Watch an SVT Raptor be built on Ultimate Factories this weekend [w/video]
Filed under: Performance, Truck, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Work, Ford
There's something inexplicably mesmerizing about watching a factory in action. Seeing the innumerable complex mechanisms mesh in perfect harmony to create the products we know and love is part of what makes shows like National Geographic's Ultimate Factories so interesting. Now the program is headed to Dearborn for a look at how the Ford F-150 Ecoboost and F-150 SVT Raptor come together on the line in crystal-clear HD video. The show will also spend time with both trucks out on the company's proving grounds, which means there's a good chance we'll see the Raptor bashing over various obstacles.
Consider us excited. Last year, the Ford plant in Dearborn produced 344,446 vehicles, making it the third most productive plant in North America behind the Nissan facility in Aguascalientes, Mexico and the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico.
The show will air on Saturday, February 4 at 8 p.m. Eastern on the National Geographic Channel, but you can get a glimpse of what to expect in the video after the jump.
Continue reading Watch an SVT Raptor be built on Ultimate Factories this weekend [w/video]
Watch an SVT Raptor be built on Ultimate Factories this weekend [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsThese are North America’s top producing auto plants
Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen
Volkswagen has the honor of being this year's top producing North American automotive manufacturer by a wide margin with its Puebla, Mexico facility. The factory managed to produce 510,041 units last year, beating out second-place Nissan and its Aguascalientes, Mexico plant by a staggering 149,245 units, according to Ward's Auto. Nissan jumped from third to second place after Toyota and its Georgetown plant dropped from the top five. Toyota and Honda both saw themselves ousted from the leader board after a year pockmarked by disruptions from earthquake and tsunami activity in Japan and flooding in Thailand.
The Japanese automakers' vacancies made room for Hyundai and its facility in Montgomery, Alabama with 338,127 units to take fourth place. Ford, meanwhile, moved from fifth in 2010 to third in 2011 with 344,446 units from its Dearborn Truck plant. Nissan rounded out the top five last year with the company's plant in Smyrna, Tennessee taking the automaker's second spot on the list.
Ward's Auto reports Volkswagen enjoyed a boost from the popularity of the Jetta. That model alone helped push the company's Puebla facility to a 75,356 unit gain over last year's figures. Head over to Ward's to see the full report.
These are North America's top producing auto plants originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsChinese carmaker blatantly copies Ford F-150
Filed under: Truck, China, Etc., Work, Ford, Humor, Design/Style, Diesel
The Ford F-150 has just picked up a doppelganger in China. According to CarNewsChina, Jianghuai Auto Corporation has just unveiled its new 4R3 pickup, and sure enough, the vehicle looks to be a near carbon copy of America's best-selling truck. JAC reportedly wants to provide buyers in China, Africa and South America with a larger, inexpensive work vehicle. While the appearances of the Ford F-Series and 4R3 visuals differ ever so slightly, the similarities far outweigh the incongruities. According to CNC, JAC is a fairly small automaker in the People's Republic that specializes in rebodied Hyundai cars, SUVs and pickups.
Word has it the 4R3 will be powered by a 2.8-liter diesel four-cylinder engine generating just 108 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. There's no word on cost at this point. The JAC 4R3 is set to debut at the Beijing Motor Show in April, though there's no telling how long the vehicle will be on the market before the company gets a call from the lawyers in Dearborn. Head over to CarNewsChina.com for a better look at the F-150 twin.
Chinese carmaker blatantly copies Ford F-150 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsVaughn Gittin Jr. almost out-drifted by RC car
Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Ford, Celebrities, Racing
We've finally come to accept the fact that we'll never be Vaughn Gittin Jr. There can be only one one pure-bred drift hooligan of his caliber on this planet and truth be told, our sideways skills are paltry at best. That doesn't mean we can't pretend, though. Gittin Jr. has teamed up with a smattering of companies to give away five very limited-edition RC cars made up in the image of his sinister Ford Mustang GT drift machine. Only 5,000 of the HPI RC Ford Mustang cars will be produced in total, and Gittin Jr. is giving five of them away to Facebook fans.
To get the word out, Gittin Jr., K&N, Monster Energy and Falken Tire crafted a video demonstrating just what happens when the drifter can't get his hands on the scale Mustang. An epic chase ensues, with the RC car taking a little "How it's Made" tour of the K&N factory. The clip also features a few outtakes worth watching, as well. We won't spoil it for you, but we will say more than one RC car gave its life in the making of the film. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself. If you want to enter the sweepstakes, head over to the K&N Facebook page for more information.
Continue reading Vaughn Gittin Jr. almost out-drifted by RC car
Vaughn Gittin Jr. almost out-drifted by RC car originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsHagerty predicts this year’s future classics
Filed under: Car Buying, Classics, Etc., Audi, Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Jeep, Nissan, Porsche, Volkswagen
The world would be considerably less entertaining if we could all predict the future. Even so, the classic car gurus at Hagerty Insurance have cast a few chicken bones in an attempt to figure out which vehicles produced today might eventually turn collectible.
The company restricted entrants to hardware with a price tag of less than $100,000, so the list isn't populated with too many wild exotics. While vehicles like the Nissan GT-R Black Edition, Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Porsche 911 are low-hanging fruit, the list also featured a few surprises.
For starters, it begins with none other than the mighty Buick Regal GS. Hagerty says the vehicle is a win because it's the first Buick with a manual transmission since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. The Fiat 500 Abarth also makes an appearance alongside an even hotter hatch, the Volkswagen Golf R. Of course, we're simply thrilled to see the sinister Audi TT RS make a showing. Hit the jump for the full list or view each vehicle in our gallery above.
