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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."

2015-2019 Lincoln MKC recalled over fire risk in engine bay

Ford has commenced a recall of 142,734 examples of the Lincoln MKC from the 2015 to the 2019 model years. The potential issue centers on the battery monitor sensor in the compact luxury crossover. After reports of 19 fires in MKCs in the U.S., Canada and China, Ford's internal investigation found that the monitor sensor housing could be damaged when technicians worked in that area of the engine bay. If the housing damage caused the sensor to short circuit, the short could lead to an electrical load in the sensor's power circuit that causes enough heat to set fire to surrounding material. That could lead to a fire in the engine bay at any time, while driving or even when the MKC is turned off. The Lincolns were built from August 20, 2013 to August 2, 2019. The automaker says it isn't aware of any injuries or accidents due to this; all of the models that caught fire were parked and off at the time. Because of the risk of fire at any time, Ford is recommending that owners park outside and away from structures until owners have had the issue repaired. The fix is a trip to the dealer to have a fuse added to the battery monitor sensor power circuit that can kill the current in the event of a short. Ford will begin sending letters to MKC owners on June 26. In the meantime, owners are free to contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332 to find out more about the recall or if their MKC is affected, or they can get in touch with their local Ford or Lincoln dealer. The company's internal number for this recall is 23S28. Owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov, and refer to campaign number 23V378. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Conan O'Brien takes McConaughey's Lincoln ad to its logical conclusion

We all had to see this coming. Conan O'Brien has released a parody of Matthew McConaughey's new ads for the 2015 Lincoln MKC and remixed them with lines from one of his most critically acclaimed recent roles.
The now much darker commercial probably isn't how Lincoln would prefer the MKC to be marketed, but really in a few of the actual ads, McConaughey already seems moments away from breaking into a full Rustin Cohle from True Detective impression. The cadence and tone of his voice are just so close to that character, especially in the one where he's talking to the bull standing in the middle of the road. It very nearly verges on parody anyway; Conan is just turning all of this up to 11.
It's a little surprising that the writers didn't dig a little deeper into the McConaughey oeuvre for the parody. Maybe McConaughey could have taken the MKC for a party at the Moon Tower from Dazed and Confused. In any case, it's worth a quick watch, so check it out.