ice-capades

And now you're using personal attacks to get your point across? Knock it off!

Considering that Ford marked the Mustang's 60th Anniversary yesterday, it would please a lot of Mustang retail order customers if Ford finally set up a delivery center at Flat Rock for retail order customers, along with plant tours. After all, Chevrolet's been doing it for Corvette customers for years at the Corvette Plant in Bowling Green. Unfortunately, the Flat Rock plant's long-term status has remained in limbo for many years due to numerous factors.

This morning's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven) $3.67 Regular (Cash) @ Hamden Gulf $3.69 Regular (Cash) @ Hamden, Citgo

Ford Mustang Experience Center Officially Revealed https://fordauthority.com/2024/04/ford-mustang-experience-center-officially-revealed/ Ford has been rapidly expanding its list of post-purchase experiences as of late, opening up the Bronco Off-Roadeo to the general public and those that buy used models, adding the new Ford Ranger Raptor Assault School and the Ford Mustang Dark Horse Track Attack Experience, and opening a brand new Ford Performance Racing School location in Tooele, Utah, which will serve as the base of operations for the outfit’s off-road driving programs in that area. Now, as part of the ongoing Mustang 60th anniversary celebration, The Blue Oval has revealed the new Ford Mustang Experience Center, too. The Ford Mustang Experience Center is currently set to open next year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, and is designed to become the prime destination for all things pony car. That means fans will be able to hit the track, purchase merchandise, or just soak in the long and illustrious history of the iconic Mustang in general. This particular venue adds to the recently-announced the Ford Mustang Unleashed Tour, which will provide fans in select U.S. cities with the opportunity to soak in some hot laps, line lock demos, and check out various pony cars up close as well. “Mustang has always been about more than just the car; it’s the experiences that come with it, from road trips to track days to cars & coffee,” said Matt Simpson, Ford Enthusiast Vehicles general manager. “Mustang Experience Center is poised to become a special gathering place for the Mustang community, weaving the spirit of the car and Charlotte Motor Speedway together to create new memories.” “The addition of the Mustang Experience Center is also driving an expansion of hands-on track instruction at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ford Performance Racing School’s Mustang Unleashed, a new program for Mustang EcoBoost and GT, builds on the Dark Horse Track Attack program so all 2024 Mustang owners can learn how to get the most fun and performance out of their cars.”

It's not a matter of volume with the base models. The biggest value with the base models is for the marketing value to help drive showroom traffic and to offer customers a lower priced, more affordable vehicle which also helps lower the monthly payment where needed.

After the impact of the pandemic, we kept hearing that Ford was "right sizing" its inventory, moving to a more retail order focused system, etc. They had the opportunity to balance inventory vs. demand with the benefit to reduce the decades long dependence on incentives in order to move product. Now they've gone back to ramping up production, increasing inventory and resumed using incentives to varying degrees. In addition, there are no longer "entry models" with the exception of Maverick which easily exceeds $30,000. I'm not suggesting the return of coupes or sedans as has been argued so often. However, base models have been eliminated forcing customers into higher priced trims. Along with the substantial price increases, Ford and its competitors have priced themselves out of the market and forcing customers to buy pre-owned vehicles. Short term thinking doesn't solve long term issues.

Eh... not impressed at all.

2025 Ford Mustang 60th Anniversary Package Adds Retro Flair to a Modern Pony It will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles. https://www.autoblog.com/2024/04/17/2025-ford-mustang-60th-anniversary-package-adds-retro-flair-to-a-modern-pony/ The Ford Mustang famously made its debut at the 1964 World's Fair in New York, instantly capturing America's attention and garnering enough interest to sell more than 400,000 units in its first year and over a million within its first two years on the market. There were some funny timing quirks that leave historians with a 1964.5 Ford Mustang, but its first official full year on sale was 1965. And that means 2025 is the original pony car's 60th anniversary. You didn't think Ford was going to let that milestone pass without a special edition, did you? And so here we are with the Ford Mustang 60th Anniversary package, available on the 2025 Mustang GT Premium trim in both coupe and convertible styles. They'll all be powered by 5.0-liter V8 engines, and buyers can choose between automatic and manual transmission options. Each car will get 60th Anniversary badges on the fenders and trunk lid, unique 20-inch wheels in Dark Gravity Gray with bright machined details finished in Vermillion Red. "Retro-themed" stamped aluminum center caps that are said to be inspired by the ones from the 1965 Mustang and bodyside graphics in either Iconic Silver or Vermillion Red are obvious throwback elements, while the grille is, Ford says (though we can't say we see it), a modern take on the mesh design of the original's. Wimbledon White, Race Red and Vapor Blue make up the very patriotic color palette. Inside, a 60th Anniversary dash plaque will display the car's serial number, which will be somewhere between 1 and 1,965 — another callout to the car's first full year in production. Interior colors will consist of Space Gray, Carmine Red or Black Onyx options. The order books are scheduled to open up this summer, though pricing data are not yet available.

