Brasil se torna maior mercado de caminhões para a Mercedes

O Estado de S. Paulo

Com o impacto forte da crise nas vendas europeias, o Brasil ultrapassou a Alemanha este ano e se tornou o principal mercado para os caminhões da Mercedes-Benz. De janeiro a setembro, foram vendidos 21,8 mil veículos com mais de 6 toneladas no País, comparados a 16,8 mil na Alemanha. Em terceiro lugar vem a Turquia, com 3,7 mil.

“O Brasil é o primeiro mercado a dar sinais fortes de recuperação”, afirmou Hubertus Troska, vice-presidente executivo da Divisão Caminhões da Mercedes-Benz Europa e América Latina, em visita ao País.

“Na Europa, esta crise é a mais grave que já enfrentamos desde a Segunda Guerra, ou até mesmo desde o início da empresa”, explicou o executivo.

A queda das vendas no Brasil este ano ficou abaixo da verificada em outras regiões. O mercado europeu deve sofrer uma retração de cerca de 45% este ano, em comparação com 2008.

No Brasil, a queda deve ficar em cerca de 17%, com total de 105 mil unidades, levando-se em conta as vendas de todos os fabricantes. Mesmo assim, esse resultado deve ser o segundo maior da história no País, perdendo somente para o ano passado. Para 2010, a expectativa é que as vendas brasileiras fiquem em cerca de 120 mil unidades.

“O mercado brasileiro está sendo incentivado por diversos setores, como agricultura, construção e mineração”, explicou Gero Herrmann, presidente da Mercedes-Benz do Brasil. O executivo está deixando o comando da subsidiária brasileira para se tornar vice-presidente sênior de Legal & Compliance na matriz, em Stuttgart. Jürgen Ziegler, que comandou a operação da Turquia e estava presente na entrevista, assumirá a subsidiária brasileira.

Enquanto o Brasil começa a mostrar sinais de recuperação agora, o crescimento só deve voltar à Europa no segundo semestre de 2010. “O mercado europeu de caminhões no ano que vem deve ser pelo menos igual ao deste ano”, disse Troska. “No pior dos casos, 2010 não será pior.” A Alemanha ainda lidera em produção, pois atende outros mercados da Europa.

O executivo afirmou que, ao se tornar o maior mercado para os caminhões da empresa, o Brasil se torna candidato forte a receber novos investimentos.

Os outros Brics (Rússia, Índia e China) ainda não são representativos para a Mercedes-Benz. “Temos mais de 50 anos de Brasil”, explicou Troska, acrescentando que, nesses outros mercados, ainda estão começando.

A Mercedes-Benz é líder de mercado na Alemanha e na Turquia. No Brasil, está em segundo lugar, com 29,1% de participação de janeiro a setembro no mercado de caminhões com mais de 3,5 toneladas. Em primeiro lugar vem a Volkswagen (30,9%) e, em terceiro, a Ford (18,5%). A fábrica da Mercedes em São Bernardo do Campo (SP) é a maior da empresa fora da Alemanha.

Fonte: O Estado de S. Paulo/Renato Cruz  | www.estadao.com.br

The New Small Car and LCV from Fiat

It has been some time now since the Italian car maker, Fiat, launched a new car in the Indian car market. Grande Punto was the last car that came from Fiat’s stable. Now, Fiat is planning to launch new cars in India.

Fiat is expected to come out with its small car in 2011-2012. It is also supposed that the upcoming small car from Fiat will be priced at Rs 3-4 Lakh. Fiat at present is looking for the many engine options for its small car. The engine options ranges from 900 cc to 1200 cc. This mew small car will be positioned between Tata Nano and the Grande Punto. And it will have a strong competitor in Ford Figo, the upcoming small car from Ford..

Fiat is targeting to sell 2,00,000 cars by 2012 with an aim of reaching a 7-8 per cent market share. Fiat is also planning to bring in LCVs and premium to India. It is expected that the company will launch Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) in 2012-2014. The company will go on with constructing its network and manufacturing capabilities to produce its own market in India and also a sturdy base for exports of small cars.

Resistente, Ford conquista mercado

Valor Econômico

A Ford Motor Co. resistiu melhor à prolongada crise do setor automobilístico dos Estados Unidos do que a maioria dos concorrentes. Agora alguns analistas acham que a empresa conseguiu deixar a crise para trás e pode atingir o ponto de equilíbrio em suas principais operações, na América do Norte, ou até divulgar lucro geral no resultado do terceiro trimestre, que sai no dia 2.