Continue reading Hagerty predicts this year's future classics
Hagerty predicts this year's future classics originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsConsumer Reports survey suggests buyers don’t see differences between car companies
Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota
Today's vehicles are more powerful, more efficient and safer than ever before. In fact, today's car buyer would be hard pressed to spend his or her money on a genuinely bad vehicle. But those overall improvements may have also led consumers to believe there are no real differences between the various products offered by the world's major automakers. According to the Consumer Reports 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey, Toyota, Ford, Honda and Chevrolet have all seen their scores drop by double digits compared to last year.
The survey asks consumers to rate brands across seven categories. Consumer Reports says that by combining those categories, the organization can get a handle on how each brand is perceived in the marketplace.
This year, Toyota continued to lead in the survey, though its persistent recalls saw the brand's perception fall by 17 points this year. Ford, Honda and BMW all saw their perception scores plummet more than 20 points. The results may indicate consumers are seeing fewer differences between automakers as products continue to improve. While that's good news for smaller automakers like Hyundai, Kia and Subaru, larger names in the industry should be worried. Head over to Consumer Reports for the full report.
Consumer Reports survey suggests buyers don't see differences between car companies originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord reports biggest profits since ’98, still fails to meet estimates
Filed under: Europe, Ford, Earnings/Financials
Ford has announced the company's single largest profit since 1998, thanks in part to a one-time tax gain. The company drew in a net income of $13.6 billion last quarter and the news marked the automaker's 11th consecutive profitable quarter. For perspective, Ford made $190 million in 2010. The company's net income was bolstered by the fact that Ford eliminated a valuation allowance against deferred tax benefits. The company created the valuation allowance in 2006 when it began reporting operating losses. Analysts reportedly see the elimination as a sign that the manufacturer expects to be profitable in coming years.
The company made $8.8 billion in profit in 2011, or $1.51 a share. That's an increase of $463 million over 2010. Even so, the company's net income missed analysts' estimates thanks in part to higher commodity costs, currency fluctuations and flooding in Thailand. The automaker spent $100 million more in commodities like steel than it projected. Those facts, combined with a deteriorating European market, helped Ford miss analyst estimates by 5 cents per share.
Ford reports biggest profits since '98, still fails to meet estimates originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord scraps "Drive One" ad slogan in favor of "Go Further"
Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Ford
Ford has adopted a new ad slogan designed to ward off complacency after successful run of nearly six years. The company is reportedly retiring its "Drive One" tag line for "Go Further," which will be used in marketing campaigns in both the U.S. and Europe. Ford had been using the line "Feel the Difference" in the EU. The company says its old slogans were designed to convince buyers to give Ford products a look after the automaker rebounded from near bankruptcy. Executives now say the manufacturer is in an entirely different place in its history and that it's time for a slogan that reflects that position.
Ford is expected to announce its 11th quarterly net profit on Friday, and the automaker recently announced it will begin paying a dividend for the first time in six years, according to Automotive News. The company is even within reach of an investment-grade credit rating.
When it came time to craft the company's new tag line, Ford apparently specifically looked at Nike's "Just Do It" and McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" as inspiration. While "Drive One" is on its way out the door, the internal "One Ford" will continue to soldier on as an indicator of the company's global strategy.
Ford scraps "Drive One" ad slogan in favor of "Go Further" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsCA bank robber foiled by vanity plates bearing own name
Filed under: SUV, Etc., Ford, Police/Emergency
There's no such thing as the perfect crime, but some criminals are clearly more perfect than others. According to UT San Diego, a man wearing latex gloves and sunglasses recently strolled into a Chase Bank in San Diego, pointed a gun at a teller and began demanding money. The teller wisely obliged, handing over $2,920 in cash before the robber took to his vehicle and fled in a white Ford Expedition. Onlookers were quick to jot down the vehicle's vanity license plate, which read ALMDUDE. It didn't take police long to track down the vehicle's owner, 27-year-old Robert Alm.
While we're not surprised to hear of a their using their own vehicle to flee a crime scene, using one with vanity plates proudly proclaiming the thief's name is something new. Alm has since been booked on suspicion of robbery. Police say the man is homeless and has been living in the Expedition.
CA bank robber foiled by vanity plates bearing own name originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord to pay bonuses and raises, GM and Chrysler decline to do same
Filed under: Chrysler, Ford, Earnings/Financials, Canada
Ford has announced that it will give both bonuses and merit-based raises to the company's salaried workers in the United States and Canada for the first time since 2008, according to Reuters. On average, the manufacturer will offer a 2.7 percent salary increase based on individual performance. The company stopped offering the bonuses after the financial crisis of 2009 sent automotive sales into a plunge. Ford paid neither bonuses nor merit raises that year, but offered merit raises in 2010. In 2011, the company's workers received bonuses only.
Of course, this decision has sent all eyes toward General Motors and Chrysler and their plans for their own workers. According to The Detroit News, both GM and Chrysler have said raises and bonuses will be determined by their own performance, not their rival's actions. GM has announced the company will make a final decision after it analyzes its financial results for 2011. Chrysler, meanwhile, intends to announce its fourth-quarter 2011 results on February 1, after which it will determine whether its workers will be eligible for their yearly awards.
Ford to pay bonuses and raises, GM and Chrysler decline to do same originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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