truth about domestics

Jay Leno has a new show starting September 14th at 10 p.m. on NBC, and part of the show supposedly is a Green Car Challenge.  Jay will have celebrity guests competing against each other while driving Ford Focuses.  Sure Ford is probably paying for the cars to be there, but at 35 mpg, its hard to find a competitor with better highway fuel economy (except the also American Chevrolet Cobalt rated at 36 mpg.)  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Battery electric vehicles will be arriving in dealer showrooms before you know it.  Ford Motor Company has announced that they plan on releasing a battery electric version of its commercial van the Transit Connect in 2010, then a Focus compact battery electric vehicle (BEV) in 2011, and a plug in hybrid will show up around 2012.  As if the advanced power-train didn’t present enough problems on its own, there’s also the matter of charging the car.

Ford is adapting its SYNC in-car communications and entertainment system to alert drivers when to recharge, so that drivers can take advantage of off-peak electricity rates, typically available in the late evening or early morning.  Ford has even gone so far as working with utility companies to study which parts of the country will have the most electric cars the soonest.  For more, check out the full story at the New York Times.

(Image source: Popular Science)

My how the times will change!  The second half of 2008 saw drastic production cuts as the automotive industry basically screeched to a halt.  The beginning of 2009 wasn’t much better, until the Cash for Clunkers program came along to “save the day.”  Sales have been so strong, the Detroit 3 have had to increase production at several plants to meet demand.  Ford has two vehicles running near the head of the pack in the Focus and Escape, both of which have seen increases in production.  Chrysler has said they will be increasing production of its minivans and pickup trucks.  GM has announced production increases but hasn’t given a time-table or what vehicles it will involve.  For more, head on over to the Wall Street Journal.

Apparently there are two ways to count cars.  The government says the Ford Focus is the number one seller under the C.A.R.S. program.  Edmunds believes that there is another winner; the Ford Escape.  Why the difference?  The E.P.A. counts the Escape as six different models, including FWD, AWD and hybrid.  Edmunds feels that those should all be counted together, since they are all the same vehicle.  Head on over to Autoblog to see Edmunds top ten most purchased list.  CNN has the full story.  Click here to see the governments top ten list.

I was recently hanging out with some family friends when my my friend’s Uncle Ray called me over to his computer.  He had quite an interesting story as I was about to learn.  In a trip of more than 400 miles, Ray averaged 40.7 miles per gallon in a rented 2008 Ford Focus with almost 25,000 miles on it.  That’s better than some hybrids can manage (looking at you Toyota Camry.)  Here’s Ray’s version of his trip:

I recently rented a Ford Focus and drove it back East.  I reset the “Avg. MPG” setting and then drove from Salt Lake City, Utah to Laramie, Wyoming.  I used regular gas and drove at about 79/80 mph as the limit was 75 – yes I pushed it.  In all my years owning cars, I have never achieved such good gas mileage – 40.7 mpg.  Please see attached photo of the dashboard.  There was not any wind (either way.)  The elevation of SLC is 4320 and Laramie is 7200 so I was climbing the whole time.  I ran my tires at 40 psi.

I am in my mid 60′s so I have owned many cars over the years from a VW Beetle in 1965 all the way to a pair of Volvo’s today.  This car was a delight to drive and would make one wonder why anyone would even consider a hybrid.

I think this goes to show you that the Domestics can make some really great cars, cars that can compete on fuel efficiency.  You may be thinking that maybe the “Avg. MPG” setting averages more miles than the 400 Ray drove.  Well, on his return trip, Ray achieved fuel economy numbers in the upper 38′s, and that was after switching to E10.  Thanks for the story Ray!

This news probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, seeing as Ford was the only automaker to post a sales increase last month (and this year.)  The Focus saw it’s sales jump 43.6% compared to last year which is great news, along with the 97% increase Ford saw on the Escape.

The big news here (at least for me) is the impact that the C.A.R.S. program is having on the economy and the environment.  White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says the average fuel economy increase so far is 9.4 mpg, a 61% increase versus the vehicles that were traded in.  Furthermore, 83% of the vehicles traded in have been trucks, and 60% of vehicles purchased have been cars.  For more, head on over to The Detroit News.

