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Ford's cars being held up in Chinese ports in trade tensions with U.S.

BEIJING — Ford Motor Co's imported vehicles are being held up at Chinese ports, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, underscoring how U.S. goods are facing increased customs scrutiny in China amid a tense trade standoff. The three people said Ford and Lincoln vehicles were facing unusual delays at customs, with officials asking for extra technical checks. Two of the people said U.S.-made models of some German carmakers, mainly SUVs, being brought into China, were also affected. Ford was being asked to do extra checks on emission components, said a China-based Ford executive familiar with the matter, asking not be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. China's customs agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The holdups add to a growing list of American products facing issues at China's borders, as officials try to avert a full-blown trade war. Some trade experts said they believe Beijing is sending a defiant warning to Washington in response to sweeping U.S. trade demands made on China last week. Reuters reported Tuesday that China had ramped up inspections of pork shipped from the United States, after the country's customs agency said it would step up quarantine checks on American apples and logs. The second person, a China-based industry official with knowledge of the matter, said the delays for Ford — as well as some U.S.-made cars from BMW and Mercedes-Benz — had been going on for the last two weeks. "Customs pretends there are technical non-conformities of some nature that won't allow them to clear these U.S.-made cars through customs, but the U.S.-China trade frictions must be the background to this," he said. "Although no one will officially admit it." Responding to a request for comment from Reuters, a BMW spokesman said that "U.S.-made BMW cars have not been delayed at the ports as of last week and before." A Daimler spokeswoman said it was "monitoring the situation closely" regarding ongoing trade talks between China and the United States, but that she could not speculate further on other matters. The third person said the Ford issue, which had been noted by the United States government, and other holdups facing American goods, were clearly related to the trade dispute. A Ford spokeswoman in Shanghai when asked about the matter said: "We are closely monitoring our situation at the port." She declined to comment further.

Ford and OMS bring military ride-and-drive program to Hockenheimring

This post is appearing on Autoblog Military, Autoblog's sub-site dedicated to the vehicles, aircraft and ships of the world's armed forces. It kind of goes without saying, but joining the military means you won't be enjoying quite as much leisure time as members of the civilian world. That said, when a chance to let your hair down does come along, servicemembers usually enjoy some very unique opportunities... like driving a new Ford Mustang and F-150 around Germany's Hockenheimring. Ford and the Overseas Military Sales Corporation, the on-base retailer for the Blue Oval and the same outfit that worked out a raffle program for servicemembers to purchase the limited-edition 50th Anniversary Mustang, put together the ride-and-drive program at Germany's second most famous circuit. The OMS allows military men and women to purchase vehicles for both on-base use and for pickup when they arrive back in the United States. "The Ford Driving Freedom ride-and-drive event is designed to introduce the new 2015 Ford Mustang and F-150 to military personnel who are stationed on US bases across Europe," Ford fleet sales manager Doug Walczak said in the attached statement. "It's the first time such an event has been held overseas." According to Ford, over 300 servicemen and women applied to take part in this pilot program, which was more than double what Ford and OMS had room for. With such an impressive response rate, it's no surprise that similar events could come to other US bases. Scroll down for the official press release from Ford. U.S. Military Personnel Take Ford Mustang, F-150 for a Ride at Hockenheimring Racetrack · Ford and the Overseas Military Sales Corporation host first-ever Ford Driving Freedom ride-and-drive event for U.S. military personnel stationed on bases across Europe · U.S. military personnel got the unique opportunity to drive the Ford F-150 and Ford Mustang on Hockenheimring racetrack in Germany · Ford has worked with Overseas Military Sales Corporation since 1995 to offer Ford and Lincoln vehicles for sale throughout the Americas, as well as in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, as well as on select Navy ships HOCKENHEIMRING, Germany, June 9, 2015 – Members of the U.S. military got the unique opportunity to take a test drive of the Ford F-150 and Mustangtoday at Germany's famed Hockenheimring racetrack.

Verizon buys Telogis in connected vehicle market push

(Note/disclaimer: We are owned by Verizon, by way of AOL. This gives us no inside track whatsoever when it comes to news.) With a lot of tech companies and automakers staking their claims in the connected car space, now there are signs that others are looking to move in, too. Today, telecoms giant Verizon announced that it is acquiring Telogis, a California-based company that develops cloud-based solutions for mobile workforces, and specifically telematics, compliance and navigation software used by Ford, Volvo, GM and other car companies, as well as Apple and AT&T. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, although we'll try to find out. Considering that Verizon in 2015 reported full-year revenues of $131.6 billion, the price would have to be very high to be considered "material" and may not be made public for some time, if ever. Telogis in its time as a startup raised a substantial amount of money, just over $126 million in all, including $93 million in 2013, supposedly ahead of an IPO, all from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Back in 2013 when KPCB made its investment (which was the first from a VC firm in the company), Telogis told TechCrunch it was profitable and forecasting revenues of $100 million annually for the year. It's not clear what size those revenues are now, but if it was on the same growth trajectory as before the funding, sales would be around $150 million annually, with profitability, at the moment. Other investors include some very notable strategics: the investment arm of General Motors, and Fontinalis Partners, which also invests in Lyft and was co-founded by Bill Ford, the executive chairman of the Ford Motor Company. Before the acquisition, Verizon actually had a business in fleet management and telematics; in fact, the two companies competed against each other for business from the trucking and other industries. Verizon Telematics, as the business is called, is active in 40 countries. But in a way, Verizon buying Telogis is a sign that the latter may have proved to be the more superior, and the one with the key customer deals.