#Ford

The number of U.S. vehicle owners who are more than 59 days behind in their auto loan payments was 26.7 percent higher at the end of 2022 than they were at the end of 2021. This is due to a myriad of factors. Car payments have gotten larger, loan terms have increased, inflation has devalued the currency, and subprime borrowers are finding themselves on the wrong end of a widening wealth gap. 

While automotive repossessions declined during the pandemic, mainly due to lenders offering amnesty periods, they’ve likewise spiked through the end of 2022. This trend is assumed to continue, setting up a lot of business for repo men. However, Ford Motor Co. has patented a system that would effectively make vehicles unresponsive to drivers that have missed a few payments. Meanwhile, automobiles boasting the latest advanced driving technologies could allegedly repossess themselves. 

Continuing the saga of hiccups with what is arguably Ford’s most important product in decades, Blue Oval suits are pulling the trigger on prolonging production downtime for one extra week in the wake of a battery fire earlier this year.

Alert readers may recall a series of hiccups that have befallen the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning so far this year, including a battery fire in a truck that was parked in a holding pen near company facilities. Ford is obviously working feverishly to fix any problems. One roadblock on the road to repair might involve words this author rarely gets to type: Industrial espionage.

And they’re not related to the fire which we reported last week. This quality issue, reported by CNBC and other outlets within the last 24 hours, is related to “performance degradation”. In fact, about 100 owners were apparently asked a week before the fire to have their vehicles serviced for a separate issue.

During the mid-Seventies, the design team at Lincoln had a tall order in regard to the upcoming 1980 Mark VI. The all-new coupe would need to continue the PLC styling tradition of the Mark III, IV, and V, the former of which dated back to 1968. But for the first time, Mark’s "large and in charge" styling would be applied to a much smaller car. For an added challenge, Lincoln’s brass decided the Mark’s ethos needed conversion onto a sedan. Let’s see how it went. 

Ford Motor Co. reportedly has plans to cut 3,800 administrative and product development positions in Europe over the next three years – representing a little more than 10 percent of its regional workforce. Germany and the United Kingdom are presumed to be the zones taking the biggest hits, with the automaker suggesting that it needs to streamline the workforce as part of its transition toward all-electric vehicles.

We're going classic today with this 1969 Ford Fairlane.

It’s our 30th installment in the Lincoln Mark series, and we’re at a low point. As mentioned last time a confluence of different factors forced downsizing across the American car landscape. Money-saving tactics from the accountants at Ford meant the new, “improved,” and much smaller Mark VI wore almost identical styling to its lesser Continental sibling (a first). Both cars even shared a platform, with Mark VI offered in required two- and unexpected four-door guises.

Set to saddle up atop the Mustang line when it appears in dealers this summer – well, until other variants inevitably appear, perhaps denoted by a name we won’t mention but starts with ‘S’ and ends in ‘helby’ – the Dark Horse will apparently also feature a raft of details not found on other trims.

And that paint? It’s actually Blue Ember – but we’re calling it Modern Mystichrome.

The Ford F-150 Lightning has been on sale for a while now, but it’s still nearly impossible to walk into a dealer and buy one without ordering and waiting a considerable amount of time. Despite rushing to meet demand, Ford’s still busy dreaming up new Lightning variants, including the performance concept it recently teased. 

It is a breath of fresh air to have someone like Jim Farley at the helm of an automaker. The man brings a bracing level of candor to a world generally filled with sanitized PR statements and corporate double-speak. In a candid call with investors, the CEO lamented about how Ford has been “number one in recalls” and the need “to improve product quality”.

Major automakers deal with recalls all the time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) monitors complaints on safety and other issues and works with automakers to start the recall process if a defect is found. Ford has had plenty of recalls to deal with in the last few years, including one related to the Mustang Mach-E’s glass roof detaching. The automaker may be looking at another glass-related recall if the results of a recent NHTSA investigation reveal a safety problem.

Automakers would love to have you believe that they all march to their own drummers, but the reality is that the market is tied together in ways both obvious and less so. Yesterday, Ford announced it would cut prices and bump production for the Mustang Mach-E, a likely response to Tesla’s massive recent price cuts. Most other automakers are yet to respond, but Volkswagen wasted no time announcing that it would not follow Tesla and Ford with price cuts on its EVs.

Trying this again, after gremlins ate the first post. We're all about that van life around these parts, and we're intrigued by this $50K 2019 Ford Transit Connect.

You knew this was going to happen, right? After the crew at Tesla significantly cut its prices, talking heads began wondering how long it would take for others to follow suit. Answer: Not long.