Ford Mustang 60th Anniversary Package Draws on Classic Style of 1965 Original https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2024/04/17/ford-mustang-global-gallop-celebrates-mustang-60-around-the-worl.html

I'm seeing Lincoln Nautilus commercials constantly on the Pluto TV streaming service. After more than 35 years producing, directing and editing advertising commercials, these Lincoln spots are the worst I've ever seen from an OEM. The close-up product shots are weak, there's too much time showing the driver without impact and the exit shot is useless as far as identifying the product, etc. The production studio I worked with previously for years represented about 20 major clients and would be embarrassed to release spots of this caliber.

This morning's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven) $3.55 Regular (Cash) @ Hamden Gulf $3.59 Regular (Cash) @ Hamden, Citgo Prices going up every couple of days recently.

Based on all the recent reports from customers that took delivery of a CyberTruck, it'll be interesting to see how long it takes Tesla to cut their losses and drop it so they can address other priorities.

Most customers have no idea where vehicles are made. Unless they look at a Window Sticker closely, or the Dealer tells them, they'd have no idea. Enthusiasts of course would find out.

I'd have to agree with you based on my direct experience with Shelby years ago. Just calling to check on the status of a vehicle, their attitude was anything but professional and beyond arrogant.

I can't answer your specific question. However, if you give the VIN number to a Ford or Lincoln Dealer, they should be able to run the OASIS report which will provide the service history for the vehicle.

Ford recently announced a major shipping release for F-Series vehicles that had been held for various reasons. Your Dealer has 24/7 access to the VINView reporting system that provides the latest vehicle status including vehicle location, shipping release, rail carrier and rail car number, dealership ETA, etc. Your Dealer can send you a copy of the actual report. Retail orders are automatically flagged as "HOT" to help expedite delivery, in addition to the green Window Stickers that identify retail orders. Do not rely on sales representatives for status information. Most are not experienced with the retail order process and/or have access to the resources available. Deal directly with the sales manager or higher.

Tesla to Lay Off More Than 10% of Workforce, Report Says https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/tesla-to-lay-off-more-than-10-of-workforce-report-says Tesla is preparing to lay off more than 10% of its global workforce following weak first quarter deliveries and increasing competition in the electric vehicle (EV) market, according to a report. A leaked internal email from CEO Elon Musk said that the automaker is looking to cut costs and increase productivity after years of rapid growth that have led to duplication in some roles and functions in certain areas of the company, tech publication Electrek reported on Monday. The world's most valuable automaker employs about 140,473 workers worldwide, Reuters reported, citing Tesla’s latest annual report. The reported staffing reduction will affect about 15,000 employees. Tesla did not immediately respond to FOX Business Digital’s request for comment. The reported lay-offs come after Electrek reported that Tesla had told managers to identify critical team members, paused some stock rewards, canceled some worker’s annual reviews and reduced production at Gigafactory Shanghai. Earlier this month, it was reported that Tesla's quarterly deliveries declined for the first time in nearly four years and fell short of Wall Street analysts' estimates. Tesla announced at the time that it delivered roughly 387,000 vehicles in the first quarter – well below expectations of about 443,000 and an 8.5% decrease compared to the first quarter of last year. The automaker has also faced an escalating price war in China, a key market for the EV maker, as low-cost competitors like BYD forced it to reduce prices and cut into its margins. Reuters also reported earlier this month that Tesla was abandoning its long-touted plans to produce a budget-friendly starter car, purportedly called Model 2, that was expected to start at $25,000. Musk at the time accused Reuters of "lying," though the outlet responded that he didn’t identify any specific inaccuracies in its reporting.

