Mazda to leave Flat Rock plant it shares with Ford

Detroit News staff and wires
Mazda Motor Corp. will pull out of its manufacturing venture with Ford Motor Co. and stop making cars in Michigan, a Japanese newspaper reported Friday.

Ford and Mazda both declined to comment on the report.

But Mazda has been studying whether to keep making autos at the Flat Rock plant, and senior executives have said they expect to make a decision this year.

Mazda and Ford operate the AutoAlliance International plant as a 50-50 partnership. But the plant was running at less than half of its capacity last year, as its 1,700 workers produced just 36,000 Mazda6 cars and 78,000 Ford Mustangs on a single shift.

Citing unidentified company sources, the Nikkei business daily said Mazda was considering selling its stake to Ford as part of a restructuring of its global production operations.

Mazda would ship cars to the United States from Japan and from Mexico starting around 2013, according to the Nikkei.

The Japanese automaker said in a statement Friday that it had "nothing to announce at this time.

"Today's news report … is not based on information released by Mazda. We do not comment on speculation."

Several analysts expect Mazda to announce a decision soon.

"Mazda has signaled for months that it may be ending its U.S. manufacturing presence at the Flat Rock assembly plant, and although the company still hasn't confirmed the action, it seems circumstances are pointing in that direction," said Bill Visnic, senior analyst at online research firm Edmunds.com.

"Sales in the United States for the redesigned Mazda6 built at Flat Rock are running at about one-third of expectations," he said.

This year, Mazda has sold 103,072 vehicles in America, up 5.7 percent. But sales of Mazda6 cars, battling in the cutthroat midsize sedan segment, are down 8.9 percent at 13,604.

Ford has maintained employment at Flat Rock by increasing output of its vehicles at the plant, the Nikkei said.

But the ties binding the companies have loosened. Ford, once Mazda's controlling shareholder with a 33.4 percent stake, has reduced its holding to 3.5 percent.

In the meantime, Mazda is struggling financially. In the fiscal year ended March 31, its losses widened to 60 billion yen, or $742 million, from 6.5 billion yen, or $76 million, in the previous year.

The Hiroshima-based automaker attributed the deterioration in its results to lackluster sales in Japan, the initial impact of the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the strength of the yen. Mazda exports around 80 percent of the vehicles it makes in Japan.

Source;
http://www.detnews.com/article/20110604/AUTO01/106040319/1148/AUTO01/Report--Mazda-to-leave-Flat-Rock-plant-it-shares-with-Ford

1965 Shelby Cobra 427 vs 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia in a $400,000 ¼ Mile Race Bet; Can You Guess Who Wins?

A no-nonsense, classic American muscle car from the 1960s going head to head with a high-tech, thoroughbred Italian supercar in the ultimate quarter mile race. What more could you ask to make this battle more interesting? Well, how about a $400,000 wager?

Hype....

Results....


Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/03/1965-shelby-cobra-427-vs-ferrari-458.html

Mazda May Exit From U.S. Factory Operated With Ford

By Makiko Kitamura and Yuki Hagiwara - Feb 18, 2011

Mazda Motor Corp. may pull out from a U.S. factory it operates jointly with Ford Motor Co. after production turned unprofitable, Chief Financial Officer Kiyoshi Ozaki said.

The company will announce plans for the factory in Flat Rock, Michigan, by middle of this year, Ozaki told reporters in Tokyo today. Mazda may also consider overhauling the plant or changing the models built there, he said without elaboration.

Mazda, Japan’s second-largest auto exporter, has been hurt by the yen’s sustained rise against the U.S. dollar in recent months. The Hiroshima-based company’s U.S. sales fell 9 percent in January, as increased incentives on Toyota Motor Corp.’s Corolla compact, and demand for Hyundai Motor Co.’s Elantra sapped demand for the Mazda3, Ozaki said.

A decision by Mazda to leave the plant shared with Ford since the 1980s “wouldn’t catch Ford off guard,” said Kim Hill, an economist with the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

“Unlike several other Ford facilities, Flat Rock hasn’t had a major recent investment in flexibility,” Hill said. “If Mazda were to leave, Ford would probably want to look at putting something off its small-car platform in that facility.”

Marcey Evans, a Ford spokeswoman, declined to comment.

The Michigan plant needs to run at 70 percent of its full 240,000 annual capacity to make a profit, Ozaki said earlier today. Mazda aims to introduce a more fuel-efficient engine to spur demand and increase domestic production to improve economies of scale after slipping into a third-quarter loss.

Mazda will need to adjust U.S. inventory by 5,000 units through the end of March, he said.

