Ford reveals: 4th quarter 2008 losses of $5.9b…

Ford has so far been able to avoid suckling on the teat of the federal
government like its cross-town rivals, but after today’s announcement
of a 2008 fourth-quarter loss of $5.9 billion, serious questions are
beginning to arise about how FoMoCo will fair in 2009.

Ford to sell Volvo… still…

From The Detroit News:

Ford Motor Co., the only U.S. automaker to forgo government loans, will begin seeking buyers for its Volvo luxury brand next month and expects to draw bids from Chinese carmakers, said a person familiar with the plan.

Image courtesy of Autoblog

Mulally: “We need no money”…

From CNNMoney:

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) — Ford Motor Co has enough liquidity to fund its restructuring plan and despite the deep downturn in auto sales still sees no need to ask for government loans, chief executive Alan Mulally said Saturday.

Daimler says no to Volvo

Volvo and Mercedes-Benz have been known for decades as automotive safety pioneers, sharing between them the bulk of new innovations in the field. These days, however, automakers are as concerned about their financial security as they are with occupant safety. With the latter in mind, reports indicate that Mercedes parent company Daimler has decided against buying Volvo from Ford.

Image courtesy of Autoblog

Ford (via Lincoln) unveils new ‘Active Park Assist’ program…

Admit it, you’ve embarrassed yourself at some point trying to parallel park. It’s like they say about drivers at Indianapolis: There are those who have hit the wall, and those who will. The same principle applies when it comes to parallel parking. Like an increasing number of automakers, Ford is moving beyond the realm of auto-dip side mirrors and into the realm of auto parking systems. The Blue Oval’s new Active Park Assist will initially be available on the Lincoln MKS and MKT (about which you’ll hear much more on January 12) next summer.

Ford sells 20% of Mazda shares…

Well, we said it earlier, but now this rumor has become a reality. This morning (U.S time) Ford Motor Company sold off 20% of its original 33.4% shares in the Mazda Motor Corp. Follow the jump for the rest of the story…

2011 Ford Focus leaked image…

Ok, so when I received the notification of a leaked image of the 2011 Focus, I had / have mixed emotions. As the following story suggests, this little fighter will have the build quality, efficiency, gadgetry & much more of many of it’s larger rivals & siblings. But the downside? Well, from the CGI, the front looks butt ugly! Hopefully the finished car will look better… But, I’ll let you be the judge…

Ford closing Fusion/Milan/MKZ plant in Jan 2009…

Source: Autoblog

Automotive News is reporting that big inventories of current-generation Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ models will lead to the closure of Ford’s Hermosillo plant in Mexico for the entire month of January. The Automotive News Data Center quotes inventory levels of the Ford Fusion at 120 days, while the MKZ is at a very high 229 days.

Ford at SEMA 2008…

Yes, that’s right folks! SEMA has arrived for yet another year! *cue school girls screaming like they’re at a Beatles concert*

So to celebrate, here a is a special feature for some of the Ford vehicles that are appearing at this years SEMA show. Here are pics of most Fords along with a snippet from the press release they come from…

Tech Analysis – 2010 Fusion / Mercury Milan Hybrid…

With great thanks to AutoblogGreen, here is an analysis of the 2010 Ford Fusion/ Mercury Milan’s hybrid system:

The long-awaited redesign of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan is almost upon us and we got our first look at the new powertrains this week in Dearborn. As expected, increased fuel efficiency has been the number one priority for Ford’s engineers, followed by power and refinement.