This morning's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven) $3.49 Regular (Cash) @ Hamden Gulf $3.59 Regular (Cash) @ Hamden, Citgo

This morning's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven) $3.45 Regular (Cash) @ Hamden Gulf $3.59 Regular (Cash) @ Hamden, Citgo

Priority codes only apply to unscheduled orders. Once the order is scheduled, priority codes have no function. Ford has substantially increased its attention to quality control issues and has been holding produced vehicles for additional inspections, repairs to identified issues, software upgrades, etc. in order to reduce issues that have to be addressed at the dealership level and to reduce the related expenses. Your Dealer has 24/7 access to the VINView reporting system which provides the latest status updates including vehicle location, shipping release notifications, rail car carrier and rail car number, dealership ETA, etc. The VINView system provides the latest information available and is more accurate and timely compared to Ford e-mail notifications. Within the past few days, Ford announced a major shipping release for F-Series vehicles. As such, your Dealer should have updated information on your vehicle very soon.

I'll have to disagree a bit with @akirby on this one. It goes well beyond borderline incompetence! The GSM shouldn't have asked the Fleet Manager for advice as the fleet order process is completely different from the retail order process, with priority codes that indicate a requested production week and a lot of other differences. And a GSM that doesn't know about the new retail order priority codes, how to contact the Ford Zone Manager, about retail order priority codes and reprioritizing at the regional level, etc... inexcusable!

This afternoon's gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven)  $3.37 Regular (Cash) @ Gulf  $3.55 Regular (Cash) @ Citgo

There was a time, May 1977, when I was driving from LA to Las Vegas to meet friends in the entertainment business that I worked with. I left LA early in the morning for the 300-mile drive to Las Vegas and kept seeing billboards for 24-hour Denny's restaurants and decided to stop for breakfast at one advertised near the Nevada border. I took the exit ramp which was long and found as I got closer that the restaurant was closed. As such, I continued back onto the highway towards Las Vegas. Little did I know that a CHP (California Highway Patrol) followed me and pulled me over after getting back on the Interstate to Las Vegas. I had my cruise control set, was driving in the right-hand lane and was not speeding as I had plenty of time to spare to make it to Vegas to meet friends. I was driving my new 1976 Mercury Cougar XR-7 with CT plates, and he stopped me because he thought I was "casing" the restaurant or any other convenient location. He was also suspicious because I was driving a new car with CT plates. I gave him my CT Driver's License, Registration, Insurance Card and Ice Capades identification but he still issued me a citation. Not fun considering the situation and I had little choice but to pay the citation fee.

Ford EV Battery Plant in Michigan Has Smaller Footprint https://fordauthority.com/2024/04/ford-ev-battery-plant-in-michigan-has-smaller-footprint/ Facing legal challenges and bad reviews from local residents – even though it isn’t open yet – not to mention questions from lawmakers, the under-construction Ford EV battery plant known as BlueOval Battery Park Michigan has faced its fair share of adversity since it was originally announced. On top of that, falling demand for all-electric vehicles prompted FoMoCo to scale back billions in planned EV investments and push back the launch of two models, all while also cutting back its planned workforce at BlueOval Battery Park Michigan from 2,500 workers to 1,700 and dialing back planned production from 35 gigawatt hours to 20 annually. As such, the future Ford EV battery plant will also have a smaller footprint than originally expected when it’s completed, according to Bridge Michigan. As it continues to tweak its electrification strategy in a changing market, Ford remains committed to BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, which was originally expected to cost around $3.5 billion to erect. Now, The Blue Oval is looking to trim around $1 billion off that sum. Of the 2,000 acres at the Marshall Area Jobs, Opportunities, and Recreation Campus (MAJOR) where the future plant will be located, the facility will now take up around 500 acres – down a bit compared to the previously planned 730 acre footprint. This represents a 30 percent reduction in size that means the future Ford plant will only take up around a quarter of the total MAJOR site, much of which is located on the southern portion of that property near Marshall. Meanwhile, the developer of the site – Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA) – will retain control over the northern portion of that land. This means that Ford has changed its plans since November, when it originally announced that it was scaling back the size of BlueOval Battery Park Michigan from 950 acres to 730. That space also includes a planned conservation easement on the Kalamazoo River, which will remain in spite of this cutback. When completed, the land will house a 1.2 million-square-foot production building – roughly one-half the original planned size – though a 600,000-square-foot packing plant will be located next to it, along with a battery disassembly building and a disposal warehouse.

If, repeat if, this information is accurate, I'd have trouble believing that any Dealer having a 2025 Mustang GTD available wouldn't use an ADM to increase their dealership's profit on such a specialty vehicle. My dealership had a new Ford GT years ago it did not sell until the right customer was willing to pay a price well above the MSRP.