Ford

Chennai design engine powers automotive giant Ford's global successes

Ford Business Solutions in the city behind popular models, such as F-Series, Explorer, Transit, and Ranger

Ford to shift EV strategy by building new lower-cost pickup, commercial van

Facing competition from automakers with lower costs, Ford Motor Co is shifting its electric vehicle strategy and now will focus on making two new electric pickup trucks and a new commercial van. The company says all will cost less, have longer range and be profitable within a year of reaching showrooms. Ford, which is losing millions on its current EVs, gave few details about the new products. But it said production of its next generation full-size electric pickup truck in Tennessee will be delayed 18 months, until 2027. The company also says it won't build fully electric three-row SUVs due to high battery costs, but instead will focus on making those vehicles as gas-electric hybrids. The other new pickup will be mid-sized, based on new underpinnings developed by a small team in California. It also will go on sale in 2027. Production of the unspecified van will start at an assembly plant west of Cleveland in 2026. The changes will force Ford to write down USD 400 million of its ...

Ford Motor to recall about 85,000 vehicles due to risk of engine fire

In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine

US govt opens investigation into Ford recall for Bronco gasoline leaks

The US government's auto safety agency has opened an investigation into a Ford recall for gasoline leaks from cracked fuel injectors that can cause engine fires, saying in documents that the remedy doesn't fix the leaks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents posted on Friday that the probe will evaluate the adequacy and safety consequences of the remedy that Ford specifies in the recall. The agency moved with unusual speed, posting documents detailing the recall query just two days after the recall was made public. The recall covers nearly 43,000 Ford Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, and Escape SUVs from 2022. All have 1.5-litre engines. NHTSA said that fuel injectors can crack, causing gasoline or vapours to leak at a high rate onto hot surfaces in the engine compartment. The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Ford's remedy for the leaks is to add a drain tube to send the gas away from hot surfaces, and a software updat

Chennai brains to lead Ford's global AI drive; Group on hiring spree

Ford Business Solutions to hire 3,000 more for its city unit, taking total staff strength to 15,000

Ford to recall 1.9 mn Explorer SUVs to secure trim pieces that can fly off

Ford is recalling nearly 1.9 million Explorer SUVs in the US because a trim piece can fly off and create a hazard for other drivers. The recall covers Explorers from the 2011 through 2019 model years. Documents posted Wednesday by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say that clips holding the trim that covers the roof supports close to the windshield can come loose. If that happens, the trim piece can fly off and increase the risk of a crash. The recall comes after US regulators opened an investigation into the problem last January after receiving 164 consumer complaints. Canadian regulators also inquired about the problem. Documents say that at first Ford decided against a recall, citing the low mass of the part. But the company decided to do the recall after US regulators determined the problem was a safety hazard. Ford said in a statement Wednesday that it expects only 5% of the recalled Explorers to be affected by the problem. It encourages owners to contact

Ford reduces production of F-150 Lightning pickup truck as EV demand slows

The announcement is the latest sign of softening demand for EV trucks. General Motors in October postponed the opening of a $4 billion electric truck plant in Michigan for a year

Tata Motors commences production at Sanand plant it acquired from Ford

Tata Motors on Friday said it has commenced production at its new production facility at Sanand in Gujarat. Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd, a unit of Tata Motors, had acquired the facility from Ford India for Rs 725.7 crore in January last year. "We have successfully retooled the factory in the shortest span of 12 months, taking it to a new level to accommodate a wide range of existing products and future new models to come," Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM) MD Shailesh Chandra said in a statement. The facility will play a pivotal role in steering Tata Motors, especially TPEM, towards achieving newer feats, he added. "With existing capacities near saturation, this new facility will unlock an additional manufacturing capacity of 3 lakh units per annum which is scalable to 4.2 lakh units per annum," Chandra said. The plant, which would be the company's second in Gujarat, would roll out both Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and electric

Strike cuts Ford sales by 100,000 vehicles, cost $1.7 billion in profits

A six-week United Auto Workers strike at Ford cut sales by about 100,000 vehicles and cost the company USD 1.7 billion in lost profits this year, the automaker said Thursday. Additional labour costs from the four-year and eight-month agreement will total USD 8.8 billion by the end of the contract, translating to about USD 900 per vehicle by 2028, Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said in a company release. Ford will work to offset that cost through higher productivity and reducing expenses, Lawler said. The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker re-issued full-year earnings guidance that was withdrawn during the strike, but it trimmed its expectations. The company now expects to earn USD 10 billion to USD 10.5 billion before taxes in 2023. That's down from USD 11 billion to USD 12 billion that it projected last summer. Ford said the strike caused it to lose production of high-profit trucks and SUVs. UAW workers shut down the company's largest and most profitable factory in Louisville, ...

Ford executive chair Bill Ford calls on autoworkers to end strike

Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford called on autoworkers to come together to end a monthlong strike that he says could cost the company the ability to invest in the future. In a rare speech during contract talks in the company's hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, Ford said high labour costs could limit the company's ability to make future investments. If we lose it, we will lose to the competition. America loses. Many jobs will be lost, said the great grandson of company founder Henry Ford. The company, he said, builds more vehicles in America and has more United Auto Workers employees than any company as he called for an end to what he said was an acrimonious strike. The company is near an impasse with the United Auto Workers union, which walked out in targeted strikes at all three Detroit automakers on September 15. Last week 8,700 union members walked out at the largest and most profitable Ford plant in the world, the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. After the walkout,

US expands Ford engine probe to 2 motors, nearly 709,000 vehicles

US auto safety investigators have expanded a probe into Ford Motor Co. engine failures to include nearly 709,000 vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said in documents posted Monday on its website that it upgraded the investigation to an engineering analysis, a step closer to a recall. The investigation now covers Ford's F-150 pickup truck, as well as Explorer, Bronco and Edge SUVs and Lincoln Nautilus and Aviator SUVs. All are from the 2021 and 2022 model years and are equipped with 2.7-liter or 3.0-liter V6 turbocharged engines. The agency says that under normal driving conditions the engines can lose power due to catastrophic engine failure related to allegedly faulty valves. The agency opened its initial investigation in May of last year after getting three letters from owners. Initially the probe was looking at failure of the 2.7-liter engine on Broncos. Since then, Ford reported 861 customer complaints, warranty claims and engine replacements ..

