mackinaw

Yes there was. A gal I used to work with owned one. She liked the car, especially in the winter. AWD is a big plus up here in snowland (northern lower Michigan).

I just read, a few weeks back, where some auto research firm did a survey and found that most truck buyers are so intrigued by the new aluminum F-150 that they are willing to pay more for it. We’ll see come December.

The problem is, it ain't a little pickup. Compared to the last-gen Colorado, it's huge.

Probably so. All the manufacturers test their vehicles in certain areas. If you know where to go, and are patient, you'll eventually see something with cladding coming your way.

That thing burned up real good.

Heard this on Autoline AfterHours. Apparently people bringing in older Saturn Ion’s and Chevy Cobalts (among others) for the ignition fix and are walking out of the dealership in a new Chevy Cruze (or some other GM product). Most analysts are surprised, even mystified, that such a devastating recall has had such a positive effect on GM sales.

Not to defend the writer, but in journalism school, you’re taught to report the good stuff as well as the bad stuff. And you definitely don’t want to write something that sounds like a press release. But I agree, the writer was lazy and used the standard cliche' when he wrote his piece.

More on this from today's Automotive News: DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co. said its new aluminum-bodied F-150 will come with less standard horsepower and torque than today's pickups. In the lighter truck, drivers won't miss it, Ford said. "It's really going to be an amazing difference in performance when driving," Doug Scott, Ford's truck marketing manager, said today at an event to discuss the new F-150's performance at Ford's Dearborn Development Center. "Every single customer is going to get better performance." The new F-150, which weighs 732 pounds (332 kilograms) less than the current model, will start with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that delivers 283 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque, Ford said. While that's less oomph than today's 3.7-liter V-6 with 302 horses and 278 pound-feet of torque, the new model has a higher power-to-weight ratio, Scott said. Ford's F-Series pickups have been the industry's best-selling vehicle line for 32 years. Using aluminum to cut weight would help meet rising fuel-economy standards. The new pickup may approach 30 miles (48 kilometers) per gallon on the highway, up from 23 mpg in the current version. Scott declined to say what the new truck's fuel economy will be. The new F-150 can also be bought with a six-cylinder, 2.7- liter EcoBoost engine, which will have 325 horsepower, 375 lb.- ft. of torque. It can carry 2,250 pounds and tow 8,500 pounds, Ford said. The standard 3.5-liter V-6 engine is rated for 1,910 pounds of payload and 7,600 pounds of towing, which Ford says is the best in its class." http://www.autonews.com/article/20140722/OEM06/307229923/lighter-ford-f-150-to-feature-less-standard-hp-torque

Hot off the press. Today's Automotive News: "Kumar Galhotra, Ford Motor Co.’s top engineer, was named president of the Lincoln brand today, a new position that reports directly to CEO Mark Fields, in another management change designed to jumpstart sales at the luxury brand. Jim Farley, executive vice president of global sales, service and marketing, has directed Lincoln since 2012, and will continue to oversee Ford’s sales, service and marketing operations, but will also have a role in Lincoln’s marketing and product plans, Ford said today. “Now is the right time to have a dedicated global leader for the brand,” Ford spokeswoman Susan Krusel said today. She said it was Farley who recommended to Ford’s board that Lincoln get a “totally dedicated leader.” Galhotra, 48, has been Ford’s vice president of engineering since August 2013. He will oversee all Lincoln operations worldwide, including product development; marketing, sales and service; and all team members under the Lincoln brand. The change is effective Sept. 1. Fields said the move makes clear the company is “serious about Lincoln as a world-class luxury brand. “Now is the right time for the next chapter in accelerating Lincoln as a world-class luxury brand,” Fields said in a statement. “Kumar has more than 25 years of global product and business experience, including leading engineering for all of our Lincoln vehicles today. Being our dedicated senior Lincoln leader will serve our clients, employees and dealers extremely well going forward." http://www.autonews.com/article/20140722/OEM02/140729977/ford-taps-top-engineer-to-lead-lincoln?cciid=email-autonews-blast&r=8221J0649801H2C

I wonder if they're talking standard cab or super cab? 4X2 or 4X4?

