Interesting Car/Truck Manufacturer News

[Weather Man]

Autoworkers at Ford's Kentucky truck plant served strike notice​

Feb. 16, 2024 1:46 PM ETFord Motor Company (F) StockGM, STLABy: Amy Thielen, SA News Editor6 Comments

MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images
The UAW has issued a strike order to more than 9K Ford (NYSE:F) autoworkers at the company’s Kentucky Truck Plant if contract issues are not resolved by Feb. 23.
Unable to reach an agreement with Ford (F) over core issues including health and safety at the plant, nurse staffing levels, and Ford’s (F) "continued attempts to erode the skilled trades” at the Kentucky plant, UAW Vice President Chuck Browning has requested authorization from the UAW to strike.
The decision to strike comes after Ford (F) CEO Jim Farley said the company’s labor issues could determine where it builds new vehicles.
At the Wolfe Research Global Auto Conference, Farley acknowledged the contract negotiations with the UAW last fall and subsequent pay hikes exacerbates Ford’s (F) lack of competitiveness. Farley said Ford (F) is working on ways to lower key expenses and is looking to offset the higher costs tied to the new UAW contract.
“Our reliance on the UAW turned out to be [that] we were the first truck plant to be shut down [by the strike],” Farley said, adding that the strike was a “watershed moment” for the company.
The strike resulted in a 27% pay raise for top-scale factory workers to around $42 per hour and runs until April 2028. Ford (F) said the new contract will cost the company $8.8B over the four and a half year term.

 

[Weather Man]

DaxStreet
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Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio Models to Disappear After 2024​

Story by Jameson Duya • 4d

The passage of time inevitably brings change, and after nearly a decade in the limelight, the iconic Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and its counterpart, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, are preparing to bid farewell. Larry Dominique, Head of Alfa Romeo and Fiat North America, confirmed this bittersweet news in a post on his LinkedIn account.

Dominique announced that the final Quadrifoglio models will roll off the assembly line at the Cassino plant in Italy in June 2024. However, he emphasized that this isn’t the end of the road for the Quadrifoglio range as a whole.

“This is the final chance to own a Quadrifoglio with only combustion engine technology as we continue our metamorphosis to an electrified future, but this is not the end of the story,” wrote Dominique. “I look forward to presenting the next chapter in the four-leaf clover’s journey.”

 

[VegasMichael]

Apple has canceled their EV project.

Apple to Wind Down Electric Car Effort After Decadelong Odyssey

(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. is canceling a decadelong effort to build an electric car, according to people with knowledge of the matter, abandoning one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the company.Most Read from BloombergTrump Warns of Big Losses From Asset Sales During Property...

finance.yahoo.com

 

[Weather Man]

Ford Patents Built-In Pickup Bed Rack With Stowaway Rails and It Sure Seems Handy​

Story by Nico DeMattia
• 22h • 2 min read

Ford. USPTO© Provided by The Drive
Ford's latest patent could drastically increase the usability of pickup truck beds, allowing for customers to nearly double the size of their cargo capacity at the push of a button. The new patent, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) proposes rising rails on the walls of a bed that can not only hold large items of their own, but act as mounting points for additional storage compartments.

Under normal circumstances, the rails would stay retracted, inside the bed walls. But when deployed, actuators could extend the bed rails up on either side. With just the rails in their extended position, owners can store longer items like lumber or ladders—think anything too long to normally fit in the bed—horizontally across the bed, freeing up space underneath for other storage. If the long item is too heavy to lift up onto the fully extended rails, owners can place it across the bed walls with the rails retracted and then let the actuators do the lifting for them. According to Ford's patent documents, each actuator is capable is lifting 1,320 pounds, but the filing doesn't say how much weight each rail can hold without bending.

It gets even more practical, too. The upper rails are made of two pieces, the top of which Ford calls "pivot bars" that are thinner and can rotate 90 degrees across the bed like roof racks. With both rotated across, spanning the bed, they create another way for items to be stored up high. Those same pivot bars can also be turned 180 degrees, extending the length of the bed rails even further.

 

[Relaxed Chaos]

But the fired workers aren't sure that's the reason.

The unnamed engineer said there are "tons" of positions the company has outsourced to India, Mexico, and Brazil.

"So they continue to push low-cost countries are more efficient for the company and more profitable," he said.

According to Jeff Gilbert, an automotive reporter for WWJ, the workers are likely victims of an industry caught at a crossroads.

"The auto industry is making a lot of money, but it's facing a lot of challenges," he said. "You've got the electrification situation, which is going to cost car-makers a lot of money. You've got the new UAW contract, which is also costing carmakers a lot of money. So it's not only Stellantis. Everybody is looking at the bottom line."