Ford’s Stake
Mazda aims to increase domestic production 33 percent to 1.1 million units in the year ending in March 2016, compared with 827,910 units last fiscal year. The ratio of exports will also increase as demand for cars in Japan declines, he said.

Mazda’s Michigan plant produced about 54,000 units last year, Ozaki said.

Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, reduced its stake in Mazda to 3.5 percent from 11 percent last year, scaling back an alliance of more than 30 years. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker formed an automatic-transmission joint venture with Mazda in 1969 and acquired a 25 percent stake in the Japanese automaker in 1979.

The U.S. carmaker took effective control of the Japanese company in 1996, raising its stake to 33.4 percent. It reduced the stake to 13 percent in November 2008, and a share issue by Mazda in 2009 further shrank the holding to 11 percent.

New Powertrain
Mazda plans to introduce its new “Skyactiv” powertrain system across almost all models by 2015, starting with the domestic, U.S. and Australian markets this year. Earlier this month, the carmaker reported a third-quarter loss, citing the strength of the Japanese currency which reached a 15-year high in November.

The new Demio compact, the first model to use the system, will go on sale in Japan in the first half of 2011 and runs 30 kilometers per liter of gasoline under the Japanese testing system, Mazda said in October. The new car’s fuel-economy rating is the same as the hybrid version of Honda Motor Co.’s Fit and better than the current Demio’s 23 kilometers per liter.

Yen’s Impact
With exports making up 80 percent of Japan production in 2010, Mazda is more vulnerable to the yen’s impact than its domestic rivals. The strong yen against the dollar cut nine- month operating profit by 13.6 billion yen ($163 million), the company said this month.

Mazda posted a net loss of 2.7 billion yen for the three months ended Dec. 31. The company will still meet its full-year profit forecast of 6 billion yen as sales in Japan recover, Ozaki said.

While the strong yen erodes profitability of exports, Mazda needs to increase domestic output to boost economies of scale, the company has said. It aims to increase domestic production 33 percent to 1.1 million units in the year ending in March 2016, compared with 827,910 units last fiscal year, Ozaki said today.

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2011-02-18/mazda-s-cash-position-won-t-improve-next-fiscal-year-cfo-says.html

Ford are suing Ferrari for using the Ferrari F150.

If you live on the wrong side of the Pond, you’ll know that an F-150 is the single most successful automotive phenomenon on the planet. Part of the Ford F-Series of pickup trucks, the Ford F-150 sells more than any car in the US and has been a mainstay of Ford’s profits for over fifty years.

If you’re an F1 fan you’ll know that Ferrari has announced its car for 2011 and named it the Ferrari F150, apparently naming the car in celebration of 150 years of Italian unification. All of which has lead to a culture clash between blue-collar Ford and its good old boy pickup and the Italian aristocracy that is Ferrari.

Ford has issued legal proceedings in the US to stop Ferrari using the F150 name, and demanding damages from Ferrari for cybersquatting by launching a website with the F150 name www.ferrariF150.com. All of which, on the face of it, seems a bit daft. Who could possibly confuse a Ford Pickup with Ferrari’s latest F1 car? But that’s not the point.

Companies need to protect the assets, be they physical or intellectual. They also need to be seen to be protecting their assets, which is far more what this is about (apart from the free publicity for the Ford F-150) than actually getting any money out of Ferrari.

For if Ford fails to try and protect its copyright on the F-150 as far as Ferrari is concerned, they will find it much harder to convince a court of a breach of copyright in the future. Which could lead, for example, to a Chinese company plagiarising the Ford F-150 – name and all – and Ford then struggling to enforce their copyright as they had failed to demonstrate a willingness to protect it in the past.

Road and Track: 2013 Ford Escape

Wow, is this ever an improvement over the current Escape, which I think is still very nice....

What was once the Vertrek concept will become the 2013 Ford Escape.
By Matt DeLorenzo

While this sporty crossover was introduced as the Vertrek concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, it’s assumed that the production version will have the more recognizable (and easier to pronounce) Escape nameplate.

The Vertrek styling influences represent a major change in crossover design at Ford. While the new Explorer has a tough truck look, the new Escape, taking its cues from the concept, promises to be sleeker and more wagon/carlike, something along the lines of a Honda CR-V.

Now our spies have captured an early development mule of the Vertrek/Escape, which is based on Ford’s Global C-platform that underpins the new Focus and Transit Connect as well as related crossovers sold in Europe as the C-Max and Kuga. Speaking of the Kuga, Ford uses some of that vehicle’s bodywork on the mule, since it is much sleeker than the current boxy Escape sheetmetal.

