2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac V8 Limited Damaged Repairable Salvage Runs! L@@k! on 2040-cars

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GM, Ford, FCA and the UAW form joint coronavirus task force

General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler are forming a coronavirus task force along with the United Auto Workers union to improve protections for their employees and limit the spread of the highly contagious virus. The task force, which would be focusing on areas including vehicle production plans, is being headed by UAW President Rory Gamble, GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra, Ford CEO Jim Hackett, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford and FCA CEO Michael Manley, the parties said in a joint statement on Sunday. Though automakers typically schedule plant staffing to allow for a certain proportion of absent workers, according to industry consultants, if the outbreak causes higher levels due to infection or workers staying home to care for children whose schools are closed, that could lead to reduced production or in extreme cases shutdowns. Production at an FCA assembly plant in Canada was halted for 24 hours after employees there refused to work on Thursday over fears of an employee being possibly exposed to the coronavirus. Separately on Thursday, the Italian-American automaker said that one of its employees had tested positive for COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, at its transmission plant in Indiana. The plant, however, remained open. "This is a fluid and unprecedented situation, and the task force will move quickly to build on the wide-ranging preventive measures we have put in place," the CEOs of the three companies said in the statement. The task force would also be focusing on aspects such as health and safety education, health screening, food service at the automakers' locations. Related Video: Government/Legal Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Chrysler Fiat Ford GM coronavirus

Ford Explorer, Expedition next to go aluminum?

Ford made some serious waves when it unveiled the latest F-150. Instead of making its bodywork out of steel, like just about every other truck on the market, Ford went with aluminum. And you can bet the F-150 won't be the last Ford model to go with the lightweight alloy construction, either.
Our compatriots at Edmunds report that Dearborn is considering replacing two of its most popular SUVs with aluminum versions. One candidate is the Expedition, which would make sense considering that the current model (like the two preceding generations and the fullsize Bronco before it) is based on the F-150's underpinnings. Another is the Explorer, which was traditionally based on the Ranger pickup but went with a car-like unibody chassis in its current iteration. If the Explorer does go the way of aluminum, don't expect it to be a part of its very next update, which is likely due too soon for such major changes.
It would stand to reason that, if the Expedition were to go aluminum, so would the next-generation Lincoln Navigator. Ditto the MKT together with the Explorer. But those aren't likely to be the only models in contention for aluminum construction. Like any other automaker, Ford is under pressure to steadily reduce its carbon emissions and improve its fuel economy figures, prompting it to look at a whole range of measures - including more efficient engines, lower rolling-resistance tires, active aerodynamics and lightweight construction. Expect aluminum to play a big part in that equation moving forward.

Woman trades 1914 Model T in for 2013 Corvette

We're sure that dealers must see all sorts of interesting trade ins, but this one may take the cake. Red River Chevrolet in Bossier City, Louisiana, recently had a customer come in with an odd request. Tina Boyter wanted to trade in three vehicles on a brand-new 2013 Chevy Corvette. Among the hardware was 1980 Corvette, a 1978 Cadillac Eldorado and a 1914 Ford Model T. While the '80 Corvette had been her personal car for years, the '78 Eldorado had belonged to Boyter's mother before she traded up to a Lincoln. The big Caddy had just 10,290 miles on the clock when it was traded in.
And the Model T? Boyter says the car was built as a racer by Ford, and that it had been a show winner for years when it belonged to her father. But, after spending the last 16 years in a museum with its fluids drained, Boyter decided it was time to shed some of the past. She walked into the dealer, laid eyes on a white 2LT Corvette with a red interior and offered to trade all three of the vehicles in on the sports car.
Why not wait for the C7? "I fell in love with that one when I walked in the door," She said. We can't fault her there.