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Farley reacts as UAW expands strike against Ford, GM

Members of the United Auto Worker union walk out of the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant as Lance Williams from Lansing, Ill., waves the UAW flag Friday. (AP)   As the United Auto Workers walk off the job at an additional Ford and General Motors plant, Ford CEO Jim Farley addressed investors and members of the media Friday, pleading the case for the company's latest overture to the union and addressing both public and investor concerns regarding the core issues facing American manufacturing.  Farley made a public case for Ford's efforts to resolve the dispute, expressing frustration with the ongoing stalemate and noting both the concessions Ford offered before the strike began and the signing of a contract with Canada's Unifor. Farley also acknowledged UAW President Shawn Fain's success in getting the union's message out, quipping: "Shawn has been on TV more than Jake from State Farm at this point." The first-ever simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three automakers enters its third week with threats of continued expansion, but little in the way of obvious concrete progress.  "If the UAW’s goal is a record contract, they have already achieved this," Farley said. "It is grossly irresponsible to escalate these strikes and hurt thousands of families." Farley also lamented the fact that EVs have become the subject of partisan conflict, with the company's recently announced battery production facilities taking heat from both pundits and investors as Ford was forced to press pause on the venture while negotiations continue. Former President Donald Trump dropped in to Michigan this week to declare EVs the enemy of blue-collar jobs. "They've become a political football, and that's a shame," he said. Friday saw an expansion of the UAW strike to Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing, Delta Township, Michigan, assembly plant, covering about 7,000 workers, Fain said in an announcement, bringing the total number of workers on the picket lines to 25,000. The strike will not include any additional members at Stellantis, where talks have reportedly been more productive. The Ford and GM plants went on strike at noon Eastern today (Friday). Ford builds the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in Chicago. GM's Delta Township plant builds Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave. "Despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress," Fain said in a video address Friday morning.

2020 Lincoln Aviator 450-hp PHEV will get its own exterior visual cues

Lincoln will brand its powerful plug-in version of the new Aviator crossover as a GT hybrid package with a few distinguishing visual cues when it goes on sale next summer. The luxury PHEV crossover will do battle with competitors like the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, Volvo XC90 T8 and BMW's (incredibly long-winded) X5 xDrive45e iPerformance. The "GT" designation harkens to the golden era of grand touring and is meant to convey the combination of high performance and comfort over long distances. "It's really trying to get at how Lincoln is redefining luxury performance," said Brad Jager, the Aviator brand manager. The hybrid system will deliver 450 horsepower and a whopping 600 pound-feet of torque, which are increases of 50 hp and 200 lb-ft over the pure combustion version powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. Lincoln isn't releasing expected electric-only range or fuel economy, and it's keeping most of the details of the hybrid system under wraps for now. It has said you'll also be able to hold the charge to be deployed later, such as for short trips in town. Lincoln is, however, making a few subtle exterior changes to designate the GT hybrid setup, which will be offered in the higher-end GT and Black Label trim models (the entry-level Aviator and Reserve models will be available only in gasoline combustion versions). First are changes to the Lincoln star badge on the grille and Aviator badge on the side flanks, which fill in with a blue color borrowed from the original Lincoln V12 badge from the 1930s and '40s — a neat touch on a vehicle that is reviving a nameplate. The grille itself is also an inversion of the new Lincoln treatment appearing on models like the Navigator and Nautilus. So where the grilles on those models have cutouts, the GT hybrid grille has protruding shapes that dissipate the further away they are from the center badge. Lastly, the PHEV will come with 21-inch wheels instead of the 22-inchers that equip non-hybrid versions. Lincoln says it designed the rear-wheel-drive architecture with the Aviator in mind, allowing the battery to go underneath the passenger-side second-row seats and maximizing interior space. Engineers also fit an electric motor between the V6 engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. Lincoln hasn't announced pricing on the Aviator, which goes on sale next summer, and the plug-in hybrid versions will obviously command a premium.

Ford abandons MyFord Touch, all hail Sync 3 infotainment [w/video]

MyFord Touch has been among the most widely disdained automotive infotainment systems on the market, practically since its introduction in 2010. Consumer Reports was among the most vocal critics, all but advocating its lynching by an angry mob armed with torches and pitchforks. Not surprisingly, then, after such a critical walloping, Ford has finally decided to say goodbye to the unloved tech, declaring the end of MyFord Touch branding in favor of Sync 3 for its upcoming, all-new system. Ford is promising everything you would expect from Sync 3, including faster response time, better voice-command integration, easier controls and a more useable interface. The screen layout includes fewer items to make them easier to discern, and the icons are made from large, high-contrast buttons. There's also a dedicated tab for apps at the bottom of the screen in addition to those for audio, climate, phone and navigation. Another useful feature is the fact that Sync 3 can download improvements over your home Wi-Fi for easier updates. In addition to the revamped interface, the software running behind the scenes is a big change too. Rather than MyFord Touch's Microsoft-sourced system, Sync 3 uses the Blackberry-owned QNX, according to Automotive News. Such a switch was rumored earlier this year. Drivers still have to live with MyFord Touch a little longer, though. According to Automotive News, Ford said that the change to Sync 3 will happen during the 2016 model year with complete integration into the lineup by the end of the 2016 calendar year. It will come standard on Titanium trim models and as a separate option will be priced in line with the current MyFord Touch. The Sync 3 brand will carry over to Lincoln, too, but with a different look. The gallery above shows a few more looks at the interface, and we invite you to scroll down to watch a video of Sync 3 in action and to read Ford's press release about it, below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.