Ford has announced that they will be recalling certain models of the 2008 Lincoln MKX and Lincoln Mkk all wheel drive vehicles. The fuel tank weld fixture may have been exposed to a containment during production which could cause a dimple in the bottom of the fuel tank at a spot weld.

The dimple could result in a fuel leak or a fuel drip from the tank. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the fuel tank free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during July 2008. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-437-7332.

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Reigning world rally champion BP-Ford will launch the defence of its 2006 title on the legendary Rallye Monte Carlo (18 - 21 January) in France next week with a proven winning squad. The team which lifted the FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title will begin 2007 with the same core structure firmly in place.

The driver line-up of Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, who spurred the team to its most successful season ever with eight victories en route to the title, remains unchanged. The Focus RS WRC will also begin the new campaign in the same specification that it ended the 2006 season. However, development of the car continues and upgrades are expected as the season unfolds.

Jost Capito, director of Ford TeamRS, who has overall responsibility for Ford’s WRC programme, believes the team can capitalise on last year’s title triumph. “Over the years I believe the team has developed into one of the best squads in motorsport,” he said. “The title meant a great deal to so many people and Ford was extremely proud of the team’s success. But it also meant we achieved our target of being in a position to start 2007 capable of being fully competitive on all 16 rounds and ready to launch a concerted bid for both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles this year.”

BP-Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson is also confident for the season ahead. “Last season we proved that the Focus RS has both the speed and reliability to win rallies anywhere,” he said. “In Marcus we have someone with the pace and experience to challenge for his third drivers’ world title. As the season progressed Mikko improved to become one of the world’s leading drivers and we expect him to mature further in 2007. The combination of driver and car line-up is hugely exciting and I’m really looking forward to the year.”

Grönholm starts his second campaign with BP-Ford after finishing runner-up in the drivers’ series in 2006 and the 38-year-old Finn is in a positive frame of mind. “Testing has gone well over the winter and I’m looking forward to the start of the season,” he said. “I hope we can repeat our success of 2006 by winning the manufacturers’ title again but I also want to win the drivers’ crown – that’s an important target for me this year.”

Hirvonen has his sights set on continuing his impressive performances during the second half of 2006 that carried him to third in the drivers’ standings. “I hope I can push harder this season and challenge people like Marcus, Petter Solberg and Sebastien Loeb on more rallies. It won’t be easy to be up there but if I can be close enough to fight with them I’ll be happy. It would be so good for us to win the manufacturers’ title again. There is so much motivation from everyone within the team to defend it,” said the 26 year-old Finn.

The Focus RS WRC will display a new colour scheme for 2007 and a new team logo has been designed to take the team into the future.

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by Damon Lavrinc

During an interview with Automotive News, Mark Fields, Ford’s U.S. division president, said that the automaker would not be offering diesels in any of its passenger cars in the near future. For the time being at least, Ford’s only diesel-equipped vehicles will be in their flagship F-series line of pickups.

The reasons behind not bringing an oil burner to America are varied, but the primary hurdle is the cost of engineering an engine that would meet the U.S.’s stringent emissions standards. This is the same argument currently employed by Toyota, when asked about its own pursuit of diesel technology.

Instead, Ford will focus on high-tech gasoline mills, utilizing turbocharging, direct injection and hybrid powertrains, which will increase fuel economy and in some cases, performance.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

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by Scott Davis

In the month of November, Ford outpaced all other automakers in incentive dollars per vehicle; unfortunately, truck loads of cash incentives did not boost sales. Ford led the way over all manufacturers with $4,231 per vehicle in incentives, followed by Chrysler at $3,735 and GM at $3,011. Interestingly, Nissan was next at $2,236, with Honda and Toyota at $914 and $751 respectively. Now Ford is stepping up yet again with an additional $1000 bonus cash in addition to any existing rebates or interest rate deals on 19 of its Ford and Mercury vehicles, which now includes the popular Mustang coupe and Explorer SUV.
Ford states that inventory levels, at a 93-day supply, are “outstanding”. That number compares to 90-days at GM and 76-days at DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group. Working to get production more in line with demand, Ford has reduced its inventory from 752,900 units in November of 2005 to the current 627,800.

One glaring concern is in the profit-critical truck market, where Ford’s problems were most pronounced. Demand for Ford trucks was down 51 percent from a year ago, and incentive spending was up 51 percent In contrast, GM’s incentive spending on trucks is down 13 percent for the same period, and sales were up 16 percent, mostly due to the introduction of the new GMT900 platform trucks. While the F-150 will still reign supreme in sales this year, its current year-to-date total of 725,459 units through November is 10.7 percent off last year’s pace.

[Source: The Detroit News]

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by Frank Filipponio

Ford Motor Co. has admitted what we saw coming for some time. The New York Times just ran a story saying Ford has announced that they fully expect Toyota to take over as number two behind General Motors. At least in America. Perhaps not unexpected, but it still sounds weird to hear that Ford won’t be #2. To put this in perspective, Ford has been number two since the 1920s! And if that’s not enough, Ford says the projections show they think that third place might be their permanent new slot. Apparently The Way Forward means taking one step back, which if that’s what it takes to return to profitability, then so be it.

Back in September Ford speculated that its market share would hit a low of 14-15% allowing Toyota to surpass it. With the death of the Taurus and the decline in sales of light trucks, Ford has certainly been hurting. Conversely, it seems that Toyota can do no wrong with buyers, despite product that some consider boring and increased recalls with uncharacteristic lapses in quality. But things aren’t looking any better for Ford. The new Tundra should be out in February, which will only increase Toyota’s market share according to most analysts. Although we expect the Dodge Ram to be the truck that suffers most from the Tundra’s arrival, eventually relinquishing it’s No. 3 spot to the Japanese pickup over time.

[Source: Reuters via The New York Times]

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