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ice-capades

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  1. 2024 Ford Ranger and Raptor Add Comfort, Capability and Performance to Midsize Pickups https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/mark-phelan/2024/03/19/what-makes-the-2024-ford-ranger-and-ranger-raptor-pickups-so-special/73022546007/ SALT LAKE CITY – The Truck War ratchets up as Ford launches an advanced new version of its midsize Ranger pickup for 2024 — including a 400-horsepower Ranger Raptor, the first time the legendary desert-racing model has been offered in the U.S. The 2024 Ford Ranger rides on an entirely new frame featuring high-strength steel and fully boxed rails for maximum performance and comfort. The Ranger is one of Ford's core global vehicles. It builds the midsize pickup in five plants around the world: Wayne, Michigan Rayong, Thailand (two plants) Silverton, South Africa General Pacheco, Argentina Sold in more than 180 countries, Rangers serve as everything from sport trucks to family vehicles and workhorses. All Rangers sold in the U.S. and Canada come from Wayne, Michigan, where they’re built alongside the Bronco SUV. The 2024 model is new from the ground up. Key structural changes in addition to the frame include a 2-inch longer wheelbase, 2-inch wider track, rear shocks mounted outside the frame to improve ride and tuneability for different roads and uses. The electrical architecture also is new, enabling over-the-air updates, 4G modem and Wi-Fi hot spot. 2024 Ford Ranger trim levels and prices XL: $32,565 XLT: $36,005 Lariat: $43,525 Raptor: $55,365 Source: Edmunds. Prices exclude $1,595 destination charge. 2024 Ford Ranger bed key features Easy-lift tailgate 48-inch bed floor between wheel wells Outside steps for bed access Six tie-downs LED light 400W power inverter with outlet Cup and iPad holders molded into tailgate I look forward to taking a Raptor off-road, and possibly airborne, later this spring. Additional content at the source... https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/mark-phelan/2024/03/19/what-makes-the-2024-ford-ranger-and-ranger-raptor-pickups-so-special/73022546007/
  2. This is a story that pulls our heart strings but after thinking about it, I think Farley and Ford are getting off easy and just making a token gesture at little expense. Let this young man's dad sell the 2020 Mustang he bought for his son and replace it with a new 2024 Mustang compliments of Ford. Better yet, let the son spec out his "dream" Mustang, expedite scheduling and production and invite the son and his family to the Flat Rock plant to see his Mustang built and come off the assembly line. Then you'd see Ford get a much stronger story from the media and a lot more goodwill to benefit the company.
  3. Farley Reacts to Dad's Post About Son's Ford Mustang Story https://fordauthority.com/2024/03/farley-reacts-to-dads-post-about-sons-ford-mustang-story/ Many of us know someone who has been impacted by cancer – and some of us have suffered from it ourselves – but it’s still rather disheartening to hear stories of younger folks, in particular, that are battling this terrible disease. However, in the automotive enthusiast world, folks are usually pretty quick to jump in and help make this awful experience a bit more manageable for those suffering from it, as we’ve seen time and time again. That was also the case recently when Joe Tegerdine purchased a 2020 Ford Mustang for his son, who is currently battling a particularly devastating bout with cancer. “For those wondering why I’d buy my 18-year-old son a 330 horsepower Mustang, well, he’s been given months to live and can’t work long enough to buy one himself. His comment on the way home, ‘Dad, I’m going to squeeze a few extra months of life just to be able to drive this,” Tegerdine wrote in a recent post to X. As the younger Tegerdine explained to the Detroit Free Press in a corresponding interview, he’s always been a Ford Mustang fan, and has been saving up his money to buy one for some time. However, after battling osteosarcoma – a form of cancer – since the age of seven, doctors recently found more tumors in his lungs, meaning that he doesn’t seemingly have much longer to live. As one might imagine, Tegerdine’s post on X wound up attracting considerable attention as a result – including, it seems, a response from Ford CEO Jim Farley himself. “Hi Joe, I’m so sorry to hear what your family is going through,” Farley said. “Please let me know if you and your son would like to attend the Ford Performance Racing School to experience a Ford Mustang Dark Horse on the track. DM me and we’ll make it happen.” The elder Tegerdine has already taken Farley up on that offer, meaning that his son will hopefully get to experience something he might have previously only dreamed about in the coming days or weeks.