No âmago do sucesso da Ford esteve sua capacidade de minimizar os declínios nas vendas ao mesmo tempo em que tirou proveito da fraqueza dos rivais e conquistou fatia de mercado.

De acordo com a CNW Research, a Ford superou a concorrência ao ganhar mais de cinco pontos porcentuais de participação de mercado no varejo enquanto suas rivais domésticas General Motors Co. e Chrysler Group LLC perderam terreno.

“O caso da Ford é que eles tiraram proveito do fato de serem a única marca doméstica a não pegar dinheiro do governo e a não pedir concordata”, diz Efraim Levy, um analista da Standard and Poor´s para o setor automobilístico. Mas esses benefícios desaparecerão em 2010, quando os concorrentes mais fracos se distanciarão das recuperações judiciais e começarão a lançar alguns produtos novos.

Na semana passada, vários analistas de Wall Street disseram ainda esperar que a montadora americana registre um prejuízo líquido, mas expressaram otimismo de que as operações norte-americanas da empresa possam ter chegado ao ponto de equilíbrio, o que seria um feito significativo. Um analista, Himanshu Patel, do J.P. Morgan, está até mesmo prevendo um lucro trimestral.

“Obviamente, estou muito contente com nosso progresso em todo o mundo e nossa participação de mercado está subindo em todos os mercados importantes”, disse o presidente do conselho da Ford, Bill Ford, a repórteres na semana passada. “E nossos produtos estão sendo bem recebidos.” Ele se negou a falar sobre os resultados que serão divulgados, citando o período de silêncio antes do anúncio.

Por ora, a Ford continua a se beneficiar de tendências de preço para carros zero e usados que devem melhorar os resultados para a Ford Motor Credit, financeira sobre a qual tem controle integral. O fortalecimento do mercado de usados pode ser positivo para a Ford quando a montadora tenta reverter grandes prejuízos contabilizados em 2008 por causa das perdas antecipadas do declínio de valor de seus veículos arrendados.

Outro sinal positivo pode ser visto no valor futuro dos veículos Ford montados e vendidos hoje. Num relatório que deve ser divulgado em breve pelo guia de carros “Kelly Blue Book”, dois veículos Ford vão aparecer na lista dos carros modelo 2010 que se acredita que manterão o maior valor em relação a seus preços de varejo originais depois de cinco anos de uso, segundo uma pessoa a par da questão. No ano passado, nenhum carro da Ford entrou na lista dos modelos 2009. A Ford também deve ter um bom desempenho na pesquisa anual de confiabilidade da publicação “Consumer Reports”, que sai quarta-feira.

No segundo trimestre, a montadora registrou um lucro de US$ 2,3 bilhões, embora decorrido basicamente de ganhos que contabilizou como parte de esforços para reestruturar sua dívida durante o período. Excluindo esses ganhos, a Ford teria anunciado um prejuízo de US$ 424 milhões, que se comparava com US$ 1,03 bilhão um ano antes e ainda era bem inferior ao esperado pelos analistas de Wall Street. A empresa perdeu mais de US$ 30 bilhões desde 2006.

Os melhores resultados ajudaram a construir uma imagem do diretor-presidente Alan Mulally como sólido líder para recuperações. Mas a empresa que ele comanda ainda tem dívidas enormes, depois que tomou US$ 23,5 bilhões emprestados em 2006 para financiar sua reestruturação.

Muitos em Wall Street estão esperando para ver como a Ford vai reduzir seu endividamento.

O otimismo em relação aos resultados ocorre num momento delicado para a Ford. A montadora conseguiu recentemente concessões adicionais da liderança do sindicato trabalhista United Auto Workers, que incluem uma redução nas regras de trabalho e um compromisso de não haver greve. Mas o novo acordo – a segunda emenda a seu acordo trabalhista este ano – ainda precisa ser aprovado pelos membros do sindicato.

Apesar do melhor balanço patrimonial, a Ford não revisou sua projeção de lucratividade, afirmando que precisará esperar até 2011 para atingir o ponto de equilíbrio ou ter lucro. Uma pessoa a par da questão disse que, mesmo se os sinais encorajadores continuarem a surgir, a Ford pode continuar conservadora quanto à possibilidade de retornar ao lucro sustentável.

