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Ford investing $75M to switch Michigan Truck plant from trucks to cars

News flash: small cars like the Ford Focus are selling beyond expectations (ours anyway) while trucks and SUVs are sitting on dealer lots much longer than auto manufacturers would like. For this reason, Ford is moving as quickly as possible to switch a few of its truck plants into car plants, including its Michigan Truck plant where behemoth SUVs like the Expedition and Navigator were being built. The switchover is going to cost the automaker since these are not flexible manufacturing facilities, with the first bit of retooling ringing the registers to the tune of $75 million bucks -- and that's just for a new bodyshop. The total cost to retool the plant will be in the hundreds of millions. As they say, it takes money to make money. While the plant is being refurbished, workers will be shuffled to the nearby Wayne plant to build even more Focuses. The best bit of news, though, is that Ford will finally be building its small cars from Europe at its converted truck plant, the ones we've all been asking for since the Euro-Focus got a new platform and we didn't. Not that we're still sour or anything...
posted : 9/13/2008 @5:44:39 AM
Ford Focus CC Black Magic: Any color, as long as it's black

Henry Ford would be proud of Ford Europe's latest special edition. Offered only in black – inside and out – the "Black Magic" edition is based on the new Focus Coupe-Cabriolet launched in this year Geneva. The package includes black powder-coated 17-inch alloys mounted to a sport suspension, plus tinted headlights and fog lamps. The interior is swathed in (you guessed it) black leather, complimented by special floor mats and bundled with an MP3- and Bluetooth-compatible stereo, parking sensors and wind deflector. Only 1500 copies of the Black Magic edition will be made available in Europe with a choice of 2-liter engines running on gasoline (145hp) or diesel (136hp) for Є28,100 or Є30,100 respectively.
posted : 4/15/2008 @2:48:43 PM
Mulally says new Ford Taurus coming next year

At the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, Ford CEO Alan Mulally revealed that the automaker would be introducing a new Taurus sedan next year to replace the one that has failed to meet sales expectations despite a number of substantial improvements and a new name. Mulally said in his speech, "The new Taurus is the one we should have made originally." He clearly concedes that the current Taurus is not what the market wants, but as to what Ford should have made originally, we can't say with confidence what he's referring to. The current Taurus is a supremely competent sedan wrapped in a supremely ho-hum package, so we expect next year's Ford Taurus to be more stylish inside and out, as well as be made available with a range of turbocharged, direct-inject EcoBoost engines to augment the currently available 3.5L V6.

Mulally also reiterated in his speech Ford's intent to commonize platforms and models that are sold across the pond from one another. He even specifically mentioned the Ford Focus, saying it would eventually be the same as the European Focus. We've been wanting a hard date for when this will happen, as enthusiasts in the U.S. have been wailing with fists for the Euro version of the Focus to be sold in the U.S. since it debuted. While a firm time-table still eludes us, at least we have confirmation that one day our Focus will be as cool as theirs.
posted : 1/23/2008 @2:50:50 PM
frankfurt 2007 european ford focus goes kinetic
Ford of Europe ExecutivDesignerer Martin Smith its saw „kinetic “Design language loop over the product series, forwards to the company since then it on the Iosis concept two years in this city debuted. This Design finally reached the focus, which will carry soon new „kinetic “Design references like its brothers and sisters the Mondeo, S-maximum and many different. Which this means a new front end with Iosis spurred headlights is, sculpted a larger untererer air inlet and more hood. From our perspective on the appearance floor, he looks fantastisch. Normally you can explain, if a car an improvement receives intermediary cycle; it does not lie the new Design references was part of the original plan straight on the hand. The new focus looks however, like it was meant to look this way of day 1 completely. more ...
posted : 9/15/2007 @6:01:13 PM
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