Tag: Ford

Top Automotive Industry News for Week of November 5 – November 11, 2018

Here is the most important news associated with the automotive industry
identified by the AEA for the week of November 5, 2018 -November 11, 2018.

We hope it helps you stay up to speed on the key developments in our
industry:

-Automotive Manufacturing News-

First ex-UAW official sentenced in FCA-related scandal; gets 1 year

(Detroit Free Press)

Ford plans construction on Michigan Central Depot by year's end

(Detroit Free Press)

Former Tesla employee charged with embezzling $9.3 million from Elon
Musk's company

(MarketWatch)

Is Toyota Next to Pare Back its Passenger Car Line?

(The Detroit Bureau)

Tesla picks an insider to be chairwoman, fueling doubt Elon Musk will
be reined in

(LA Times)

The gas engine still has a long life to live, Aston Martin CEO says

(CNBC)

VW planning $21K EV to challenge Tesla

(The Detroit News)

VW takes another shot at compact pickup market

(The Detroit News)

White House, California to discuss vehicle emissions rules next week

(autoblog)

Why GM is moving 3,000 workers from Pontiac to Warren

(Detroit Free Press)

-Automotive Evolution News-

8 concept cars that show how technology will dominate the drive of the
future

(CNBC)

Autonomous Cars Face Big Hurdles; They Will Succeed, But When?

(Forbes)

Daimler And Bosch Choose San Jose For Their Silicon Valley Robo-Taxi
Service

(Forbes)

GM's future lineup will run on electricity, drive itself — and fly

(Detroit Free Press)

Mercedes-Benz, Bosch to offer self-driving car rides in San Jose,
California

(USA Today)

Tesla Drivers Report Autopilot Disengaging While Driving Due To
Software Bug

(Forbes)

This Robot Truck Startup May Have An Edge Over Waymo In Bad-Weather
Driving

(Forbes)

Uber rival Taxify says it can grow 100 times bigger in the scooter and
ride-hailing market

(CNBC)

Uber ups its driver perks with 'Pro' program, including free college
education

(USA Today)

-Automotive Retail News-

Better inventory listings, lead management anchor more sales

(Auto Remarketing)

CarGurus Helps Dealerships Solve for Attribution with More Insight

(PR Newswire)

Dealertrack Looks to Speed Car Buying Process

(Auto Finance News)

Jumpstart: Car Buyers Want to Negotiate

(Auto Dealer Monthly)

Lithia and Shift to operate separately and share technology

(Auto Remarketing)

Luxury car owners trade up for American pickups as Ford, GM and Ram
trucks dominate market

(CNBC)

Millennials Spending Big on Cars — With Auto Loans to Match

(The Detroit Bureau)

Used car payments hit record $400 per month as prices top $20,000

(USA Today)

Used-Car Prices Reach 13-Year High in Third Quarter

(Vehicle Remarketing)

Used Vehicle Prices Rising, Pushing Buyers to Look at Leasing

(The Detroit Bureau)

-Automotive Wholesale News-

Compact Van Values Dip at Start of November

(Vehicle Remarketing)

-Automotive Ownership News-

Where your car is most likely to be stolen in every state

(USA Today)

-Automotive Enthusiast News-

Inside the World's Most Valuable Hot Wheels Collection

(Car and Driver)

With millions at stake, car collectors scour Earth for lost classics

(Detroit Free Press)

-Automotive Servicing News-

Mazda to recall 640,000 vehicles globally over diesel engine issue

(Reuters)

Subaru recalls nearly 400K vehicles to fix stalling problems

(Detroit Free Press)

U.S. agency probes 1.7 million GM SUVs over wiper failures

(Reuters)

-General Business & Executive News-

CDK Global Names Brian Krzanich President and Chief Executive Officer

(CDK)

Ford buys electric scooter startup Spin, joining competitors Bird and
Lime

(USA Today)

Harley-Davidson's electric motorcycle signals a big change for the
legendary, but troubled, company

(CNBC)

Tesla’s Booming Model 3 Sales and More This Week In The Future Of Cars

(Wired)

Time Dealer Of The Year

(Automotive News)

VW Considers Investing in Ford-Backed Autonomous Unit Argo

(Bloomberg)

-AEA Reminder-

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The Lincoln Aviator suggests the luxury American brand ‘has got its mojo back’

Source: Lincoln
Lincoln Aviator

The Lincoln Aviator is the latest new model from the luxury American brand, and industry watchers say it is yet more evidence that the brand has returned to its roots.

After showing off a concept version of the vehicle at the New York Auto Show in early 2018, the brand is unveiling the production version at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday.

The Aviator comes as Lincoln is still enjoying the astounding success it has had with the 2018 redesign of the Lincoln Navigator. After Lincoln introduced that vehicle, the company was selling them so fast it was having trouble keeping production up. That momentum has largely continued throughout the year. In the month of October Navigator sales were up 70 percent over the same month in 2017. Many customers are opting for the most luxurious versions, such as the Black Label, which can command prices up to $100,000.

