Posts Tagged ‘Ford Motor Company’
Ford Developing New Police Cruiser
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
A while ago, we took a look at new contenders to the retiring Crown Victoria’s throne as the country’s number one police cruiser. Now it looks like Ford is not ready to step down just yet. The Ford Motor Company has announced that it will produce a completely new purpose-built Police Interceptor specially engineered to replace the Crown Vic in 2011.
Ford’s new interceptor is being developed in conjunction with the company’s Police Advisory Board, which has spent the last14 months providing input on the attributes necessary to a quality law enforcement vehicle, such as safety, performance, durability, driver convenience, and comfort. The new Police Interceptor will be offered to law enforcement agencies as soon as the Crown Victoria goes out of production in late 2011.
The new vehicle is designed to provide municipalities with reduced ownership costs through improved quality, durability, and fuel efficiency.
“Ford’s commitment to the law enforcement community produced the Crown Victoria, the benchmark police vehicle,” said Lt. Brian Moran, fleet manager, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and a member of Ford’s Police Advisory Board. “This commitment has continued, and Ford has been working closely with the Police Advisory Board on developing the new Police Interceptor. I am confident that the next-generation Ford police vehicle will meet the future needs of the law enforcement community and will set the new standard.”
Ford plans to reveal the new model and provide full vehicle specifications in the first quarter of 2010 – in time for law enforcement agencies, police equipment manufacturers, and upfitters to develop a transition plan from the Crown Victoria to the new product.
Photo courtesy of wastemanagementdude under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Crown Victoria, Ford, Ford Motor Company, Ford police cruiser, LA sheriff's department, Police Advisory Board, police interceptor
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Silver Comes In First for Auto Paint
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
For the ninth year in a row, silver is the number one color choice for new cars and trucks, said paint supplier PPG Industries this Thursday at its annual Automotive Color Trend Show.
According to PPG Industries, one out of every four vehicles in North America is silver. Manager of color styling Jane Harrington says that’s an increase of 5% since last year.
“Silver looks great on any car, shows off all of the lines and helps people blend into the crowd,” Harrington said.
Since silver began its stint as auto paint champion nine years ago, the technology for auto painting has grown by leaps and bounds. The silver paint applied to vehicles today is vastly different than its older counterpart. Compounds in the paint, pigment sizes, and even the size of paint flakes have changed to allow for much richer and deeper color.
This year’s study of colors included a breakdown of colors by vehicle segments:
- 57% of compact cars are silver or black; 21% are blue or red.
- Blue and red make up only 17% of the midsize segment and 12% of the luxury segment.
- On the other extreme, 40% of all luxury vehicles sold in the U.S. are black.
- Europeans, who have a stronger small-car culture, have even more color variety in the compact segment, with 37% of the small cars in red, green, brown or blue, according to PPG.
Susan Swek, group chief designer of color material design at Ford Motor Co, said that colors may change, but they still have a lasting impact on buyers.
“Over time, different colors will sell and become popular,” she said. “But some things won’t change, when you buy a vehicle, people always go, ‘What color did you buy?’
Photo courtesy of schoschie under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Automotive Color Trend Show, Ford, Ford Motor Company, PPG Industries
Posted in Industry News | 2 Comments »
Ford Fleet Sales Rise 23%
Monday, October 5th, 2009
In another sign that the auto industry may be seeing signs of relief from its economic woes, Ford Motor Company reported this week that in September 2009, sales of fleet vehicles rose 23%. However, retail sales dropped by 14%.
Of all Ford brands, “the 2010 Taurus in the last couple of months has had the best sales figures,” according to a statement by George Pipas, Ford sales analyst. Ford’s September sales report showed a total sale of 5,077 Taurus vehicles, up 60% from September 2008.
In addition to the Taurus’ success, the F-Series truck saw a second consecutive sales increase in September, with numbers up 4%.
This continues an upward trend in fleet sales for Ford. In August, the automaker posted fleet sales of 176,323- up 17% from August 2008.