Fonte: Valor Econômico | www.valoronline.com.br

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Ford anuncia parceria exclusiva com a Castrol

Webtranspo

Em outubro, a Castrol passou a ser fornecedora exclusiva de óleos lubrificantes e fluidos da Motorcraft, linha de peças de reposição da Ford que é comercializada em sua rede de distribuidores. Desta forma, as marcas estendem parceria mantida na Europa e outros países do mundo.

A partir desse acordo, a linha de lubrificantes Motorcraft continuará a oferecer os tipos de produtos disponíveis, mas em fórmulas diferenciadas, desenvolvidas em conjunto pela Castrol e pela Ford para atender as especificações mais exigentes de qualidade.

As empresa são parceiros estratégicos em todo o mundo desde 2003. O acordo de cooperação global envolve pesquisas e desenvolvimento especial de óleos lubrificantes para os veículos Ford, com exclusividade no primeiro enchimento e também no pós-venda.

“A Castrol é uma marca reconhecida no mercado brasileiro, tem liderança em tecnologia de lubrificantes que se soma a uma ampla rede de mais de 520 distribuidores Ford no país para garantir o atendimento e serviço aos nossos clientes”, afirma Rodolfo Possuelo, gerente de marketing de serviço ao cliente da Ford.

Fonte: Webtranspo | www.webtranspo.com.br

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Scout Monitoring Systems from Quadzilla

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Ex-Ford engineer charged with stealing trade secrets

Former Ford engineer Xiang Dong Yu, 47, was arrested on Wednesday at Chicago’s O’hare airport. Yu is charged with stealing trade secrets from the automaker after accepting a job in China.

A federal indictment charges Yu, a Chinese national living in Beijing, with theft of trade secrets, attempted theft of trade secrets and unauthorized access to a protected computer, Terrence Berg, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said Thursday in a statement.

 Yu was a Ford product engineer from 1997 to 2007. In December 2006, he accepted a job at the China branch of a U.S. company, according to a Justice Department release announcing the charges.

The indictment alleges that Yu copied 4,000 Ford documents, including sensitive design documents, onto an external hard drive after accepting his new job but before notifying Ford of his departure. The documents included design specifications for engine and transmission mounting subsystems, electrical distribution systems and electrical subsystems. The indictment alleges that Yu also tried to use Ford documents to get a job with a Chinese auto company in 2005 and again in 2008. 

Each of the counts of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, the Justice Department statement said. The count charging unauthorized access to a protected computer carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the statement said.

La “nueva” Ford Ranger

Este nuevo restyling, afecta a la parrilla, paragolpes, ópticas y capot. Tambien hay algunos, aunque insignificantes, cambios en el interior. Entre ellos se destaca la mayor inclinación del respaldo del asiento trasero, un problema que afectaba de manera importante el confort de quienes viajaban allí.

En la mecánica no hay novedades, sigue con las mismas motorizaciones: naftera 2.3 de 148 hp (traccion simple) y 3.0 turbodiesel de 163 hp (traccion trasera o doble).

Se sigue ofreciendo la completa version Limited, que incluye llantas de aleación, defensa cromada, estribos, tapizados de cuero, equipo audio con MP3, Bluetooth y USB, frenos ABS y doble airbag.

Tambien se incorpora la version denominada Super Duty, que equipa el motor 3.0, doble traccion e incluye una preparación para tareas mas exigentes (refuerzos en la suspensión y proteccion de piezas mecánicas y electrónicas). Anteriormente se ofrecia unicamente para flotas.

Las modificaciones estéticas no son suficientes para rejuvenecer este modelo que lleva 13 años en el mercado, y esto se va a acentuar con la llegada de competidores de última generacion como el caso de la Volkswagen Amarok.

Ford anuncia contratação de 278 na unidade de Taubaté

Folha de S. Paulo

A Ford anunciou nesta quinta-feira a contratação de 278 novos empregados para a unidade da empresa em Taubaté (SP).

A montadora informou que “as contratações fazem parte do processo de preparação e ampliação da fábrica para produção da nova família de motores Sigma e também atenderão o aumento do volume de produção previsto para 2010, resultante do crescimento do mercado interno”.

De acordo com a Ford, a ampliação do quadro de funcionários reforça o plano da empresa de investimento no Brasil de cerca de R$ 600 milhões em Taubaté para fabricação da nova geração de motores e para ampliação da capacidade de produção da unidade, que poderá atingir mais de 500 mil unidades por ano.