United Auto Workers union go on historic strike on 'Big Three' firms

The walkouts at the Detroit Three will halt production of the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck, along with other popular models

Ford lures Apple executive to run new unit selling software subscriptions

Ford has hired away a key Apple executive to run a new business unit that will sell software-related subscription services to vehicle owners. The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker said Monday it hired Peter Stern, who was Apple's vice president of services. He'll run Ford Integrated Services, a unit that will combine software and hardware into services. At Apple, Stern oversaw Apple TV plus, iCloud storage, Apple Books, the arcade and fitness operations and other businesses, Ford said in a statement Monday. Stern started Monday and reports directly to CEO Jim Farley. Stern also will expand Ford's BlueCruise hands-free partially automated driving system, as well as productivity and safety and security services, the statement said.

Ford recalls 870K F-150 pickups in US, parking brakes turn on unexpectedly

Ford is recalling more than 870,000 newer F-150 pickup trucks in the US because the electric parking brakes can turn on unexpectedly. The recall covers certain pickups from the 2021 through 2023 model years with single exhaust systems. Ford's F-Series pickups are the top-selling vehicles in the US. The company says in documents posted by government safety regulators on Friday that a rear wiring bundle can come in contact with the rear axle housing. That can chafe the wiring and cause a short circuit, which can turn on the parking brake without action from the driver, increasing the risk of a crash. Drivers may see a parking brake warning light and a warning message on the dashboard. Ford says in documents that it has 918 warranty claims and three field reports of wire chafing in North America. Of these, 299 indicated unexpected parking brake activation, and 19 of these happened while the trucks were being driven. The company says it doesn't know of any crashes or injuries caused b

US probes complaints that Ford Escape doors open while SUVs being driven

US auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that the doors on some Ford Escapes can open while the SUVs are being driven. The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers 346,000 Escapes from the 2020 and 2021 model years. The agency says in documents posted Tuesday on its website that it has 118 complaints that spot welds in a door assembly bracket can fail. Investigators contacted some of the owners and found 25 reports of minor injuries. Many reported a popping noise when they opened the door as a bracket begins to separate. The agency says continued use could dislodge the door, and it could fail to latch when closed. Ford says it's working with the agency to support the investigation. NHTSA says the probe will determine whether the problem creates an unreasonable risk to highway safety. The agency could seek a recall.

Ford cutting several hundred jobs to reduce cost amid transition to EVs

Ford Motor Co. is going through another round of white-collar job cuts as the company continues to reduce costs amid a transition to electric vehicles. The company confirmed on Tuesday that it was starting to notify several hundred engineers and other salaried employees that their jobs are being eliminated. The firings come after around 200 Ford contract employees were let go last week. Spokesman T.R. Reid wouldn't give a specific number of Ford jobs that are being cut this week, but said they are not nearly the scale of those made last summer when the company let go of 3,000 white-collar workers and another 1,000 contractors largely in the US. Most of the cuts were in engineering, but all business units will see job cuts, Reid said. Teams that were affected were pulled together yesterday to let them know that there would be actions taken this week. Then individual people will be notified today and tomorrow, Reid said. CEO Jim Farley has said much of Ford's workforce doesn't have

Ford Motor issues recall notice for 125,000 vehicles that could catch fire

The recall applies to Escapes from 2020 to 2023, Mavericks from 2022 to 2023, and Corsairs from 2021 to 2023, the report mentioned

Ford EV owners to get access to Tesla Supercharger network next spring

All of Ford Motor Co's current and future electric vehicles will have access to about 12,000 Tesla Supercharger stations in the US and Canada starting next spring. Ford CEO Jim Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the agreement Thursday during a Twitter Spaces audio chat. We think this is a huge move for our industry and for all electric customers, Farley said. Musk said he didn't want Tesla's network to be a walled garden and that he wants to use it to support sustainable transportation. It is our intent to do everything possible to support Ford and have Ford be on an equal footing at Tesla Superchargers, Musk said. Farley said there will be a cost to Ford owners, perhaps a monthly subscription, but he didn't give specifics. Details of any financial arrangement between Ford and Tesla were not announced. At first, Ford's current electric vehicles will need an adapter to hook into the Tesla stations, which have their own connector. But Ford will switch to Tesla's North America

Will stop competing in over-served markets, instead play big bets: Ford

Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley says the company will stop competing in over-served market segments and instead will place big bets on connected vehicles and digital services. The days of Ford being all things to all people are over, Farley said in a statement ahead of the company's capital markets day event on Monday. He says Ford will be competing differently, going for tailored ownership experiences rather than jockeying for slivers of market share with complex vehicles in over-served market segments. The company is expected to detail how it will accomplish this at the daylong event near its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. Executives are to explain how Ford will get to a 10 per cent pretax profit margin in 2026. It reiterated 2023 full-year guidance of USD 9 billion to USD 11 billion in adjusted pretax profits. Ford has split itself into three business units, Ford Blue for gasoline-powered and hybrid vehicles, Ford Model e for electric vehicles and digital products, and Ford

Ford's F-150 leaves tough choices for buyers seeking EV tax credits

Dozens of other electric cars and trucks didn't make the cut, either because they aren't manufactured in the US or don't use American parts and pieces