Ford's Escape and Lincoln's MKC to have an extra week of build during the summer shutdown to meet demand.

• Ford is building its most popular SUV, the Ford Escape, an extra week at Louisville Assembly Plant this summer due to stronger demand
• Portions of seven North American Ford component plants will take a one-week shutdown, while all other North American Ford plants will take the traditional two-week summer shutdown
• Ford continues to match production with customer demand

Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC sales are off to their best start in company history during the first five months of the year, prompting the company to shorten the traditional two-week summer shutdown at Louisville Assembly Plant to build more than 8,500 additional vehicles there.

“The record sales for Ford Escape through May are being driven by strong demand from our retail customers,” said Raj Nair, Ford’s executive vice president and president – North America. “This is our strongest ever retail start for Escape, with retail sales up more than 6 percent versus this time last year.”

Ford Escape sales totaled 129,805 through May of this year, a 3 percent increase versus the same time period last year and our best ever start to the year for Escape. Lincoln MKC sales totaled 11,161 in the first five months of the year, up approximately 10 percent over this time period last year.

Louisville Assembly Plant is the only assembly plant in North America that will shorten the summer shutdown period. The remainder of Ford assembly plants in North America will have a traditional two-week summer shutdown.

Portions of a number of component plants will take a one-week summer shutdown, including: Van Dyke Transmission, Sterling Axle, Chihuahua Engine, Rawsonville, Chicago Stamping, Michigan Assembly Stamping and Woodhaven Stamping. Those plants will be closed the week of July 4 for building maintenance and machine retooling.

This production was included in the second quarter production guidance that Ford provided on April 27

USA RECALL #1 - Ford recalls over 2 million units for possible door latch component breakage, with a false door closed reading.

RECALL Subject : Doors may Unexpectedly Open , 1 INVESTIGATION(S)

Report Receipt Date: SEP 06, 2016

NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V643000

Component(s): LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

Potential Number of Units Affected: 2,046,297 

Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company

SUMMARY:

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.

CONSEQUENCE:

A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

REMEDY:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. Due to a limited parts supply, each owner will be sent an interim notification beginning October 3, 2016 and will receive a second notice when parts are available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.

NOTES:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov

USA RECALL - Ford/Lincoln recalls nearly 900,000 units to replace side door latches.

Ford Motor Company is issuing a regional safety recall in North America for approximately 830,000 2013-15 Ford C-MAX, 2013-15 Ford Escape, 2012-15 Ford Focus, 2015 Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKC, and 2014-16 Ford Transit Connect vehicles sold or ever registered in certain states to replace side door latches.

In the affected vehicles, the pawl spring tab in the side door latch could break. This condition typically will prevent the door from latching. In certain situations where the door is able to be closed, the door may unlatch while driving, increasing the risk of injury.

Because the rate of reports is higher for vehicles in states with higher ambient temperatures and solar loading, this recall is focused primarily in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Oregon and Washington.

Ford has identified one reported accident and one reported injury that may be related to this issue.

Affected vehicles include those built:

• 2013-15 C-MAX – Michigan Assembly Plant, April 19, 2012 to Jan. 31, 2015
• 2013-15 Escape – Louisville Assembly Plant, Oct. 19, 2011 to Jan. 31, 2015
• 2012-15 Focus – Michigan Assembly Plant, Aug. 1, 2010 to Jan. 31, 2015
• 2015 Lincoln MKC – Louisville Assembly Plant, Dec. 4, 2013 to Jan. 31, 2015
• 2015 Mustang – Flat Rock Assembly Plant, May 28, 2014 to April 30, 2015
• 2014-16 Transit Connect – Valencia Assembly Plant, Aug. 9, 2013 to Feb. 1, 2016

The approximately 828,053 vehicles affected include 766,682 in the United States and federalized territories and 61,371 in Mexico.

Dealers will replace side door latches at no cost to the customer. In addition, Ford will launch a corresponding customer satisfaction program for vehicles outside the scope of this recall. If a vehicle exhibits a broken door latch, Ford will provide a one-time replacement at no charge for the life of the vehicle.

Ford to shorten the summer shutdown to meet extra demand for it's range of crossovers and Sports utility Vehicles.

