Oct 1st, 2009

FORD'S STRONG NEW PRODUCTS DRIVE INDUSTRY'S ONLY 3RD QTR U.S. SALES BOOST FROM FULL-LINE MAKERS

• Ford, Lincoln and Mercury U.S. third quarter sales increased 5 percent versus a year ago and U.S. market share increased 2 points

• Ford July sales were up 2 percent and August sales were up 17 percent, more than offsetting September’s 6 percent post-Cash for Clunkers decline in the quarter

• Ford’s balanced lineup of strong products, led by Focus, Fusion, Escape and F-Series, driving sales and share gains

• All-new Taurus sales momentum accelerates in September; year-to-year sales up 60 percent and month-to-month sales up 49 percent

• F-Series posts second consecutive monthly sales increase in September

• EcoBoost engine launch continues; September sales were nearly triple August, customer demand outstripping projections

Download Full Sales Release (With Tables)

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct., 1, 2009 – Ford, Lincoln and Mercury third quarter sales were 5 percent higher than a year ago in the U.S., making Ford the only full-line manufacturer to report a sales increase in the period.

In September, Ford sales were 6 percent lower than a year ago.  This followed a 2 percent increase in July and a 17 percent increase in August, marking the first time in four years that Ford is reporting a quarterly sales increase.

Ford estimates it gained over 2 points of market share versus last year in September and the third quarter.  September marked the 11th time in the last 12 months Ford has gained retail market share.

“Our balanced new lineup of high-quality, fuel-efficient products helped us navigate through an exceptional period in industry sales,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.  “With its volatile sales peaks and valleys and dramatic segment shifts, the third quarter was a great test of our One Ford Plan – building a range of vehicles from small cars to hard-working trucks.”

Ford’s third quarter market share gains were paced by the Ford Focus small car, Ford Fusion mid-size car, Ford Escape small utility and Ford F-Series trucks.  Internal and external studies continue to show a positive trend in favorable consumer opinion about Ford, and a growing number of consumers are considering the purchase of a Ford vehicle.

Third Quarter Sales Highlights

• Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totaled 445,100, up 5 percent versus a year ago.  Retail sales were up 7 percent, and fleet sales were down 1 percent.
• Ford Focus sales totaled 56,559, up 35 percent versus a year ago.  The Focus is among the most fuel-efficient compact cars in America with an EPA highway rating of 35 mpg.
• Ford Fusion sales totaled 49,454, up 67 percent versus a year ago.  Mercury Milan sales were 8,352, up 57 percent.  The Fusion and Milan and their hybrid versions are the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedans in America.
• Ford Escape sales totaled 49,866, up 48 percent versus a year ago.  Mercury Mariner sales were 8,938, up 33 percent.  The Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid are the most fuel-efficient utility vehicles in America.
• Ford Flex sales totaled 9,815, up 59 percent versus a year ago.  The Flex is among the most fuel-efficient full-size crossover utilities in America.
• Ford’s hybrid vehicles – Fusion, Milan, Escape and Mariner – posted combined sales of 12,186, up 239 percent versus a year ago.  At 41 miles per gallon, the Fusion Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedan in America – 8 mpg better than the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

September Sales Highlights

• In September, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totaled 109,939, down 6 percent versus a year ago.  Retail sales were down 14 percent, and fleet sales were up 23 percent.
• The all-new Taurus bucked an industry trend as September sales (5,077 vehicles) were 60 percent higher than a year ago and 49 percent higher than August.  The Taurus debuted to rave reviews from the automotive press, and early customer demand validates the critical acclaim.  Customers especially value the new technologies incorporated in America’s most innovative full-size sedan – 95 percent of incoming Taurus orders are equipped with advanced technologies and features.
• Ford’s F-Series truck, America’s best-selling vehicle, posted its second consecutive sales increase in September (up 4 percent).  The new F-150 was introduced last fall and was named the North American Truck of the Year, Motor Trend’s “Truck of the Year” and the “Truck of Texas” by the Texas Auto Writers’ Association.  In 2009, F-Series has gained more than 3 points of market share in the full-size truck segment.  The all-new Ford-150 Raptor extreme performance truck debuted in August and this model is flying off dealer lots in an average of nine days.  More new Ford trucks are on the way.  In September, Ford unveiled the next-generation Super Duty F-Series at the State Fair of Texas, promising more capability, improved fuel economy and a Ford-designed, engineered and built 6.7-liter diesel engine.
• Ford’s new EcoBoost engine technology is winning customers, too.  EcoBoost provides customers with the fuel economy of a V-6 engine and the performance of a V-8 engine (up to 20 percent improvement in fuel economy and 15 percent reduction in emissions).  EcoBoost is standard on the Taurus SHO and available on the Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT, a new full-size luxury crossover.  September EcoBoost sales nearly tripled August sales, and order rates for EcoBoost continue to exceed planned rates.

Source: Ford Motor Company

Sep 30th, 2009

Driver Distraction – Don’t Type a Comment on This Article if You’re Driving

Ford hosted another Driving Skills for Life driving camp in Washington D.C. just before a two-day summit created by the U.S. Department of Transportation on the topic of distracted driving. The connection of the two is a natural. The Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp educates and trains teens on safe driving, and the U.S. government found that in 2008, the age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group. In fact, 16 percent of all under-20 drivers in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. Vehicle crashes are the top killer of teenagers in America, claiming nearly 5,000 lives each year. Additionally, teens account for three times as many fatal accidents as other drivers, according to the U.S. government.