Photo courtesy of resedabear under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: F-series, Ford, Ford Motor Company, Taurus
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Ford Begins Building Own Diesel Engine
Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Ford Motor Company has announced that it will build its own diesel engine to be installed in the next generation on the F-series Super Duty pickup truck, ending its relationship with Navistar International Corp.
The 6.7-liter turbocharged V-8 diesel will be manufactured at Ford’s Chihuahua engine plant in Mexico. It is planned to be included with the 2011 model-year Super Duty. The new engine promises better fuel efficiency while still delivering more torque and greater horsepower. In addition to these major improvements, Ford claims that the new engine can last for 250,000 miles without any major problems.
“This all-new diesel engine has been so extensively tested both in the lab and in the real world that we’re confident we’re giving our customers the most reliable and productive powertrain available today,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president in charge of global product development for Ford.
Navistar International has been Ford’s exclusive supplier of diesel engines for the Super Duty line since 1979. In 2003, the engine supplied by Navistar received a host of quality complaints, prompting Ford to sue them to recoup warranty costs. Navistar then countersued Ford, blaming them for the issue. A new engine was produced for 2007 forward that fixed the issues, but Ford announced last year that the relationship between the two companies would end after the 2010 model year.
Analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics LLP in Birmingham said the move makes sense.
“If you buy an engine from outside, that money leaves the company,” he said. “Ford has gotten a lot of experience from its diesel joint-venture with PSA Peugeot Citroën in Europe. They should have the experience and capability to do it.”
The new engine will be ready to meet strict new emissions standards for diesels that take effect in 2011.
Tags: 2953 Analytics LLP, emissions standards, F-series, F-series Super Duty, Ford, Ford Motor Company, fuel efficiency, Navistar, Navistar International Corp, PSA Peugeot Citroen
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Shopping for a Fleet Vehicle?
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Look for these 3 ways to save on fuel costs
If you’ll soon be in the market for a new fleet vehicle, check out this posting from www.lubbockonline.com. They recently ran an AP story that highlights a few car-shopping strategies that could save your business some cash at the pump.
All about the GPMs
Miles Per Gallon aren’t the only way to measure fuel economy. Flip the formula and measure Gallons Per Mile. Here’s how: Pick the number of miles you drive over a period of time. Divide that number by a vehicle’s mpg to get the gallons of gas a vehicle burns over that distance.
The article quotes professor Richard Larrick of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, “You get a much more precise idea of how much gas and money a new car will save you.” But if you’re no mathlete, let GPMCalculator.com do the number crunching for you.
Turbo-charge it
Fuel efficiency isn’t limited to high-end hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that run on French fry grease. Ford Motor Company will have an EcoBoost engine with turbochargers ready to roll in 90 percent of its models by 2013. “Ford says it improves fuel economy by up 20 percent and cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 15 percent without sacrificing power,” according to the article.
Do Diesel
Enlightening on several levels. Diesel fuel costs slightly more, but your long-run savings might be worth it, especially as summer fuel prices creep up. The report states that the average diesel driver goes further with 20 percent to 40 percent better mileage — and 50 percent more power. And buyers of some diesel vehicles are eligible for federal tax credits. Visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ to learn more.
Ok, so you’re not ready to buy. The good news is you don’t have to outfit your fleet with a fuel-efficient car today to cut fuel costs tomorrow. Instead, try a fuel card that is custom-fit to your business.
Did you know the right fleet card lets you fill-up at the best prices, track use online in real-time and prevent unwanted purchases altogether? See how quickly your savings add up. Savings you can use for a down payment on that new fleet vehicle.
Photo copyright of Peterr under the Creative Commons license.
Tags: car shopping strategies, Diesel, fleet cards, fleet vehicle, Fleetmatch, Ford Motor Company, Gallons Per Mile, Miles Per Gallon, savings
Posted in Fleet Resources | No Comments »
