Report: Chinese Export Rule Changes Could Impact EV Battery Production

China has reportedly decided to place restrictions on exports of graphite, which could spell trouble for American EV manufacturers. Starting this month, the Chinese government requires permits for certain graphite products being exported. This includes synthetic and natural graphite meeting the necessary thresholds to be used on electric vehicle batteries. 

Read more
Ford Trademarks ‘Lightstream’ Name, Could Portend Performance Truck

Eagle-eyed fans of the Blue Oval brand have spied a new trademark filing, one which could hold promise for a future performance – street or off-road – variant of the Lightning pickup truck.

Read more
Used Car of the Day: 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt

I have a soft spot for Bullitt Mustangs, and this 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt that comes to us by way of New Mexico has piqued my interest.

Read more
Ford Ranger Raptor Set for Q1 2024

Most of us figured out long ago that, if we complain enough, it’s possible to get what we want. Off-road gearheads on this side of the pond (including this author) whined expressed an interest in the last-gen Ranger Raptor but that truck stayed on the other side of the pond. Now, we have a date for the ’24 model in America: The first quarter of 2024.

Read more
2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Review – Beauty Isn't Just Skin Deep

The 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Limited is purely all about nostalgia. Thankfully, the platform upon which it’s built is good enough to indulge the trip down memory lane.

In other words, if you’re buying this trim of the Bronco Sport, you’re almost certainly doing so because you like the way it looks and/or you like its nod to the past.

Read more
Ford Scales Back Michigan Battery Plant Investments

Ford has said it will restart construction on the electric vehicle battery facility it’s building in Marshall, Michigan, after pausing work when the UAW strike kicked off a couple months ago. But the company has also announced that it would be “re-timing and resizing some investments.”

Read more
Ford Revises Dealer EV Requirements

In what could be a tacit admission the transition to electric vehicles is going approximately as smoothly as a Michigan secondary road, it is being reported that suits at the Blue Oval are rolling back some of the requirements demanded of dealers in order to shill EVs to customers.

Read more
2023 Ford Maverick Tremor Review – Keeping Character Intact

Sometimes, a trim level just feels unnecessary. That’s the case with the 2023 Ford Maverick Tremor.

Read more
Ford Issues Official Statement On UAW Contract Ratification

While the United Auto Workers’ contract seems to be a done deal for all three Detroit-based automakers, Ford is the only brand that’s issued any formal statements on ratification thus far. But there’s not much to pick apart in the release. The company avoided opportunities to promote itself as the brand that seemed most willing to accommodate the UAW and only brushed against assertions that paying workers more would add to its operational costs.

Read more
UAW Contract Voting Has Been Mixed Thus Far

Unionized Ford workers in Louisville, Kentucky, and General Motors employees from Spring Hill, Tennessee, have voted no on the contract agreement reached by the United Auto Workers. While this only represents a fraction of the UAW votes needed to ratify the updated contract, it’s a sign that the deal hasn’t yet gone through and may not if the trend continues. 

Read more
Ford Teases Mustang Update, Possible California Special Trim

Showing up today on the Instagram account belonging to Jim Farley, a shadowy teaser image portends some sort of new trim for the Mustang. A few simple adjustments to the photo’s brightness characteristics reveal there could be a GT/CS trim in the pipeline for next year.

Read more
Ford Rolls Out Off-Road Packages at SEMA

Catering to the overlanding crowd (or at least people who wish to look like they’re into the scene – we’ll call them broverlanders), Ford introduced a brace of ORV packages at the SEMA Show. Featuring bumpers, lights, and lifts, one is for the Ranger while another is for the Bronco.

Read more
Who Actually ‘Won’ the UAW Strike? Are Union Pay Bumps Sustainable?

Despite rampant talk about how the United Auto Workers’ stand-up strike and its resulting deals would bankrupt the automotive sector, the union strategy appears to have ended up costing the industry less than the labor strike GM endured all by its lonesome in 2019.

Read more
UAW Reaches Tentative Deal With All Detroit Automakers, Striking Ends

The United Auto Workers have reached a tentative agreement with all three Detroit automakers. Ford was the first to strike a deal, followed by Stellantis. But General Motors wasn’t far behind and managed to settle things with the union early Monday morning. Based on comments from select UAW members in the know, the final issue reportedly revolved around EV battery plants.

Read more
Ford Reaches Tentative Deal With UAW, Workers Return

Striking Ford employees are heading back to the assembly line today after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union reached a tentative labor deal with the company late on Wednesday. While the agreement has yet to be ratified by union members and all details have yet to be made public, we know it includes a 25 percent wage hike over the life of the four-year contract, improved benefits, and the elimination of some of the tiered wages the union had been fighting against.

Read more