'It was a mass firing'; Stellantis engineer among hundreds fired by automaker Friday

While Stellantis said the actions were critical to helping them remain competitive, the fired worker said "tons" of positions had been outsourced to foreign countries.

www.fox2detroit.com

 

[Corbic]

The New Mercedes-Benz G-Class Gets More Aerodynamic Ahead of Its Electric Era

Mercedes-Benz just unveiled the 2025 version of the G-Class, the G550 and AMG G63. The SUVs will arrive at dealerships later this year.

robbreport.com

Vomit

 

[Weather Man]

Ford eliminating more jobs at Dearborn F-150 Lightning plant - report​

F +4.98%Mar. 27, 2024 4:20 PM ET9 Comments
Ford Motor (NYSE:F) is slashing the hourly workforce at its Dearborn, Mich., F-150 Lightning factory as the automaker adjusts to slowing demand for electric vehicles, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Of the 2,100 remaining employees at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, 700 will be transferred to the Michigan Assembly Plant that makes the Bronco and Ranger as a third crew, 700 will remain at the F-150 plant, while the remaining will be offered a $50K retirement package or take reassignment elsewhere in Michigan.
This is the third round of cuts at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in six months. In October, the company eliminated one shift at the plant, and as recently as January, Ford (F) let go of 1,400 employees at the same facility. At that time, CEO Jim Farley said that he still sees a “bright future” for EVs for “specific customers.”
At an auto conference Tuesday, Ford (F) CFO John Lawler said the company needed to “match capacity with demand. Demand is much slower than the industry expected when it comes to EVs. We are right-sizing our capacity and investments that we are putting into EVs, but it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”

 

[CobraBob]

I find it hard to believe that Ford miscalculated this bad the reduced demand for EVs. A slower shift (maybe even hybrids initially) to EV would have been much smarter. The "when" is true but it's further down the road of time IMO. One of the local Ford dealerships told me a couple of weeks ago that they just cannot sell their Mach-Es. It's not what consumers really want right now.

I was recently interested in picking up a 2024 Edge ST. Which Ford is discontinuing next month, due to Ford's commitment to electric vehicles.. A shame because I believe there still is a market for a smaller SUV like the Edge (gas powered). Unfortunately the platform is just too aged, so I passed on the 2024. Had Ford launched an all-new re-designed 2025 Edge ST, with maybe a bump in power to match the Explorer ST and a more performance oriented interior (especially the front seats), I would definitely have bought one.

 

[Weather Man]

I find it hard to believe that Ford miscalculated this bad the reduced demand for EVs. A slower shift (maybe even hybrids initially) to EV would have been much smarter. The "when" is true but it's further down the road of time IMO. One of the local Ford dealerships told me a couple of weeks ago that they just cannot sell their Mach-Es. It's not what consumers really want right now.

I was recently interested in picking up a 2024 Edge ST. Which Ford is discontinuing next month, due to Ford's commitment to electric vehicles.. A shame because I believe there still is a market for a smaller SUV like the Edge (gas powered). Unfortunately the platform is just too aged, so I passed on the 2024. Had Ford launched an all-new re-designed 2025 Edge ST, with maybe a bump in power to match the Explorer ST and a more performance oriented interior (especially the front seats), I would definitely have bought one.

There are still Lincoln Nautilus available with the 2.7 ecoboost Bob. There are really good deals around here on them. Wife really likes hers and they scoot with the 2.7.

 

[CobraBob]

Thanks. But the Nautilus is too big for my needs. I don't need, nor want, a 2nd row of seating. The Ford Edge ST was the only SUV I ever considered. Mercury doesn't offer anything comparable (size and package). Really sad to see the Edge die off.

 

[Weather Man]

TORK US
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The End of an Era: Ford GT Says Goodbye with This Car​

Story by Faustino Gregoroff
• 1w • 2 min read

There's no denying the Ford GT's place in automotive history! This iconic sports car from the Michigan-based Blue Oval has been synonymous with speed and performance since its 1964 debut.

Fast-forward to 2016, Ford unveiled the second generation of the GT, which graced production lines until this year. But all good things must come to an end, and it's time to say farewell. To mark the occasion, Ford unleashed a limited-edition, track-only version – the Ford GT Mk IV.

This exclusive machine is limited to just 67 units, each meticulously handcrafted by Multimatic, the Canadian company that also built the original GT.

The Last Ford-GT​

Ford GT Mk IV. Source: Ford© Provided by TORK US

MSN

 

[Lambeau]

I find it hard to believe that Ford miscalculated this bad the reduced demand for EVs. A slower shift (maybe even hybrids initially) to EV would have been much smarter. The "when" is true but it's further down the road of time IMO. One of the local Ford dealerships told me a couple of weeks ago that they just cannot sell their Mach-Es. It's not what consumers really want right now.

I was recently interested in picking up a 2024 Edge ST. Which Ford is discontinuing next month, due to Ford's commitment to electric vehicles.. A shame because I believe there still is a market for a smaller SUV like the Edge (gas powered). Unfortunately the platform is just too aged, so I passed on the 2024. Had Ford launched an all-new re-designed 2025 Edge ST, with maybe a bump in power to match the Explorer ST and a more performance oriented interior (especially the front seats), I would definitely have bought one.

It’s no surprise to me. Ford was kinda forced to by the government. But no worries, the government (you and the rest of us American taxpayers) have their back. lol.

Then you look at the demand for the Maverick and Bronco.
All the mfrs knew it. There’s a continued demand for compact/subcompact cars.

What do ya think those 6-8 million illegal alien, military age males gonna drive?

obama’s cash for clunker program is really putting a hurt on that market.

 

[Weather Man]

General Motors is now facing a second lawsuit related to the collection of customer driving data, and the subsequent sale of that data to third party companies, which led to individual insurance rate hikes for the automaker’s buyers.

According to the Detroit Free Press, this new lawsuit was filed on March 28 in the Southern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, with Larry Reed of Michigan, and Darnell McCoy Sr. of California, listed as the initial plaintiffs in this case. The lawsuit, which is seeking class action status, alleges that GM’s March decision to halt data collection and cut ties with brokers such as LexisNexis and Verisk suggests that GM knew it didn’t have the legal consent required to continue the practice.