Now the brand is aiming to repeat the trick in another segment.

The 2019 Lincoln Aviator is a smaller SUV than the Navigator, and it is the latest step Ford's luxury brand is taking in carving out a place for itself as a purveyor of spacious and comfortable SUVs that float over the pavement.

Source: Lincoln
Lincoln Aviator

The Aviator is a resurrected brand — Lincoln first sold it from 2002 to 2005. The Aviator shares some design language with the Navigator, such as the distinctive design of its wheels and its plush leather seats.

But there are several firsts here that suggest Lincoln is not simply trying to make a smaller Navigator replica. The brand commissioned the Detroit Symphony to design all the interior alert chimes for the doors. The vehicle also has the ability to “see” potholes and uneven pavement and adjust the suspension to keep the ride smooth.

“It is not overstating it to say Lincoln has got its mojo back,” said Karl Brauer, who is executive publisher for Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. “The company in the last couple of years has made some really positive moves.”

The models Lincoln has come out with recently, including the Navigator and the Continental full-size sedan, show that the company has tried to carve more of a traditionally American niche out for itself by making vehicles that emphasize plush interiors and gentle, floating rides. This is a departure from older habits in Detroit of trying to make American versions of European brands that emphasized sportier designs and features, such as those found in BMWs.

“I think Lincoln discovered that they were much better at being Lincoln than they were at being the American version of BMW,” he said.

That said, it is perfectly fine if Lincoln wants to come out with a high-performance variant of a sedan or SUV, he added. The Aviator will offer a performance trim level of the vehicle that will come with a combination hybrid and twin turbocharged powertrain that Lincoln said is a first for the brand.

AFL-CIO worries GM job cuts are a ‘smokescreen for offshoring’

AFL-CIO’s policy director on General Motor’s decision to lay off thousands
4 Hours Ago | 05:13

The AFL-CIO labor union is worried that General Motors' decision this week to halt production at several factories and cut thousands of jobs in the U.S. could be a pretext for sending work outside the country where labor costs are significantly cheaper.

“This situation is really about whether or not GM is going to put new work into these plants or whether this is a smoke screen for offshoring work,” AFL-CIO policy director, Damon Silvers said on CNBC's Power Lunch.

GM was not immediately available for comment. The automaker said Monday it will begin phasing out the production of several vehicles at a number of factories in the United States and Canada.

GM has said it is cutting production of these vehicles in part because they are slow-selling, but Silvers said GM recently decided to start making the Chevrolet Blazer SUV in Mexico, rather than the plant in Lordstown, Ohio that it plans to wind down.

GM has a “particularly bad history” compared with Ford and Chrysler of looking to move jobs off shore he said.

Successful auto companies worldwide pay decent wages and benefits to high-skilled workers, Silvers said.

“The bottom feeders do things like exploit $2-an-hour wages, which is what GM pays in some of its factories in Mexico,” he said. “What we want them to do is to be in a first tier strategy that really takes advantage of the skills and capacity … of America's workers and America's communities.”

15 Hurdles To The Industrialization Of Driverless Cars (Part 1 Of 3) – Forbes

Photocredit: GettyGetty Will the future of driverless cars rhyme with the history of the Segway? The Segway personal transporter was also predicted to revolutionize transportation. Steve Jobs gushed that cities would be redesigned around the device. John Doerr said it would be bigger than the Internet. The Segway worked technically but never lived up to its backers’ outsized hopes for market… Continue reading 15 Hurdles To The Industrialization Of Driverless Cars (Part 1 Of 3) – Forbes

Ford Statement on Business Transformation

About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions.… Continue reading Ford Statement on Business Transformation

TrustFord network review continues with sale of three dealerships

TrustFord has disposed of three dealerships to Pentagon as part of its ongoing review of its property portfolio. The Ford businesses at Warrington, St Helens and Runcorn will be rebranded as Pentagon Ford. The Pentagon deal follows the disposal in January of four dealerships in London to Gates. Stuart Foulds, chairman and CEO of TrustFord,… Continue reading TrustFord network review continues with sale of three dealerships

The Noble M500 is a new, ‘user-friendly’ British supercar – Top Gear

Well this is exciting. Noble has brought a new car to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and it’s a brand new model that’ll sit below the M600 in both power and price. It’s the less scary, more affordable one. ‘Model’ is very much the key word for now, though. “I first sketched it six months ago,”… Continue reading The Noble M500 is a new, ‘user-friendly’ British supercar – Top Gear

Ford Canada CEO says firm has no plans for GM-style auto plant shutdown

OTTAWA, Nov 26 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co has no plans to carry out an auto plant shutdown in Canada along the lines of the closure announced by General Motors Co, the head of the automaker’s Canadian operation said on Monday. “(We have) no plans to do anything like that,” Mark Buzzell, president and chief… Continue reading Ford Canada CEO says firm has no plans for GM-style auto plant shutdown