Archive for the 'Focus' Category

26
Jul
10

Why Is Obama Putting So Much Stock in Battery Technology?

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Focus, Future Vehicles and ford
Tags: , , ,
Analysts Worry Federal Funding Might Dry Up Before Domestic Battery Industry Takes Off

By MARK CLAYTON

Why Obama is putting so much stock in battery technology

US President Barack Obama tries out an electric Ford Focus following a groundbreaking ceremony for…

President Obama’s trip last week to just such a plant in Holland, Mich., was his fourth automotive-battery-focused stop since being elected. To riff off of President Clinton’s mantra “it’s the economy, stupid,” it’s almost as if Mr. Obama’s catch phrase about what’s important could be, “It’s the battery, bozo.”

The reason is that batteries are central to the president’s election-year message that green-tech will lead America into well-paid jobs and a revived economy. But politics aside, the $2.4 billion the Obama administration has funneled to the advanced battery industry points to a tooth-and-nail struggle as the United States endeavors to catch up to Asia in making cutting-edge lithium-ion batteries for use in vehicles.

“The workers at this plant, already slated to produce batteries for the new Chevy Volt, learned the other day that they’re also going to be supplying batteries for the new electric Ford Focus as soon as this operation gears up,” Obama said at the Compact Power plant in Michigan. “By 2012, the batteries will be manufactured here in Holland, Michigan. So when you buy one of these vehicles, the battery could be stamped ‘Made in America’ – just like the car.”

25
May
10

Officially Official: Ford Flex gets new top-shelf Titanium model

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Flex, Focus, Future Vehicles, Styling, Titanium, ford and general
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Earlier this month, Editor Paukert spied a caravan of Ford Flex prototypes sporting new trim pieces that indicated a higher-level trim model is in the works. A source within Ford confirmed that our assumptions were correct, and now the automaker has released the full raft of details about its new model, Flex Titanium, which should hit showrooms later this year. Expect to see more Titanium-badged products making their way down the pipeline, too. This trim level is already well-received in Europe, and we’ll be seeing a Titanium version of the 2012 Focus when it goes on sale next year, as well.

Back to the Flex. Available in both naturally aspirated and EcoBoost variants, the Titanium model adds extra appearance goodies like blacked-out headlamps and taillamps, a two-tone Tuxedo Black roof, 20-inch alloys with an aluminum finish and a black badgeless chrome grille with F-L-E-X text on the edge of the hood. Inside, the charcoal black leather-trimmed seats feature gray Alcantara inserts, the center stack is painted in a new metallic alloy finish, a perforated leather steering wheel falls to hand, and illuminated scuff plates light the entryway.

The Titanium will be available in four colors: White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat, Red Candy Metallic, Ingot Silver Metallic and Tuxedo Black Metallic. We find the Red Candy to be particularly tasty – you can check it out on Ford’s already launched configurator here.

Even though the new Titanium models are pricy ($40,340 for a Duratec-powered front-drive model and $45,185 for an EcoBoost’d all-wheel drive – sans $775 in delivery fees) the Blue Oval may be right for thinking they can expand the model upwards – it says that the current top trim (Limited) accounts for 40 percent of overall Flex sales, and that as much as 60 percent of these vehicles are equipped with add-ons like the panoramic sunroof and rear refrigerator. Hit the jump to read the full details in Ford’s press release.

31
Mar
10

Bloomberg survey says Americans turning away from Toyota, liking Ford

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Consumer Reports, Customer Satisfaction, Enviromental, F-Series, Fiesta, Flex, Focus, Fusion, Hybrids, ford and fuel efficiency
Tags: , , , , ,

source: autoblog

For the past generation or so Toyota has been synonymous with two things: Selling more passenger cars than anybody else (Camry, Corolla) and quality. Sure, there have been a few other themes associated with ToMoCo (green hybrids, not ready for prime-time full-size trucks), but for the most part, ubiquitousness and reliability have been the big selling points. Then came a particularly nasty case of sudden acceleration.

Bloomberg reports that four out of 10 Americans say they would “definitely not buy a Toyota.” Compounding matters is another part of the Bloomberg survey that reveals a significant 36% of Americans have a negative view of Toyota. Ouch. Potentially worse is that less than half (49%) of those surveyed have a favorable view of Toyota.

