1964 Ford Thunderbird V8 6.4 300 Bhp Automatic A/c on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Company veterans promoted to set a course for the future of Ford

Ford on Wednesday named two company veterans to lead its auto and mobility businesses as the No. 2 U.S. automaker shifts its focus to autonomous vehicles and realigns its automobile portfolio. Joe Hinrichs was named president of Ford's automotive unit, and Jim Farley will be president, new businesses, technology and strategy, effective May 1. Both will report to Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett. Hinrichs' goal will be a sustainable EBIT margin (earnings before interest and taxes) of at least 8 percent, Ford said. He'll have responsibility for all of Ford's global business units, and both the Ford and Lincoln brands. And he'll lead all of the automotive skills teams, from product development through customer experience. "Joe Hinrichs possesses the knowledge, experience and leadership to now take our Automotive business to world-class levels of product excellence, customer satisfaction, efficiency and financial performance," Hackett said. "As we enter a busy period for new product launches and further restructuring in underperforming markets, Joe's leadership in transforming businesses through focused execution will be key." Farley is charged with leading Ford's strategic transformation, in which it hopes to gain higher margins through smart/connected vehicles. He'll oversee corporate strategy, global data analytics, global partnerships, research and advanced engineering, including initiatives in smart mobility and autonomous vehicles. "Jim Farley's job is to drive us into the future, both strategically and operationally, from AVs to mobility experiences to leveraging AI and big data. Jim combines an innate feel for what customers want and need in vehicles and the ability to translate this into the vehicles and services of the future," Hackett said. Marcy Klevorn, president of Ford Mobility, plans to retire Oct. 1 after 36 years at Ford. Until then, she will report to Hackett in a strategic role. "I have asked Marcy to work with me and the senior team to accelerate our transformation," Hackett said. "Marcy's decades of experience working with many of the leading companies in the tech space as well as the work she has done with the transformation of Ford IT and the establishment of Ford Mobility gives her unique knowledge to drive these initiatives."

Why 2015 is going to be a huge year for trucks

Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn took center stage to introduce the 2016 Titan last week at the Detroit Auto Show. He spoke of the truck's new features, impressive Cummins V8 diesel engine and the extensive amount of time and money required to build a modern, competitive pickup truck. "We have done all of this because we see opportunity – an opportunity in the unmet needs of today's American truck customers," Ghosn said. He was speaking about the Titan, but his thoughts echo the industry's mindset: When it comes to trucks, find an opportunity and attack. Even with CAFE regulations looming and fickle consumer preferences, investing in trucks is a no-brainer for automakers. Some consumers will always need a truck for their job or lifestyle. And some people will always want one, whether they need it or not. With that in mind, here are four reasons why the pickup-truck sector is more important than ever and poised for growth in 2015. View 24 Photos The Nissan Titan Is Back Okay, it never left, but the Titan hadn't been redesigned since its launch in 2003, and Nissan sold more NV200s than Titans in 2014. It's an understatement to say the truck was languishing. That all changes with the 2016 model. The Titan will come in two variants, a traditional fullsize competitor and the Titan XD. The XD will lead the market launch, and it arrives late this year. It's pitched as a "whitespace" offering, Nissan sales and marketing vice president Fred Diaz said. The idea is to offer something in the general size and price range of a fullsize truck, but also have some of the capability of a heavy-duty truck. The XD uses a fully boxed ladder frame, the chassis design from Nissan's commercial division, and the wheelbase is about 20 inches longer than other Titan models. The XD, which Nissan is calling the flagship of the line, will be the only model with the 5.0-liter Cummins turbodiesel V8. It produces 310 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque, while being able to tow 12,000 pounds. V6 and V8 gasoline models will also be offered on the Titan XD and the standard, non-XD model. When production ramps up, the Titan will be sold with several cabs, beds and trims. New features include trailer sway control, an integrated trailer brake controller, more storage options in the cabin and even laminated front and rear side glass to reduce outside noise. All of this has given Nissan fresh confidence in an area where it admittedly has been lacking. "We can compete," Diaz told Autoblog.

Lexus gets top brand marks from Consumer Reports; Ford, Jeep hit hard

Consumer Reports has released its 2014 Car Brand Report Cards, with Lexus again reigning at the top and doing so with the same industry-topping score of 79 that it registered in last year's Report Cards. This year, the institute credited its lineup for being "usually quiet, comfortable, and fuel-efficient," noting it's the only brand on the list "to achieve an excellent average overall reliability score." The Car Brand Report Cars list is meant to rank the best all-around vehicles based on CR testing and reliability results tallied by subscribers it surveyed. Each brand included must have sufficient test and reliability data for at least three models, a standard which left out 11 marques including Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover and Porsche.
This 2014 Brand Report Cars edition is the first of a new format in which sub-brands have been broken out from their parent brands, with Acura using this year to move up the leaderboard into second place with a score of 75 for its "reliable, well-finished and somewhat sporty models." The top three was rounded out by Audi, climbing from eighth to third by scoring a 74 for "well-crafted interiors, nice handling and good gas mileage." Audi scored highest in the road-test portion, its improved reliability aiding its rise. The top nine was completed by Subaru, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz.
Ford and Jeep weighed in at the other end of the rankings, Jeep taking the lowest overall score in the road tests and hampered by "a mix of spotty reliability." Ford was sunk by reliability issues with its MyFord Touch infotainment system which consumers found troublesome enough to negate its cars earning "solid test scores" for being "very nice to drive." Perhaps the rumored switch from Microsoft to Blackberry's QNX for the next generation SYNC will help them out. Cadillac's score also took a hit for infotainment reasons after it was the leading US brand last year, the CUE system in the XTS dragging Cadillac to the bottom of all General Motors brands.