While this vehicle does not represent the final design of the 2013 Ford Escape, it does show us that testing well under way. We can see a large piece has been tacked onto the front clip, likely to make room for components related to turbocharging. At the rear, the fascia has been modified to make room for a new exhaust system.

The Escape will follow the industry trend of doing away with V-6 engines, instead sporting a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder for the base model and an Ecoboost 4-cylinder for the upmarket model. Also a possibility is a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine as a fuel-economy leader, plus a 2.0-liter turbodiesel currently being developed primarily for Europe.

Source;
http://www.roadandtrack.com/future-cars/spy-photos/spied!-2013-ford-escape

2011 Ford Super Duty Truck

2010 Ford Mondeo

2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR

Honda and Ford has the lowest complaint ratios for any large manufacturer

By Mark Kleis

2010 will likely go down in history as one of the most historic years in the automotive industry, with major shifts in paradigms, safety legislation and global alliances. Of the most memorable events will likely be the seemingly endless string of safety recalls that plagued Toyota, and as a result the number of complaints logged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration were driven to a record high of over 40,0000 valid complaints.

By mid-December of 2010, NHTSA had already received complaints across all automakers totaling over 40,000, which is four times more than previous years based on analysis by Edmunds and The Los Angeles Times. The same data showed Toyota leading with the most complaints of any automaker with nearly a quarter of all complaints.

Toyota’s complaints per 100,000 vehicles climbed from 37 in 2009, to 87 in 2010. The second worst offender was Nissan, logging 62 complaints per 100,000 vehicles sold, followed closely by Volkswagen with 58 complaints. The overall industry average came in at just 47 complaints per 100,000 vehicles sold – a figure bumped from just 30 the previous year.

Ford and Honda had the lowest complaint ratios for any large manufacturers in the U.S.

Source;
http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-tallies-most-nhtsa-complaints-in-2010-ford-honda-have-fewest.html

Ford, Honda top customer loyalty survey

Scott Burgess / The Detroit News

Ford Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. have the most loyal customers, according to a new study released today by J.D. Power and Associates.

Nearly two-thirds of Ford and Honda owners, 62 percent, return to their brand for their next vehicle. For Ford, the key vehicles are the Edge crossover, the F-Series pickups and the midsize Fusion sedan. Honda customers come back for the Accord sedan, CR-V crossover and the seven-passenger Pilot.

Hyundai, Lexus and Toyota customers return to their respective brands at the rate of 60 percent. Kia, which had a 58 percent retention rate, improved the most in the study, gaining 21 percentage points over 2009 numbers, the study said.

Additionally, the study noted that more drivers want vehicles that are fun to drive and that has played a role for carmakers to get a customer to switch from one brand to another, known in the industry as a conquest customer.

"Now that economic and market conditions have improved somewhat, vehicle owners are increasingly citing emotional, rather than practical, reasons for staying with their vehicle brand or switching to a different one," said Raffi Festekjian, director of automotive product research at J.D. Power and Associates, in a news release. "In light of this, developing new models with attractive styling and that are perceived as fun to drive is increasingly critical for automakers in order to retain and conquest customers as the market continues to recover."

The study also states that domestic carmakers have done a better job at attracting traditional import buyers. In 2010, 14 percent of buyers of domestic brands had previously owned an import, which was up from 10 percent in 2008.

However, the overall loyalty rates remains fairly consistent, the study noted. In 2009, 69 percent of owners who traded in a domestic brand vehicle bought another domestic brand vehicle compared with 68 percent in 2008. Import buyers, however, are much more loyal to import brands, with 90 percent of import buyers traded in an import brand for another import brand in 2010, which is the same number as 2008.

Source;
http://www.detnews.com/article/20101209/AUTO01/12090465/1148/auto01/Ford--Honda-top-customer-loyalty-survey

2011 Ford F-250, F-350, F-450 Super Duty Review

The 2011 Super Duty is the third version of Ford's heavy-duty pickup truck in the last four years and the second since Ford reworked the truck for the 2008 model year.
Ford's changes are critical to keeping its lock on the heavy-duty segment, where the F-250 three-quarter-ton and F-350 one-ton trucks rule the pack with almost 50 percent market share; the Ford F-450 1.5-ton continues in a segment that it owns but with several major revisions.
Heavy-duty pickups exist to tow and haul the heaviest loads. While the 6.7-liter Power Stroke Diesel will be the power-pulling crown jewel of the 2011 Super Duty lineup, two other gas engines will be available for the F-250 through F-550 pickups and commercial chassis cabs: today's 6.8-liter V-10 Triton and an all-new 6.2-liter V-8, which is also slated for use in the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor off-road pickup. This is the engine formerly referred to as the Boss V-8 and the Hurricane before that.
The single overhead cam (SOHC) 6.2-liter V-8 features two spark plugs per cylinder and dual equal variable cam timing.
 

