#Ford

You know things are off the rails when typing “2023 Ford Bronco” into a search bar on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s database returns results with the words DO NOT DRIVE THIS VEHICLE in angry bold letters outlined with a red box. Oh, dear.

While that missive from the NHTSA may be a bit over-alarmist given it is for an easily remedied – but admittedly dangerous – issue of loose lug nuts from the factory, it remains true that Ford has issued yet another recall for its popular Bronco off-roader.

Customers who had thrown down money to reserve a new Ford Mustang have been playing a waiting game in recent months, with the Blue Oval pushing production back in April and again earlier this month. Now, according to several reservation holders with accounts on the 7thMustang.com fan forum, production is ramping up and should be underway by at least the end of July.

Ford hasn’t been shy about its ambitions to overtake Tesla as the leading EV producer in the U.S., but the two companies aren’t as angry with each other as you might think. Their chief executives recently sat down for a chat on Twitter Spaces and made a surprise announcement that has generated strong opinions from all corners of the automotive world: Ford EV owners will gain access to around 12,000 North American Tesla Superchargers starting next year.

We bid a sad farewell to the Mustang-adjacent Mark VII in our last installment. The first Continental Mark to adopt modern styling and disconnect itself from the Mark III of 1968 was also the last of its kind to wear a Continental badge. And as Lincoln sought to clarify its product lineup by separating the Continental sedan and allowing the Mark to stand on its own, the company also attempted to bring in a new, sportier customer. And that customer became the target at which the Mark VIII was aimed.

Ford CEO Jim Farley took to social media on Tuesday to announce that the automaker is reversing a decision to remove AM radio from its vehicles. The alleged concern was that all-electric vehicles would interfere with the signal and that listening trends were moving away from the relevant bandwidth. However, opponents noted that localized emergency broadcasts frequently end up on AM radio and that the airwaves likewise tend to be home to political talk shows or religious broadcasts.

Today's UCOTD comes to us from Ohio. It's a 2014 Ford Focus ST and the seller is asking $12,000.

Ford is scaling back in China. Yet, at the same time, General Motors' Buick brand survived the brand purges in 2008-2009 in part because of its success in China.

So, what is the best way for non-Chinese makes to succeed in that market?

Ford will be scaling down future investments in China, as the company’s chief executive has suggested that there will be “no guarantee” Western automakers can compete with local electric-vehicle rivals. This should have been obvious to American manufacturers who have historically been required to engage in partnerships with Chinese corporations just to sell within the region. But it also speaks to hardships Ford has endured while trying to break into the market.

With Ford having debuted the global version of the midsize Ranger pickup in 2021, the only question was what kind of changes would be made for the American market.

Well, we aren’t getting the diesel powertrains available in other parts of the world. But that’s hardly a surprise. I suppose the big shocker is exactly how similar the U.S. Ranger happens to be to the versions you can already buy in countries where they have the steering wheel on the wrong side. However, that’s hardly an insult when you take into account what you’re getting.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are among the most asked-for tech features in new cars, but automakers can’t seem to come to terms with what that means for their own technology interfaces. Toyota was super slow to offer the tech, much to the irritation of buyers, and we recently learned that GM plans to phase the feature out in EVs going forward. The automaker’s cross-town rival, Ford, won’t be heading down the same path, as CEO Jim Farley said the battle has already been lost.

The Ford Ranger is sold worldwide, but Americans have been slower to get new variants and models. That’s about to change, as Ford recently confirmed that it would reveal the truck on Wednesday, May 10.

Here we are, the 40th installment in the Lincoln Mark series cars. After the debut of the exciting new Continental Mark VII in 1984 heralded the arrival of modern styling and a Luxury Sports Coupe (LSC) trim, Lincoln’s management made minor trim alterations in 1985 before Big Time Changes in 1986.

Ford Motor Company is tweaking plans in China and seeking to turn around financial losses after five years of lackluster sales within the region. The new strategy will be focused on exporting to other countries, commercial product, and reinforcing the necessary supply chain for all-electric vehicles.

Like a petulant child who won’t share their toys, Ford has released a handy smartphone app filled with crowd-sourced and professionally curated tools such as trail maps for off-road journeys – but the only ones who can use it are Bronco owners.

Talk about walling off your garden. Or off-road trail, in this case