in taxi fleets across the country.
Transit Connects are everywhere now. It turns out business owners were tired of only being offered a full-size truck or van for their commercial fleet needs, because in many cases a small, fuel efficient panel van can do the same job far better and more cheaply.
And sure, automakers have tried selling windowless commercial versions of their passenger vehicles before, but how many Chevrolet HHR Panel vans have you seen in your neighborhood? The Transit Connect has done a better job appealing to businesses because the precious cargo that it's purpose-built to carry are tools, supplies and maybe a six-tier buttercream-frosted red velvet wedding cake... not kids.
So what happens when Ford takes its popular new commercial van and creates a version for moving people? The result is called the Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon, and it is not at all what we expected.
Continue reading Review: 2011 Ford Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon...
Photos copyright (C)2011 John Neff / AOL
Continue reading Review: 2011 Ford Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon [w/video]
Review: 2011 Ford Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsReview: 2011 Ford Explorer Limited
Filed under: SUV, Ford, Reviews
Wait 'Till They Get A Load Of This
2011 Ford Explorer Limited - Click above for high-res image gallery
They call it a reboot. It happens all the time in Hollywood when a movie franchise falls flat. After a blockbuster wears out its audience with a string of lesser sequels, the studio starts over, retelling the story from an entirely new angle.
The best example is Batman. The combination of Michael Keaton and director Tim Burton produced critical acclaim and big box office numbers for the first two Caped Crusader films in 1989 and 1992. Then came a new director, Joel Schumacher, who just about killed the franchise with Batman Forever in 1995 and Batman & Robin in 1997. Eight years passed before someone in Hollywood realized the Dark Knight's name could still fill theater seats, and the franchise was rebooted in 2005 with the dark and gritty Batman Begins.
The totally redesigned 2011 Ford Explorer is the Blue Oval's Batman Begins. Ford's most famous sport utility vehicle has desperately needed a reboot ever since the Firestone tire recall in 2000 made it Rollover Enemy Number One. Rising gas prices haven't helped either, but the tire debacle hurt the brand badly, with the Explorer going from this country's third best-selling vehicle in 2000 with 445,157 sold to just over 60,000 bought in 2010. But just like Batman, the Explorer name had value that Ford couldn't let go to waste. And so the 2011 Explorer is the sport utility story retold by Ford from an entirely new angle. The question is whether or not the Explorer's name can still put butts in seats.
Continue reading...
Photos copyright (C)2011 John Neff / AOL
Continue reading Review: 2011 Ford Explorer Limited
Review: 2011 Ford Explorer Limited originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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