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Trump did talk to Bill Ford, but the Kentucky plant was never moving to Mexico

President-elect Donald J. Trump has been butting heads with Ford for a while now. A lot of it seems to stem from misunderstanding or misrepresenting facts about how the automaker currently does business and its plans for the future. After a sit-down with executive chairman Bill Ford Jr., the misunderstandings continue, but Trump has apparently convinced the company to make some changes. During his campaign, Trump claimed that Ford was going to fire US workers and move manufacturing to Mexico. That wasn't the case – yes, Ford planned to transfer Focus and C-Max production from Wayne, Michigan, to Cuautitlan, Mexico, but no, that wouldn't mean anyone losing their job. The Wayne plant will continue to operate, and likely busier than before, as it will be the home of the new Bronco and Ranger. So Ford CEO Mark Fields responded with the facts, and then chairman Bill Ford Jr. sat down with Trump over the summer. Things apparently weren't resolved to Trump's satisfaction, so he and Bill Ford spoke on the phone yesterday as he claims in this tweet: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Let's pick that apart. First off, it's not a Lincoln plant, per se – the Louisville Assembly Plant currently builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC, two small crossovers that share a platform. Ford was considering moving MKC production out of Kentucky to Mexico, but it would not have resulted in many lost jobs if any – the union had already agreed to moving the MKC in 2015 negotiations, and taking production of the slow-selling Lincoln out of the plant would open up capacity for more Fords. Be that as it may, Ford has decided not to move MKC production out of the plant, either for political reasons of placation or because it didn't make the greatest deal of business sense, maybe a combination of the two. That means Trump isn't really saving any American jobs in the short term. If anything, this move could keep Ford supply-constrained and result in reduced sales, which in turn brings the company less money and affects the bottom line and all employees. But that's speculation, so we won't tweet it. There is of course the possibility that Ford will be convinced, either by sheer will or by a more attractive trade situation, to invest in increased US production, which could bear fruit later on. We are told by Ford that the two men did in fact speak yesterday.

Ford picks up new Ranger overseas [w/video+poll]

The new Ford F-150 is lighter and more efficient than the model it replaced, but if it's a smaller Ford pickup that you really wanted, you're going to have to pack your bags. Because while Dearborn stopped selling the Ranger in North America years ago, it still offers one in markets overseas. And it's just rolled out a refreshed model at the 2015 Bangkok Motor Show in Thailand. Following the reveal of the new Everest sport-ute with which it shares its chassis, the refreshed Ranger pickup benefits from revised sheetmetal, powertrain and equipment throughout. The changes are punctuated by a front end with a more rugged-looking grille, a more sculpted hood and projector headlamps. The interior has been updated as well, not only in terms of style but equipment as well, with an eight-inch touchscreen display in the dashboard running Sync 2 and dual TFT displays flanking the speedo in the instrument cluster. Under the hood, buyers will be able to choose between a carryover 2.5-liter inline four with 163 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque that's the sole gasoline option or one of two diesel options: a 2.2-liter four now producing 158 hp and 284 lb-ft, or a 3.2-liter inline-five with 197 hp and 347 lb-ft. The diesel engines are more efficient than before with available stop/start engine management, and offer what Ford says is class-leading towing capability. Six-speed automatic or manual gearboxes transmit the power to the road through either the rear wheels or all four. Production will continue in Thailand for the Asia Pacific Market, South Africa for Africa and Europe, and in Argentina for Latin America. All told the new Ranger will be offered in 180 markets, around the world but for better or worse, ours won't be one of them. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Mulally confirms he's not leaving Ford for Microsoft

In recent months, rumors had been flying about Ford CEO Alan Mulally potentially leaving the company to take a position at Microsoft. Last we heard, Mulally was planning to stick around at Ford through at least 2014, and in an interview today, that bit was confirmed by the CEO himself.
According to the Associated Press, in a report from The Detroit News, Mulally said he will not be leaving Ford for Microsoft, and reiterated that he will remain at the Blue Oval through 2014, if not longer. Mulally has "no plans other than to serve Ford," according to the report.
Mulally did not say whether or not he had been in talks with Microsoft at any point. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said he plans to leave the software company sometime this year.