In an effort to reduce teen crashes and fatalities, Ford Driving Skills for Life driving camp was created in 2003 in partnership with the Governors Highway Safety Association®. It is one of the nation’s most comprehensive teen driver safety programs. This free, safe-driving event went well beyond typical driver education courses.

Participants were given instruction on safe-driving techniques from some of the nation’s top professional driving instructors. They also practiced these techniques in a safe environment. The techniques focused on four key skill areas: speed management, space management, vehicle handling and hazard recognition. Experts have identified the lack of these skills as the cause of approximately 60 percent of vehicle crashes for newly licensed drivers ages 16 to 19 years old.

As a way of demonstrating the impact of distracted driving, participants were asked to text while driving through a course of cones, and then to answer a handheld phone. The number of cones knocked over increased dramatically compared to when their eyes were kept on the course instead of texting or talking on a handheld device.

You can learn more about Ford Driving Skills for life by clicking here.

One of the technologies that is available on some Ford models to help avoid distracted driving is the SYNCTM system. Please see the fact sheet below to learn more about the features of SYNC.
SYNC Overview

Source: Ford Motor Company

Sep 29, 2009

TAURUS 'BLING' DESIGNED TO ACCENT, ACCESSORIZE NEW SEDAN JUST LIKE JEWELRY ENHANCES AN OUTFIT

SUMMARY:

• Ford designers commonly refer to accents of a vehicle, such as headlamps, as the "jewelry" of the car because they are specifically designed to complement its other aspects, add perceived value and provide an aesthetic boost to an already functional, expensive part of the vehicle
• Earl Lucas, exterior design manager of the 2010 Ford Taurus, is particularly comfortable with that term – he began his artistic career studying jewelry design in both high school and college before switching over to industrial arts
• The headlamps or "jewelry" of the 2010 Taurus offer a seamless blend of functionality and aesthetics. The headlamps feature a distinct, sculpted design along with unique finishes that enhance the expressive design of the all-new Taurus

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:

Ask any fashionista, and she'll tell you: Don't even think about wearing those chandelier earrings with shorts and tennis shoes. No way. There are, after all, certain rules that apply to fashion and accessories. Ask Earl Lucas, exterior design manager for the 2010 Taurus, and he'll tell you those same accessorizing rules apply even if you're designing a sophisticated sedan. Just like a person, every car has a personality and an image to convey, says the former jewelry designer. The "accessories," which in this case are the headlamps of the 2010 Ford Taurus, must be designed and detailed to project the proper image. The Taurus is a confident, well-balanced car. It has the jewelry to match.

DETAILS:

Blending form and function
Headlamps can be beautiful, but if they don't light the way, it doesn't matter what they look like. Headlamps must meet certain government and engineering specifications in terms of illumination and reflection, and it all has to fit within a finite space.

The lamps themselves break down into three components – but there's nothing that says the components can't be beautifully detailed. Starting from the inside, tapering outward into the fenders, these include the turn signal lamp, projector beam and side marker light. Thanks to a sophisticated internal switch, one lens executes both high- and low-beam function. The technology within allows for more aesthetic appeal with no compromise on headlamp function.

Beneath the projection canister, the lower surface features functional louvers, which allow ventilation to cool the projector bulb. Amber side markers finish the lamp, with a graceful character line across the lens that leads into the fender. When illuminated, these lamps lead with a hot spot that gracefully fades away. Each component inside the lamp has a distinct shape, offering sculptural enhancements embellished with subtle lines – all designed to draw the eye toward the upscale grille.

In all, there are three finishes in the headlamp. In terms of value – or what the customer will notice first – they are chrome, satin and black plastic imbued with metallic flake. There are also two grains offering textural relief: a lighter satin and a velvet etch, which provide a rougher, sandblasted-type contrast to the edging.

Adding the proper accessories, or how the Taurus got its jewelry
This year, fashion designers and trend-watchers are talking about bold jewelry, accessories that make a statement, tell a story, get remembered. And we'll see them, of course. Because there's always that woman in the room who's confident, tasteful and perfectly accessorized. Just like the Taurus.

Designer Earl Lucas applied chrome sparingly to the 2010 Ford Taurus, using it only on choice components in the headlamps, the side vent and across the bottom front mouth of the SHO and Limited edition.

"On the Taurus, we used quiet elements of chrome," Lucas said. "This is a very tall car. You don't want to put chrome everywhere – you would lose the value. You do it in key spots, to get attention. Anything you put chrome on, that will get attention. The Taurus is a confident car; it doesn't need that much extra attention."

Making the switch from jewelry design to industrial design isn't quite the jump it seems, Lucas says. Balance, form and function all play major roles in designing, whether you're designing vehicles or earrings, he said. "You start with a mass, a shape. You have an image. Then you layer, you accessorize. Good lines, good proportions and proper detailing are what set your product apart."

QUOTES:

"I love working with metal, all kinds of metal, be it sheet metal or precious metal. I still design jewelry. I love seeing how something small, the tiniest detail, something impossibly ornate, can make such a big difference. Whether you're designing a car or jewelry, you're using the same principles."

– Earl Lucas,
2010 Ford Taurus Exterior Design Manager

Source: Ford Motor Company