A fábrica de Taubaté tem 1.550 empregados e é responsável pela fabricação anual de cerca de 280 mil motores e 440 mil transmissões, em três turnos de trabalho, além da fundição de cabeçote para o motor.

Fonte: Folha de S. Paulo | www.folha.com.br

Sell It Or Keep It...You Just Might Have a 1965 Mustang For Sale!

In the mid 1960’s Ford launched it’s first generation of the Ford Mustang and put the 65 Mustang for sale.

The 65 Mustang was unique as it had been designed to try and appeal to women, but attract men too. What they made was a sporty looking automobile built from an EU design.

Ford put the 65 Mustang for sale at the low price of $2,368. This permitted the auto to be really fascinating whilst affordable too and this is perhaps why it became such a well-liked auto.

The car was only originally forecast to sell 100,000 units but within it’s first year it became so popular a million were built.

Luckily for modern car enthusiasts looking for a 65 Mustang for sale, they are still relatively easy to find. If it was not for the sheer number of cars manufactured, they might be really difficult to find today as Ford stopped making many new parts by 1968 when they modified the engine and transmission to something more modern.

Once Ford made your 65 Mustang for sale, it straight away gained a name as a ‘muscle car’ and became very well-liked in drag racing as well as on circuits. This helped to give the car it’s ‘bad boy’ image which makes it so desirable to retro car enthusiasts today.

A fascinating fact about the 65 Mustang is that it was named after the US fighter plane from WW2 the ‘P-51 Mustang’.

The Mustang has survived many modifications since 1965 and is still one of Fords most recognisable brands. Modern Mustangs for sale still have the same sporty yet stock image of the original and ten times the muscle too.

The first Mustangs from the mid 1960’s were notorious for their high pollution fuel inefficiency. Anti-pollution laws caused Ford to redesign the engine and fuel system in the early 1970’s which reduced the dimensions of the car as well as it’s muscle power. This is why early models like the 65 Mustang for sale are so desirable, they still have a rebel, outlawed image which is certified by the roar the engine makes as it accelerates.

The Mustang has always usually been popular in bright states like California and Florida, it’s retractable roof allows drivers to feel the wind thru their hair as they cruise along, an image that has been seen in hundreds of films and TV shows. Not many people know that your 65 Mustang for sale was initially designed to be just a two seater, however after several design changes it was decided 4 seats would be more effective.

In some ways, it is hilarious that your 65 Mustang for sale is so desirable, after all it has infamous transmission Problems and it is so old now that just about every one of them have some defect or damage by now. However time and time again the vehicle sells so well. It’s something to do with the sense of driving it, the love a person can develop for its clunky gear shift and the peculiar noises it can make. The Ford Mustang is a permanent part of American culture that so many folks want to reconnect too.
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Bullitt vs. 993: Which Would You Choose?

I’ve had a lot of people asking me about the Showroom Showdown, which stalled out over the summer. Why the lapse? Well, it seems like we ran through just about every new car combo out there, and it was getting harder and harder to pick compelling match-ups each week. A bunch of members have also suggested that I start doing used car showdowns, since most of us car enthusiasts go used anyway. So today I’m kicking off our eBay Motors Showdown. Each week I will feature two cars plucked off eBay Motors. They’ll both be priced about the same, and they’ll both be enthusiast cars. Other than that, pretty much anything goes, as long as I think we’ll have a good battle.

This week I’m starting out with two cars I love. In fact, I waste a lot of time looking at Bullitts and 993s on eBay. 993s tend to command a bit more money than Bullitts, so for this showdown I picked out a HPDE ready 993, which in some ways is a lot cooler than a stock car, but will probably command less money. The Bullitt in question looks to be a low mile, clean car. Both cars are fast, fun and should hold their value pretty well. So, which would you choose?

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You need to burn your Ford for action

Ford has announced another recall on their infamous speed control switches.  Reported at MSN Autos, the following was stated:

“All new recalls are from model years 1992 to 2003, and, it should be noted, no fires have been reported. The measure is a preventive one to stem “possible ongoing customer lack of confidence in vehicles with the switch,” a Ford representative said.) The Texas Instrument-made switches may leak, overheat, smoke and burn. “

You’ll note that no fires have been reported and a “possible ongoing customer lack of confidence” has led to this latest recall.  So much for those of us who suffered thousands of dollars of repairs to our vehicles due to a leaky front window and the fact that the failing electronics could cause an accident.  Guess if a few Fords burn up you get action. 