Ford won't say what the final power figures are for its new 2011 engines, though we have heard that the 6.7-liter PSD will make more than 390 horsepower and 720 pounds-feet of torque. The 6.2-liter V-8 is expected to pump out approximately 400 hp and 400 pounds-feet of torque.
For the U.S., the 6.2-liter gas engine will be E85-compatible from Job 1, and the 6.7-liter Power Stroke will be certified to run on biodiesel blends up to B20 (20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent conventional diesel).
The 6.7-liter diesel will meet the California Air Resource Board's tough oil-burning emissions standards that force noncompliant diesel engines to automatically shut down after five minutes of idling if they produce too much nitric-oxide emissions. The F-Series Super Duty trucks will be able to idle indefinitely and still meet CARB's tough NOx emissions limits.

All three engines will be paired with Ford's all-new 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission that promises innovative shift strategies and power takeoff features. Ford has badly needed a six-speed automatic transmission for its diesel HD pickups to compete with Dodge's 68RFE and GM's Allison T1000 six-speed automatics. The six-speed also gives Ford gear parity with GM's 6L90 six-speed 6.0-liter V-8 gas engine and an extra cog over Dodge's 545RFE five-speed 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 gas engine.

The new transmission wrings out several inefficiencies versus the 5R110 that help improve fuel economy. They include faster warm-up times and operating the transmission cooling system at 200 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 173 F  a temperature that Ford says strikes a good balance between mileage and trailer-towing shift performance.

 

The 6R140 also uses a new torque converter lockup strategy that enables the torque converter to lockup sooner and more often, which allows the engine to run at a lower rpm for better fuel economy. A long-travel turbine damper helps the torque converter cope with the 6.7-liter V-8 diesel's high torque output and allows the powertrain to lug down to 900 rpm.
Gas engine models inherit the Super Duty's electronically controlled viscous clutch that debuted on the 2008-10 6.4-liter diesel trucks and delivers better fuel economy and overall NVH and controllability.
The 6R140 doesn't stop with the addition of sixth gear; it adds Ford's "SelectShift" feature that lets the driver lock-out gears and manually shifts and hold gears in a way that's similar to GM's and Dodge's automatic transmissions.
Here's how SelectShift works: On the gear select lever, which is mounted on the truck's steering column, there's a shift-up/shift-down button near the tow/haul button. If you're in Drive and enter SelectShift mode you'll be able to lock out sixth gear. The truck will communicate the subtraction by showing only five gear positions in the instrument cluster display. Doing this turns the six-speed transmission into an electronically limited five-speed. Drivers can also lock out every other gear down to first, though you'd obviously limit the truck's driving performance envelope. An automatic rev limiter ensures the truck won't blow the redline if you shift into this mode while traveling at highway speeds.
Like the horsepower and torque figures, Ford has remained coy about specific changes to Super Duty max towing and payload ratings.
Ford says that, in general, payload capability will improve by about 100 pounds, for two reasons: First, the new 6.7-liter diesel engine weighs about 160 pounds less than the outgoing 6.4-liter diesel. This improves both front payload and the gross axle weight rating, particularly for applications like snow plowing. Secondly, other safety, refinement and emissions-control changes add back about 60 pounds, so the 2011 Super Duty weighs about 100 pounds less than the 2008-10 trucks.
Brand new is the first-ever factory fifth wheel prep package designed and engineered by Reese Hitches. The truck will come with the bed floor cut, the frame mount and the wiring; the customer will still have to buy the hitch that sits in the bed from either a Ford dealer or the aftermarket.
Single rear-wheel Super Duty pickups receive standard trailer-sway control with roll stability control, like the system that's offered on the Ford F-150. TSC measures trailer sway input coming into the truck based on rear yaw motion. If it senses too much, it can apply both the truck's and trailer's brakes (if they're electric) through the integrated trailer brake controller and reduce engine throttle to help prevent loss of trailer control. It's a first for this safety feature in the segment.
The 2011 Super Duty adds an electronic locking rear differential for the first time that's similar to the GKN-supplied e-locker, which is available on the F-150 FX4 off-road package and SVT Raptor.
Brewer said the e-locker has been designed by Ford and will be manufactured at the Sterling Axle plant for single-rear-wheel F-Series Super Duty trucks only.
The locker can be controlled with a dash switch. It's best used in low-friction scenarios, such as on slippery boat ramps or in slick mud and on icy roads. It will stay engaged until the truck reaches 30 mph, at which point it disengages until the truck's speed returns to 30 mph or less. The truck will also disengage the locker if it's making a tight radius turn by sensing the steering wheel position, so the rear wheels and tires aren't damaged from scrubbing on pavement.
The Super Duty borrows seats from the F-150, improving the old six-way power-adjustable chairs to 10-way units with heaters and coolers in the Lariat and King Ranch models. The heated and cooled seats will be available for the Lariat Chassis cab models, too.
There's a new information display in the instrument cluster that can show the truck's attitude off-road as well as the steering position. It also communicates important systems messages and the transmission's gear state.
The Cabela's edition Super Duty that debuted for 2009 goes away for 2011, but Ford is keeping that model's interior storage features. There's lockable underseat storage beneath the small center seat up front and a large storage compartment beneath the rear bench. The extra storage is standard on XLT and Lariat Crew Cab models.

