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Ford posts record pre-tax Q3 profit of $2.6B

Ford took in $2.6 billion in pre-tax profits in the third quarter of the year, making for a record trio of months that saw the Blue Oval's year-over-year earnings increase by $426 million. The earnings are being attributed not just to improvements in North American sales, but sales around the globe.
Revenue was up 12 percent, to $36 billion, although net income took a hit, dropping $359 million to $1.3 billion. Ford was dinged with $498 million in pre-tax charges, which are being blamed for the drop in net income.
The news has boosted Ford's hopes for full-year results, bumping it's total profits up past $8 billion, according to Automotive News. The Dearborn, MI-based manufacturer is still expecting a loss in Europe, although it's forecasted less than the $1.73 billion it burned in 2012. In fact, according to CFO Bob Shanks, Ford's European losses dropped by 51 percent year-over year, a huge improvement for the brand.

Android Auto to add vehicle-integrated EV route planner for Google Maps

Google just dropped all of its CES news, and there are a whole lot of new features for Android Auto and vehicles with Google Built-In infotainment systems to parse through. Starting with Android Auto, electric vehicles will have much deeper integration with Google Maps when you’re navigating. Google Maps will know your current state of charge, predict a state of charge level for your destination, suggest charging stops along the way for the most efficient route and even tell you how long each charge stop will take depending on your vehicle. ThatÂ’s a level of integration we havenÂ’t seen before from using Android Auto in an EV and should make route planning a much more streamlined process. Of course, the caveat here is that Google will need to work with the manufacturers to have access to the kind of vehicle data required to make such a holistic EV navigation system work without hiccups. Google says that the feature will be rolling out to both the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning “in the coming months, with others to follow.” WeÂ’ll be impatiently waiting to try it out. As for Google Built-In news, Google says that as of today, youÂ’ll be able to send a trip that youÂ’ve planned on your phone to your car via the Google Maps app. Despite Google Maps being the native navigation system for many cars these days, itÂ’s still easier to plan a multi-destination route on your phone than tapping through the motions on the carÂ’s screen, but should no longer be an issue with this update. Additional apps are coming online in the Google Play Store that you can download to your car, too. Volvo and Polestar cars will be able to download the Google Chrome browser later this year so you can browse the web directly from your infotainment system. Both PBS Kids and Crunchyroll are being added for your streaming convenience (while charging or parked), and The Weather Channel app is available, too. ThatÂ’s all Google revealed today, but it also hinted that Digital car key support will be expanding support to more vehicles and more Android phones in the future. Plus, it says even more OEMs will continue to launch infotainment systems with Google Built-In. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green CES Ford Volvo Technology Infotainment Smartphone Truck Crossover Electric Luxury Performance Polestar

Ford board pushing Mulally for decision amidst fears story is drowning out other news

Automakers and their executives rarely like to divulge information regarding future goings on, but the board of directors at Ford sound like they're getting a little antsy about chief executive officer Alan Mulally and his plans for 2014.
According to Reuters, as news of Mulally's possible departure to Microsoft continues to swirl, Ford's board is looking to push the affable executive to make a decision about his future sooner rather than later. Apparently, the board is growing concerned that this will-he/won't-he drama may end up distracting the media from covering Ford's other big news events next year - items like the debut of key all-new products like the Mustang and F-150.
So far, the picture for Mulally's eventual successor remains fuzzy, but it's understood that the leading candidate remains the company's chief operating officer, Mark Fields. Just recently, we heard that Mulally will stay until the end of 2014, but a few months ago, Ford seemed open to the idea of him stepping down earlier than that.