All I know is that I’m telling everyone I know about my problems and I intend to buy Toyota for my next truck.  At least they are honest and do the recalls on all their problems and don’t pick and choose like Ford.  After learning about Ford’s work during WW II and how they supported the Nazis, why on earth would I support a company like that.  I kind of wonder why the CAW and UAW support a company with that history.  Lot of union boys got killed fighting against Ford vehicles.

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Fiesta americano é flagrado em fábrica

Não é segredo algum que a Ford fará mudanças visuais no Fiesta para vendê-lo nos EUA. O modelo adotará algumas soluções dos veículos comercializados pela gigante do oval azul na terra do Tio Sam, assim como outros retoques exigidos por lei. Quem flagrou uma unidade com estas modificações foi o blog AutoCosmos, que teve acesso ao veículo na fábrica de Cuautitlán, México, de onde o Fiesta pode ser exportado para o Brasilo.

A imagem revela retoques importantes na frente do Fiesta, embora ele não tenha perdido o estilo esportivo criado na Europa. A grade não deve contar com as especuladas barras cromadas, mas crescerá um pouco, para ganhar adornos que se assemelham à identidade visual da marca na terra do Tio Sam. Já o para-choque adotará novos faróis auxiliares, enquanto os faróis ganham lentes laranjadas nos indicadores de direção.

A carroceria sedã também foi flagrada pelo site Automóvil. Confira as duas abaixo.

GALERIA

And we thought we were cynics. Honestly, we're like babes in the wood compared to this lot.
At a round table on social media marketing in Paris today, Bundeep Rangar, chairman and CEO of IndusView, explained just how great it is to be able to ignore local laws.
“Social media allows you to circumvent grey areas of the law,” he explained. “Cutting edge in our industry is the vice industry. In a lot of countries, you can't advertise gambling sites, so what do you do? You create a social media site where you can click through to ads. It's not as advertising, it's as a link in the text, and that's perfectly legal.”
Michael Terpin, chairman and CEO of SocialRadius, cited viral ads such as the 'baby-father' one which turned out to have been created by the Danish Tourist Board, and the Lonely Girl blog.
“She was a paid actress, and when it came out – what a scandal! But they got so much advertising out of it,” he said. “Stunts work. You just have to be careful that any backlash you get supports your work.”
He's also a big fan of video bloggers. “If you can get them interested, they will get it into the search engines really quickly,” he said. “We did the 'I'm a Celebrity' campaign in the US. We got 20 bloggers with big followings to compete with each other to go to Costa Rica – and got two million visitors to the site.”
Less entertaining, but giving food for thought, were some of the figures. Apparently, social media marketing is already a $1 billion industry, and is growing at a massive 50 per cent per year – the only sector apart from search engine advertising that isn't either stagnant or in decline.

Fiesta americano será apresentado em dezembro

A Ford já tem data para apresentar o Fiesta ao público norte-americano. O modelo será conhecido durante o Salão de Los Angeles, a ser realizado a partir de 2 de dezembro nos EUA. O hatch deve apresentar leves mudanças visuais e algumas mecânicas, além de acabamento e equipamentos.

Entre as principais mudanças visuais do modelo americano está a grade, que deve adotar as três barras cromadas da Ford América. O modelo também terá de adotar novas soluções nos para-choques, para atender à legislação de segurança e às normas de iluminação – como as luzes de posição laranjadas, colocadas no para-choque.

O modelo americano será produzido na fábrica de Cuautitlán, no México. De lá também deve sair a derivação sedã do compacto, já apresentada na China. Ambos chegarão, desta mesma unidade, ao mercado brasileiro.

News from the future (ie: Japan)

Whenever I open an American newspaper I am constantly given a vision of a world that is falling apart. The economy is in ruins, the idea for a national health care system is collapsing under the weight of corporate greed and spineless political leaders, hackers are stealing passwords from an outdated email service, and it’s just general bleakness nationwide. Yet, all hope is not lost…in Japan. The Japanese have gone from strength to strength ever since getting nuclear bombed and are ushering in a brave new world with their technological wonders.

According to a BBC report they have invented a robot that mimics a fish’s anti-collision behavior and will be adapting it into future car models.

The new three-wheeled robot, which will be shown off at Japanese design fair Ceatec on 6 October, is designed to travel in a group of up to seven vehicles.

