Showing the history of the E-Series Van and the introduction of the Transit.
10/14/12
10/12/12
Ford Develops Carbon Fibre Technology that Could Deliver More Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
- Ford Motor Company demonstrates a prototype carbon fibre bonnet that could cut vehicle weight and improve fuel economy
- Ford Focus carbon fibre prototype bonnet weighs more than 50 percent less than steel version with production times significantly reduced by new processes that can also be applied to other components
- Ford European Research Centre involvement in the Hightech.NRW research project follows Ford partnership with Dow Automotive Systems to research advanced material usage, development and manufacturing
- Carbon fibre reinforced plastic component is manufactured using new techniques developed as part of advanced research project involving Ford engineers
DUSSELDORF, Germany, Oct. 9, 2012 – Ford Motor Company today demonstrated a prototype carbon fibre bonnet that could help lower fuel consumption for Ford customers.
The carbon fibre reinforced plastic Ford Focus bonnet displayed at the Composites Europe event in Dusseldorf, Germany is constructed from the super-strong material usually associated with bespoke racing vehicles or high-performance sports cars.
The prototype bonnet weighs more than 50 percent less than a standard steel version. As a result of progress made during an on-going research project involving engineers from the Ford European Research Centre, production time for an individual carbon fibre bonnet is fast enough to be employed on a production line – a significant step towards increased usage of lightweight materials in Ford vehicles.
“It’s no secret that reducing a vehicle’s weight can deliver major benefits for fuel consumption, but a process for fast and affordable production of carbon fibre automotive parts in large numbers has never been available,” said Inga Wehmeyer, advanced materials and processes research engineer, Ford European Research Centre. “By partnering with materials experts through the Hightech.NRW research project, Ford is working to develop a solution that supports cost efficient manufacturing of carbon fibre components.”
The involvement of Ford European Research Centre in the Hightech.NRW research project follows Ford’s partnership with Dow Automotive Systems; a collaboration announced earlier this year that will investigate new materials, design processes and manufacturing techniques.
Dow Automotive Systems and Ford will focus on establishing an economical source of automotive-grade carbon fibre, as well as high-volume manufacturing methods: both critical to increasing the range of future Ford battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Carbon fibre offers a very high strength-to-weight ratio. It is up to five times as strong as steel, twice as stiff, and one-third the weight. Advanced materials such as carbon fibre are key to Ford’s plans to reduce the weight of its cars by up to 340kg by the end of the decade.
“There are two ways to reduce energy use in vehicles: improving the conversion efficiency of fuels to motion and reducing the amount of work that powertrains need to do,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford chief technical officer and vice president, Research and Innovation. “Ford is tackling the conversion problem primarily through downsizing engines with EcoBoost and electrification while mass reduction and improved aerodynamics are keys to reducing the workload.”
Ford has partnered with specialists from the Institute of Automotive Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Henkel, Evonik, IKV (Institute of Plastics Processing), Composite Impulse and Toho Tenax for the course of the Hightech.NRW research project.
Funded by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the project began in 2010 and, despite being set to continue until September 2013, has already made significant progress towards its targets of:
- Developing a cost effective method to manufacture carbon fibre composites for body panel applications that can be incorporated into existing vehicle production processes
- Significantly reducing individual component production times
- Reducing the amount of finishing work required to acceptable standards
- Meeting requirements for painting
- At least 50 percent reduction in component weight
Initial testing suggests that CFRP components such as the prototype Ford Focus bonnet will meet Ford’s high standards for stiffness, dent resistance and crash performance. The component has also performed well in pedestrian protection head-impact tests, thanks to its innovative construction of a special foam core sandwiched between two layers of CFRP.
“Customers of Ford’s multi-million selling passenger cars should not expect to see carbon fibre-bodied examples on sale in the near future," said Inga Wehmeyer. “But the techniques we have refined and developed for the prototype Focus bonnet could be transferred to higher volume applications at a later date.”
