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Ford and Lincoln owners can personalize their Alexa commands

Ford and Lincoln owners whose vehicles have hands-free access to Alexa don't have to stick to using standard voice commands if they don't want to. The automaker has rolled out enhanced Car Control capabilities, and with it comes the option to teach Alexa commands that reflect their natural way of speaking. For example, they can program in "Alexa, I'm cold," and then teach the voice assistant to respond by asking what course of action it should take, such as "I can increase the temperature by 5 degrees or turn off the AC. What should I do?" Another example of a personalized phrase would be: "Alexa, set the AC to full blast." The assistant can then ask the owner what they mean by "full blast." Training Alexa to respond to personalized phrases is made possible by the assistant's teachable AI technology. All vehicles with Alexa Built-in will get access to enhanced Car Control when it becomes available to them. At the moment, the models with access to the hands-free experience are the 2022 F-150, Bronco, Mustang Mach-E, Edge, the new Expedition, Lincoln Nautilus and revised 2022 Lincoln Navigator. The long-awaited 2022 F-150 Lightning will also come with the capability when it launches. Ford debuted the hands-free Alexa capability for its vehicles last year, marking the beginning of its six-year partnership with Amazon. As part of that partnership, it's giving its customers complimentary access to Alexa for up to three years that begin on the new vehicle's warranty start date. Ford Lincoln Technology Infotainment

Ford increasing Super Duty production by 15 percent

Ford has announced a hefty $80 million investment in its Kentucky Truck Plant, which is responsible for building the F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 versions of the Super Duty pickup. The influx of cash will add 350 jobs to the factory.
The investment is also good for a 15-percent increase in annual production thanks to retooling and other facility upgrades, which equates to an extra 55,000 units of production. Considering that Ford makes even more money off its Super Duty than it does on the hot-selling F-150, this could mean some serious coin to Ford's bottom line.
Hop below for the full press release from Ford on its latest investment.

Ford extends shutdown, Stellantis confirms layoffs due to chip shortage

Ford and Stellantis this week announced new production cuts due to the global semiconductor shortage, with popular models including the Ford F-150 and Jeep Grand Cherokee facing cuts. Stellantis plans to temporarily lay off workers at one facility as production is curtailed.  According to Automotive News, Ford is extending shutdowns at some of its North American facilities into May. The Blue Oval has been forced to reduce or idle production of both its redesigned F-150 pickup and the popular Explorer due to the chip shortage. The Mustang, Transit, Edge, Lincoln Nautilus and Aviator will also continue to be affected. Stellantis is planning to temporarily lay off workers at a Jeep plant in Detroit during April and May due to a shortage of semiconductor chips. The company will cut two work crews at its Jefferson North plant in Detroit for three weeks starting April 26, then call them back and lay off a third crew from May 17 through the week of May 31, according to a schedule obtained by Bloomberg News. The plant on Detroit’s east side normally operates two shifts with three work crews six days a week to keep it running 20 hours a day. “Stellantis continues to work closely with our suppliers to mitigate the manufacturing impacts caused by the various supply chain issues facing our industry,” company spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said in a statement. “Due to the unprecedented global microchip shortage, Jefferson North will adjust its production schedule through the end of May.” Jefferson North employs about 4,800 hourly workers and makes the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the top-selling Jeep model last year, and the Dodge Durango SUV. A redesigned version of the Grand Cherokee is scheduled to start production in August, according to researcher AutoForecast Solutions. This article contains reporting from Bloomberg. Plants/Manufacturing Ford Jeep Lincoln Technology chip shortage