Daimler strengthens Ford ties with 3-cylinder engine project

May 24, 2013 06:01 CET
Daimler strengthened ties with Ford after consulting with the U.S. automaker on its three-cylinder turbo gasoline engine, which it is building with Renault for the next Smart and Twingo cars. Daimler and Renault are already collaborating with Ford in the development of fuel cell vehicles.... Read More »

 

Ford to shutter Australia car, engine plants in 2016

May 23, 2013 06:01 CET
Ford will close its Australian car and engine assembly plants in 2016, ending almost nine decades of manufacturing in the country.... Read More »

 

Ford to shutter Australia car, engine plants in 2016

8:04 pm U.S. ET | May 22, 2013
Ford, citing high operating costs, falling sales and financial losses, will close its Australian car and engine assembly plants in 2016, ending almost nine decades of manufacturing in the country. Ford, the smallest of the country's three manufacturers after Toyota and GM, will shut its assembly plant in Broadmeadows in northern Melbourne and an engine plant in Geelong to the west of the city, Ford Australia CEO Bob Graziano said.... Read More »

 

DAVE GUILFORD

Why Infiniti, Lincoln face the same challenge

2:51 pm U.S. ET | May 22, 2013
The luxury marque hasn't lived up to its dreams. In fact, there was talk that its parent company might kill it. Now with a dynamic new leader, it's trying to build buzz with a more exciting lineup.... Read More »

 

Ford, Chrysler to reduce summer shutdowns at most N.A. plants

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 22, 2013
Ford Motor and Chrysler Group said today they are scaling back annual summer production shutdowns this year in hopes of boosting output of key models in North America. General Motors declined to disclose specific summer plans.... Read More »

 

Ford to maintain Canadian factory footprint despite high labor costs

12:49 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Ford is confident it can preserve its manufacturing profile in Canada despite uncompetitive operating costs tied to the high Canadian dollar, the company's top executive in the country said today.... Read More »

 

TALK FROM THE TOP: JOE HINRICHS, PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAS, FORD MOTOR CO.

Hinrichs: Quality is 'of the highest priority' at Ford

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
After three frenetic years overseeing Ford's ambitious Asia Pacific expansion plans, including the construction of nine plants, Joe Hinrichs returned to the Dearborn, Mich., world headquarters in December to take over as president of the company's most profitable region: the Americas. Hinrichs found Ford's North American operations in the midst of a major growth spurt.... Read More »

 

2 SCREENS BETTER THAN 1

Auto marketers want TV viewers to reach for another device

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
TV promotions still reach the biggest audiences, but auto marketers say the greatest untapped potential lies with consumers poised to use other devices to respond quickly to what they see on screen.... Read More »

 

European car sales post 1st gain in 19 months

5:19 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013
European car sales rose for the first time in 19 months as a gain in consumer sentiment in countries using the euro led to rebounds in Germany and Spain. Still, the European auto market is at a two-decade low, and industry executives are forecasting a drop of about 5 percent for 2013 amid a recession in the 17-nation euro zone.... Read More »

 

Subaru, Mitsubishi small crossovers top new crash test

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 16, 2013
The Subaru Forester and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport have won top honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, becoming the only small SUVs to ace the group's new "small overlap" crash test.... Read More »

 

Ford to shift Fiesta output to Thailand from Mexico, report says

4:07 pm U.S. ET | May 16, 2013
Ford, moving to ease production constraints in North America, plans to shift output of the Fiesta subcompact from Mexico to Thailand in 2016, The Detroit News reported today.... Read More »

 

Detroit 3 research group targets next-gen hybrid, EV batteries

3:46 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
With the U.S. Department of Energy's help, a research group managed by the Detroit 3 is launching a drive to speed development of next-generation battery technologies for hybrids and electric vehicles, the department said today.... Read More »

 

Ford aid from Spain probed by EU antitrust regulators

May 15, 2013 12:19 CET
European Union antitrust regulators will investigate whether a 25.2 million euro ($32.71 million) grant given by Spanish authorities to Ford's factory in Valencia breached EU state aid rules.... Read More »

 

Lawsuit claims defects in Ford 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine

1:07 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
Ford is being sued by three vehicle owners in Ohio because of alleged defects in the automaker's six-cylinder EcoBoost engine.... Read More »

 

Ford will build EcoSport in Russia for local market

May 15, 2013 08:57 CET
Ford's Russian joint venture will begin building the EcoSport compact SUV in Russia next year for the local market, at a time when the demand for small SUVs is gaining traction in the country..... Read More »

 

Ford's Russian joint venture will build engine plant

May 14, 2013 14:13 CET
Ford's Russian joint venture will invest $274 million to build a new powertrain plant in Tatarstan. The plant will manufacture three different versions of 1.6-liter Duratec engines starting in December 2015.... Read More »

 

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE

Nissan plans potentially polarizing changes to top-selling Qashqai

May 14, 2013 06:01 CET
Nissan promises an innovative new look for the next Qashqai – the automaker's top-selling model in Europe – when the replacement debuts early next year.... Read More »

 

Ford must switch gears, tout trucks, Mustang

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Ford-brand marketers face an interesting challenge. After spending millions of dollars over the last several years promoting a lineup of fuel-efficient small- and mid-sized cars and crossovers, two historic launches loom on Ford's near-term horizon: the next-generation F-series pickup and the 50th anniversary Mustang pony car.... Read More »

 

Domestic brands score well in owner-perception survey

8:00 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Volkswagen Group and Ford fared well among automakers in an annual study released today measuring quality and how deeply consumers feel about a new car or light-truck purchase after several months of ownership.... Read More »

 

China is a learning lab for Lincoln

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Lincoln is studying the habits of luxury shoppers at Shanghai's luxury malls for new ideas in customer service that eventually could find their way back to U.S. dealerships.... Read More »

 

Progress in supplier relations stalls

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Automakers in North America failed to make progress in improving relations with suppliers over the past year, an annual study says.... Read More »

 

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE

Ford makes fresh start in Europe

May 13, 2013 06:01 CET
Ford will use this month's UEFA Champions League soccer final to launch a new pan-European advertising campaign that focuses on its affordable, user-friendly technologies. It is just one aspect of a multi-faceted marketing overhaul the automaker hopes will help to stem its sales and profitability slump in Europe.... Read More »

 

MARKETING EXECUTIVE Q&A: TOBY BARLOW

Marketer uses customers' voices to tell the Ford story

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Toby Barlow, chief creative officer of the Team Detroit ad agency, has the job of telling the Ford brand story. Barlow and Team Detroit have relied heavily on customer testimonials.... Read More »

 

In boon for Japan's automakers, yen tumbles over milestone

10:21 pm U.S. ET | May 9, 2013
Toyota's half-decade of fighting the yen is over, at least for now. The weakening yen breached 100 against the dollar in U.S. trading on Thursday, paving the way for Japanese automakers to emerge from an unprecedented stretch where the currency's appreciation roiled their ability to sell cars overseas at a profit.... Read More »

 

Bill Ford tells shareholders to be patient about stock price

11:21 am U.S. ET | May 9, 2013
Executive Chairman Bill Ford asked for patience from Ford Motor investors who pressed him about the company's languishing stock price at the automaker's annual meeting here today. Despite 15 straight profitable quarters, Ford's share price has lagged the S&P 500's gains for about two years.... Read More »