Back when it was virtually guaranteed 20% US market share, Ford would redesign its vehicles every five or more years. The Ford Ranger, Focus, and Crown Victoria changed even slower, with mostly only new lights and grilles. When competitive pressures started to put the Blue Oval into an anaconda death grip, that once guaranteed share began to shrink. To battle those competitive forces, Ford is looking to do a major redesign on its vehicles every three years from now on. Ford design director Peter Horbury told Automotive News that minor styling changes just aren't effective, and that future redesigns will include changes to everything but the doors, roof, and glass. That leaves bumpers, hoods, trunks, lights, quarter panels and front and rear facias as some of the items that can be refreshed in a much more timely fashion.
Horbury claims the Dearborn, MI automaker listened to the press with regard to styling changes, which emboldens us to ask for more. We'd like a twin-turbo four-pot Mustang, a plug-in euro Focus, a 40 mpg F-150, a seat on the board, and free Mondeos for all.
Follow the jump for a video demonstrating the Smart Intersection
Newer technology like GPS and Wi-Fi have given us easy access to directions, and soon, in-car Internet. Ford is working with the federal government and other automakers to use that same technology to improve safety on our roadways as well. Since 40% of all accidents and 20% of automotive fatalities occur at intersections, stop signs and stop lights were the smart place to start.
The new "Smart Intersection" uses Wi-Fi and GPS to find the exact location of your vehicle and determine if a warning is needed to help you stop. When driving through an intersection, an on-site black box and two wireless antennae communicate with your vehicle. If the light is red and it's determined that your vehicle isn't stopping, a wireless signal will be sent to your car, alerting you with a visual and audible warning signal in a fraction of a second. A series of red LEDs will flash, a noise will sound, and a voice will say "stop sign" or "stop light". With drivers preoccupied with cell phones, in-car eating and sipping on java, the warning quickly refocuses his or her attention back to the road. We tried it ourselves, and we can tell you firsthand that the warnings quickly got us to stop the car.
The move toward active safety comes as most automakers are getting four or five stars in NHTSA crash testing, making the next focus of their efforts the avoidance of accidents altogether. The Smart Intersection could help save thousands of lives per year, while also cutting back the three billion gallons of fuel wasted each year in accident-related traffic jams. Honda, Toyota, GM, and Daimler are also working on smart intersections, and Ford collaborated with Michigan's Oakland County to set up a couple of real-world techno-intersections for testing. Unfortunately, it could take 20 years to get smart intersection technology in every traffic stop and vehicle, but at least much of the technology needed to accomplish this goal is already here. Follow the jump to see a video of the Smart Intersection in action.
The idea of having Uncle Sam come after you for back taxes is an unpleasant thought for any American. It's another story altogether when the feds are the ones doling out the Benjamins, though, as Ford is learning. The Blue Oval is officially suing the government for $445 million in overpaid taxes between 1983 and 1989 and again from 1992 to 1994. Ford wasn't overly excited about filing a lawsuit against the IRS, but due to the overwhelming amount of money involved and the fact that Ford can use all the cash it can get its hands on, the company felt it had little choice. The government actually claims to have paid the money in full, but Ford contends that the interest was not fully repaid. Considering that the additional interest was nearly half a billion dollars, we're guessing Ford really overpaid back in the day.
Click the image above for more high res pics of the 2009 Mariner Hybrid
Ford took pride in being the first automaker on the planet to offer a hybrid utility vehicle when it introduced the first battery-assisted Ford Escape in mid-2004. The Escape hybrid has had mixed success over the past few years, but with gas prices hitting $4 per gallon, the Blue Oval is selling every unit it can produce. For the 2008 model year, one in eight Escape sales are hybrids, which is impressive when you consider that it averages $30,000 per vehicle. In 2006, the Escape was joined by the lower volume Mariner Hybrid, giving Ford two entries in the hybrid soft-roader market, and a green model to sell at Lincoln-Mercury dealerships.
The Escape got a thorough makeover on the outside for 2008, but most of the mechanicals remain a carryover from the previous generation. For 2009, Ford finished the job on the Escape and its sheet metal sibling from Mercury and the hybrid models followed suit. The changes include a new engine that provides more power and improved efficiency, some cosmetic tweaks, and several technological upgrades. Ford is betting that the changes will improve their footing in the green scene, so we took a loaded Mercury Mariner hybrid into the Autoblog Garage to see if the fuel-sipping CUV could win us over.
The reality of $4 per gallon gasoline coupled with a major slowdown in construction work has conspired to put the US truck market in a world of hurt. Ford has already postponed the launch of the all-new F-150 by two months, and when the truck goes on sale, the Blue Oval will be focusing its marketing efforts on the people that use their trucks for what they were designed for: work. Ford is betting that customers that buy trucks for looks are all but gone, but like Ford Marketing Manager Mike Crowley says, you can't build America with a fleet of Priuses. Past F-150 launches arrived with mostly high-end crew cab models were geared towards recreational truck owners, but the 2009 model will arrive mainly in two door and extended cab configurations. Those less expensive models are a big hit with fleets and construction companies.
The truck market may be down 21% in 2008, but by focusing on core buyers Ford is hoping to gain ground on the competition. Since roughly one-quarter of Ford's sales come courtesy of its F-Series lineup, lets hope the 105 year old company is right.