Each uses a laser range-finder to measure the distance between obstacle.

The data is constantly shared between peers via radio, allowing the group to travel as a “shoal” without bumping into each other.

The technique allows the cars to travel side-by-side or quickly switch direction as a group.

I can’t imagine living in a world where that is casually referenced in the morning newspaper. That kind of shit would revolutionize America. Finally the car companies would be producing something that any non-sociopath would want: a car that avoids death. Throw in some kind of electric motor, which they probably already have, and you have a car that has only existed in movies. No more car deaths, people. That is how the Japanese are selling cars to their people. Meanwhile, in America…

It seems like Japan’s national declaration is to make the world into an Issac Asimov novel. America can’t even be bothered about creating cars that don’t destroy the environment let alone cars that drive like fish. We Americans really need to get our act together. What have we done recently that was of any value? Elect a black president. Whoop-de-doo. He doesn’t do anything different than all of the previous white ones so we might as well throw those good vibes onto the scrap heap. Japan probably would have already elected a black president if they had black people in their country. They have a robot that plays a violin, for christs sake!

How the rebirth of the Pontiac G8 should have been

The Autoline Daily today featured an article about a renamed and badged Pontiac G8, which is going to become the new Chevy Caprice. The catch is that it will only be used for fleet use, aka, police work.

 

There are two issues I have with this decision.

 

First, people have complained that the new Caprice, formerly the G8, will not be roomy enough for police work. They also say that there is not enough power under the hood for police work, as most Chevy sedans have no larger than a six-cylinder. The main police workhorse, the Ford Crown Victoria, has a V8.

 

Here’s my take. Chevy already has Impalas in police work. If they plan on continuing that, and especially if they decided to resurrect the G8 into a Chevy by making it fleet only, than this is what they should have done. They should make an Impala ESS, the ESS for Extended Super Sport. They could make a stretched/extended Impala, large enough for police work, such as the BMW 7 series with the 750i and 750 Li, the L designating the longer wheel base. Then the SS part would be either the Camaro tuned or the Corvette tuned V8, providing plenty of power to make the thing move. If they would make that type of vehicle for fleet use only, that would be ideal for the police, and good for Chevy/GM because it’s allowing them to compete more wholesomely with the Ford Crown Victoria.

 

Second, the look of the Caprice is not very stimulating. If it is supposed to be a relative of the G8, I can see the resemblance, but it sure didn’t inherit the good looks.

 

So here’s my take. While police cars are not the most glorious looking of vehicles, this does have some appeal to it. However, if they would have used the logic I described above, then they could have had a different purpose for brining the G8 back to life.

 

They should have brought the G8 back as the Monte Carlo. Now, you might be thinking, wasn’t the Monte Carlo only a two door car, and isn’t the G8 only a 4 door? Why, yes, it is, and that’s the point. When Dodge resurrected the Charger, they brought it back as a sedan. The Hyundai Genesis is a sedan, and recently they turned it into a coupe (although it really has no relevance to the sedan, besides the name.) Even more recently, Cadillac, also part of GM, unveiled the CTS Coupe. Up until that point, Cadillac had only made the CTS as a sedan. Now, this is what I am thinking. Chevy should take a little more time to restyle the front end of the car, and keep it as a sedan. Yes a Monte Carlo sedan. It sounds stupid, but it does have appeal. Then they should make a coupe version. Make it a larger coupe, able to compete with the BMW 6 series or the Cadillac CTS Coupe, or the new Mercedes Benz E class coupe. Then at least the car would live up to the once proud Monte Carlo name, and it won’t share a history with the less fortunate Caprice line.

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Jim Farley Luncheon at Detroit Athletic Club

Had the pleasure to attend a luncheon with Jim Farley (Ford’s Group VP of Marketing). (Is it just me or is it hard for not to think of his cousin Chris when you see him?). What a down-to-earth guy who has fantastic insight into the customer. And you got to love his passion for the product.

Jim admitted that Ford had to make some big bets to turnaround the business, but based on the upward swing in market share – for the first time in 15 years – and their increased pricing power, it looks like the wagers might be paying off.

 Here are some of his more notable insights;

• The future global players will be Toyota, VW and Ford.


• Ford’s success is hinged on vehicles that will sell globally. While this has been tried in the past, Jim believes that shift towards smaller vehicles in the US, brings the consumer needs more in line with Europe and China.


