2007 Ford F450 Crew Cab 4x4 With Utility Body Diesel on 2040-cars

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Hurricane Sandy cost automakers 15,000 vehicles, may have ruined up to 200k

Hurricane Sandy was the largest Atlantic storm in US history, and its total economic impact is just now coming into view. According to Automotive News, Toyota, Chrysler, Nissan and Honda are set to scrap around 15,000 new vehicles ruined by the storm. Nissan alone accounts for about 40 percent of those, with 6,000 Nissan and Infiniti models deeded "un-saleable" due to damage. The company saw 56 dealerships shuttered due to the storm, but 51 of those have since reopened.
Toyota, meanwhile, had some 4,000 vehicles at its Newark port facility, and of those, 3,000 may be scrapped. An additional 825 were dealer inventory when they were ruined. Honda and Acura dealers are reportedly sending 3,440 vehicles to the salvage yard. By comparison, Chrysler weathered the storm fairly well with 825 units destroyed, while Hyundai suffered only 400 lost units and Kia scrapped around 200.
As you may recall, Fisker also suffered some losses, and Automotive News reports the manufacturer saw 320 Karma models damaged beyond repair. Ford and General Motors have yet to come up with estimates, and no automaker has commented on the full cost of replacing the vehicles.

Ford CEO Mark Fields takes home $18.6 million

Sitting atop the throne at Ford Motor Company is, as it turns out, a fairly lucrative gig. We make that statement after learning, through SEC filings, that FoMoCo's Mark Fields raked in $18.6 million in compensation during his first year as CEO. Now, as is so often the case, Fields' earnings weren't just straight salary. Only $1.7 million of that sum was from his salary, while another $3.2 million came from cash bonuses. The remaining $13.7 million, though, came from what The Detroit Free Press called "long-term stock options, performance equity awards and compensation for items such as security and travel," according to the SEC filing. That makes for a significant raise for Fields, who made $10.1 million in 2013, but it still doesn't match his predecessor, former CEO Alan Mulally. The 69-year-old Mulally earned $23.2 million in his final year as CEO, while bringing in $1 million last year as part of a $22 million compensation package. Fields' earnings may ruffle some features for a few reasons. First, while the Freep reports that Ford hit 91 percent of its performance goals, 2014's earnings were down $4 billion, to $3.2 billion, compared to the $7.2 billion the company made in 2013. On top of that, the CEO's take-home might be sour grapes for hourly employees, who were only treated to checks worth $6,900, as part of a profit-sharing plan. To that, Ford said in a statement that, "We remain absolutely committed to aligning executive compensation with the company's business performance and to tying a significant portion of executive compensation to long-term shareholder value." News Source: The Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Earnings/Financials Ford alan mulally Mark Fields

Bacon-wrapped Ford Fiesta hams it up for International Bacon Day

This is a bacon-wrapped Ford Fiesta. It is a real thing, that a real, multi-billion-dollar company designed. And it isn't even April Fools' Day. Designed for International Bacon Day, which is also apparently a thing, the 2014 Fiesta is finished in Green Envy paint - we're told black paint, like the color of a skillet, made the car look camouflaged - and features 10 gigantic decals depicting strips of tender, cured bacon.
The design, which was approved by the CEO of Benton's Country Hams, Allan Benton, show off the depth of Ford's Custom Graphics program. Unbelievably, Ford will actually start offering bacon decals to everyday customers, including (and we can't believe we're writing this) dual bacon racing stripes which will no doubt have Carroll Shelby spinning and/or salivating in his grave, and a "side of bacon," which wraps a couple of strips over the rear wheels.
Benton, who Ford claims is the King of Bacon, had this to say: "This car just makes so much sense." The Fiesta's marketing manager, Liz Elser added, "It's just awesome to drive down the road in a piece of bacon."