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Let the good times roll at Ford Motor!

January 25, 2011 / Staff

Let the good times roll at Ford Motor! It’s amazing how this company turned around in the four years since CEO Alan Mulally took over the top spot from Bill Ford. It won’t be easy to keep the market share gains Ford has seen in the past few years with GM and Chrysler experiencing their own comebacks. In the meantime you know the Blue Oval Crew isn’t sitting back but rather they are getting ready for another round of new product launches in 2011.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Ford is about to happily wave good-bye to 10 years of turnaround plans.

The Dearborn automaker, which plans to announce year-end financial results Friday, is poised to report a profit for 2010 of about $8 billion excluding onetime charges — the automaker’s biggest annual profit in a decade.

Ford usually announces how much annual profit-sharing checks will be that day. The checks, expected in March, could give the local economy a $240-million boost, said David Sowerby, economist and chief portfolio manager for Loomis Sayles. Bernie Ricke, president of UAW Local 600, said the checks will be “fairly significant and more than we’ve seen in several years.”

Read the full article.

Ford, News

Alan Mulally Ford sales

Questions swirling around future of Lincoln!

January 20, 2011 / Staff

This is a very good write up on what the future holds for Ford’s Lincoln luxury brand. We weren’t at the dinner mentioned in the piece but it appears there weren’t many answers to the reporters questions.

My advice to the Bigs at the Blue Oval is “Go Young”. Take the time to establish Lincoln as a sleek luxury brand for style-conscious young professionals. (sound familiar?) It’s not a new formula but one that takes patience and top notch product priced right. As they climb the latter they will stick with Lincoln if their offerings can move up the ladder with the customer.

From Auto News.com:

It’s a week after the Detroit auto show opened to the press, and I have no clearer idea of how Ford Motor Co.’s going to rebuild Lincoln than I did before.

While Ford division occupied a large space at Cobo Center, the Lincoln stand was small and shoved into a back corner. You couldn’t miss it as you made your way to the restrooms.

Ford executives offered a wait-and-see response when asked about specific Lincoln product plans. The underlying message? It appears to be: “Trust us. Look what we’ve done with the Ford division. Just trust us.”

And even the competition won’t jar Lincoln.

Ford’s head of Asia-Pacific and Africa, Joe Hinrichs, told me at dinner that Buick’s compact car offering — the Verano — doesn’t put pressure on Lincoln.

Read the full article.

Ford, News

2011 Ford Fusion Review

January 18, 2011 / Staff

Bullz-Eye.com reviews the 2011 Ford Fusion from the inside out.

The Ford Fusion has turned into a homerun for Ford Motor Company since the launch around 4 years ago. After spending some time in the 2011 Fusion SE you can understand how the ball was hit out of the park!
Exterior

The first thing we noticed on our Blue Flame Metallic 2011 Ford Fusion SE was the aggressive front end which was redesigned on the 2010 Fusion. The sleek look of the new hood and front fenders blend well with the three bar grille, which Ford has turned into the face of the company. Our model had sport 18″ aluminum spoked wheels, power mirrors (same as the body color), chromed exhaust tips, and fog lamps. With a rear spoiler this Fusion had that “cool car” feel. The redesign of the Fusion took this vehicle to another level and, considering the sales figures coming in for the Fusion, it was money well spent.

Read the full recap here.

Car Reviews, Ford

Ford Fusion

NAIAS Featuring the All New 2011 Chrsyler 300

January 17, 2011 / Staff

When Chrysler asked me to be their guest at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, I jumped at the chance. I was ready to check out what Chrysler will be offering in their reloaded lineup. I’m located in Cleveland so I went back and forth on whether I should drive to Detroit or hit the skies at the airport. I decided to fly out to the show and appreciated the 10 minutes or so the airlines took to de-ice the plane as we were heading toward the runway. Once I landed at the Detroit airport, I ran into a friend who was also covering Chrysler at the Auto Show, so we shared a ride to the hotel and caught up on things. We were taken to the Greek Town Hotel and Casino for check-in and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at the style and comfort of the hotel. I had been to the casino a few years back and had not visited the new hotel since it had been built. Although the project took a while to finish, it was a job well done.

I suggested we get our grub on at Fishbones – the food was simply delicious. I had the Pistachio Crusted Chicken and my friend ordered the Pasta Orleans, so hats off to the chef for two well prepared meals. We then met up with the firm handling the auto show for Chrysler along with other media and bloggers, made some donations to the Greek Town Casino, had a few beers with the group and it was lights out.

Read the full article at Bullz-Eye.com.

Car Reviews, Chrysler, New Cars

Chrysler 300 NAIAS 2011

Here comes the Camaro Z28

January 14, 2011 / Staff

More good news for Camaro fans. The Z28 is back January 2012!

From Auto Guide.com:

With only 352 days to go before the Chevrolet Camaro Z28 goes into production, you still have ample time to take up chewing tobacco and get acquainted with the music of Whitesnake.

The information comes from a dealer who just attended a national dealer meeting where Chevrolet officials described the product in detail. The name “Z28″ was never officially mentioned, and the car was instead called the “HP Edition”. Equipment for the car in question includes a supercharged 6.2L V8, magnetic shock absorbers, massive tires front and rear (285 width up front and 330 in the rear) and some cosmetic alterations to the bodywork.