Ford vehicles will have "supporting roles" in the new science fiction drama series "
Fringe," which premieres Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 8:00/7:00 p.m. on FOX. "Fringe" is the latest show from acclaimed Hollywood producer/director
J. J. Abrams, who also is the creator of "Lost" and "Alias."
Ford "auditioned" three cars – the Escape Hybrid, the new Ford Flex and the Mustang -- and the producers wanted them all, plus the Ford Fusion.
While she's investigating strange occurrences around town, the character of
FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, played by actress
Anna Torv, will drive a 2009 Escape Hybrid.
The
Detroit Free Press reports, "Sales of Ford Motor Co. cars and trucks plummeted 26.6% in August, despite healthy gains of the company’s fuel-efficient cars, such as the Focus compact car, which was up 23.4% during the month."
More...
Autoblog writes,
"Looks like the biggest gadget convention on Earth is becoming the place for big automotive announcements. You'll remember that two years ago at the Consumer Electronics Show, Ford and Microsoft announced their partnership on Ford's SYNC system, and last January General Motor's CEO Rick Wagoner chose Las Vegas to unveil the all-electric Cadillac Provoq concept. It was the first time in the convention's 40-year history an automaker had revealed a concept car to the world there.
This year it's Ford's turn again at CES, with CEO Alan Mulally taking the keynote spot."
Read more about "
Ford CEO Alan Mulally to keynote CES" on
Autoblog.
A stronger, more dynamic pony badge with defined edges and crisper forms in a subtly toned tinted-chrome finish will charge across the grilles of the V-6 and GT versions of the 2010 Mustang.
Here's the new badge on Flickr.
The
Detroit Free Press writes, "An Oklahoma oil billionaire and a Silicon Valley titan have committed themselves to reforming the U.S. auto industry -- whether Detroit's ready or not.
T. Boone Pickens, who made his fortune in oil investments and corporate raiding, wants automakers to build millions of vehicles that run on natural gas as part of an energy plan to quench U.S. demand for foreign oil.
Andrew Grove, who oversaw growth at Intel Corp., would accomplish the same goal by having millions of older vehicles converted to partial electric power, and by full-tilt production of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles."
Read more of the article at
Detroit Free Press (via Automotive.com)
The
Wall Street Journal reports that ..."Ford Motor Co. will invest $75 million to convert a Michigan sport-utility-vehicle plant to small-car production as part of its strategic shift to sell more of the fuel-efficient vehicles in North America starting in 2010."
At the heart of this manufacturing transformation is a flexible operation, which uses reprogrammable tooling in the body shop, standardized equipment in the paint shop and common-build sequence in final assembly, enabling production of multiple models in the same plant.
Aiding the implementation of flexible manufacturing is Ford’s industry-leading virtual manufacturing technology. In the virtual world, engineers and plant operators evaluate tooling and product interfaces before costly installations are made on the plant floor. This method of collaboration improves launch quality and enables speed of execution.
In a flexible body shop, at least 80 percent of the robotic equipment can be reprogrammed to weld various sized vehicles. This “non-product specific” equipment gives the body shop its flexibility and provides more efficient use of the facility.
Ford is the world's first automaker to deliver dedicated hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2 ICE) powered vehicles to commercial customers. Pictured here, the
Ford H2 ICE E-450 shuttle bus carries 30kg of hydrogen and can transport passengers with nearly zero emissions.
Ford is the only automaker with gasoline hybrid-electric vehicles, hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles, clean diesel, ethanol and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles on the road today.
Reduced CO2A Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2ICE) is a traditional internal combustion engine that is modified to run on hydrogen, rather than gasoline. Compared with today's gasoline engines, H2ICE delivers up to a 99.7 percent reduction in CO2 and includes many of the benefits of a hydrogen fuel cell, but at a fraction of the cost.
The H2ICE E-450 seats up to 12 passengers and their luggage, including the driver. The vehicle is equipped with a 26-gallon equivalent, 5,000 pound-per-square-inch hydrogen fuel tank. Depending on conditions and vehicle load, the bus's range is up to 150 miles.
Related News
ClusterStock presents a few (somewhat sketchy?) arguments as to which president likes what auto company. In Obama Loves Ford (F), McCain Loves GM (GM): Which Cars You'll Buy Under Each Administration,
Corey Lorinsky writes,
Obama or McCain? If you're looking to buy a car in the next four years (or invest in a car maker), the choice of the next president may affect that decision. The Car Connection breaks down which cars will be the most popular (and coolest) under each administration.
We're not
psephologists -- however, irrespective of who wins, we're hoping that you'll vote Ford for your next car :)
Ford's New-Model Quality Center where pre-production units of the Ford F-150 are used to "prove" manufacturing feasibility, is located in the historic Dearborn Glass Plant, built in 1922 ... See Also:
ford.digitalsnippets.com/quality and "
Quality at Ford" Flickr set.