From today's Automotive News: "DETROIT -- Former Ford Motor Co. President and COO Nick Scheele died today at age 70. The affable, British-born Scheele spent nearly four decades at Ford. He served as chairman and CEO of Ford's Jaguar Cars unit from 1992 to 1999 and later chairman of Ford of Europe from January 2000 through July 2001. He finished his career as Ford’s president and COO from 2001-05. “Not only did Nick help us overcome many challenges at the time, he mended relationships with our dealers, our suppliers and our employees, and set the stage for many of today’s leaders who are moving us forward," Executive Chairman Bill Ford said in a statement." http://www.autonews.com/article/20140718/OEM02/140719838/nick-scheele-former-president-and-coo-of-ford-dies-at-age-70

From today's Automotive News: "A new eight-speed automatic transmission will come standard on some 2015 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and GMC Yukon Denali/Yukon XL Denali models with a 6.2-liter EcoTec3 V-8 engine, General Motors said today. The Hydra-Matic 8L90 will replace the Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission in the trucks. Both gearboxes are built at GM’s transmission plant in Toledo, Ohio. GM said production of the transmission will begin in the fourth quarter of 2014, making the feature a late introduction on 2015 models. The 8L90 was solely developed by GM. The company signed an agreement with Ford Motor Co. in April 2013 to jointly develop nine- and 10-speed transmissions for cars, crossovers, SUVs and pickups." http://www.autonews.com/article/20140718/OEM/140719841/silverado-sierra-yukon-denali-with-v-8-to-feature-new-8-speed

From what I read, the original engine lineup don't include the V6. The added the 3.7L strictly for cost reasons, and to make the Mustang more affordable.

So sorry to hear this. My condolences to the family.

Bill Ford has also mentioned, more than once, the 12-day, 62 mile long traffic jam experienced in China back in 2010. That's the sort of thing that may become more common as more and more people, world-wide, own cars. Credit Bill for looking at the big picture and seeing how Ford can help solve such problems.

de Nysschen's the guy who put Audi on the map (19 years). He's only been at Infiniti two years. I believe the Q branding preceded him.

Elon is also building a mega-battery factory that will be capable of producing millions of batteries. Any company that uses his “free patents” for their electric vehicles will probably end up buying batteries built in Elon’s new factory. That works out pretty well for him, wouldn’t you say?

This is somewhat related to Jensen's and Dean's ongoing debate. I know several Ford engineers working in engine design in Dearborn. All work with V6 truck engines, both turbo and non-turbo. For their personal vehicles, all of them tow a lot of stuff (boats) and all own F-150’s with the 5.0L Coyote V8. None of them own a truck with an Ecoboost V6. Draw your own conclusions.

Ask yourself this. If Ford did decide to offer a light-duty diesel in the F-150, few people on this forum, if anybody, would criticize them. Overnight we’d be calling Ford "bold and gutsy" and congratulating them for paying attention to the market.

Pioneer has stated more than once that the engineers have been playing around with diesel-powered F-150's for some time now. All Ford has to do is press the "go" button.

The Chrysler increase you can chalk up to Jeep and Ram. As for GM, many analysts are surprised. Even with the relentless bad press GM's received these past few months, retail sales have increased. There’s an interesting article on the GM sales increase in today’s Automotive News.

From today's Automotive News: "The Ford brand had the auto industry’s highest loyalty rate among new-vehicle buyers in the first quarter, followed by Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, a new study of sales data found IHS Automotive said of the customers who purchased a new Ford car or light truck in the past 10 years and returned to a showroom in the first quarter of 2014, 64 percent either traded for another Ford brand vehicle or added a Ford brand vehicle to their existing household. Mercedes-Benz and Toyota trailed Ford with a loyalty rate of 57.8 percent each in the first quarter. They were followed by Nissan, Chevrolet, Subaru, Honda, BMW, Lexus and Hyundai." Full article here: http://www.autonews.com/article/20140627/RETAIL/140629877/ford-mercedes-toyota-tops-in-brand-loyalty-in-1st-quarter-ihs-says?cciid=email-autonews-daily&r=8221J0649801H2C

I had the same thought last November and bought some Alcoa stock then when it was $8.60/share. It’s now at $14.80. I’m debating now whether to cash in, or see how much higher the stock will go.

More on the 2.7 EB here: http://www.autonews.com/article/20140127/OEM06/301279972/ford-pickup-v-6-gets-new-twist:-a-2-piece-block

How will cutting back on engineering make for better products? I would think the opposite would be true.