• The youth buyer today is very different than previous generations. They prefer turbo charging over displacement, they are open to diesel unlike their parents, and aspire to Mini’s and BMW 3 series instead of Mustangs. The challenge is to build to this new demand.


• Sync and Eco Boost are great examples of Ford’s goal to “democratize technology to the mainstream”.

 You really get the impression that Ford has the right guy in place to put the shine back on the Ford blue oval.

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The Ford Raptor

I am an automotive fan. I am not make or model biased, but I do have my favorites. Normally, Ford is not near the top. However, Ford has done well at keeping its image away from bankruptcy and maybe to celebrate that, they introduced the beast of the F-150 line up by breeding the Raptor.

While I have not really researched this truck, I have watched a video about it on the Autoline Detriot website in the John’s Journal section. I am very impressed with the look and proven function of that truck. However, there is only one thing, one factor that disappoints me. Some might say, psh, what does that matter, while others would say that it can make or break an automobile. That factor is the sound. The sound of the exhaust note when the engine is at full boar, which is backing up the image of the vehicle. The sound of aggressive, beastly, mercilessness is what the F-150 Raptor lacks. That aggressive looking truck, that prey’s on even the most agile of H1 Hummers, has the sound of a house cat. It just purrs. No roar, no rasp. While purring might be good for some cars, it just does not suite the Raptor. The sound of the Raptor does not match how it looks, and that is a shame, because that would really have swayed me into giving the Raptor an A. But for all the work that was put into genetically mutating a regular F-150 into the carnivorous Raptor, they should have really put more thought and depth into the Raptors voice. Therefore, I give the Ford F-150 Raptor, a B.

Then again, it’s nothing $1,500 for a new exhaust can’t fix.

To guard you in all your ways

Wow. Have you ever just experienced Gods protection in such a way that you just know He was right with you?

Psalm 91:11

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.

Well I did this morning…. I was driving into work… wanted to get their super early since I have a big day today with a lot of work to finish. I decided to cut through University, go through the Safeway parking lot and go to Old Lee Highway, I knew if I took 123 that I would be stuck in stand still traffic. As I was driving through the safeway parking lot to the traffic light, I saw it was already green and thought “Sweet! Thank you Lord”, drove through, and the morning light was literally blinding my eyes and before I know it CRASH bump bump….I drove over the wooden street sign in the middle of the intersection, saw it right when I hit it and saw it break and go under my car. I was shocked….I sat for a moment…turned off my car…then though I need to pull over somewhere safe and see if my car is okay and isn’t damaged and dangerous. So I pulled around the corner. Texted Scott and some co-workers “Just in major accident” hey it was major to me and I thought my car was a goner…and I destroyed a sign…I was shocked and scared. Scott called me and he asked me to look at my car, I was like “Umm Scott….their is like no damage! none!” So we agreed to meet in the safeway parking lot, he came and sure enough I only have a tiny scratch barely noticeable on my car. The head lights were fine, my tires fine, we looked under the car and everything looked great and nothing was leaking…I said wow my tiny Ford Focus is a beast! Who knew. Scott believes I was protected by angels. I believe so to. Called the cops, it was the right thing to do, plus I essentially destroyed their sign. The cops took 30 mins to come over, they apologized (the Sargent came as well) because whomever took my call placed me on a hold and they were supposed to respond with in mins (they were less than a mile from me) and it took them 30 mins. I was like not a problem I am the one in trouble here and made a mistake. The cop couldn’t believe their was no damage to my car and I told him its the Lord protecting me. He wrote up the incident and then gave me my card and said “This one is on him”. So not only did the Lord completely protect me and my car in running over a big wooden sign. Which truly could have cost me thousands in repairs, but he also protected me from a ticket, paying a fine and from my insurance rates going up.

I praise the Lord that He has blessed me again with his unmerited grace that is totally undeserving. Just last night I was dreading today. Now I give thanks for today, because today I have seen the Lords hand of blessing over my life. So many things could have gone wrong, but he has completely protected me. I also praise him for allowing me to see cops in a different light, and allowing my fiance to come out to assist me when I had no idea what to do and I was scared. Im blessed beyond measure….

Psalm 91:14-16

“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;

         I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. 

    ”He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;

         I will be with him in trouble;

         I will rescue him and honor him. 

    ”With a long life I will satisfy him

         And let him see My salvation.”