Taurus Ses Low 94k Miles Flex Fuel Old School Cheap Transportation No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ford will build Hackmobile out of Transit Connect Wagon

What you see in the above image is a rendering of the Hackmobile Transit Connect Wagon. What is that? It's a "mobile fabrication and hacking unit" that includes tools for metal- and woodworking, 3D and electronics fabrication, a three-axis CNC machine called "The Fabber," a video projector and screen, an air compressor, an 84x48-inch work surface that folds out like a Murphy bed and oh so much more. When not in use, all of the implements fold neatly into the back of Ford's award-winning van.
But perhaps the more important question is why is that? Because Make Magazine held an Ultimate Maker Vehicle Challenge in conjunction with Ford in which ten teams created were charged with creating "the ultimate Ford Transit Connect Wagon for the do-it-yourself enthusiast." Team Twin Cities Maker won the competition with the Hackmobile, and in addition to winning $10,000, Ford has declared it's actually going to build the thing - which is great, because if they can actually engineer a road-legal Hackmobile Transit Connect Wagon as envisioned, the inevitable A-Team movie reboot might need to think about including it.
Check out the video below for a cheeky walk-through of the Hackmobile, and get all the particulars in the press release below that.

Ford's Farley will challenge dealers to cut EV cost to customers by $2,000

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co Chief Executive Jim Farley will go to Las Vegas next week to roll the dice on a strategy to convince dealers to cut as much as $2,000 from the cost of delivering an electric vehicle to a customer. Ford has told dealers that one key topic for the meetings will be a discussion of new agreements that would govern how dealers sell Ford's expanding lineup of electric vehicles. Farley told analysts in July that Ford needs to cut $2,000 a vehicle out of selling and distribution costs to be competitive with Tesla Inc and other electric vehicle startups that sell directly to consumers without franchised dealers. About a third of those savings could come from what Farley called a "low inventory model," where customers order a vehicle and Ford ships it to the customer, rather than stocking vehicles on dealer lots for weeks or months. "We think that's about -- worth maybe $600, $700 in our system," Farley told analysts. Tesla can also adjust prices rapidly on its website, and keep most of the gain from a price increase. Ford declined to comment other than to say “we are excited to meet next week with our North America dealers to grow and win together.” Dealers said they expect Ford to outline minimum investments for charging stations and other equipment to support electric vehicle customers. A key question will be how quickly dealers will be required to install chargers, which dealers said can cost as much as $500,000. "The manufacturers so far have let us scale into it and I think Ford will hopefully do the same thing. You just can't say, 'Listen, we're going to sell 2 million electric cars five years from now and we expect you to put in five superchargers,'" said Rhett Ricart, owner of Ricart Ford, a large dealership in Columbus, Ohio. Tesla's success at selling electric vehicles without franchised dealers is putting pressure on all established automakers to overhaul their retail networks. A shift by Ford to a Tesla-style build to order system could come with caps on the profit margins dealers can earn on a new vehicle sale, some dealers said. "I see dealer margins still being very competitive, but they are going to shift," Farley said in July. Ford intends to put more emphasis on selling products and services after the initial vehicle sale, he said. Dealers said state franchise laws could give dealers leverage to resist efforts by Ford to set fixed prices or fixed fees for delivering electric vehicles.

With contract expiration days away, UAW targets GM first for negotiations

The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday said that it would target General Motors as the first of the Detroit automakers for talks ahead of the current four-year contract's expiration on Sept. 14. This year's contract talks between the union and GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV are expected to be contentious as U.S. new vehicle sales are slowing and automakers face rising costs associated with the development of electric vehicles and self-driving cars. Rising healthcare costs, job security, profit sharing and the use of temporary workers are expected to be major sticking points. GM in particular has been a target of union ire since announcing the closure of five North American plants late last year. That move drew a wave of criticism, including from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly prodded GM and last week said the No. 1 U.S. automaker should begin moving its operations in China back to the United States. "We are prepared and we are all ready to stand up for our members, our communities and our manufacturing future," UAW President Gary Jones said in a statement. In a statement, GM said, "We look forward to having constructive discussions with the UAW on reaching an agreement that builds a strong future for our employees and our business." The contracts come at a difficult time for the UAW, as a federal corruption investigation into the union continues to grow. Last week, the FBI conducted searches at Jones' home, a union retreat and multiple other locations, including the home of the union's previous president, Dennis Williams. To date, seven people linked to the union and the automaker have been sentenced in the government's corruption investigation. Reporting by Nick Carey.