• In response to strong customer demand, Ford is building its most popular SUVs an extra week this summer, making 22,000 extra SUVs for customers

• Ford is shortening its traditional two-week summer shutdown to one week in its SUV plants in Louisville, Chicago and Oakville, Ontario

Ford-brand SUVs are off to their best sales start in company history in the first five months of the year, prompting the company to build nearly 22,000 extra SUVs this summer.

“Strong customer demand for our SUVs means we will operate some of our North American plants during the traditional two-week summer shutdown,” said Gary Johnson, Ford vice president, North American Manufacturing. “Our SUV assembly plants will continue to build vehicles to make sure we have enough of our popular SUVs to meet customer demand.”

Ford SUVs sales total 325,475 through May of this year, a 9 percent increase versus the same time period last year. Ford has delivered sales gains across its entire SUV product portfolio including Escape, Edge, Explorer, Flex and Expedition.

Louisville Assembly Plant, Chicago Assembly Plant and Oakville Assembly Plant and their supporting stamping facilities will shut down only the week of July 4 for building maintenance and machine retooling, instead of the traditional two-week summer vacation shutdown.

In addition to the SUV plants, Kentucky Truck will have a shortened summer shutdown as workers there prepare for the upcoming launch of the all-new Super Duty truck later this year. The remainder of Ford’s North American manufacturing facilities shut down from July 4-15 for regularly scheduled building maintenance and machine retooling.

This is the fourth consecutive year Ford has shortened its summer shutdown at one or more manufacturing facilities due to high customer demand for its products.

The increased production was included in the second quarter production guidance that Ford provided on April 28, 2016.

New Volkswagen Touareg R-Line Plus packs extra equipment and tops the range.

• New Touareg R-Line Plus packs extra equipment and tops the range
• R-Line Plus is expected to make up around half of Touareg sales
• New trim level is available now, starting at £48,095 OTR RRP

The latest Volkswagen Touareg is a perennially popular luxury SUV that is now gaining that bit more luxury with the arrival of the new range-topping trim level: R-Line Plus.

Volkswagen is now offering the Touareg in its highest specification yet, as the new R-Line Plus trim sits at the pinnacle of the capacious and capable 4x4’s line-up.

The Touareg R-Line Plus naturally uses the well-equipped R-Line as a starting point, and builds in valuable and stylish additions inside and out.

Externally, the five-seat SUV’s alloy wheels are upgraded from 20 inches to the striking 21-inch ‘Mallory’ design.  Meanwhile, the R-Line Plus comes equipped with Volkswagen’s impressive Area View technology as standard.  

This utilises front, rear and side wide-angle cameras (mounted within the door mirrors) to provide a 360-degree bird’s-eye exterior view of the SUV that is displayed on the Touareg’s infotainment display screen.

Area View allows the driver to see the immediate surroundings of the car from a new perspective, and the technology enhances the safety of occupants and those outside the vehicle.  

For example, Area View allows the driver to ‘see around corners’.  When driving forwards from a parking space the Touareg driver can, via the system, see pedestrians and cyclists approaching from the side.  

Inside, the new Touareg features a generous roster of standard equipment.  The centre console, dash and air vent surrounds are finished in stylish ‘Piano Black’, and the cabin features luxurious ‘Vienna’ leather upholstery.  The front comfort seats are 14-way electronically adjustable, and the front head restraints include four-way adjustment.

The extra equipment has a value of £3,255 if specified separately, but the premium over the Touareg R-Line is a mere £1,160, underlining the car’s great value.  That figure applies whether the customer chooses the 204 PS 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine or the 262 PS 3.0-litre V6 TDI.

Fuel economy is similar whether the 204 PS or the 262 PS engine is selected.  Both offer a combined figure of 42.8 mpg, while CO₂ emissions for the 204 PS engine are 173 g/km or 174 g/km for the 262 PS engine.

All of that, of course, is applied on top of a colossal amount of standard equipment on the Volkswagen Touareg R-Line.  This includes lowered sports suspension, R-Line body styling, a panoramic sunroof, Bi-xenon headlights, black roof-lining, a heated steering wheel, electric tailgate, and keyless entry.

The Volkswagen Touareg is now available in four trim levels: SE; Escape; R-Line; and R-Line Plus.  All feature Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system, which distributes engine power, as required, to all four wheels helping to ensure optimum traction and propulsion. 

