Tag: Ford

Mark LaNeve

Mark LaNeve is vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, a position he was named to in February 2015. In his role, LaNeve is responsible for all marketing, sales, service, customer care and dealer relations for the Ford and Lincoln brands. He is focused on continuing to build the Ford brand through innovative new digital… Continue reading Mark LaNeve

Exclusive: Ford likely to end independent India business with new Mahindra deal – sources

FILE PHOTO: The logo is seen on the bonnet of a new Ford Aspire car during its launch in New Delhi, India, October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co is nearing a deal with Mahindra & Mahindra to form a new joint-venture company in India, a move that will… Continue reading Exclusive: Ford likely to end independent India business with new Mahindra deal – sources

Ford, GM and Toyota set up a safety group for self-driving cars

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Aerial view, view from above, drone view, or birds eye view of a highway at night.

Ford, General Motors (GM) and Toyota, together with SAE International, have established a new consortium that will focus on the safety of autonomous vehicles.

In a statement Wednesday, SAE International, a global association of engineers, said the Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium (AVSC) would work “to safely advance testing, pre-competitive development and deployment of SAE Level 4 and 5 automated vehicles.”
SAE International has defined five “levels” of driving automation, with the highest being where a vehicle's automated features can drive itself under all conditions.
“We understand that autonomous vehicles need to operate safely and reliably in concert with infrastructure and other road users to earn the trust of the communities in which they are deployed,” Randy Visintainer, chief technology officer at Ford Autonomous Vehicles, said in a statement.
“Our goal with the consortium is to work with industry and government partners to expedite development of standards that can lead to rule making,” Visintainer added.

The executive director of the newly formed AVSC, Edward Straub, said that being able to advance the safe deployment of level four and level five vehicles represented “another exciting chapter in the realization of autonomous mobility and the benefits this will bring to people around the world.”
“To achieve these benefits, industry collaboration, cohesion and flexibility to merge new ideas with proven safety processes are critical,” Straub added.

While there is excitement surrounding the potential of autonomous vehicles, concerns have been raised with regards to safety. In March 2018, for example, one of ride-hailing powerhouse Uber's autonomous vehicles killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona.

When it comes to regulation, there are also a host of questions to be answered. “There are no rules right now, international rules, on how to regulate automated vehicles,” Philippe Crist, from the International Transport Forum, told CNBC in January 2018.

“The safety regulation of automated vehicles will have to be the same as for regular vehicles, using the same principles,” Crist added.

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Ford sales fall 1.6% due to unpopular cars, but truck, vans and SUVs gain

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Shoppers at a Ford dealership in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Ford's first-quarter sales fell 1.6% from a year earlier, but sales of trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles grew, the company said Thursday.

A 24.1% decline in sales of ever less-popular passenger cars dragged down what was otherwise a positive quarter for the nation's second-largest automaker.

Ford's premium Lincoln brand grew sales 11.2%, making it Lincoln's best first quarter in ten years. Ford brand SUV sales set a first-quarter record.

It's more evidence that vehicle sales in the world's second-largest auto market are sliding from the record levels they had achieved in the years following the financial crisis.

U.S. retail auto sales, which exclude sales to rental car companies and other commercial businesses, are expected to drop by about 5%during the first quarter, according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive.

While sales volumes are softening, especially for cheaper cars, customers are still paying remarkably high prices for cars, said Thomas King, senior vice president of J.D. Power's data and analytics division. Prices are hitting monthly records while overall retail sales of vehicles that cost under $25,000 are expected to fall 12% in the U.S. in the quarter, more than double the overall decline.

That rang true for Ford, which saw demand for its more expensive trucks and SUVs tick up during the quarter. Sales of Ford's pickup trucks, vans and SUVs, including Lincoln SUVs, made up 83% of the company's total vehicle sales during the quarter.

Pickups alone, led by its popular F-150 line, accounted for almost half of Ford's total volume with the average sales price of $47,454, the company said.

“Customers continue to choose high series and the latest technologies,” Ford said.

Ford truck and SUV sales rose 4% and 3.5%, respectively, while Lincoln SUV sales jumped by 23.2%.

Lime just pulled its scooters out of Lubbock ahead of tonight’s NCAA game

Lubbock fans watching tonight’s NCAA Men’s National Championship basketball game between the University of Virginia and Texas Tech will have numerous ways to celebrate if the latter wins, but riding Lime-branded electric scooters will not be among them. Six months after Lime rolled out its motorized vehicles in Lubbock — the city in Northwest Texas… Continue reading Lime just pulled its scooters out of Lubbock ahead of tonight’s NCAA game

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer Interview: Making His Marque | Motoring | Drive – Luxury London

Dubbed the most influential person in the automotive industry, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer has breathed new life into the 106-year-old company, making it the world’s fastest-growing car manufacturer. Following the launch of the brand’s first ever SUV, he talks success stories, company cars and why his future plans involve more than just motors. “I… Continue reading Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer Interview: Making His Marque | Motoring | Drive – Luxury London

Ford Develops Smart Algorithm To Identify Most Beneficial Sites For Chargers

Charging point localization to be decided using big data? Preparing for electrification in Europe, Ford is developing a smart algorithm that would help to identify the most beneficial places to install charging stations. Ford is using driving data from more than 1 million kilometers in the UK. The company fitted 160 connected vans with devices to… Continue reading Ford Develops Smart Algorithm To Identify Most Beneficial Sites For Chargers