September 25, 2011

“We’re not just sitting in Dearborn designing cars for ourselves. We listen to our customers.” And with that, you now know the secret to success at Ford, as revealed by Lisa Schoder, Ford Brand Manager, Focus ST. Listening. Learning. Ford even eavesdrops in chat rooms. That’s what it takes. You might not do the physical designing and building of Ford vehicles, but you sure do provide important ideas and feedback, from the initial blueprints right down to the final product that becomes a Ford vehicle.

A perfect example is the new Focus ST, which already existed in Europe. Would other parts of the world embrace it, too? “Because the Focus ST is a specialty vehicle that’s new to North America, we do not have a ton of customer information or data,” Lisa explained. “So we get out there a lot more, talking to people to really understand them and what they want from their vehicle.” After all, you can’t have a global performance car without global input.

For North America, it meant handpicking a group of Focus enthusiasts and bringing them to the 2011 North American International Auto Show so they could check out the Focus ST concept car and talk shop with the Focus ST team, comprised of Team RS from Europe and the SVT team, based in Detroit. It was a crucial step in order to emphasize that ST wouldn’t be a trim level, but rather its own brand, Sport Technologies. In fact, only one common Focus ST model is being developed for all global markets (it’s expected to launch in 2012), and will be the first time Ford has produced one of its high-performance models for a global audience.

“We monitor Focus enthusiast spaces online in forums where we see a lot of chatter. I’m on focaljet.com and they know who I am,” Lisa said. “The Focus ST has a European heritage and enthusiasts in the U.S. have been asking for it. As we launch the vehicle here, it’s important to find the people who are super passionate about it. They are our brand evangelists.” If we were you, we’d totally make up business cards with that last part on them.

Feedback can be regarding anything from thoughts on paint colors and tires and wheels to which seats capture the performance theme best, such as with the Boss 302. “Performance enthusiasts truly want to feel connected to their car and there’s no better way than to trim and equip it to their style,” said Jim Owens, Ford Brand Manager, Mustang. “The suspension not only delivers world-class performance from a track standpoint, but we added adjustable front and rear shocks, so they can optimize it for individual racetracks. It’s all about giving customers what they want.” When Ford needs to make a decision, we depend on you to guide the process.

Now you might also better understand why the Focus ST is equipped with a high-output and efficient 240-horsepower 2.0-liter EcoBoost™ four-cylinder engine that’s hooked to a six-speed manual transmission with sporting ratios, as well as why it has performance brakes, a special suspension, and other spirited-driving requirements, such as the new Torque Vectoring Control system for stability and a new variable-ratio steering system. Recaro seats and noteworthy instrumentation also got the thumbs-up.

“When enthusiasts created bringbacktheSHO.com, it confirmed that we were heading in the right direction,” Lisa said about the Focus ST. “After nine years, these dedicated customers kept the passion alive. We thoroughly enjoy and benefit from this grassroots interaction, attending events or sharing emails and stories as they help us make the product, brand, and ownership experience even stronger.”

Source: thefordstory.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.

CBS and Ford to Run ‘The Amazing Race’

September 23, 2011

CBS and Ford have teamed up again to run “The Amazing Race” this fall as 11 new teams set off on a global adventure starting Sunday, Sept. 25 (8 to 9 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Ford’s sponsorship includes on-air components featuring four of its top models – Explorer, Fiesta, Focus and Mustang. During the season premiere, teams start their race in the foothills of Southern California. After receiving their first destination from host Phil Keoghan, all 11 teams will jump into a new Ford Explorer and drive to Los Angeles International Airport before departing on their first leg to Taipei, Taiwan.

Ford Fiesta, Focus and Mustang vehicles will make their way across the globe in additional episodes throughout the season. One lucky team will also win two new Ford Mustangs for finishing in first place in an upcoming leg. The winners will be given the opportunity to customize their Mustangs using Ford’s new Mustang Customizer website.

“As the exclusive automotive partner, we are proud to be providing vehicles that play a vital role in helping the contestants navigate and accomplish their near-impossible tasks,” said Crystal Worthem, Ford Brand Content and Alliance manager.

This season’s cast, which includes a pair of Olympic snowboarders, twin sisters, an ex-NFL tight end and two winners of “Survivor,” will make first-time visits to such exotic locations as Indonesia, Malawi, Belgium and Denmark. Along the way, teams will travel across four continents and through 20 cities, covering nearly 40,000 miles.