2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty Review And Photos

Just a week after Chrysler officially revealed its new 2010 Dodge Ram heavy-duty pickups at the Chicago auto show, our spies have caught the first covered and camouflaged test trucks of its biggest competitor: Ford’s future F-250 Super Duty, scheduled to arrive by 2011.

The 2011 Super Duty is expected to receive a major styling refresh, about to the extent of the 2008-model-year update. The current blue oval heavy-duties took their exterior inspiration from the mighty Ford F-350 Tonka concept that debuted at the 2002 Detroit auto show. The practice round for the 2011 model appears to be the bold Ford F-250 Super Chief concept, first shown at the 2006 Detroit auto show.

In the photos, we can see two massive chrome bars stretched across the grille, with a prominent Ford oval badge resting between them. There’s likely a third bar resting above the strong front bumper. The SuperCab testers’ grille bars have more space between them than the tight tolerances of the Super Chief’s bars, for real-world cooling needs. The current Super Duty’s hallmark side nostrils appear to have vanished, replaced by distinctive trim pieces on the sides of the grille that (at least for now) end abruptly at the top intake. Other styling updates are likely to be taillights similar to the new 2009 Ford F-150.

Mechanically, we expect the 2011 Super Duty will carry over Ford’s 6.7 litre Scorpion V8 diesel that’s expected to debut in the 2010 trucks. The gas engine is expected to be the new 6.2 litre premium V8, which should replace the 6.8 litre V-10 next year. Another major powertrain change is the likely end of manual transmissions, though the engineering mules in these pictures show Ford continuing its unique tradition of manual-locking front hubs for four-wheel-drive Super Duty trucks.

2011 New Ford Ranger – Will Make You Drool

At the recent car show in Geneva SZ Ford Motor Company showed off a redesigned Ford Ranger that will cause you to take a second look. With four full doors and diesel motor in the European version. We don’t know for sure if it is coming state side yet but a rumor from a reliable source says it should hit US showrooms in the 2011 Ford lineup.

When talking with dealership personel at a Cincinnati Ford Dealer they say they have not heard of the new arrival coming in but then again OEM’s have been known to keep secrets from their dealers. The ranger has not had any major redesign since 1993 so it will be a delight to see a new skin on this vehicle.

It may cause Ford to lose some of the F-150 market share when customers tha tdo not require a truck but just want one step down in size due to the enhancements that should become available in this new truck.

 

Custom Ford Mustang GT-R 2004

Here is the new look for the 2004 Ford Mustang GT-R by RM Auctions. Read the full story below. Originally introduced at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, the GT-R Concept was a tribute to the Mustang’s 40th anniversary.

It features a Tremec T-56 6-speed manual transmission, a Winter’s race-spec rear differential, a Ford Racing "Cobra R" heavy-duty clutch/flywheel assembly, a metal matrix composite aluminum custom driveshaft, Brembo brakes, and 20-inch wheels outfitted with Pirelli racing slick tires.

2009 Ford F-150 FX4 Pictures

2009 Ford F-150 FX4

2009 Ford F-150 FX4

2009 Ford F-150 FX4 Interior

2009 Ford Fiesta Van Pictures

2009 Ford Fiesta Van

2009 Ford Fiesta Van

2009 Ford Fiesta Van

2010 Ford Escape Pictures

2010 Ford Escape

2010 Ford Escape

2010 Ford Escape Interior

2010 Ford iosis MAX Pictures

2010 Ford iosis MAX

2010 Ford iosis MAX

2010 Ford iosis MAX Interior