2006 Ford F350 Super Duty Reg Cab Xl 4x4 on 2040-cars

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Mark LaNeve named head of Ford US sales and marketing

Ford continues to rework the positions of its top marketing executives as Jim Farley moves to take over the Blue Oval in Europe and Stephen Odell becomes head of global sales. The latest shift brings Mark LaNeve in as the new vice president of US marketing, sales, service and dealer relations, effective February 1. LaNeve replaces John Felice, who is retiring. Felice was with the automaker for the last 30 years and held his most recent job since November of 2013. In addition to coordinating marketing and sales, LaNeve's other duty is to build "innovative new digital communications and transforming the retail experience for customers," according to the automaker's press release announcing the change. He reports to both Odell and Joe Hinrichs, Ford's boss of the Americas. LaNeve has a long history in the auto industry. He spent a portion of his early career with Cadillac but eventually was hired as the CEO of Volvo Cars North America. He also headed up US marketing at General Motors for several years in the 2000s. Since 2012, LaNeve has been the chief operating officer at Global Ford Team, which is responsible for the company's worldwide advertising. There's an interesting challenge ahead of LaNeve in leading the Blue Oval's US marketing and sales in 2015. Ford was the bestselling auto brand here in 2014 but overall sales fell about 1.1 percent. According to Automotive News, the company's market share dropped to 14.9 percent, a one-percent reduction and the lowest level since 2008. Read below for the automaker's official announcement of LaNeve's new job. JOHN FELICE RETIRING AFTER 30 YEARS; FORD NAMES MARK LANEVE TO LEAD U.S. MARKETING, SALES AND SERVICE TEAM John Felice is retiring as vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, after 30 years of service Mark LaNeve, named vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service and elected a Ford Motor Company officer; former chief operating officer at Global Team Ford brings nearly three decades of automotive marketing and sales experience to Ford Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] announced today changes in its senior leadership team as it continues to deliver and accelerate the company's One Ford plan while driving for product excellence and innovation. John Felice, vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, has elected to retire after 30 years at Ford, effective Feb. 1, 2015.

Ford Explorer gets appearance pack for 2015

Remember when Ford launched the totally new Explorer in late 2010, and people were skeptical about how the now-crossover would fare, after ditching its traditional SUV roots? Well, we're several years in, and I think we can assuredly say that Ford made the right decision. Sales are better than ever (in fact, May was the current Explorer's best month yet), and the crossover is finding its way into the hands of a whole host of new Ford buyers.
A wholly refreshed Explorer is still forthcoming, but to keep its strong-selling crossover fresh, Ford is offering a host of improvements for the 2015 model year, including the attractive appearance package available on the XLT trim level, pictured above. Outside, the pack gets you goodies like 20-inch machined aluminum wheels, black bodyside cladding and roof rack rails. Contrasting Magnetic Metallic accents are found on the grille, mirror caps and liftgate appliqué, and there's an "Explorer" hood badge and body-colored door handles. Inside, there are new Miko suede inserts in the seats, and the package includes the automaker's Sync connectivity with MyFord Touch infotainment.
Elsewhere in the Explorer range, the Class III trailer tow pack is now standard on the Sport, base models get new 18-inch aluminum wheels, and there are three new colors on offer: Bronze Fire Metallic and Magnetic Metallic.

MyFord Touch getting buttons and knobs back to counter criticisms

Ford deserves credit for being a front-runner in offering advanced infotainment technology with its Sync and MyFord Touch systems, but continued consumer complaints over its confusing touchscreen interface and capacitive controls has made the automaker relent. The Wall Street Journal reports that physical buttons and knobs for controlling tuning and volume will be coming back to Ford vehicles equipped with the controversial infotainment system.
The 2013 F-150 with MyFord Touch gives us a glimpse of what the new layout with buttons and knobs might look like, as Ford says a similar balance of touch screen capability and buttons/knobs are what's being planned for future models. And, while capacitive controls have no fans in the halls of Autoblog, many of Ford's models with MyFord Touch do have a large physical knob for adjusting volume with integrated buttons for tuning and advancing tracks, though most of those are models with the optional upgraded Sony Audio system. Lincoln models with MyLincoln Touch, however, feature only capacitive controls for all stereo and climate functions.
Despite receiving enough complaints to throw buttons and knobs back into the mix (a move that reminds us of BMW's iDrive trajectory, among others), Ford reports that Sync and MyFord Touch have still been sold on 79 percent of its 2013 model year vehicles, a number it claims is double the rate that Honda and Toyota are getting for their infotainment systems. Ford also states that owners who do opt for the duo of technologies are more satisfied with overall vehicle quality than those who don't have it.