Ford Motor Company has finally done it!  Their losing streak is over (for July at least.)  Ford has posted an increase in sales of 2% to a total of 158,838 vehicles.  In such a down market, this is big news.  Ford is also the first automaker to post an increase in sales for 2009.  For some interesting facts, head on over to Autoblog.

Some interesting facts from the month:

• Ford Fusion sales totaled 17,610, a July record and up 66% versus a year ago.
• Ford Escape sales totaled 20,241, a July record and up 94% versus a year ago.
• Ford Focus sales totaled 21,830, up 44% versus a year ago.
• Ford’s hybrid vehicles (Fusion, Milan, Escape and Mariner) posted combined sales of 5,353, a record for any month and up 323% versus a year ago.

For more, check out Ford’s official release.

Hold your horses!  This is not a bailout, a rescue operation, or taxpayer handout.  No, the $5.9 billion that Ford is being awarded from the Department of Energy is designed to be used on “Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing.”  Ford will use the money to fund its electric vehicle programs as well as pay for the renovation of Michigan Truck Plant to produce the next generation Focus in both ICE and BEV form.

For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

Michigan Assembly Plant timeline (Ford)

Ford has announced that it will be spending $550 million to turn its Michigan Truck Plant into Michigan Assembly Plant.  A lot of money for a name change you might be thinking.  Well that’s not all that’s changing at the plant.  The plant was last used to produce the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator when it shut down last year.  The plant will be retooled and used to build the next generation global Focus and a battery-electric vehicle!  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

This is great news for not only the state of Michigan, but also Ford, who is working to produce smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles.  The re-opening of the plant late next year will also mean that 3,200 people will retain their jobs at the plant.

I have heard that in parts of the country, people do not seem to know that Ford, for example, builds anything other than the F-150 and Mustang.  This, sadly, has happened for good reason.  During the truck and SUV boom of the 90′s, the American manufacturers let their car programs fall by the wayside, instead focusing a large portion of their development budget on the newest, latest, greatest, and biggest 4×4′s.  Cars were an after-thought, as they did not bring in the same large profits of their truck and SUV bretheren.  The Japanese manufacturers produced quality cars, but even they wanted a piece of the truck and SUV profit pie, and eventually built plants in America to build their own versions of the gas-guzzlers.

Even though this was the case as little as 5 years ago, the American 3 have made a very strong comeback in the car arena.  As you could see in my earlier post about their fuel efficency, they build small and mid-size cars that are very competitive when compared to their foreign rivals.  I also pointed out that their designs are built to high quality standards, putting them in the same league as the foreign brands.  To prove that their cars have other very strong selling points are a couple awards that I would like to point out.

Last year the Saturn Aura mid-size sedan was named the 2007 North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, MI.

Then in 2008 the Chevrolet Malibu took home the honors winning 2008 North American Car of the Year.  Both of these cars were up against some steep competition (both domestic and foreign) and were picked by a large jury made up of various members of the automotive media.

The 2008 Cadillac CTS won Motor Trend magazines coveted 2008 Car of the Year award.

For 2008, 3 GM vehicles made it on Car and Driver’s 10 Best List; the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac CTS, more than any other manufacturer.

In 2007, Ford won more JD Power awards than any other automaker.  Ford, Lincoln and Mercury all had segment winners.  Those three nameplates also finished in the Top 10.

The 2008 Ford Focus was named one of Kelly Blue Book’s Top 10 coolest cars under $18,000.  With its combination of SYNC in car entertainment technology and 35 mpg on the highway, it was a tough car to beat.

The Ford Mustang ranked as the most problem-free “Midsize sporty car” from JD Power’s survey, while the Mercuy Milan was the highest ranked mid-sized car, and its sibling, the Lincoln MKZ, was the top-ranked “Entry premium car.”

All of these awards are only a small part of the story behind the cars that make up the American 3′s portfolios these days.  Their trucks and SUV’s are superbly engineered, besting those offered up by their foreign competition.  That same engineering mentality that goes into their trucks and SUV’s, is now applied to their car programs as well.  “Good enough is not good enough” any longer.  From the Chevrolet Malibu, to the Ford Fusion, the quality shows.  They do not build just trucks and SUV’s, they build some damn fine automobiles as well!