From the
Wall Street Journal (subscription required):
Battered by high gasoline prices, the Big Three auto makers and their suppliers are now seeking much more help from Washington in the form of government-backed loans than the $25 billion they had previously requested.
The $25 billion in loans were approved as part of an energy bill last year, but now General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC will need "well north" of that, a GM spokesman said.
The companies, all three of which are struggling financially, hope to use the loans to accelerate the development of new technologies and vehicles.
Ford Motor Company is introducing a new engine technology called EcoBoost that will deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy on half a million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles annually in North America during the next five years.
The EcoBoost family of 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines features turbocharging and direct injection technology. Compared with more expensive hybrids and diesel engines, EcoBoost builds upon today’s affordable gasoline engine and improves it, providing more customers with a way to improve fuel economy and emissions without compromising driving performance.
"EcoBoost is meaningful because it can be applied across a wide variety of engine types in a range of vehicles, from small cars to large trucks -- and it’s affordable," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of Global Product Development.
"Compared with the current cost of diesel and hybrid technologies, customers in North America can expect to recoup their initial investment in a 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine through fuel savings in approximately 30 months. A diesel in North America will take an average of seven and one-half years, while the cost of a hybrid will take nearly 12 years to recoup – given equivalent miles driven per year and fuel costs
See Also: Derrick Kuzak explains EcoBoost on YouTube
The 2009 Ford Escape and Escape Hybrid achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which pit the Escape atop the small sport utility vehicle segment. The Escape also earned the U.S. government’s 5-star crash-worthiness rating.
The results top the Toyota RAV-4 in both independent crash safety ratings and, with the 2009 Escape’s improved fuel efficiency, offer better combined crash safety and fuel efficiency ratings than the Honda CR-V. Ford’s hybrids also outpaced Toyota Prius in both crash tests.
"Earning a Top Safety Pick is great news because IIHS tests are some of the most demanding conducted outside of our own laboratories, and customers are increasingly relying on them when choosing a new vehicle," said Susan Cischke, senior vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Ford Motor Company. "The Ford Escape is one of few vehicles that earned both full 5-star crash ratings and a Top Safety Pick in the hotly contested small SUV segment -- some of our toughest rivals such as Toyota cannot match us."
The Ford Escape also is rewarding customers with large quality gains, matching lineup-wide improvements that have placed Ford on par with Toyota and Honda. The Escape earned a Top Three spot in J.D. Power and Associates' 2008 Initial Quality StudySM, which measures new-vehicle quality at 90 days of ownership.
To earn IIHS's Top Safety Pick, vehicles must earn the top "good" ratings in the institute's high-speed front and side crash tests, and rear crash tests that include seat and head restraint evaluations. An added requirement since 2007 is that vehicles must also offer electronic stability control.
IIHS recognized improvements in Ford’s 2009 compact SUVs including "modifications to the frontal airbags and safety belts as well as structural changes to improve occupant protection in frontal crashes," adding that "a new seat design improves the rear crash protection rating," as well.
"We’ve devoted many hours to analyzing and improving the body structure, safety belts and air bags of Escape for better performance in front and side impact crashes," said Steve Kozak, chief engineer for safety systems, Ford Motor Company. "We’ve taken our compact SUVs to the next level of safety."
Safety Standard
Ford and Mercury compact SUVs get some of their core strength from selective use of high strength steel in the body structure. The use of high-strength steel in the B-pillars to help protect passengers in front and side impacts is only part of their robust safety profile. The gas and hybrid electric versions share identical safety architecture.
Kozak added that every new Ford SUV and crossover launched since the 2006 Ford Explorer has standard electronic stability control and side air bags – safety features that helped Ford achieve its leading number of IIHS top safety picks.
Ford and its global brands have built 4 million vehicles globally with electronic stability control systems. More than 1 million of those vehicles feature Ford’s industry exclusive, AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control (RSC), the world’s only system with a gyroscopic sensor that actively measures and helps control both side-to-side "yaw" and roll movements.
All 2009 Ford Escape models offer as standard equipment Ford’s exclusive AdvanceTrac® with RSC®, front seat-mounted side airbags and Safety Canopy® Air Curtain System with rollover detection. Also standard is Ford’s Personal Safety System®, which includes dual-stage driver and front-passenger airbags, a driver seat position sensor, passenger seat sensor, and load-limiting safety belt retractors and pretensioners. Together, the system helps customize front air-bag deployment levels based on driver seating location, passenger weight and safety belt usage.
"My bride and I recently returned from our honeymoon in France. While there, we sipped champagne, choked down garlic-butter-laden snails and poured a significant share of our travel budget into the tank of our diesel-powered subcompact rental car. At each fuel stop, the numbers on the LED readout zipped by like a Las Vegas slot machine offloading its jackpot. Only, in this case, we got to play the role of banker." ~ Read more about the
European Dream: Will the Land of $8-per-Gallon Gas Foretell our Future?
Looking for a New Ford Car? 
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