The new R-Line Plus trim level is expected to account for around half of Touareg sales, and is available to order through the Volkswagen UK Retailer network now.

Volkswagen Touareg R-Line Plus
Engine	Gearbox	Power	CO2 (g/km)	RRP
3.0-litre V6 TDI SCR	Eight-speed auto tiptronic	204	173*	£48,095.00
3.0-litre V6 TDI SCR	Eight-speed auto tiptronic	262	174*	£49,895.00

USA - 2017 Escape debuts new SYNC 3 with Apple Carplay, Android Auto, New and improved build quality.

Production of the new 2017 Ford Escape – available with driver-assist technology that can help keep drivers in their lane, maintain a set speed and distance on the highway, and even aid drivers in getting out of a tight parking spot – is now underway; sales begin in May

• New Escape – first Ford vehicle to offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – aims to maintain sales momentum and attributes that led it to a tie* as Highest-Ranked Compact SUV by J.D. Power in Initial Quality; Escape is the No. 2-selling Ford vehicle in the United States, second only to F-Series
• To deliver top quality, the build process at Louisville Assembly Plant has implemented multiple new attention-to-detail stations that use high-tech methods and human touch to scrutinize every Escape that comes down the line

Production of the new 2017 Ford Escape – available with driver-assist technology that can help keep drivers in their lane, maintain a set speed and distance on the highway, and even aid drivers in getting out of a tight parking spot – is now underway.

The new Escape, which goes on sale in May, will be the first Ford vehicle available with all-new SYNC^®Connect technology, making the ownership experience easier through vehicle features such as remote start and door locking via the new FordPass^® platform. Escape will also be first to offer SYNC 3 featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

And thanks to multiple new attention-to-detail stations at Louisville Assembly Plant, Ford is putting more emphasis than ever on delivering the highest-quality Escape to its customers.

Workers at Louisville Assembly have been manufacturing Escape since 2012. Since then, production has steadily increased to meet growing demand for the No. 1-selling Ford Motor Company SUV. In 2015, Louisville Assembly built 306,492 units – a record for the nameplate – all while maintaining a high standard of quality that put 2015 Escape in a tie* as Highest-Ranked Compact SUV by J.D. Power in Initial Quality.

“We’re constantly evolving and improving our processes, and the J.D. Power award is our reward,” said David Farley, Louisville Assembly Plant quality manager. “It’s a real tribute to the thousands of workers who help create every Escape vehicle.”

Louisville Assembly is a sprawling 3.7-million-square-foot plant that houses 4,722 hourly employees, 247 salaried workers and 20.1 miles of assembly conveyor. It is one of Ford’s highest-volume production facilities in the world, capable of manufacturing up to six different vehicles at any time. Yet with Ford’s compact SUV in such great demand, most vehicles built at Louisville wear an Escape badge.

Quality assurances are implemented throughout the plant to ensure craftsmanship is maintained at the pressing pace with which the line moves. A combination of state-of-the-art technology methods and thorough human scrutiny is evident from one station to the next.

At each of these stations – in just 45 seconds – vehicle quality is verified to ensure that every Escape meets the high standard for quality compact SUV drivers in North America expect.

• Automated instrument panel decking: The use of robots to install instrument panels has now migrated to the company’s plants globally, but Louisville was Ford’s first North American facility to use robots for the task. Here, from a nearby conveyor, a robot attaches to an Escape instrument panel, then rotates toward the shell of a vehicle. Angling the instrument panel through a door-less opening, the robot nestles it in place with unwavering accuracy and assured repeatability, says Escape chief engineer Milton Wong. The robot even secures a few bolts to hold the panel in place until humans can complete more detailed aspects of the process further down the line. Customer benefits include a tighter fit for the instrument panel, resulting in fewer squeaks and rattles.
• Robotic arms hang doors, liftgate: Highly efficient robotic arms lift door panels and liftgates from a nearby conveyor hanger and swing them into place with computer-guided consistency. These revolutionary robots were added when Escape production moved to Louisville for the 2013 model year. Customer benefits include tighter fit with body panels.
• Easy speed testing: To ensure that closing a door on Escape is consistently effortless, a worker applies suction cup-backed sensors to either side of a door opening, then closes the door by hand to get a velocity reading, which calculates the amount of effort required. Once it’s verified the amount of effort does not exceed the Ford standard, the tools are quickly moved to the next door for another test. Customer benefit is that minimum effort is required to close doors.
• Vehicle on wheels cell: As each Escape moves along the line, it passes through the vehicle on wheels cell, where robots wielding lasers scan every gap between door panels, hood and liftgate. Through laser measurement, they quickly determine all gaps are within the 2 millimeter to 4 millimeter range. Customer benefits include tighter fit and finish of body panels.
• Customer assurance line: A 14-person inspection team combs over the finest details on each new Escape. A technician tests electrical modules, while another checks the engine. Some rely on their hands; others, their eyes. It’s a meticulous process, as team members work with frenzied precision like a pit crew attending to a race car. Customer benefit is improved overall vehicle quality.

