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Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.

The UAW's 'record contract' hinges on pensions, battery plants

DETROIT - After nearly four weeks of disruptive strikes and hard bargaining, the United Auto Workers and the Detroit Three automakers have edged closer to a deal that could offer record-setting wage gains for nearly 150,000 U.S. workers. General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler parent Stellantis have all agreed to raise base wages by between 20% and 23% over a four-year deal, according to union and company statements. Ford and Stellantis have agreed to reinstate cost-of-living adjustments, or COLA. The companies have offered to boost pay for temporary workers and give them a faster path to full-time, full-wage status. All three have proposed slashing the time it takes a new hire to get to the top UAW pay rate. The progress in contract talks follows the first-ever simultaneous strike by the UAW against Detroit's Big Three automakers. The union began the strike on Sept. 15 in hopes of forcing a better deal from each major automaker. But coming close to a deal is not the same thing as reaching a deal. Big obstacles remain on at least two major UAW demands: restoring the retirement security provided by pre-2007 defined benefit pension plans, and covering present and future joint- venture electric vehicle battery plants under the union's master contracts with the automakers. On retirement, none of the automakers has agreed to restore pre-2007 defined-benefit pension plans for workers hired after 2007. Doing so could force the automakers to again burden their balance sheets with multibillion-dollar liabilities. GM and the former Chrysler unloaded most of those liabilities in their 2009 bankruptcies. The union and automakers have explored an approach to providing more income security by offering annuities as an investment option in their company-sponsored 401(k) savings plans, people familiar with the discussions said. Stellantis referred to an annuity option as part of a more generous 401(k) proposal on Sept. 22. Annuities or similar instruments could give UAW retirees assurance of fixed, predictable payouts less dependent on stock market ups and downs, experts said. Recent changes in federal law have removed obstacles to including annuities as a feature of corporate 401(k) plans, said Olivia Mitchell, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and an expert on pensions and retirement. "Retirees want a way to be assured they won't run out of money," Mitchell said.

2022 Lincoln Navigator First Drive Review | It's greener now. Literally.

Lincoln’s latest renaissance began with the Navigator, specifically the full redesign introduced four years ago. Offering far more power than the competition established a new, common concept of effortless performance throughout the Lincoln lineup, but it was the NavigatorÂ’s striking new interior design that really moved the needle and made people, including car reviewers like us, take notice. Subsequent Lincoln interiors evolved from that design and enjoyed similar praise, so it should come as no surprise that the updated 2022 Lincoln Navigator builds upon its trademark element. Frankly, itÂ’s unusual for interior design to so strongly embody a brandÂ’s identity, yet a senior Lincoln official confirmed thatÂ’s exactly what the company sought to do with the Navigator and others. The exterior would be tidy and handsome, but to really stand out in a crowded luxury field, the brand chose to instead focus on creating a bold, unique interior. Clearly inspired by LincolnÂ’s midcentury glory years, but not attempting to copy it in chintzy plastic as Lincolns of the 2000s did, the Navigator cabin continues to look nothing like those of its competitors. ItÂ’s classy, itÂ’s special and when done up in Black Label “themes,” it can be uniquely colorful as well. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. For 2022, the most colorful of themes — “Destination” and its stem-to-stern coating of oxblood red — is discontinued. Boo. Apparently, it was popular in LincolnÂ’s top market of China. Less so in the United States, so it gets ousted in favor of the new “Central Park” theme shown here. The primary element is the “Urban Green” hue with leather perforations that form the outlines of a New Yorkesque skyline. ItÂ’s exclusively paired with stunning open-pore wood embossed, in gold no less, with a map of ManhattanÂ’s grid and the titular Central Park. ItÂ’s a fitting alternative to the carryover themes of “Yacht Club” (the blue one) and “Chalet” (shades of brown and beige), plus the new “Invitation” theme that features black accented in a different gold-embossed wood for those who are less adventurous. The interiorÂ’s only noteworthy aesthetic change for 2022 is also a functional one: the 10-inch touchscreen has been replaced by a 13.2-inch widescreen unit.