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Ford launches mobile coronavirus test program with partners

For its latest coronavirus act, Ford has joined forces with a Detroit university, its affiliated physicians group and an Arab-American human services nonprofit to launch a mobile Covid-19 testing program for symptomatic first responders, health care workers and corrections officers in Michigan. Since Monday, Ford has been supplying Lincoln Navigators and drivers from the Lincoln Personal Driver pilot service, both offered through its Ford X in-house incubator. They’re equipped with tents, sanitation, power and Wi-Fi. Partners Wayne State University, the Wayne State University Physician Group and Dearborn-based ACCESS are providing staff and medical kits. The program is billed as an extension of drive-through testing sites operating in Detroit and Dearborn, but capable instead of bringing testing to locations and people who lack access to it. The mobile Navigator test vehicles will be capable of testing up to 100 people per day at no cost, with results returned within 24 to 36 hours. Testing will start at sites in southeast Michigan and then branch out to other parts of the state, including Battle Creek, Lansing and Grand Rapids. Michigan has been a major epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with 27,001 confirmed cases and 1,768 deaths as of the most current data from Tuesday. The state has been under a stay-at-home order since March 23. With its factories remaining temporarily idled for vehicle production, Ford has kept busy branching out into the fight against the novel coronavirus on multiple fronts. It kicked off production of a waist-mounted, powered air-purifying respirator it designed with 3M on Tuesday, and it plans to begin building ventilators at a plant in Michigan next week. Earlier this week, Ford announced it was helping a supplier that makes airbags use the material instead for reusable medical gowns for health care workers. Employees are also manufacturing protective face masks at its Van Dyke Transmission Plant, plastic face shields at a subsidiary near Detroit and helping a medical device company ramp up production of Covid-19 field testing kits. Related Video:     Ford Lincoln SUV

Ford announces recall of 220,000 units in three different actions

Ford has announced three separate recalls affecting 220,000 vehicles built between model years 2011 and 2015. By far the biggest affects just under 213,000 Ford Explorer and Police Interceptor Utility SUVs from MY2011 through 2013. In these vehicles, a spring in the doorway handle could be come unseated, Ford reports, causing the doors to open in a side-impact accident. The affected vehicles were built over a wide range of dates, starting with February 1, 2011 and November 30, 2012. As usual, the majority of the 212,911 vehicles were sold in the US market – 194,484 vehicles, in fact, while Canada and Mexico split the remainder, with 12,392 and 6,035, respectively. The other two recalls focus on specialty vehicles, with Ford recalling 6,500 F-Series Super Duty ambulances and emergency trucks from model years 2011 to 2015. In the case of the 2014 and 2015 F-Series, only trucks with the 6.7-liter turbodiesel are affected. These trucks may have faulty exhaust gas sensors, which according to Ford, could cause the trucks to think they're in a high-temperature situation. The trucks in questions were built at Ford's Kentucky truck plant between February 22, 2010 and February 1, 2015. Finally, the Blue Oval is recalling 1,725 specialty Lincoln MKT crossovers from MY2013 to 2015. These include limos and hearses built between March 6, 2012 and March 4, 2015. Affected MKTs may have a faulty vacuum pump relay that could cause a fire under the hood. In the case of the Explorers, dealers will inspect all four door handles and repair them as needed. The Super Duty's will get software updates, while the MKTs will have the vacuum pump relays replaced outright. A pair of MKT fires has been the only reported incident caused by the recalled components, while the company is unaware of any injuries or deaths. Scroll down for the official press release from Ford. Related Video: FORD ISSUES THREE SAFETY RECALLS IN NORTH AMERICA DEARBORN, Mich., March 25, 2015 – Ford is issuing three safety recalls in North America. No accidents or injuries are attributed to these conditions. Details are as follows: Ford issues safety recall for certain 2011-2013 Ford Explorer and Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles for interior door handle issue Ford is issuing a safety recall for approximately 213,000 2011-2013 Ford Explorer and Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles in North America (actual 212,911) for an issue with the spring that controls the interior door handles.

Ford nets $5.7B in 2012, $1.6B in fourth quarter

Ford brought in $5.7 billion in net income during 2012, which is around $307 million less than one year prior. Even so, the automaker closed out 2012 with the highest pre-tax profit for a single quarter in nearly 10 years, earning $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter thanks largely to a higher-than-average truck mix in the US. That's a jump of $577 million over 2011. Likewise, that translated into fourth quarter income of $1.6 billion. All told, Ford set a full-year pre-tax profit record in 2012. But that doesn't necessarily mean everything is rosy in the land of the Blue Oval.
Like every other manufacturer, 2012 saw Ford get hammered in the European Union, where a deep economic recession continues to drive down consumer confidence. The automaker lost more than $700 million in Europe, and saw full revenue of $26.6 billion in 2012. That's a decline of $7.2 billion compared to last yea. Ford says the market for new vehicles in Europe has contracted to 13.5 million units, the lowest number in 17 years. You can read the full press release below for more information.