Feel-Good Factoids About Ford

With all the worrisome press about the automotive industry in the news lately, I thought it would be important to share some uplifting news and interesting factoids about our domestic manufacturers.

Ford is perhaps best known for the Mustang, which has now sold more than 9 million units since it was introduced at the New York World's  Fair on April 17, 1964. The Mustang will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2009, and is one of the most widely recognized vehicles in the world. Today, one of every two sports cars sold in America is a Mustang. The Mustang is also Ford Motor Company's longest-running nameplate.

But some may not know much more about this domestic brand, which in recent years has become extremely focused on improving quality, fuel economy, technology, safety, and eco-friendliness.

So, let's talk about Ford:

Let's Talk About Quality:
If you visit The Ford Story (www.fordvehicles.com/thefordstory) Ford boasts about their latest cars and crossovers, saying that cumulative data on 2008 models demonstrates they "match the quality of the imports, along with enhanced safety, better fuel mileage, and innovative technology," in fact, according to that data, "Ford Motor Company, Honda Motors and Toyota Motors quality ratings are in a dead heat." Ford has the most U.S. government 5-star safety ratings of any auto company, and more than a dozen of Ford's 2009 vehicles are rated Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) -- more than any other automaker.

Let's Talk About Fuel Economy:
Ford Division has 15 car, truck and SUV choices that get 25 mpg or better and six models promising a maximum cruising range of over 500 miles, based on EPA-estimated mpg hwy and fuel tank capacity. At the top of the list, Ford's 2010 Fusion Hybrid  has been certified at 41 city/36 highway, compared with 33/34 for the Toyota Camry. Meanwhile, the Ford Escape Hybrid promises best-in-class economy ratings of 34 city/31 highway. If you're not interested in a hybrid powertrain, consider Ford's new EcoBoost engine technology, which will begin powering the new Lincoln MKS flagship in 2009, followed by the Ford Flex and other vehicles. Revealed at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Ford's EcoBoost engine  features a combination of turbocharging and direct injection technology.  Compared with more expensive hybrids and diesel engines, EcoBoost builds upon today's affordable gasoline engine and improves it, providing customers with a way to improve fuel economy and emissions without compromising driving performance.

"Ford is bullish on fuel economy," said Ken Czubay, Ford's vice president of Sales and Marketing.  "Each new and significantly freshened vehicle we've brought to market in the past year has the best or among the best fuel economy in its segment, and we want to provide customers an extra reason to drive one of these high-quality, fuel-efficient cars, crossovers and trucks."

Ford's nine most fuel-efficient (traditionally powered gasoline) vehicles are the Focus, delivering up to 35 mpg; Fusion, up to 29 mpg; Escape, up to 28 mpg; Flex, to up 24 mpg; Mercury Milan, up to 29 mpg; Mercury Mariner, up to 28 mpg; Lincoln MKZ, up to 28 mpg; Lincoln MKS, up to 24 mpg; and the new F-150, up to 21 mpg*.

 Between now and January 5, 2009, Ford is offering a first-ever bonus incentive tied to these fuel-efficient vehicles, extending an extra benefit to customers beyond "Employee Pricing Plus"  deals it's already offering across its 2009 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle lineup. The special incentive not only offers customers employee pricing on most 2008 and 2009 Ford, Lincoln Mercury models but will additionally offer up to $6,000 cash back. Alternatively, if customers select one of Ford's most fuel-efficient vehicles, they will have the option for 0 percent financing for 36 months. (*2009 F-150 is not included in the "Employee Pricing Plus" program, but is still eligible for the special 0 percent financing offer tied to the company's most fuel-efficient models.)

Let's Talk About Technology:
Ford's commitment to research and innovation is about reaching millions of customers with real-world solutions that make their vehicles safer, cleaner, and more convenient and reliable. Have you somehow missed hearing about Sync? Check out this simple YouTube video which explains exactly how the voice-activated, in-car communications technology lets Ford customers play music, call friends, or receive text messages, without ever taking a hand off the wheel.