  4. This morning's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven)  $3.35 Regular (Cash) @ Gulf  $3.45 Regular (Cash) @ Citgo
  5. With only 4 models to sell and annual domestic sales still under 100,000 units, I'd think that Lincoln would be taking every opportunity to show off new or refreshed product. Otherwise... it becomes, out of sight... out of mind! Ford's commitment and investment in Lincoln has shown few results. Lincoln teases future product and then continuously delays new product, even before the overall slowdown in BEV vehicles and production plans.
  6. But it's that fact that lowers the lease payment and encourages customers to lease, instead of purchasing, which delivers more vehicles for Ford. In addition, Ford Credit leases, in many or most states, include state property taxes which reduce an expense that customers would otherwise have separately.
  7. Not a Ford buy back instance, but a dealership buy back that I was directly involved in back in 1986 at the end of the Model Year. The customer had his 1986 Ford Escort GT in for service and the vehicle was up on the old-style hydraulic lift that was sunk in the floor. The lift collapsed and the vehicle was totaled so it became a dealership issue and expense to replace the vehicle. The customer was always difficult (S.O.B.) and insisted that we replaced the vehicle with an 'exact" replacement. It was at the end of the 1986 Model Year and too late to order a replacement vehicle from the factory. It was impossible to locate an "exact" replacement at another dealership that we could trade for, as every vehicle in stock at any other dealership within hundreds of miles had the optional AM/FM Stereo Cassette. The customer demanded an "exact" replacement vehicle and would not accept any changes including the paint color. I located a vehicle that was the closest match but equipped with the optional AM/FM Stereo Cassette option, and then met with the dealership's office manager to discuss the situation. I explained the customer's demands for an "exact" vehicle replacement and told him that I then wanted to dealer trade for the replacement vehicle with an AM/FM Stereo Cassette, and then install the customer's AM/FM Stereo radio from his original vehicle so that he'd have an "exact" replacement as he demanded. The office manager agreed with me and approved the extra dealership expense to swap out the Cassette unit with the customer's AM/FM Stereo radio. We did the dealer trade, swapped out the Cassette unit, installed the customer's AM/FM Stereo unit and delivered the vehicle to the customer. The customer read the Window Sticker and saw that the replacement vehicle was built with the optional AM/FM Stereo Cassette but was now equipped only with the AM/FM Stereo. When he asked about it, I explained to him that we were delivering the "exact" replacement per his demands and had he been even a little flexible that we would have given him the AM/FM Stereo Cassette at the dealership's expense.
  8. Ford has its own requirements regarding "Buy Back" qualifications, but these requirements can be superseded by applicable consumer protection state laws that address the issue. As such, the qualifications can vary. Years ago (25+) it could be very difficult to get Ford to agree to do a buy back, which favored Ford then, but it's changed a lot over the years and is now much more favorable to the consumer.
  9. Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr Resigns After EV Push Goes Bust https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/hertz-ceo-stephen-scherr-resigns-ev-push-goes-bust Hertz, one of the four largest car rental companies in the world, is replacing its CEO after the company reversed its bet on electric vehicle (EV) rentals over increasing costs. Stephen Scherr will step down as Hertz Global Holdings Inc.’s chief executive officer and member of the company’s Board of Directors effective March 31, the company announced Friday. Scherr led Hertz for just over two years after spending nearly three decades at Goldman Sachs. Scherr’s resignation comes as the car rental company struggles with the higher repair costs and low demand for EV rentals. In January, Hertz announced in financial filings that it had made the "strategic decision" to sell approximately 20,000 EVs from its U.S. fleet, or about one-third of its global EV fleet, and to instead invest in gas-powered cars. The Biden administration has previously lauded Hertz for its investment in EVs as the president made an aggressive push to broadly electrify the transportation sector as part of his climate agenda. Last month, Hertz announced its biggest quarterly loss since 2020 after its decision to pivot away from EVs. Scherr, 59, joined Hertz as the company was emerging from bankruptcy and began betting big on EVs. Hertz will replace Sherr with Gil West, the former Chief Operating Officer of Delta Airlines and General Motors' Cruise unit, effective April 1.
