Ford: F-350 Custom Ramp Truck on 2040-cars

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Ford turns Navistar from truck business customer to rival

There is a showdown brewing in the medium-duty truck segment next year as Ford prepares to launch its all-new, in-house engineered 2016 F-650 and F-750. It finally marks the end of the Blue Diamond joint venture between Ford and Navistar and, making the two entities direct competitors instead of partners.
Ford announced the end of the joint venture in an investor report in 2011, but it didn't reveal the new F-650 and F-750 until the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, IN, in March. Unlike the current, Mexican-built models, the new generation will be built in Avon Lake, OH, starting in mid-2015.
The challenge from Ford comes during a rough patch for Navistar. The company had a $248 million loss in the first quarter, according to The Wall Street Journal, and its medium-duty truck market share is currently down to 26 percent, from 36 percent in 2011. Building the previous-generation Fords brought in about $400 million a year to Navistar, according to the WSJ. To take on its former partner, Navistar plans to offer its International brand of medium-duty vehicles with more engine and transmission options to customers. It even struck a deal with Cummins to put its diesels in some of the models.

From CrabWalks at dawn to post-testing sushi: An inside look at Autoblog’s Tech of the Year Award

TROY, Mich. — On a chilly fall morning, Senior Editor John Snyder rolled into a sleepy suburban park tucked away next to a cemetery a few miles north of Detroit. Driving diagonally — CrabWalking — in the GMC Hummer EV, he made quite the entrance as he maneuvered across the parking lot to the bemusement of Autoblog editors and a few curious park-goers up for their early morning runs.  Snyder got everyoneÂ’s attention, and as we evaluate the latest wave of technologies transforming the automotive industry, pizazz matters. We added "wow factor" to our criteria for the 2022 Autoblog Technology of the Year Award, in keeping with the times. The HummerÂ’s CrabWalk feature might have won, had wowness been the only criteria, but we also scored the technologies on significance and how well they work.  As it was, the Hummer finished a competitive second this year, behind FordÂ’s Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch, which make towing and hauling easier for modern truck owners. The Genesis GV60Â’s Biometrics was within striking distance in third place, bringing the facial recognition and fingerprint tech commonly used in phones to your car. For more on FordÂ’s win — its second straight Autoblog Technology of the Year Award — read Road Test Editor Zac PalmerÂ’s complete recap. Many have asked: Why do Tech of the Year? For Autoblog, itÂ’s been a point of pride for nearly a decade. In the early days it was a way to differentiate ourselves from print magazines, some of which have been giving out car of the year awards since the early days of the Cold War. With Tech of the Year, we seek to highlight the ways experiencing a vehicle is changing. It was true in 2013 and resonates even more as we head into 2023. Cars and transportation have changed more in the past decade than in arguably the previous four. At its most basic experience, driving a 1985 Buick LeSabre with a decent radio and comfy interior was not all that different from driving a 2005 Buick Lacrosse. Just a few years later, many cars had touchscreens, the internet and some means of driver assistance. Ford joins Tesla as the only two-time winner of Tech of the Year. The Blue Oval captured the award last year for its Pro Power Onboard generator. Tesla won in 2014 for its Supercharger network, and the Model S won in 2016, when we briefly gave out a “technology car” of the year award, in addition to honoring a particular feature.

Ford recalls 200K Escape, Transit Connect models over instrument panel

Ford is announcing two new recalls that cover a total of 203,494 vehicles in North America. By far the larger of the campaigns is a recall for 203,445 examples of the 2014-2015 Escape and Transit Connect in North America. Specifically, there are 182,520 units recalled in the US, 18,226 in Canada, and 2,699 in Mexico. For these models, the instrument cluster, warning messages, lights, and chimes might not work at startup. This problem puts the vehicles out of compliance with the federal motor vehicle code, and the fix is a software update. The other recall is minuscule and only affects 49 units of the 2015 Transit that are owned by a single fleet customer. The company's vans have a specially ordered front passenger seatbelt, but the parts aren't labeled correctly under the federal code. Everything works properly, though, according to Ford. The fix is simply a new decal with the required info. No accidents or injuries are known to be related to either of these two recalls. Related Video: FORD ISSUES TWO SAFETY COMPLIANCE RECALLS IN NORTH AMERICA DEARBORN, Mich., June 24, 2015 – Ford is issuing two safety compliance recalls in North America. There are no accidents or injuries attributed to these conditions. Details are as follows: Ford issues safety compliance recall for certain 2014-2015 Transit Connect and Escape vehicles for instrument panel issue Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety compliance recall for approximately 203,500 2014-2015 Transit Connect and Escape vehicles in North America for an issue with the instrument panel cluster. When starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster, warning chimes, messages and warning lights may not work, which is a compliance issue with FMVSS 101 and other applicable FMVSS requirements. If these displays don't work as intended, it could increase the risk of a crash. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue. Affected vehicles include certain 2014-2015 Transit Connect vehicles built at Valencia Assembly Plant in Spain, May 13, 2014 to Dec. 10, 2014 and certain 2014-2015 Escape vehicles built at Louisville Assembly Plant, May 19, 2014 to Feb. 6, 2015. There are 203,445 vehicles in North America, including 182,520 in the United States and federalized territories, 18,226 in Canada and 2,699 in Mexico. Dealers will update the instrument panel cluster software at no cost to the customer.