2013 New 3.7l V6 24v Automatic Awd Sedan Premium Moonroof on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ford Q3 pretax profits drop to $1.18B

Following positive third quarter financial results recently from General Motors, rival Ford took a tumble in Q3. The automaker posted pre-tax profits of $1.18 billion, compared to about $2.59 billion in Q3 2013, a drop of around 54 percent. Net income also suffered with $835 million made in the quarter, versus $1.272 billion last year, a decline of about 34 percent. The Blue Oval blamed the gloomy figures on three reasons in its release: "lower volume, higher warranty costs and adverse balance sheet exchange effects."
There were problems of one kind or another in practically every region. North America experienced higher warranty costs than expected, partially due to recalls. The sales volume for the quarter was 665,000 units, versus 725,000 in Q3 2013, and pre-tax results amounted to $1.41 billion versus $2.296 billion last year.
South America and Europe both posted worse pre-tax results than last year. On the bright side, European volume was up slightly to 321,000 vehicles, from 303,000 in Q3 2013. The Middle East and Africa also lost $15 million, but that was an improvement compared to the $25 million loss previously experienced in this region.

Dealers mobilize to protect their margins from automaker subscription services

Six individual auto brands — Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo — have established or are trialing a vehicle subscription service in the U.S. Three third-party companies — Flexdrive, Clutch and Carma — run brand-agnostic subscription services. And three automakers — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and General Motors — have also launched short-term rental services. Dealers, afraid of how these trends might affect their margins, are building political and lawmaking campaigns to protect their revenue streams. So far, three states are investigating automaker subscriptions, and Indiana has banned any such service until next year. It's certain that those three states are the first fronts in a long political and legal battle. Powerful dealer franchise laws mandate the existence of dealers and restrict how automakers are allowed to interact with customers to sell a vehicle. On top of that, Bob Reisner, CEO of Nassau Business Funding & Services, said, "Dealers and their associations are among the strongest political operators in many states. They as a group are difficult for state politicians to vote against." In California earlier this year, the state Assembly debated a bill with wide-ranging provisions to protect against what the California New Car Dealers Association called "inappropriate treatment of dealers by manufacturers." One of those provisions stipulated that subscription services need to go through dealers, but that item got stripped out when dealers and manufacturers agreed to discuss the matter further. In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a moratorium on all subscription programs by dealers or manufacturers until May 1, 2019, to give legislators more time to investigate. Dealers in New Jersey have taken their campaign to the state capitol, asking that the cars in subscription programs get a different classification for registration purposes. Automakers run the current subscription services and own the vehicles. Sign-ups and financial transactions happen online or through apps, leaving dealers to do little more than act as fulfillment centers to various degrees, with little legal recourse as to compensation amounts when they're called on to deliver or service a car. That's a bad base to build on for business owners who've sunk millions of dollars into their operations.

2021 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring First Drive Review | Efficient, stylish and value-packed

With the introduction of the compact Corsair Grand Touring, Lincoln adds its second plug-in hybrid model. Like its bigger Aviator sibling, the plug-in Corsair shares technology with a Ford, but provides additional performance and a substantially improved interior that make it a credible luxury vehicle. And compared to other small plug-in SUVs, the Lincoln has pluses and minuses, but still is an attractive package for the right buyer thanks to strong value, efficiency and style. The Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring, like its internal-combustion counterparts, is based on the Ford Escape. Up front, it uses the same naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder and electric motor as the Ford Escape PHEV, not to mention a motor-based CVT. But it picks up a rear-mounted permanent-magnet motor to provide additional power and all-wheel drive. It makes 266 horsepower combined, an increase of 46 ponies over the Ford. Compared with other Corsairs, it's just 16 horsepower more than the base Corsair with its turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, and it's down 26 horsepower from models with the optional turbo 2.3-liter engine. It's low on power compared to other slightly larger plug-in competitors such as the 304-horsepower Lexus NX 450e as well as the Audi Q5 E-Tron and BMW X5 xDrive45e, both of which make more than 350 horsepower. On the other hand, the Lincoln offers strong fuel efficiency. On a full charge, it can go an EPA-rated 28 miles on electricity. Running in gasoline-only mode, it gets 33 mpg. The aforementioned BMW can go 31 miles on a charge, but gets a paltry 20 mpg on gasoline only. The Q5 only goes 19 miles on a charge and gets 27 mpg on gas. The Lexus is the only one to top the Lincoln with 37 miles of EV range, and a gas-only fuel economy of 36 mpg. In practice, the Lincoln is, as you would expect of the numbers, no sports car, focusing instead on smoothness and reasonable refinement. Power delivery is extremely smooth, and there's no noticeable vibration added when the gas engine comes into play. You will hear it when it comes on, though, and it's not especially smooth. Thankfully, Lincoln has added more sound deadening as well as active noise cancellation to the Corsair in comparison to the Escape, so overall engine volume is low. Also, while the Corsair isn't fast, the torque from the electric motors means it's nippy around town. Being a plug-in hybrid, some of the Corsair's appeal is the ability to drive on full electric power.