  10. Opinion: To EV Or Not to EV In CT? (New Haven Register - No Link Available) New Haven Register_2024-03-17_Opinion_To EV or Not to EV in CT.pdf
  11. I've wondered about the same thing often lately with issues continuing almost daily now along with more and more evidence about the poor manufacturing oversight within Boeing. As an engineer with 30 years' experience at Boeing, including as CEO, one can only imagine what Alan Mulally thinks of the current situation while the current CEO, focused on profits, remains in his position. Boeing is in serious trouble.
  12. The quality issues go back long before the pandemic impact, decades actually. Now Ford is finally implementing some form of accountability at last. Accountability, gee what a concept!
  13. Ford Management Bonuses Now Directly Tied to Quality https://fordauthority.com/2024/03/ford-management-bonuses-now-directly-tied-to-quality/ After facing numerous well-publicized quality issues in recent years – some of which stem from inefficiencies that went away and resurfaced – Ford has since begun the long process of rectifying that big problem, a solid portion of which originated during the pandemic. The automaker recently set varying best-in-class quality targets for its most popular models, though CEO Jim Farley also noted that while he expects this process to take years, initial quality has already improved as of late. When speaking during the automaker’s Q4 2023 earnings call with investors, Farley also revealed that Ford management bonuses are also now directly tied to quality, too. “Yeah, I mean I’ll give you example. Three years ago, to be very precise, three years ago, when we – it was the first year we had kind of record recalls in the U.S. I had just become a CEO and I looked at the performance management of the middle and entry managers – supply chain, manufacturing, and engineering. And 91 percent of them had 100 percent or more in their cash bonus. Okay?” Farley said. “So, now, that’s not the case. You have to set up a culture shift, performance reward system, where every engineering manager, purchasing component manager, every plant manager is fully accountable for the quality and cost of their work. I could give you 20 examples like that. Things that have changed now and we’re starting to see the results.” This change makes perfect sense, and is perhaps overdue after Farley recently admitted that he waited too long to address the company’s burgeoning quality woes. Regardless, FoMoCo has since begun using one of its rivals – Toyota – as a benchmark for quality, all while implementing new production process that are quite costly, yet are already resulting in fewer issues during new model launches.
  14. Except it's a matter of tax credits, not rebates. Also have to wonder how many customers were able to utilize the tax credits and to what extent. Even so, I have to think that many of those that were able to take full advantage of the tax credits didn't need them and could afford the vehicle anyway.
  15. Ford CEO Farley to Meet with Dealers as Concerns Persist https://fordauthority.com/2024/03/ford-ceo-farley-to-meet-with-dealers-as-concerns-persist/ Tensions between Ford dealers and the automaker itself have reached a bit of a boiling point as of late, spurred on by quality issues that were left to linger perhaps too long before being addressed, as well as the controversial Model e Certified program, which is required for dealers that wish to sell all-electric vehicles moving forward. In fact, 50 percent of dealers who opted in for that particular program wound up changing their mind later on, though the automaker has been taking feedback and tweaking its requirements at the same time – including a number related to substantial investments made on the behalf of dealers. Now, Ford CEO Jim Farley will meet with dealers to help address some of these lingering concerns, according to Automotive News. Farley plans to head out and hold meetings with a variety of dealers across the U.S. to get a better idea of what their specific concerns are, largely ones that revolve around electrification, affordability, and quality. This so-called “engagement tour” will consist of roughly a dozen individual sessions with around one-third of the Ford dealer network, starting in the automaker’s hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, and hitting cities such as Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta between now and May. “For us, it’s a great chance to sit with the dealers and discuss the challenges in the industry, whether they be compliance, regulatory issues, shifting [electric vehicle] curves or new competition,” Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue, told Automotive News. “It gives us the chance to ask questions of them and have them inform future decisions we’ll be making.” The idea for these Q&A sessions stems from the Ford National Dealer Council, which asked Farley to embark on this engagement tour at the NADA Show in Las Vegas – where some dealers felt a bit left out as they weren’t able to ask the CEO questions due to time constraints. The concept here is to talk to dealers that aren’t regular participants at events like council or committee meetings as well, which Farley believes will give him a broader and more accurate look at their concerns.
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