From today's Autoline Daily:
And what does Ford see coming for the future? It just took out a line of credit with JP Morgan Chase for $3 billion. Remember, this is a company that finished the first quarter with $20 billion in cash on hand and another $14 billion in liquid securities. And yet, it wanted to have access to another $3 billion. Of course, the best time to get a bank to approve a line of credit is when you don’t need it. But this probably means that Ford sees a flashing yellow icon on its dashboard and wants to be ready in case things start to go upside down.
Ford Opens $3 Billion Line Of Credit Amid Uncertain Market
According to CBT News, Ford has secured a $3 billion term loan credit agreement that’s being administered by JP Morgan Chase, but is otherwise divided between multiple lenders. The automaker stated that it made this move proactively as it works to give itself some financial flexibility and increase liquidity, which is key during these times of economic uncertainties. It would also help The Blue Oval better navigate a potential downturn in regard to demand for its products, which could happen if tariffs result in price increases over the coming months.
Such a move is nothing new, of course, as we just saw Ford take out an additional $4 billion dollar line of credit back in August 2023. At the time – when Ford was dealing with uncertain demand for EVs and negotiations pertaining to a new UAW contract – it noted that this gave the company “additional working capital flexibility on top of our already strong liquidity position to manage through a variety of uncertainties in the present environment. Especially over the last several years, we’ve been deliberate in maintaining a strong cash and total liquidity position so we can run the business as it is today and invest in the business that we envision.”
That one above looks like door ends at trim piece before getting to wheel well opening. First car I ever noticed built with door extending to wheel opening was Chevy Corsica decades ago and was shocked anyone would design that; looked cheap as hell. You’re correct it has become common though there are plenty of vehicles that separate door from wheel well opening. Some seem to break the trim piece in two with forward section attached to door, making it slightly better but horrible to me nonetheless. I can only justify cutting corners to a point, and this issue crosses the line for me. I know plenty of buyers are fine with it which is OK, and others don’t even notice it, but I do. Must be to save cost because it started with cheaper vehicles and has been working its way up.
It’s common but not universal yet.