10/10/12
Ford Super Duty: We Own Work
The guys who do the toughest jobs overwhelmingly choose the Ford Super Duty over any other heavy-duty truck. To find out why, we travel to the most punishing worksites out there. Learn more at http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/weownwork/
10/08/12
Loggers Need a Truck As Tough As They Are - The Ford Super Duty
Loggers need a truck that's as tough as they are. Loggers have a dangerous job with buzzing saws, falling trees and a work floor that's steep, slick and rugged. See why the Ford Super Duty stands high above the rest in the forestry business. Ford - We Own Work!
10/06/12
Tour of the A.R.E. Manufacturing Plant
10/04/12
Ford Reaffirms Texas Ties with 2013 F-150 King Ranch, the Truck That Defines Authentic Western Luxury and Style
- 2013 Ford F-150 King Ranch debuts at the State Fair of Texas Auto Show with more luxury, technology and capability than ever before
- 2013 F-150 King Ranch features an updated exterior, timeless Chaparral leather, an all-new black interior environment, smart technology like standard MyFord Touch® – optimized for truck owners – and available HID headlamps
- Ford and the famous King Ranch have teamed for 12 years; together they set the original benchmark for luxury trucks
DALLAS, Sept. 27, 2012 – Texas is the nation’s largest truck market and Ford has longstanding ties to King Ranch, a Texas institution. To celebrate another year in this successful relationship, the 2013 F-150 King Ranch debuts at the 2012 State Fair of Texas.
“While others are just starting to understand the appeal of Texas innovation and luxury, we’re proud to have worked with our longtime partners at King Ranch who helped define both,” said Ford General Marketing Manager Dave Mondragon. “The latest F-150 King Ranch extends this honor and tradition.”
Like its namesake, F-150 King Ranch is the product of generations of F-Series trucks that came before it.
Outside, the latest F-150 King Ranch features a bold new three-bar grille and available new 20-inch machined aluminum wheels. There’s also an available monotone paint option and customers can add a special King Ranch chrome package for additional luxury cues.
Inside, the seats are wrapped in rich, timeless Chaparral leather. An all-new black interior environment is available (in addition to traditional Adobe), plus smart technology like standard MyFord Touch® optimized for truck owners, standard ambient interior lighting and available class-exclusive HID headlamps.
The 2013 Ford F-150 King Ranch does more than look good. It’s also Built Ford Tough. F-150 King Ranch is available with a choice of 5.0-liter V8 or the advanced, segment-exclusive 3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine, which provides the power of an eight-cylinder engine and the fuel efficiency of a six-cylinder while achieving a best-in-class 11,300 pounds of trailer towing capability.
Both engines are mated to a fuel-saving electronic six-speed automatic transmission with tow/haul mode and SelectShift® capability.
“King Ranch is built on the heritage, hard work and innovation of seven generations of King family descendants and employees, just like what Ford has built into its F-Series pickup trucks,” said King Ranch Chairman Jamey Clement. “It’s why we trust Ford as a genuine partner and why we depend on a fleet of 260 Ford trucks to get the job done every day at King Ranch.”
King Ranch covers more than 1,300 square miles of Texas land, making it one of the largest ranches in the world.
In 2000, Ford Motor Company and King Ranch teamed to introduce the 2001 King Ranch F-150 SuperCrew, then the most upscale model in the Ford F-150 lineup. It was also the industry’s first under-8,500-pound GVW full-size pickup truck with four full-size doors and a full rear passenger compartment.
The 2013 F-150 King Ranch is one of 10 updated models in the F-Series lineup that includes changes to XL, XLT, Lariat, Platinum, SVT Raptor and the introduction of the all-new F-150 Limited.
Significant features include available Hill Descent Control™, segment-first HID headlamps that are brighter and whiter than traditional headlamps, and segment-exclusive power-folding and telescoping trailer tow mirrors.
Available MyFord Touch, powered by SYNC®, brings industry-leading connectivity technology to Ford trucks – optimized for truck owners with specialized buttons they can operate while wearing gloves, and a larger screen for improved readability.
Click here to view 2013 F-150 King Ranch photos.
