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Ford Europe goes further with American vehicles

Scott Burgess — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, SUV, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Work, Crossover, Hatchback, Ford, Design/Style, Electric

Just weeks before the Paris Motor Show, Ford Motor Co. has taken the wraps off of much of its new lineup for Europe in an effort to shore up its efforts for European dealers. The webcast press conference from Amsterdam ended with the official announcement that the Dearborn, Michigan-based car maker will officially make the Mustang available for Autobahn runs and cobble stone street drifting.

"We'll have more details on the Mustang coming to Europe later this year," CEO Alan Mulally said, as he stood before a crowd of more than 2,500 dealers, enthusiasts and reporters. Thousands more watched him and other key Ford executives tout the company's accelerated plans to introduce more global vehicles to Europe.

The Old Country has been problematic in recent years as its stagnant economy has cost automakers billions. Ford lost $404 million in Europe in the second quarter of 2012 and expects Europe to continue to drag down the company's global profitability in the near future. But instead of going on the defensive, Ford has launched its own path to prosperity, Mulally said. The company can't afford to try the same old formulas.

"Six years ago, we developed our One Ford plan," Mulally said, "Now, we're bringing that plan to Europe."

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Ford Europe goes further with American vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Ford discontinue the Australian-made Falcon?

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Ford, Australia

Even though Ford honcho Alan Mulally was seriously smitten by the company's Aussie Falcon G-Series, doubts about the car's future were presaged nearly a year-and-a-half ago as Ford built momentum behind the "One Ford" program. That initiative focused on the rationalization of platforms, so multiplel vehicles sold around the world could share underpinnings and save the Blue Oval some bucks. But with new fuel mileage requirements, the fate of the rear-wheel drive Falcon began to grow dark.

Things weren't helped at the Detroit Auto Show, were Mulally said "The best thing for Ford is to bring our scale and volume" to bear on the market and the balance sheet, and that manufacturers engaged in the complexities of different platforms for different markets, "can't compete with the global companies, and Ford's going to be a powerhouse globally."

The front-wheel drive Taurus platform is the one being mooted as the foundation of the next Falcon, and the idea of a FWD Falcon is practically Galilean heresy to Aussie enthusiasts. The popular sedan's redesign doesn't begin until next year in view of a 2014 market date so Mulally has a year to make a decision - and Aussies have a year to sway him. If the next Falcon is FWD, a compensation prize could be the Australian division helping to engineer the Mustang platform. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Will Ford discontinue the Australian-made Falcon? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Ford Kuga could come in Lincoln, Mercury flavors, replace Escape, be built in USA

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Ford

Ford Kuga - Click above for high-res image gallery

How's this for an odd twist - Ford essentially kicked off the SUV craze with its Explorer, an embiggened four-door Ranger. And man, did we go crazy. Before the cheap-gas bubble burst, slightly more than half of all passenger vehicles sold here in America were SUVs. Just below the Explorer was and is Ford's little truck (which is no longer little) the Escape. And almost ten years later, the Escape pretty much looks like a body-on-frame SUV, even though people stopped associating SUVs with mud during George W Bush's first term.

So what if the next Escape looked more like the CUV that it actually is, and less like the SUV it isn't? And what if Lincoln got a version? Mercury too, though they already have the Mariner, a rebadged Escape. Also, what if the next escape was built here, but then badged as a Kuga and sold in Europe? According to CEO Alan Mulally and some other, more chatty Ford folks, it's all more than possible.

The latter is really interesting, and shows you just how far the dollar has fallen against the Euro. And it also shows you Ford's One Ford strategy at work - wherein starting very soon, most Ford cars are going to be global in nature. Aside from essential legal parts (like standard stability control in U.S. vehicles) the cars can be sold wherever. Built wherever, too. For instance, the Ford Fiesta, which will be coming to our shores next year, is Ford's best selling car in Europe and will soon be built only in Mexico and shipped both across the border and across the Atlantic.

Back to the Kuga, the plan is to begin building the Kuga in Louisville, Kentucky in late 2011 for export to Europe. Sometime after that, the Kuga will replace the Escape and the Lincoln/Mercury editions. Moreover, this could be the start of a trend - Fords being built in the U.S. for export across the pond.

Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Ford Kuga

[Source: Automotive News sub-req]

REPORT: Ford Kuga could come in Lincoln, Mercury flavors, replace Escape, be built in USA originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next Ford Falcon will be less 'Australian'

Chris Shunk — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:27:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Ford, Australia

The Ford Falcon is all Australian. It has always been driven by the rear wheels, and it has always been designed, engineered, and built Down Under. The automotive world is rapidly changing, though, and Ford is one of many OEMs that are driving towards global vehicle architectures and a less diversified corporate parts bin. What does that mean for the Falcon? Nothing for quite a while, as the once hot-selling Aussie special just received major rework in April, and another redesign is many years away. When it does go under the engineering knife it will likely have more in common with the Ford Taurus than anything native to the Outback.

Ford product chief Derrick Kuzak is working towards what the Blue Oval calls "One Ford." That means, for example, that there will be only one C-segment platform for like-sized crossovers, wagons, hatchbacks, coupes, and sedans, and that platform would be used in all regions around the globe. Ford will still have a rear-drive platform for performance vehicles, but the rabid push for fuel efficiency and weight reductions means that the chance of future Falcons being motivated by the rear wheels is slim. Plenty can change between now and 2015, so we'll keep our dimming hopes for a RWD Falcon for all alive, but the prospects look less rosy by the day.

[Source: Drive]

Next Ford Falcon will be less 'Australian' originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: Ford Kuga (Euro-spec)

Noah Joseph — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Europe, Crossover, Ford, First Drives

Click above for high-res gallery of the Euro-spec Ford Kuga

The grass, they say, is always greener on the other side of the fence. Though that often appears to be the case, most of the time it isn't. Dearborn's new "One Ford" initiative promises that we'll soon be able to stop gazing longingly across the ocean at what the company offers overseas buyers, as Ford endeavors to integrate its global product line-up into one cohesive range for every market around the world. In the case of the new Fiesta, that's a good thing. Less so with regards to the Kuga. Follow the jump to read why.

Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Ford Kuga

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First Drive: Ford Kuga (Euro-spec) originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2009 Ford Fiesta (Euro-spec)

Noah Joseph — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Ford, First Drives

2009 Ford Fiesta - Click above for high-res image gallery

Twenty-five year-old females in Milan. According to global product development chief Derrick Kuzak, that's who Ford is hoping to satisfy with the new Fiesta. Well honestly now, who isn't? But that's some ambitious target, to attract the attention of the most trend-savvy (make that trend-setting) demographic in the world capital of fashion.

We didn't pass through Milan while driving the new Fiesta through the Italian countryside, and so, to our dismay, didn't have a chance to test out that particular target. But we did pass by a local road works crew on the winding mountain passes of Tuscany, dutifully working to keep that legendary tarmac silky smooth. They reacted to the Fiesta as if the car were the twenty-five year-old Milanese fashion model, taking notice as we approached and turning to ogle as we passed by. (They may have been shouting cat calls too, but we wouldn't have heard them from inside the Fiesta's whisper-quiet cabin.) That may be an even greater testimony to the new Fiesta's styling than the Blue Oval crew had hoped for. As for our impressions, and why readers in America and around the world alike should take note, just follow the jump to read on.

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Ford Fiesta

Continue reading First Drive: 2009 Ford Fiesta (Euro-spec)

First Drive: 2009 Ford Fiesta (Euro-spec) originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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