Three shifts of line workers are tasked with keeping pace at Louisville Assembly Plant – 20 hours per day on weekdays, 10 hours on the weekend. Through the first two months of 2016, Escape is on track to eclipse last year’s record sales, and available new features and Ford’s commitment to high quality should only broaden the vehicle’s appeal.

Other new features available include enhanced active park assist. Two EcoBoost^® engines are newly available – a 1.5-liter and a 2.0-liter twin-scroll, both with Auto Start/Stop functionality.

CHINA - Ford see's it's sales grow by a huge 18%, with year to date sales of nearly 200,000

• Ford year-to-date sales total 194,182 vehicles, up 18 percent; 63,350 vehicles sold in February
• Changan Ford Automobile sales through February total 160,119 vehicles, up 29 percent; 48,263 vehicles sold in February
• Jiangling Motor Corporation year-to-date sales total 31,309 vehicles, down 13 percent; 14,054 vehicles sold in February

Ford Motor Company’s sales in China during the first two months of the year increased 18 percent compared to the same period last year, with 194,182 vehicles sold. Ford sold 63,350 vehicles in February, down 9 percent compared to February 2015.

Year-to-date sales for Changan Ford Automobile (CAF), Ford's passenger car joint venture, totaled 160,119 vehicles, up 29 percent compared to last year. CAF sold 48,263 vehicles in February, down 10 percent from 2015.

The Ford Escort continues to be a top-seller for Ford, with 13,173 vehicles sold in February, up 15 percent compared to February 2015.

Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), Ford's commercial vehicle investment in China, sold 14,054 vehicles in February, up three percent compared to February 2015. Year-to-date sales totaled 31,309 vehicles, down 13 percent compared to last year. 

USA SALES FEBRUARY - Both Ford and Lincoln gain nsgnificantly in the second month of the year.

• U.S. sales of 217,192 Ford Motor Company vehicles up 20 percent versus last year
• Ford brand SUVs post best-ever February sales – Edge increases 91 percent, Explorer jumps 18 percent and Escape gains 14 percent
• Ford F-Series has best February performance since 2006, with sales up 10 percent; Transit sales up 70 percent – best February van performance since 1979
• Lincoln total sales jump 30 percent – MKX sales increase 109 percent, providing Lincoln with its best February SUV performance in 15 years

Ford Motor Company’s U.S. sales were up 20 percent in February versus a year ago with 217,192 vehicles sold. Retail sales grew 11 percent – the company’s best February since 2005.

Retail sales gains came across the product portfolio. Cars gained 6 percent, trucks increased 5 percent, and SUVs were up 22 percent.

Ford SUV sales last month – the best February in company history – totaled 65,016 vehicles, up 28 percent versus a year ago. Edge jumped 91 percent, Explorer was up 18 percent and Escape gained 14 percent.    

F-Series sales were strong, too, with 60,697 vehicles sold – a 10-percent increase – marking Ford’s best February for F-Series in a decade. 

“We saw a solid industry last month and a strong month for Ford, as customer demand for our newest vehicles – including new high-end series on Explorer and Edge – helped Ford increase its average transaction prices at almost double the industry average,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “Offering more high-end options for truck and SUV customers and having the capability fleet buyers value as they are reinvesting in their fleets are strengthening our business.”

Transit sales increased 70 percent last month, with 11,496 vans sold – adding to Ford’s total van sales of 18,407 giving Ford its best February van performance since 1979.

Lincoln sales of 8,039 vehicles increased 30 percent, with the all-new Lincoln MKX up 109 percent, helping support the brand’s record February sales.