How about Ford's new EasyFuel capless fuel system which has an integrated spring-loaded flapper door that allows customers to simply insert the fuel nozzle into the tank to fill up and automatically seals the door when the nozzle is removed. No need to touch a dirty gas cap, and no fumbling to re-secure the cap which means fewer evaporative emissions sneak into the environment at refills.

Parents of teenagers will especially appreciate Ford's new safety technology called "MyKey" which allows parents to limit the vehicle's top speed and audio volume while their teen is driving. The feature - which encourages safety-belt usage, provides earlier low-fuel warnings, can be programmed to limit the top speed, and to sound chimes at 45, 55, and 65 miles per hour - will be included next year as standard equipment on the 2010 Ford Focus and many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models.

Let's Talk About Safety:
Ford offers teens a valuable learning tool through its "Driving Skills for Life" Web site (www.drivingskillsforlife.com), which offers a wealth of information, particularly in four areas that cause more than 60 percent of teen crashes: Hazard Recognition, Vehicle Handling and Space and Speed Management. The Web site also provides valuable information to help reduce many of the factors of teen driving fatalities.

Ford recently announced that it is expanding its sponsorship of a pilot program  with the non-profit Traffic Improvement Association (TIA) to help older drivers test their skills and evaluate their ability to safely operate motor vehicles. The workshop is intended to help mature drivers enhance their driving skills and make them more observant, cautious and confident while on the road.

Just a few months ago, Ford announced it earned more "Top Safety Pick" ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) than any other automaker with a total of 16. Ford surpassed its closest rival Honda when its 2009 Ford Flex, Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKS, and Mercury Milan, achieved "Top Safety Pick" ratings from the IIHS. "Safety is a top purchase consideration, second only to fuel efficiency, so the top safety ratings and competitive fuel economy of Flex, MKS, Fusion and Milan are a winning combination," said Michael Crowley, North America car and crossover marketing manager, Ford Motor Company. The entire list of the vehicles in Ford's 1009 product lineup to be rated as Top Safety Picks includes the Ford Edge, Escape, F-150, Flex, Fusion, Taurus, and Taurus X; Lincoln MKS and MKX; Mazda Tribute; Mercury Mariner, Milan, and Sable; and Volvo C70, S80, and XC90.

Let's Talk About Ford's Eco-Friendliness:
It's not intended to be a secret, but many people don't know that Ford has an entire department of women working on creating eco-friendly alternatives like natural lightweight fabrics, soy-based seat cushions, and hemp-fiber reinforced plastic products in their vehicles. Because of their efforts in creating these earth-friendly sustainable alternative products, this team of women has been (unofficially) nicknamed Ford's "BioBabes." I met Ford's BioMaterials team earlier this year and watched them create soy-based seatfoam in their lab; You can watch them do it in this video at Youtube. They also demonstrated how they use natural fibers to reduce the weight of traditional plastic materials and shorten the time it takes them to decompose from 500 years to just months in a landfill.

Consumers might be surprised to learn that the Ford uses a signficant amount of recycled or eco-friendly materials in its cars and trucks, and that the vehicles are 85 percent recyclable when they reach the end of their usefulness and are dismantled.

At least a quarter of the fabric used in Ford vehicles is made from recycled yarn, and the seat upholsteries in the 2008/09 Ford Escape and 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid are made from 100% recycled materials. Ford also uses eco-friendly soy foam for seat cushions and naturally tanned and recyclable leather upholstery in a number of its vehicles. Since the early 1990s, the company has used cotton from old blue jeans for the padding of luggage compartments. How cool is that?

With all this good stuff, how can you not be talking about Ford? Stop by The Ford Story,  and share the link with your friends. Have you driven a Ford lately? Why not stop by a Ford dealership and take one for a test drive? (Do it before the Employee Pricing Incentive ends on January 5, in case you're tempted to buy!) And be sure to let us know what you think!

Jody DeVere
President and CEO
http://www.askpatty.com
http://www.carblabber.com