Ford has seen its ups and downs when it comes to vehicle styling, but with immense competition around the world and in North America specifically, design disasters will hurt an automaker now more than ever before. Ford design director Peter Horbury leads Ford's North American design, so responsibility for both beauties and beasts will rest firmly on his English shoulders. We had the opportunity to spend some time with Horbury and learn more about his plans for both Ford and Lincoln, and as usual the eloquent designer didn't disappoint. Hit play on the video above to hear what Horbury had to say about future European Fords in the U.S., global design, and the future of Ford interiors.
The Ford Ka has been a prime example that the Blue Oval can be successful at making little cars, even if they kind of look like basketball shoes. After 12 years of service, it's time to shake things up a bit. The next Ka shares mechanicals with the stylish Fiat 500, and after scoping the first unofficial pics from Auto Express, the Ford will be just as cute as its Italian sibling. Designers did manage to heavily differentiate the Ka from the 500, skipping the rounded lines in favor of edgier lines and details that reinforce Ford of Europe's styling language. Think micro-Fiesta, and you've got the picture.
Since it's for European consumption, it'll have no less than three powertrains from the get-go, with a 68 hp 1.2L, a 100 hp 1.4L, and a 1.3L, 50 mpg diesel. Rumor has it that a hotter Ka ST is on its way as well, with 150 hp coming from a turbocharged 1.4L engine. Interior refinement over the outgoing model comes courtesy of better materials and improved ergonomics.
We're still a few months away from the Ka's official unveiling at the Paris Auto Show in September, but we like what we see so far. Besides, if it's good enough for Bond, it'll be good enough for us. The Ka will be produced in Poland and it'll go on sale in Europe by the end of the year.
Kirk Kerkorian's associate Jerry York stated last Thursday that Ford would do well to sell Volvo and extinguish Mercury. Coincidentally (or not) Ford's stock zoomed up to one of the highest price levels it's seen in the last six months. Tracinda Corporation, Kerkorian's firm, has expressed faith in Mulally's leadership and his plan to strengthen the automaker. There has been speculation about a sale of Volvo in the past, and punditry has been begging the Blue Oval to do something with Mercury, or put it out of its misery, for years.
While York seems certain that Volvo will be on the market in less than two years time, Ford continues to state that the Swedish subsidiary is not for sale. Looking at the Premier Auto Group shuffle of the last year, though, it could certainly be deduced that Volvo will indeed go on the market soon. Moving the brand out of the PAG location in Irvine, CA and back to Rockleigh, NJ, where Volvo had set up shop when it first started selling cars in the United States, is a move that set off whispers of impending sale. While it might be nothing more than right-sizing office space for Volvo now that the rest of the Premier Auto Group is gone, a cross country move is a deft way to trim operational fat without layoffs, and divorcing Volvo's North American operations from Ford locations makes an ownership transition easier, too. While Ford and Volvo products share a lot of engineering and parts, a well-negotiated deal wouldn't preclude a sale that gently phases out the currently entwined platforms as they age and replacements are brought to market.
General Motors has fallen once again on the Fortune 500 list of America's top-grossers. The General had once stood strong atop the rankings, having fallen from the top spot in 2001 at which time Wal-Mart took over. For the last few years, Exxon-Mobil and the big box retailer have battled for the first two positions on the list with GM claiming third place. This year, soaring demands for energy have allowed Chevron to nudge past GM on its way to a third place finish. General Motors, at number four on the list, is bracketed by another energy company, ConocoPhillips, at number five. Ford finds itself sitting at number seven, the same as last year.
Fortune's 500 list is based on company revenue, not profit. If profit were the main criteria, GM and Ford wouldn't be making any appearances on the list at all. Exxon Mobil would easily claim the top spot as the most profitable company around with GM posting nearly as much in losses over the same period of time.
Well look at that, the quarter panel vent from the new Focus can look good! No need to complain yet that this is but another Ford we'll never see, as it may not happen on any continent. Auto Bild has gone to press with shots of a new Mercury Capri concept that is rumored to be the work of an extremely skilled PhotoChopper. We're also unsure if the details they cite about the car being a sub-3,000 pound 2+2 with 140-250 horsepower and a production date of 2012 are fanciful or rooted in truth, but none of that matters. This thing is off the hook to our puppy-dog enthusiastic eyes. Mercury has nothing badass in its lineup, and while it'd be weird to be proffering this car with KISS makeup next to an entire lineup of handsomized Fords, we think it might be a way for Ford to reel in some new blood to the brand. Just don't call it Cougar. Cougars drive Mercurys - though probably while smoking Capris. Call it whatever, just put it on sale.
The idea of having Uncle Sam come after you for back taxes is an unpleasant thought for any American. It's another story altogether when the feds are the ones doling out the Benjamins, though, as Ford is learning. The Blue Oval is officially suing the government for $445 million in overpaid taxes between 1983 and 1989 and again from 1992 to 1994. Ford wasn't overly excited about filing a lawsuit against the IRS, but due to the overwhelming amount of money involved and the fact that Ford can use all the cash it can get its hands on, the company felt it had little choice. The government actually claims to have paid the money in full, but Ford contends that the interest was not fully repaid. Considering that the additional interest was nearly half a billion dollars, we're guessing Ford really overpaid back in the day. 
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