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Ford launches mobile coronavirus test program with partners

For its latest coronavirus act, Ford has joined forces with a Detroit university, its affiliated physicians group and an Arab-American human services nonprofit to launch a mobile Covid-19 testing program for symptomatic first responders, health care workers and corrections officers in Michigan. Since Monday, Ford has been supplying Lincoln Navigators and drivers from the Lincoln Personal Driver pilot service, both offered through its Ford X in-house incubator. They’re equipped with tents, sanitation, power and Wi-Fi. Partners Wayne State University, the Wayne State University Physician Group and Dearborn-based ACCESS are providing staff and medical kits. The program is billed as an extension of drive-through testing sites operating in Detroit and Dearborn, but capable instead of bringing testing to locations and people who lack access to it. The mobile Navigator test vehicles will be capable of testing up to 100 people per day at no cost, with results returned within 24 to 36 hours. Testing will start at sites in southeast Michigan and then branch out to other parts of the state, including Battle Creek, Lansing and Grand Rapids. Michigan has been a major epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with 27,001 confirmed cases and 1,768 deaths as of the most current data from Tuesday. The state has been under a stay-at-home order since March 23. With its factories remaining temporarily idled for vehicle production, Ford has kept busy branching out into the fight against the novel coronavirus on multiple fronts. It kicked off production of a waist-mounted, powered air-purifying respirator it designed with 3M on Tuesday, and it plans to begin building ventilators at a plant in Michigan next week. Earlier this week, Ford announced it was helping a supplier that makes airbags use the material instead for reusable medical gowns for health care workers. Employees are also manufacturing protective face masks at its Van Dyke Transmission Plant, plastic face shields at a subsidiary near Detroit and helping a medical device company ramp up production of Covid-19 field testing kits. Related Video:     Ford Lincoln SUV

Dodge Dart falls short of Consumer Reports Recommended, Caddy XTS and Lincoln MKS, too

The Dodge Dart, Cadillac XTS and Lincoln MKS all failed to earn a "Recommended" rating from Consumer Reports. When it came to the compact Dart, the organization's testers thought the vehicle offered a quiet cabin, solid-feeling chassis and nimble suspension, but the new model ultimately fell short of the coveted rating due to powertrain issues. The institute's reviewers found the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine to be underpowered and noted "drivability issues" when the available turbocharged 1.4-liter four was paired with the optional dual-clutch transmission (some of our editors disliked it paired with the six-speed manual). CR also dinged the latter powerplant for sounding "raspy." For what it's worth, we think the forced-induction engine offers an excellent and playful exhaust note, but that's just us.
As for the XTS, CR lauded the car for its luxurious cabin, but the vehicle's experience was dulled by its finicky CUE infotainment interface. Overall, the big Cadillac scored much higher than its cross-town rival from Lincoln. While testers found the American luxury sedan to offer a quiet ride and quality fit and finish, they felt the MKS delivered a "cramped driving position, ungainly handling, uncomposed ride, and limited visibility." Ouch. At the end of the day, both cars fell short of rivals from Japan, Germany and Korea. Check out the full press release below with more details, along with CR's musings on the Chevrolet Spark and Lexus ES.

2023 Lincoln Aviator gets a few small changes, small price bumps

The 2023 Lincoln Aviator Lincoln makes a few small changes to its offer, as related by Ford Authority. On the feature side, the 12-way Comfort Front Seats for driver and passenger are gone. The bottom three trims, Standard, Reserve and Grand Touring all come with a 10-way Comfort Front Seat for the driver and an eight-way throne for the passenger. The Black Label and Grand Touring continue with their 30-way Perfect Position front seats. Outside, the Bronze Smoke Metallic and Burgundy Velvet Metallic colors depart the exterior palette, replaced by Diamond Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat and Jewel Sandstone. The Jet Package expands availability to the base Reserve trim, no longer requiring the Reserve I package, and to the Black Label, which didn't offer it before. The package full of black trim pieces and wheels hasn't changed from when Lincoln introduced it a year ago, including bits like a solid black grille and surround, black door spears and mirror caps, and 22-inch black aluminum wheels. A similar package exclusively for the Black Label trims is called the Black Label Special Edition Package. It makes the same changes as the Jet Package while also painting the roof black. Finally, the Illumination Package for the Grand Touring PHEV adds fog lights for 2023. Prices for the 2023 model year after the $1,195 destination charge are up a little over the sums we noted when the 2022 model year debuted. Remember, however, that 2022 pricing went down on all but one trim by anywhere from $5 to $1,085. The new MSRPs are in line with model year premiums we're used to seeing from a time before industrial upheaval. The figures and their differences from 2022 are: Standard: $54,535 ($1,875) Reserve: $59,700 ($1,150) Grand Touring: $70,385 ($830) Black Label: $81,920 ($1,375) Black Label Grand Touring: $90,475 ($1,375) Engine choices don't change, those being the twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 with 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque for all trims but the Grand Touring PHEV. The plug-in hybrid electrifies that engine to make a combined 494 hp and 630 lb-ft. Every Aviator shifts through a ten-speed automatic. The Aviator has sold 20,324 units so far this year. Based on figures for the past three years, we anticipate it will finish above last year's 20,324 sales and 2020's tally of 23,080 sales. A refresh expected in 2024 should bring more substantial updates and improvements.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party.