“The Amazing Race” sends 11 teams on a trek around the world. Each team is comprised of two people who have a pre-existing relationship with one another. At every destination, each team competes in a series of challenges – some mental and some physical – and when the tasks have been completed, they learn their next destination. Teams who are farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning $1 million.

Source: ford.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.

Ford at the 2011 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show

September 18, 2011

Check out footage of Ford vehicles at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show.

Source: thefordstory.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.

September 15

Ford is putting design in the hands of enthusiasts with a new customizer website that features the 2012 Mustang.

Ford will launch the site on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at www.ford.com/cars/mustang to let Mustang enthusiasts take advantage of the classic design with limitless possibilities.

“This site lets Mustang fans customize cars to their heart’s content,” said Brian McClary, Ford social and emerging media specialist. “It’s a simple-to-use layout that lets users take the base design of Mustang and run with it.”

Users can choose to customize a Mustang V6, GT, Boss 302 or Shelby GT500. Their custom touch is blended with three different backgrounds – a dragway, cityscape or drive-in restaurant – along with five different angles from which to check out the design.

Accessories include body kits, wheels, decals, grilles and decklids, along with parts from Ford Racing Performance Parts and Ford Vehicle Personalization. Within minutes, several different looks can easily be created and saved as desktop wallpaper.

“Customers love to make Mustang their own, one that suits their taste; this is the perfect way to let them test out their design and imagine what’s possible,” said Jim Owens, Mustang marketing manager. “The interactive aspect also adds a whole new dimension and lets more people get in on the fun.”

The site also incorporates social media, as users can log in through their Facebook account and save and share all of the Mustangs they have created. A “battle mode” through Facebook lets users go head-to-head to see who has the best-looking car.

By posting their Mustang to their Facebook wall, users can accumulate votes that will be tallied on a leaderboard for others to check out. They can even identify a nemesis to go after in battle.

For those intent on making their custom car a reality, a downloadable PDF facility offers a detailed list of all the real parts used to create that particular virtual Mustang. The PDF is separated into three categories – Ford, aftermarket and concept accessories – and includes links to the applicable websites, making it easy for customers to start a conversation with their local Ford dealer.

Source: ford.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.

Hot Focus Electric, Cool Battery Technology

June 13, 2011

You know the complaints you hear people spew when the weather gets hot? Well, it’s hard out there for a battery, too. Extreme hotness may not be a problem for, say, George Clooney (or Robert Pattinson, depending on your age/taste), but high temps can potentially affect an electric vehicle’s battery performance and potentially reduce its range.

This meant Ford engineers had to develop an advanced active liquid-cooling and heating system for the new Focus Electric lithium-ion battery to ensure its longevity and that it would be good to go regardless of the weather. “If the battery became too hot, we would have to limit the use of energy to protect it. The liquid cooled system allows us to reduce those constraints and get the most out of the battery,” said Dave Fabricatore, Thermal Program Management Team Engineer.

Curious about that process? The integrated cooling system keeps the different systems in the car at their optimal operating temperatures. The air conditioning system is actually used to refrigerate the coolant going to the battery using a “chiller” (that’s the technical term!), so as the coolant passes through the chiller, it’s brought down to the temperature that the battery requires. Temperature sensors placed all over the Focus Electric let the cooling system know when it needs to kick into action.

This happens even as the car is charging, which can help reduce the charge time in hot climates, since the battery will be kept at a desirable temp.

The Focus Electric will launch in late 2011 in 19 pilot markets. The liquid-cooled battery system will serve as another distinct advantage the Focus Electric will have over other air-cooled all-electric vehicles, especially in the warmer initial launch markets, which will include Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles and San Diego as well as Orlando, Fla., Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., Raleigh-Durham, N.C. and Richmond, Va.

In 2012, these models will be joined in North America by the new C-MAX Hybrid, a second next-generation lithium-ion battery hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. Ford intends to launch five electrified vehicles in North America by 2012 and in Europe by 2013.

Source: thefordstory.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.

The Nose 4000 and Other Surprising Ways Ford Keeps Your Senses Satisfied

September 11, 2011

A big deal is made about new-car smell. Realistically, that’s about the only sensory element that seemingly doesn’t factor in to a vehicle purchase. Or does it? Your senses play a crucial role in what you like and don’t like, be it anything from spinach to what you drive. As you might imagine, we’re more focused on the pleasure you get from the vehicle than on what’s for dinner.

