Ford Motor Co. reported Thursday it earned a $2.7-billion profit for 2009, its first profit in four years that came during one of the worst years in decades for global vehicle sales and auto company profits. The past year’s performance led Ford to boldly declare it plans to be profitable for all of 2010. Ford’s previous plan called for not being profitable until 2011.
“While we still face significant business environment challenges ahead, 2009 was a pivotal year for Ford and the strongest proof yet that our One Ford plan is working and that we are forging a path toward profitable growth by working together as one team, leveraging our global scale,” Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said in a statement released Thursday morning.
“In every part of the world, we are providing customers with great products, building a stronger business and contributing to a better world,” he added. “Our progress has helped us gain market share in most of our major markets.”
Indeed, Ford’s fortunes have vastly improved, largely because the company has tackled the basics: building and selling vehicles buyers want, enabling Ford to boost sales and gain market share, commanding higher prices and collecting higher profit margins against the backdrop of a reduced cost structure.
Introducing the 2011 Ford Fiesta Rally America car.
All the hype and talk is leading up to the first event, Sno*Drift, this weekend in Michigan. We can’t wait to see the shakedown, and some real competition between the otherwise FHI skewed lineup.
The Ford Fusion Hybrid won the Consumer Favorite in Edmunds.com’s hybrid vehicle survey, narrowly beating the Toyota Prius. The Ford Fusion Hybrid earned 26 percent of the votes, closely followed by the Toyota Prius with 23 percent.
“Ford’s midsize hybrid sedan, which helped boost Ford’s overall sales performance in an otherwise dismal 2009, has been praised for its smooth operation, fuel economy, looks and interactive information system that helps drivers modify their behind-the-wheel behavior to increase fuel economy,” according to Edmunds’ GreenCarAdvisor.com Senior Editor John O’Dell.
The ranking of hybrid cars among Edmunds.com visitors is:
| Vehicle and Ranking |
Edmunds.com True Market Value
price* |
| 1. Ford Fusion Hybrid |
$ 27,625 |
| 2. Toyota Prius |
$ 22,400 |
| 3. Honda Insight |
$ 19,800 |
| 4. Lexus HS 250h |
$ 34,200 |
| 5. Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
$ 34,700 |
| 6. Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid |
$ 25,555 |
| 7. Honda Civic Hybrid |
$ 23,650 |
| 8. Toyota Camry Hybrid |
$ 26,150 |
| 9. Saturn VUE Hybrid |
$ 28,160 |
| 10. Ford Escape Hybrid |
$ 29,785 |
14-inch, six-piston Baer brakes, a suspension kit, six-speed manual (of course) and cues harking back to the original ‘65 GT350 distinguish this Pony Car. All this for a price of $33,995. Not bad! Well, except that you need a new Mustang GT to put the parts on.
Mazda and Ford will soon be dissolving their joint venture in China.
The Chang’an Ford Mazda Automobile Co. has been producing cars since 2006. The JV is 50 percent owned by Chang’an, 35 percent by Ford and 15 percent by Mazda.
The joint venture has two plants, one in Chongqing and the other in Nanjing. And that’s how they’ll divide the property: The Nanjing business will become a 50-50 unit of Mazda and Chang’an. The Chongqing operations will be a joint unit of Ford and Chang’an. Mazda’s Axela, which is currently made in Chongqing, will be made in Nanjing. The Nanjing plant has annual output capacity of 160,000 units; which Mazda wants to expand to 200,000 units.
Ford has tried to again introduce in-car wifi with their new Sync system. All you need to do is plugin your USB mobile broadband modem into the dash and that’s it.
The Sync system converts the mobile signal to Wi-Fi, with no extra fees or equipment needed.
Ford, via Gizmodo
At the LA Auto Show this year, Ford showed off several North American-market Ford Fiestas. The cars themselves received a warm reception, as did the customized versions on hand to show off the possibilities.
This is all a part of a new Ford program to allow buyers to customise any Ford in the vehicle lineup. The new program is called Ford Custom Graphics and can of course be found at FordCustomGraphics.com.
Ford says the graphics are scratch-resistant and weatherproof, and retain the car’s 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty.
M-Sport and Ford Motor Company have announced their new collaborative rally machine, the Fiesta S2000. It’s their first global rally car, and as such will be able to compete in a whole bevy of international competitions ranging from IRC to the S2000 World Cup to Aatos and Aamu’s Finnish Tree Bash.
Features:
- 1998cc I4 Duratec S2000 engine
- 280 horsepower
- 192 lb-ft of twisting torque
- 8,000 rpm redline
- all-wheel drive with sequential manual transmission with an AP clutch
However, the best part about this new rally machine is that it only weighs 2,640 pounds (and thats including a roll cage). 
