Friday, June 25, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
J.D. Power: Ford Brand Now Has The Highest Initial Quality Among All Non-Luxury Brands In The Industry
- Ford brand now has the highest initial quality among all non-luxury brands, according to J.D. Power’s closely watched Initial Quality Study
- Ford rose to fifth place from last year’s eighth place. This is the highest rank position Ford has achieved in the IQS since ranking 23rd in 2004
- Three Ford models rank highest within their respective segments: Ford Focus, Mustang and Taurus
- Lincoln saw an improvement in its ranking over last year and is now among the top 10 brands in the industry
DEARBORN, June 17, 2010 – For the first time, the Ford brand has the highest initial quality among all non-luxury brands in J.D. Power and Associates’ 2010 Initial Quality Study (IQS).
The Ford brand moved to fifth place among all brands from eighth last year. This is the highest rank position Ford has achieved in the IQS since ranking 23rd in 2004.
Both the Ford and Lincoln brands demonstrated significant improvements, with the Ford brand moving to the best in the industry among all non-luxury brands. Lincoln, which was 26th on the list last year, now sits at eighth.
The Ford brand, which continues to outpace the overall industry’s quality improvement, has posted nine consecutive years of gains in the closely watched quality study, based on consumer evaluations after the first three months of new-vehicle ownership.
“These results are remarkable in many ways,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, Global Quality & New Model Launches. “Steady and meticulous attention to new model launches along with consistency in how we do them across the brand and the globe are having a very positive effect on the initial quality of our all-new or redesigned products. These results are a true testament to the strength of the One Ford plan.”
Some of Ford’s most popular nameplates received top honors for their respective segment, including Ford Focus, Taurus and Mustang. As a company, Ford has eight models in the top three positions within their respective award segments. The company’s Hermosillo Assembly Plant also received the Silver Plant Quality Award for outstanding quality in manufacturing.
J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Initial Quality Study is based on responses from more than 82,000 new 2010 model-year vehicle owners after they have driven their new vehicles for three months. It measures problems per 100 vehicles and was based on November through February registrations.
“The blue oval is becoming synonymous with high quality,” Fowler said. “While we are pleased with where we are today, our job is not done. Our plan is to keep improving quality each and every year.”
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Five Ford Vehicles Earn Top Safety Picks By IIHS; Ford Leads Industry With Most Top Crash Ratings
- The 2010 Ford Flex and Fusion, Lincoln MKZ and MKT, and Mercury Milan have earned Top Safety Pick ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
- Ford now has 11 Top Safety Pick ratings for 2010 model vehicles – more than any other automaker
- High-strength steel and composite reinforcements in the body structures of Ford’s newest vehicles helped these and other models earn the best possible rating in IIHS testing
DEARBORN, Mich., June 9, 2010 – Five more 2010 Ford Motor Company vehicles – Ford Flex, Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln MKT and Mercury Milan – have earned Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The rating also applies to the Fusion Hybrid and Milan Hybrid.
Ford has 11 IIHS Top Safety Pick ratings for 2010 model vehicles – the most of any automaker – as well as the leading number of five-star safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Flex, Fusion, MKZ, MKT and Milan previously earned top possible scores for occupant protection in IIHS’s front, side and rear tests, but had to pass IIHS’s new roof strength test to maintain the rating. Vehicles also must offer electronic stability control to be eligible for a Top Safety Pick.
“Leading the industry in both Top Safety Pick ratings and government five-star crash test ratings is very significant because customers increasingly consider IIHS and NHTSA ratings when choosing a new vehicle,” said Sue Cischke, Ford’s group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “These latest test results further demonstrate Ford’s commitment to continuous improvement on the safety front.”
Strong by design
Ford’s use of high-strength steels, including low-alloy, dual-phase and boron steel in the A- and B-pillars, roof headers and bows, rocker panels and rocker baffles of its newest vehicles helped the company perform well in IIHS testing. In addition, composite reinforcements were used to augment and stabilize the key pillar sections against collision forces.
Many new Ford vehicles are built with the company’s Trinity Front Crash Body Architecture. The energy-absorbing body structure is optimized for strength and stiffness, and designed to absorb and redirect crash forces away from the passenger compartment.
In addition, Ford’s Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement (SPACE®) Architecture is used to optimize side-impact occupant protection. The SPACE system integrates a high-strength steel structure in the floor that runs the width of the vehicle, and reinforcements along the rocker panels to help protect passengers in side-impact incidents.
“Ford’s use of high- and ultra-high-strength steels in our vehicles complements our development of advanced crash protection and crash avoidance technologies,” Cischke said. “With each new model year, we’re raising the bar on vehicle safety.”
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Ford Adds Google Maps ‘Send To Sync’ Service To Beam Driving Directions Into Car; No Extra Cost
- Ford adds Google Maps to its ‘Send to SYNC’ feature, allowing drivers to send destinations from Google Maps to their Ford vehicle through the cloud-based SYNC® Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI) app
- Drivers download destination information into the vehicle via their Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones; the information will be processed into audible turn-by-turn directions, eliminating the need to bring printed maps into the car and helping drivers keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road
- ‘Send to SYNC’ launches later this month and will be available for existing 2010-11 models equipped with SYNC TDI; no extra hardware, software updates or costs are required
DEARBORN, Mich., June 8, 2010 – Drivers who enjoy the convenience of Ford SYNC® with Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI) soon will be able to select a destination on Google Maps and send it to their Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicles.
‘Send to SYNC’ is a new capability added to the Ford Service Delivery Network, the company’s cloud-based architecture, which provides a suite of voice-activated services accessible through a customer’s mobile phone.
“Printing paper directions from a website is a relic in our digital age,” said Doug VanDagens, director of Ford Connected Services Solutions Organization. “With Send to SYNC, you can map a destination at home, at work – wherever you have connectivity – and when you get to your car, it already knows where you want to go. It’s convenient and it eliminates the waste and distraction of paper maps, conserving resources while helping drivers keep their eyes on the road.”
The SYNC TDI application leverages a customer’s mobile phone voice plan and the vehicle’s integrated GPS receiver to deliver location-based services, such as driving directions or business searches, and on-demand information such as horoscopes, news, movie listings and stock quotes. Since these services, including the new Send to SYNC functionality, are cloud-based, no vehicle updates are required and they will be available to all owners who have registered for TDI services through www.syncmyride.com.
When users visit Google Maps on the web to find locations, they will have the option to send a selected destination to their Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle via a “send” menu on the site. Once in the vehicle, the driver connects to SYNC TDI using the “Services” voice command, and when prompted, confirms the request to download the Google Maps destination into the vehicle.
The optimal route is calculated in the cloud using the latest traffic information, downloaded to the vehicle and navigation guidance begins. If the vehicle is equipped with a map-based navigation system, the destination point is downloaded directly to that system, which then calculates the route based on the in-vehicle navigation preferences set by the driver.
“Our cloud-based service network is helping deliver constant improvement for our customers, and has become a key reason why Ford leads the industry with SYNC,” said VanDagens. “We’re proud to be working with Google to bring this new capability to SYNC.”
The Google Maps ‘Send to SYNC’ capability launches later this month. Ford is currently the only automaker offering this capability without requiring a paid subscription to a telematics service.
Ford previously announced the same feature for MapQuest (owned by AOL), which will launch later this year.