Yet…you might love spinach, but your mate does not, and neither one of you understands how the other can feel that way about the leafy green. Regardless, the solution is always the same: one of you eats it, the other does not. But imagine if you’re a Ford designer or engineer; your job is to ensure every customer enjoys that vehicle, right down to the experience their eyes, ears, fingers and nose will have. While eating or not eating spinach may be a conscious decision, our senses are in charge of the subconscious mind, which has been said to control 95 percent of our decisions. Talk about a first impression being a lasting one.

The Ford Focus was the first car to be developed using a new electronic sniffing device for sampling smells emitted by plastic, paint, rubber and adhesives. It was dubbed the “e Nose 4000” and utilized 12 polymer sensors that gathered chemical data from the surrounding air. Ford has also utilized “smell jurors” and household fruit-preserving jars in an attempt to ensure no funky odors be emitted from a vehicle’s interior, such as from the foam. For more than 25 years, Ford specialists have evaluated the scents of potential trim materials, using that expertise to ensure supplier components meet low-odor specifications. Following a human sensory analysis, the materials become standards by which to “teach” the electronic nose. After this training, the instrument became able to distinguish between good- and bad-smelling parts.

“We get a lot of feedback from people saying that they want their new car smell. But not everyone can agree on what smells ‘good’ and what smells ‘bad,’” explained Sandra Edwards, Ford Polymers, Coatings and Corrosion. “Every time we run an odor test, we use a jury of people that are as diverse as possible to get different points of view. We don’t try to eliminate all odors, we just try to keep them in a neutral range.”

The 2011 Ford Edge features upgraded materials, additional accents and fresh execution of colors and forms create an environment that is as comfortable and inviting as it is functional and convenient. “With the addition of MyFord Touch, we created a high-tech look,” said Jim Smithbauer, Interior Design Manager. “It drove our treatment of the center stack, in particular, but also the rest of the interior as well. The MyFord Touch system’s modern look inspired us to push the interior design even more to reflect and complement this cutting-edge technology.”

The exterior gets a similar approach: “We’re taking design to a whole new level, interpreting what people want so that we can deliver it to them. We always look to the silhouette, the shape, the proportion of a vehicle to see if it communicates the emotions we’re looking for. That’s why a Mustang appears fast even when it’s parked, why an F-150 looks tough and why a Fiesta communicates smart, urban and hip,” said Ford Designer, Anthony Prozzi.

Another example of advanced sensory design can be witnessed on the 2011 Lincoln MKX and Ford Edge, with touch-sensitive technology. Touch cells create a tiny, undetectable electrical field; your finger breaks the field and causes the cells to go on or off like a traditional switch. In other words, so long, buttons! A touch of the finger is what activates it, and an audible beep and illumination confirms execution. Touch cells control volume, radio seek, defrosters, air conditioning and more.

“Touch is an extremely powerful sense. We use the science of haptics, which measures how consumers react to physical objects, to determine how a door lock or window switch should feel,” said Pietro Buttolo, Ford Technical Specialist. “Touch is instinctive – people know immediately what they like. Our research found that customers like their controls with smooth transitions that are distinct, adding to the overall quality and confirming the impression of a solid design.”

Being distinctive also affects the sounds being emitted from your vehicle. “As Ford has expanded globally, we now have an increased awareness of what a horn is used for in all of our markets,” said Patricia Seashore, Design & Release Supervisor. “It’s not the same all over the world.” In North America, more and more customers are adapting their horn usage into a friendly greeting, and they want the horn to sound that way.

“We tune our horns to emit a rich sound, just slightly discordant to get attention, but not unpleasant. In North America, we’re getting away from using horns strictly as a warning,” Patricia said. “You do hear them in traffic when someone gets cut off, but they are also used to say, ‘Hi,’ or to let someone know you are there to pick them up.” You know, so you both can head over to the grocery store for more spinach.

Source: thefordstory.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.

Ford EcoBoost Engine Expands to 2012 Edge and Explorer

August 24, 2011

It’s here! The 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine is available in the 2012 Ford Edge and Explorer, shipping to dealerships as we speak! It can be had in the front-wheel-drive models.

And by the way, you thought the Edge and Explorer boasted great fuel economy before? Equipped with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost, the Edge with EcoBoost has a hearty EPA-estimated 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. Meanwhile, the Explorer has an EPA-estimated 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, which is a 30 percent highway fuel-efficiency increase over the most economical previous-gen 2010 Explorer. Both applications will deliver 240 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque.

