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Blue Oval's new Cargo cab-over rig is largest "One Ford" initiative yet

The imposing commercial truck above has a feature that might be surprising to most Autoblog readers - a Blue Oval emblem on the front. Here in North America, Ford simply doesn't play in the eighteen-wheeler sandbox, but that doesn't mean that the Dearborn-based automaker is absent in the heavy hauling space in other parts of the globe. In fact, Ford presently fields two completely different big rig ranges under the Cargo moniker - one a product of an Eastern Europe/Turkey joint venture, and another from Brazil. But that's about to start changing with the advent of this new cab-over model seen here.
Unveiled in São Paulo, Brazil, this new generation of Cargo is perhaps the largest physical embodiment of CEO Alan Mulally's "One Ford" global streamlining strategy. Instead of multiple models, company engineers have developed a new single truck that it says will better meet the needs of truckers in all markets. Designed to compete in what's known as the "extra heavy-duty segment" elsewhere in the world, this Cargo was developed jointly by Ford engineering teams in Brazil, Turkey and Europe.
Specifics remain hard to come by (read: unreleased), but Ford is promising an all-new engine enabling hauling capability of up to 56 tons while still returning excellent fuel economy. Ford's global Cargo lineup will henceforth consist of a dozen models, but Ford tells Autoblog has no plans to bring this hot and heavy-duty action to North America.

Trump to meet with CEOs from Ford, GM, and FCA

In the wake of his inauguration, President Donald Trump is set to meet with the CEOs of Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Tuesday morning to discuss jobs, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and potential tax cuts. Trump has been highly critical of American automakers for shipping jobs to Mexico and has threatened to impose heavy import fees on foreign-made vehicles. Trump has threatened to dissolve NAFTA in order to encourage automakers to manufacture cars in the US. Automotive News and Crain's Detroit Business are reporting that the group is set to discuss how to bring more auto industry jobs back to the US. Under NAFTA, many automakers, both foreign and domestic, have moved vehicle production out of the States to Mexico in order to cut costs. White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said Trump is looking forward to the meeting and discussing how to bring jobs back to America. Dismantling NAFTA would be a major blow to automakers. Trump blasted Ford during his campaign for manufacturing in Mexico, but FCA and GM also have factories south of the border. Earlier this month, Ford nixed plans for a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico, instead investing $700 million into an existing facility. At this year's Detroit Auto Show, the unspoken theme was America and American manufacturing. Expect the automakers to fight to keep NAFTA alive. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., Twitter Government/Legal Plants/Manufacturing Fiat Ford GM FCA Mexico NAFTA

Ford could post best-ever profits in Q1 2013

Analysts are saying that Ford Motor Company may have earned a record $2.7 billion pretax profit in North America during the first quarter of 2013, a number that represents its highest first quarter profit ever. The impressive earnings are further proof that the American automaker is making a solid comeback as the economy begins to recover.
Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase are estimating that Ford's first quarter North American profit may have topped 12 percent. The firm cited the automaker's fresh lineup, but noted that CEO Alan Mulally needs to uphold the pace as the company works to gain ground in the car and utility segments.
Ford's success has been led by increased demand for its F-Series pickup, the best-selling vehicle in the US for 31 years, and by the Fusion sedan that recently recorded its best-ever quarterly sales in the domestic market. Ford is expected to release its first-quarter revenue on Wednesday, of this week.