Contrast those results to what Bloomberg learned about Ford. An overwhelming 77% of consumers have a favorable opinion of the house that Henry built. That’s seven percent more favorable than second-place Honda. The survey found that many people are so amped up on the Blue Oval because unlike fellow American companies General Motors and Chrysler, Ford avoided taking Federal bailout money. That’s probably part of the good will, but we think it runs a bit deeper than that.

Ford is making good products. With the exception of the soon-to-be-replaced Focus, every vehicle they make is a class leader. There’s no compelling reason to choose a Camry or Accord over a Fusion, and the Fusion Hybrid just might be the best gas/electric vehicle on the market. The Flex is a true segment buster, and perhaps the most comfortable under several hundred thousand dollar way to move four adults around. The F-150 is as good as ever. Would you choose a Yaris over a Fiesta? There’s also Ford’s faster product cycles (think new 2011 Mustangs) and market-leading technology like Sync. Put it like this: these survey results don’t surprise us an iota.

16
Sep
09

All new 2011 Ford Focus to debut at Detroit Auto Show

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Focus, Future Vehicles, ecoboost and production line
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The wait for an all-new Ford Focus in North America will soon be over as Ford has announced that it will debut the car at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The Detroit festivities will mark the global debut of the new global Focus that will be sold here, Europe and the rest of the world.

The Ford Focus shares its platform with the C-Max and Grand C-Max that are debuting in Frankfurt this week. North American hatchback fans will be happy hear that the five-door form factor is returning alongside the four-door sedan. Initially, we won’t be getting a three-door hatch, but it’s a start. The overall look will be very similar to what we see in the C-Max twins, especially at the front and along the sides.

The new Focuses for North America will be built at two U.S. assembly plants in Michigan and will go on sale about a year from now. Ford isn’t announcing its powertrain plans yet, but the 1.6-liter EcoBoost will likely find a home in these cars before long.

Check out the latest edition of the Autoblog Podcast as Ford’s Mark Schirmer and Mark Kaufman join us to discuss the new C-Max, EcoBoost and the rest of the C-Segment vehicles.

source: autoblog.com by by Sam Abuelsamid

11
May
09

Ford Truck Plant to Build Electric Cars

By Ron Olson 1 Comment
Categories: Enviromental, Focus, Future Vehicles, Green, Hybrids, Public Affairs, Transit Connect, fuel efficiency, production line and van

Amidst one of the auto industry’s largest wholesale shifts in modern history, the Ford Motor Company is investing $550 million to turn a factory that was dedicated to making large and fuel-hungry sport utility vehicles into a modern and scalable small-car plant that will eventually produce an all-electric version of the Focus.

The Michigan Assembly Plant, known as one of the world’s most profitable manufacturing sites during the S.U.V. boom of the 1990s, was once the hub for the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The plant is expected to begin building the new Ford Focus next year, followed by production of the all-electric Focus in 2011.

The electric Focus will be Ford’s first all-electric passenger car for the mass market. In addition to the electric Focus, the company plans to sell an electric version of its Transit Connect commercial vehicle in 2010.

Ford has previously promised that they will deliver four new electric vehicles to the American market by 2012.

“The transformation of the Michigan Assembly Plant embodies the larger transformation under way at Ford,” said Ford’s president and chief executive, Alan Mulally, in a statement. “This is about investing in modern, efficient and flexible American manufacturing. It is about fuel economy and the electrification of vehicles.”

The electric Focus is part of a larger strategy announced by Ford in January to develop electric vehicles for North America quickly using its global reach and capability to keep the cars affordable.

In addition to the Michigan Assembly Plant, Ford is retooling two other factories to build new cars in the face of global market changes. The company’s Cuautitlán Assembly plant in Mexico is slated to begin building the new Fiesta subcompact early next year, and its Louisville Assembly plant in Kentucky is also expected to begin producing small vehicles based on the Focus platform beginning in 2011.

“We’re changing from a company focused mainly on trucks and SUVs to a company with a balanced product lineup that includes even more high-quality, fuel-efficient small cars, hybrids and all-electric vehicles,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas. “As customers move to more fuel-efficient vehicles, we’ll be there with more of the products they really want.”

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