The Edge and Explorer are the first vehicles in North America to be offered with the new 2.0-liter engine. The EcoBoost marks the next chapter in the Ford strategy to downsize engines and use turbocharging and direct injection to deliver the power and fuel economy you crave. The EcoBoost does this by combining a smaller displacement with a turbocharger and gasoline direct injection to provide the power of a normally aspirated V6 with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder engine. Moving forward, EcoBoost engines will continue to deliver more power and fuel economy from smaller-displacement engines; Ford has committed to offering fuel-efficient, high-technology EcoBoost engines in 90 percent of its global vehicle portfolio by 2013.

The Explorer EcoBoost fuel economy is optimized with aggressive deceleration fuel shutoff (ADSFO), twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), an efficient six-speed gear span in its 6F35 automatic transmission and a smooth aerodynamic body. The Edge too maximizes fuel economy by combining the advanced EcoBoost powertrain with ADSFO and Ti-VCT, but adds active grille shutters to improve aerodynamics. Active transmission warmup for the 6F35 gearbox reduces internal friction immediately following engine startup.

“An expanded array of customer choice marks the Ford showroom for 2012,” said Ford President, The Americas, Mark Fields. “An EcoBoost powertrain puts Edge and Explorer fuel efficiency over the top, while the next-generation Ford Focus brings an extended portfolio of models with premium technology, comfort and convenience offerings.”

That’s right – if the Focus is more your style, it too is powered by a new engine, a 2.0-liter gasoline direct-injection four-cylinder, delivering an EPA-estimated up to 40 mpg on the highway, with a class-leading 160 horsepower and 146 lb.-ft. of torque, and a fuel-efficiency improvement of 10 percent and 20 percent more horsepower than the previous-model Focus engine. The advanced technology uses Ti-VCT to increase responsiveness, boost fuel economy and reduce emissions. Plus, an available Super Fuel Economy package for the Focus SE adds low-rolling-resistance tires, aerodynamically optimized wheel covers and rear disc brakes.

Source: thefordstory.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.

How to Train Your Mustang

August 12, 2011

Really this is about how to train owners of the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 to get the most from their new ride. And a darn good excuse to spend a day on the track, exercising the Boss 302 under the conditions it was made for. Perhaps the best part of Boss Track Attack Days is that it’s complimentary to owners of the 2012 Mustang Boss 302!

The Boss Track Attack takes place at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, Utah. It provides owners with a full immersion into the Boss experience, with driving instruction and extensive track time with professional instructors. The intent is to enable Boss 302 owners to learn just how capable the new car is, and how much fun it can be on one of the country’s greatest tracks.

“This is the first program of its kind from Ford. We’re so proud of the new Boss 302 that we wanted to offer owners the opportunity to stretch their legs – and carve corners – on one of the coolest tracks in America,” said Mickey Matus, marketing manager, Ford Racing. “The Boss 302 is such a legendary nameplate, and our latest version is such a tremendous, fun-to-drive car that we wanted to ensure this exclusive group of owners learn all they could about it, and experience its capabilities in the fun, controlled environment that Miller Motorsports Park can provide.”

Boss owners need not bring their own cars. Miller Motorsports Park has a fleet of track-ready Boss 302s on hand for this driving experience.

The one-day experience begins with a private reception and dinner the evening before at the Larry H. Miller Total Performance Museum at the track, where participants and guests will be immersed into the history of the Boss nameplate. They will be given behind-the-scenes access to some of the stories behind the development of the Boss 302 and will get a private tour of Larry Miller’s amazing personal collection of high-performance Ford and Shelby vehicles.

The next day, owners will start with a dynamic classroom session with school instructors, then spend the rest of the morning learning car control, cornering, braking and vehicle dynamic techniques, before breaking for lunch in the track’s clubhouse.

The afternoon session features more on-track driving including lead and follow exercises, instructor ride-alongs and hot laps with professional drivers. The day finishes with participating owners receiving a special graduation pack from the team.

2012 Mustang Boss 302 owners can now register for their complimentary Boss Track Attack sessions slot at www.bosstrackattack.com or by calling 435-27-SPEED.

There are 15 individual sessions available between now and the end of the year. Every owner has a year from receiving his or her car to take advantage of this program. Dates for sessions in 2012 will be determined in due course and communicated via the website. Participants can, at their own cost, attend a second day of the driving school or bring a guest to attend with them. Complete information about the program is available at the website.

Source: thefordstory.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.