10/02/12
With Best-in-Class Capability and Sales Leadership Across Multiple Vocations, Ford F-150 Owns Work
- Ford’s resonant “We Own Work”campaign now launches across the F-Series lineup to encompass the F-150 half-ton pickup truck, reinforcing dominant Ford market share across a diverse group of industries – both commercial and municipal
- For 2013, Ford F-150 earns best-in-class towing for standard V6 engine models, adding to top performance for EcoBoost® and V8 models
- Ford F-150 models equipped with groundbreaking 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine recently crested the 200,000 milestone in sales
- An Oklahoma oil man has put more than 87,000 trouble-free miles on his EcoBoost-powered F-150 in only 17 months; using the truck for work and family recreation, he has accumulated more than 5,100 miles per month to go further
DALLAS, Sept. 27, 2012 – Like its larger F-Series Super Duty
sibling, the Ford F-150 pickup is the market sales leader across a
variety of commercial, industrial and municipal vocations.
To tell the F-150 story, Ford is extending its “We Own Work” campaign across the F-Series lineup, inviting social engagement by providing an online forum for hard-working, hard-playing owners to share their F-150 stories and recognize their collective contributions.
“We Own Work” starts with an online manifesto, which will be followed by a cadence of vignettes, providing an up-close and personal look at F-150 owners using their trucks for tough-task business and pleasure that invariably involves more work for the vehicle.
“‘We Own Work’ is a direct reflection of Ford F-Series leadership across tough jobs in a variety of industries demanding strength and durability,” says Doug Scott, Ford Truck Group Marketing manager. “Both Super Duty and F-150 have dominant positions in their respective segments across industries where dependability and durability is core to getting the jobs done.”
From heavy construction to road maintenance, Ford F-150 holds a dominant market share position against its light-duty competitors, according to R.L. Polk data.
For example, F-150 leads in a variety of fields, including:
62 percent market share in road maintenance
68 percent share in hazardous materials work
67 percent share in the oil pipeline industry
To view an infographic showing vocations where F-150 holds market share leadership, please click here.
“For F-150, we tend to see a higher mix of personal use than with Super Duty,” Scott says. “But to the truck, there is no difference between towing a trailer full of environmental conservation equipment or a pontoon boat. It’s all work, and Ford holds an equity stake in getting the job done, whether the end result is work or play.”
Best-in-class V6 towing
The Ford F-150 pickup equipped with the standard 3.7-liter V6
engine has the highest towing capacity among competitive models. F-150
can tow a 6,700-pound trailer, besting the 2013 Ram 1500 3.6-liter V6 by
200 pounds and the Chevrolet Silverado 4.3-liter V6 model by 1,300
pounds.
The Ford F-150 with 3.7-liter V6 engine beats the Toyota Tundra’s standard 4.0-liter V6 model by an additional 1,800 pounds. The Nissan Titan offers no comparable V6 variant.
F-150 owns the maximum towing capacity honor too. Both the 3.5-liter EcoBoost® and 6.2-liter V8 are rated to tow up to best-in-class 11,300 pounds.
EcoBoost: 200,000 turbocharged sales and climbing
In August, sales of the Ford F-150 pickup equipped with the
advanced 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine crested 200,000 units since sales
began in February 2011. Ford’s patented EcoBoost engine delivers an
unmatched combination of best-in-class towing and payload, torque and
fuel economy.
One of those 200,000 EcoBoost-powered F-150 pickups – a four-door SuperCrew – was purchased by an oil field service contractor named James Tapp. Crisscrossing Oklahoma maintaining oil pumping machinery in the field, Tapp has put more than 87,000 trouble-free miles on his F-150 in just 17 months.
Averaging more than 5,100 miles per month, Tapp rarely shuts off his truck unless it is parked in his garage at home.
“During business hours, I literally live and work in my truck,” Tapp says. “When the truck isn’t hauling me out to some remote oil rig needing service, it’s idling nearby. When it isn’t working, it gets used to haul my family.”
This Ford F-150 with EcoBoost power is Tapp’s fourth brand-new Ford pickup, although his current truck most recently replaced a Ram.
The “We Own Work” program will continue to feature F-150 owners like Tapp, who are using their EcoBoost-powered trucks hard for work and play, enjoying the performance, efficiency and durability this advanced engine provides.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)