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Ford workers vote to ratify new four-year UAW contract

DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union said on Friday that rank-and-file members at Ford have voted in favor of a new four-year labor contract with the No. 2 U.S. automaker. The UAW will now focus on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the sole remaining Detroit automaker without a new labor contract. Talks with FCA are expected to begin on Monday, a UAW spokesman said. The union said 56.3% of Ford's hourly workers voted to approve the deal, which allowed the company to avoid a strike like the one that cost its larger rival General Motors about $3 billion (GBP2.3 billion). UAW leaders said earlier this month that Ford under the deal agreed to invest more than $6 billion in its U.S. plants, and to create or retain more than 8,500 UAW jobs. The deal also includes pay raises and lump-sum payments over the life of the contract, a pathway to full-time employment for temporary employees and unchanged healthcare coverage. Workers at GM approved a deal in late October that ended a contentious 40-day U.S. strike, the longest automotive labor stoppage since 1970. Detailed terms of the Ford deal — released just a week after GM workers approved their new contract — echoed those agreed to with GM, as the union typically uses the first deal as a template for those that follow. UAW leaders managed contract negotiations with Ford and GM, including the lengthy strike, while struggling with an ongoing federal corruption probe. To date, 10 people have pleaded guilty in connection with the criminal investigation into illegal payoffs. Just last week former UAW vice president and former GM board member Joseph Ashton was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud. Earlier this month the UAW said that its president, Gary Jones, who had been linked to the ongoing corruption probe, was taking a leave of absence. Rory Gamble, the union's acting head, said last week he will examine every department of the union in response to the spreading federal corruption probe to prevent future misuse of members' dues.

2021 Ford Escape PHEV finally reaches dealers

Last October – which feels like both five minutes and five years ago – Ford had to push the Escape PHEV sales date back to this year. The holdup arose because Ford had to recall the Escape's European twin, the Kuga PHEV, over a fire risk thought to center on the high-voltage battery. At the time, a Ford spokesperson said, "We are moving full scale production of Escape PHEV to the 2021 model year. The first Escape PHEVs will be sold next year." With just three months left in 2021, a Ford spokesperson confirmed to Ford Authority that the Escape PHEV has finally made it to dealer lots. The end of the Escape PHEV's long and winding road comes about a week after the Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring reached dealers. The compact luxury plug-in hybrid debuted at the 2019 LA Auto Show and was intended to go on sale in the summer of last year. But because it uses the same powertain as in the Escape, Ford had to delay the Lincoln as well.  Now that you can finally buy them, here's the quick recap. Both start with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-4 and an electric motor powering the front wheels, and a 14.4-kWh battery providing juice. The Escape makes 200 horsepower, can go 37 miles on all-electric driving, is EPA-rated at 105 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe), and returns a combined 40 mpg if the battery's dead. It starts at $34,320 before incentives. The Lincoln adds an electric motor with a single-speed transmission to power the rear wheels, as Toyota has done with the all-wheel-drive Prius, RAV4 Hybrid and Lexus UX250h. Output in the Lincoln is 266 ponies, it manages 28 miles on pure electric driving, is EPA rated at 78 MPGe, and returns a combined 33 mpg on gasoline alone. It starts at $51,485 before incentives. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2022 Lincoln Corsair starts at $37,300

A week ago, we posted on price increases and reductions Ford applied to the 2022 Escape. Ford Authority reveals that automaker money men have been working similar equations on MSRPs for the Escape's platform mate, the 2022 Lincoln Corsair. Similar to what was done with the Escape, the Corsair sees a small increase on one of the lower trims and reductions on the upper trims. The discounts are offset slightly by the destination charge going up by $100, from $1,095 to $1,195. The entry-level, front-wheel-drive Corsair only goes up by that higher destination charge, its MSRP sticking at $36,105 and coming to $37,300 after destination. Sending power to the rear wheels raises the price by $200, half of that in the MSRP, totaling $39,600.    The Corsair Reserve with front-wheel drive comes down by $2,125, to $42,020. Opting for all-wheel drive shaves the discount a tad to $2,025, for a total of $44,320. This is no freebie, the reduction coming thanks to product planners removing the 14-speaker Reveal Audio System from the list of standard equipment. Putting that stereo back into the Reveal will cost $3,300, but that price is the result of combining options packages so it does include extra equipment. Audiophiles need to choose the Luxury Package, which costs $2,200; however, in order to get the Luxury, they'll also need to choose the $1,100 Elements package, a cold-weather group with features like a heated steering wheel and seats, and windshield wiper de-icer.    Note, at the time of writing, the Corsair Reserve configurator is a little confusing. It still lists the "Revel Audio System with 14-Speakers including Subwoofer" as standard under the Radio Type tab. Under Audio Upgrade, it lists "Lincoln Premium Audio System with 14-Speakers Including Subwoofer," and wants to charge $3,300 for that. This is backward. The Lincoln Premium Audio is a 10-speaker system, and it's the one that comes standard in 2022.  The Corsair Grand Touring, which only comes with all-wheel drive, drops $60 on MSRP but overall climbs by $40 with the destination charge, to $51,525. The Corsair, like the Escape, is due for a refresh for the 2023 model year that could bring a new powertrain besides the expected interior revisions. A brand new Escape/Corsair duo has been predicted for 2025. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.