We Hear You! Consumers Drive Ford Focus Electric Simulator, Provide Feedback on New Vehicle In-Dash Displays

August 18, 2011

Potential customers are getting a chance to help develop the final in-dash display for the Ford Focus Electric through the use of a specially designed driving simulator. The driving simulations and feedback are helping Ford engineers make sure the unique extension of the MyFord Touch® interactive display in the Focus Electric is easy to use and meets the needs of potential owners. The new Ford Focus Electric uses the high-tech driver interface to help drivers optimize range and experience the freedom of fuel-free driving.

When stepping into the simulator, a user sees exactly the same information that would appear in the real Ford Focus Electric, including two 4.2-inch full-color LCD screens flanking the speedometer in the center. These screens provide details on battery state of charge, distance to charge point, the corresponding budget and expected range surplus.

“These screens are an integral part of Focus Electric and we thought the best way to make sure they would do their job is to have people come in and try them out for themselves,” said Paul Aldighieri, HMI engineer. “The only true way to get a feel for what the screens are telling the driver is by actually getting behind the wheel.”

Since last year, nearly 30 drivers have participated in the simulator exercise, an 11-mile circuit that traverses a variety of terrain that a typical drive would include. Hills, city streets, country roads and flat lands make up the circuit.

The studies evaluated how well participants comprehended the gauge concepts and validated the gauge design. Feedback showed the core behaviors of the system were well understood, and the engineering team received feedback on how to improve the interface. The team incorporated the feedback and received high acceptance levels for the new graphics.

For example, the original Brake Coach showed the absolute amount of energy that was captured and sent back to the battery, as well as the energy lost due to friction. Participants provided feedback that this was too complex to understand and the indication of the energy lost to friction was not well understood.

Engineers simplified the program to show just the relative proportion of energy captured out of what was available to be captured. This gave the drivers a score that was easier to understand and was shown to be more motivational.

Additionally, engineers received feedback on alternatives for the terminology used to represent what eventually became the charge point, budget and surplus screens.

The team also brought in members of the Michigan Electric Auto Association, a group of electric vehicle enthusiasts, to validate the driver information. The concepts were well received by the group, who considered the information thoughtful, particularly for people who are not familiar with the electric vehicle experience.

Specifically, the butterflies, which are used to graphically represent the additional range beyond one’s charge destination, were considered to be an appropriate emotive theme. One theme that was being pursued – a circuit board – was poorly received. It was seen as cold, unattractive and not exciting; it was dropped.

“Butterflies are a safe image that doesn’t alienate people,” said Aldighieri. “Not everyone thinks windmills and solar panels are desirable.”

Graphically representing surplus mileage beyond charge point destination was identified by this group as a benefit. One guest indicated he had recently gone to the movies with some friends in his electric car. After the movies, one of his friends asked if they could go out for ice cream; this particular guest had to discourage that as he had not accounted for it in planning the evening’s travels. After seeing Ford’s surplus gauge, he thought this would have given him better data to consider adding on a spontaneous stop to get ice cream.

Making efficiency fun 

MyFord Touch on the all-new Focus Electric offers drivers unique features that provide easy-to-understand information about range, destinations and charge points.

For those who want more in-depth information, the cluster’s MyView feature offers greater personalization choices. Using five-way buttons on the steering wheel, Focus Electric owners can configure their own custom information screen in the left display. MyView gives owners the ability to choose trip budgets and range views and decide whether or not to display associated text with each screen.

The system also helps coach drivers to optimize their use of the vehicle’s regenerative brakes to recapture kinetic energy and send it back to the battery. Brake Coach gives drivers feedback on their braking performance – and the effect it has on their range – once the car comes to a complete stop after a braking event.

The right-hand display screen in Focus Electric also uses blue butterflies to graphically represent the additional range beyond one’s charge point destination – the more there are, the greater the range. To reinforce the message, at the end of each trip a display screen provides distance driven, miles gained through regenerative braking, energy consumed and comparative gasoline saved by driving electric.

Power of choice 

Electrification is an important piece of Ford’s overall product sustainability strategy, which includes the launch of five electrified vehicles in North America by 2012 and in Europe by 2013. Ford launched the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van in 2010 and will launch the all-new Focus Electric later this year. In 2012, these models will be joined in North America by the new C-MAX Hybrid, a second next-generation lithium-ion battery hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. This diverse range of electrified vehicles allows Ford to meet a variety of consumer driving needs.

Source: ford.com

About Parker Ford Lincoln, Inc. Parker Ford Lincoln Inc., is a multi-President Award-winning dealership in Murray, Kentucky offering new Ford and Lincoln Cars, Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers. Visit us online at http://www.parkerford.com.