Ford

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Higher materials costs drive Ford to raise prices

Bloomberg News | Ford  has raised prices $117 per vehicle to offset higher costs for materials, particularly steel.

Ford settles suit against Ferrari over F-150

Ford Motor Co. has settled a lawsuit in which it accused Italian automaker Ferrari of infringing its trademark for the popular F-150 truck.

Ford dropped the case Thursday, according to a filing with the U.S. district court in Detroit. Terms were unclear from the filing. Get the full story »

Auto sales speed up in February

February was one of the strongest months in the last year for auto purchases as renewed consumer confidence sent shoppers to car lots. General Motors reported a 45.8 percent increase compared with a year earlier, while Ford says its sales rose 14 percent.

Quinn to carmakers: State’s ready for electric cars

Standing in front of a fast-charging station at the Chicago Auto Show, Gov. Pat Quinn called on automakers to bring electric vehicles to the state in light of charging infrastructure planned for the Chicago area.

“We’re going to have electric vehicles galore in the state of Illinois,” he said. “We want to be the nation’s capital for electric vehicles.”

In announcing that Chicago has signed a contract to have 280 charging stations installed in the area, Quinn said the infrastructure will go a long way toward making the state’s environmental goals a reality. Get the full story »

Ford recalls 2011 Explorers over seat issue

Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 1,600 just-built Explorers for a safety problem with the second row of seats.

Ford said in a filing with federal safety regulators that the seats may not provide the required strength in a crash. Get the full story »

Ford recalls 363K F-150s to fix door handles

Ford Motor Co. is recalling nearly 363,000 F-150 pickup trucks in North America because of a potential problem with the interior door handles, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported Thursday.

Ford has recalled more vehicles in the first few weeks of this year — nearly 900,000 — than in all of 2010 when about 600,000 were recalled. Get the full story »

Ford recalls 525K 1999-2003 Windstars

Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 525,000 older model Windstar minivans in cold-weather areas because corrosion could cause a parts under the van to separate and reduce steering control, company and federal government officials said Wednesday.

About 425,000 of the Windstars are registered in the United States, about 100,000 in Canada, and fewer than 750 in other countries, Ford said. Get the full story »

Parts shortage idles F-150 production a 2nd time

Ford Motor Co. said it has idled for a week the plant where it makes most of its best-selling Ford F-150 pickups.

A shortage of parts for 3.7-liter V-6 engines and the new 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engines caused the shutdown at the Dearborn, Mich., truck plant, said Ford spokesman Todd Nissen. Get the full story »

Chevy Volt, Ford Explorer take Detroit’s top honors

The Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car, the centerpiece of General Motors’ comeback, was named North American Car of the Year Monday. Ford Motor Co.’s latest incarnation of its Explorer sport utility vehicle was named 2011 Truck of the Year, edging out the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango. Get the full story »

Ford introduces Focus Electric

Ford unveiled the Focus Electric at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Friday, promising an electric car that’s fun to drive.

Ford’s electric will have a top speed of 84 miles per hour and the suspension, steering and brakes will be shared with the gasoline-powered car. Get the full story »

Ford pulls even with Toyota in perception survey

Toyota Motor Corp., faltering from recalls, has fallen into a statistical tie with Ford Motor Co. for tops in U.S. consumer brand perception, influential magazine Consumer Reports said Wednesday.

Toyota retained the top spot by a slim margin over Ford in the Consumer Reports 2011 survey that was conducted last month. Honda Motor Co. placed third and Chevrolet fourth. Get the full story »

Edge, MKX, Tahoe lose Consumer Reports’ luster

Ford Motor Co.’s  midsize SUVs, the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, have lost a “recommended” rating from Consumer Reports, in part because of a complex audio and interior controls system, the influential magazine said Tuesday.

Consumer Reports said reviewers found the MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch systems, which allow drivers to operate audio, climate control and navigation systems using a touchscreen or voice commands, to be “a complicated distraction while driving.” Get the full story »

Production at Ford’s Chicago plant halted by snow

Bloomberg News | Snowstorms that closed roads in the Midwest and Canada delayed parts delivery and reduced or halted production at seven GM and Ford plants, including the Chicago Assembly Plant.

Ford, GM gaining on Toyota, Honda in reliability

Consumer Reports magazine says Honda and Toyota still make the most problem-free cars and trucks, but Ford is closing in fast and General Motors has made big improvements in the past year. Get the full story »

Ford to add 1,200 jobs in Michigan

Ford Motor Co.  said Monday it will invest $850 million in some of its Michigan operations, which should help create up to 1,200 jobs in the state by 2013.

The additional investment will be made between 2011 and 2013, with most of the money funneled into expanding production of Ford’s 6-speed transmissions at two plants in Livonia and Sterling Heights. Investments will also be made at the company’s axle plant, also in Sterling Heights, and the Dearborn Truck plant, which produces the F-150.

The automaker expects to create about 900 jobs hourly jobs and 300 salaried positions. The state’s unemployment stood at 13 percent in September, making it the second highest in the nation behind Nevada.

This investment is in addition to the $950 million the company previously said it would spend to change its Michigan Assembly Plant from producing large sport-utility vehicles to cars such as the Focus, which arrives in show rooms next year.