Did you know… - Blue Oval Connect

Transcription

How do I explain… and Frequently Asked Questions
Drive quality.
Q: How do I explain our quality improvements and why they will be
sustained over time?
A: Ford’s quality improvements can be attributed to a comprehensive approach of designing in quality, building in quality
and launching with quality. There are several examples of how the company is vigorously implementing processes
to design and build quality into its vehicles. With the aid of virtual tools in product development and manufacturing,
up to 40,000 customer standards are checked to ensure Ford’s high quality standards. Before production begins,
a launch team of product development engineers, manufacturing engineers, suppliers and hourly line operators
meets several times in the Virtual Build Arena to assemble the vehicle digitally on a wall-size computer screen.
Design and manufacturing feasibility corrections are made as needed, avoiding the costly step of making fixes after
parts are produced and tooling is in place. As prototypes are built in the Pilot Plant, the launch team continues to
conduct problem solving on any concerns that may arise. The processes are also in place in our assembly plants.
One example: every warranty claim received by a dealer is sent to the plant where the vehicle is built and the issue
is “mapped back” to the work station where it might have originated. We believe these efforts to quickly resolve
problems will help sustain our quality improvements.
Q: What products should I specifically point to as our “quality heroes” and why?
A:Vehicles in Ford’s lineup that have fared very well in recent market research studies include the Ford Fusion/Mercury
Milan/Lincoln MKZ, the Ford Mustang, the Ford Edge/Lincoln MKX, and the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable/Taurus X.
Since their introduction in the 2006 MY, the midsize cars have consistently maintained a very low level of things gone
wrong (TGW) that continues to improve. Similarly, the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossover vehicles launched in
2007 with impressively low levels of TGWs, which are improved again this year. The Taurus/Sable/Taurus X also have
remarkably low problem rates for the 2008 MY. And since its redesign in 2005, customers of the Ford Mustang have
indicated their enjoyment by giving it high levels of customer satisfaction.
Did you know…
Ford received five Consumers Digest Best Buy Awards (Ford Fusion, Taurus, Mustang, F-150,
Escape Hybrid).
Ford Motor Company quality continues its dramatic improvement, reducing things gone
wrong (TGW) levels for the third straight year and further closing the gap with the best in class.*
*Based on cumulative survey data of 2007 model year Ford and competitive owners at three months of service in three surveys conducted
September 2006 and May 2007.
For more information please visit: fcn.ford.com, employees.ford.com, axz.ford.com, forddriveone.com.
Additional and specific product information will be available during the summer.
Drive green.
Q: How do I explain what actions we’re taking to improve fuel economy?
A: We are using a number of different technologies to deliver better fuel economy for our vehicles including
new engines
six-speed transmissions
electric power assisted steering
refined aerodynamics
new low-rolling resistance tires
In the near term we will introduce EcoBoost™ in the lineup. EcoBoost uses gasoline turbocharged direct-injection
technology for up to 20 percent better fuel economy, 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions and superior driving
performance versus larger displacement engines.
By the end of the year we will begin production on two new hybrid models, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids.
Q: How do I explain how we will meet government regulations for fuel
economy and emissions?
A: Ford supported tough, new nationwide standards that will result in a minimum 40 percent increase in fuel economy
standards and a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through 2020. There is no single, silver bullet
solution to achieve those standards. Rather, we will continue to increase the use of fuel-saving technologies such
as EcoBoost, six-speed transmissions and other refinements in the near term. We are also moving to change
our product mix to reflect the current environment. In the longer term we will concentrate on significant weight
reduction as well as more advanced technologies such as plug-in hybrids and fuel cells.
Q: What products should I specifically point to as our “green heroes” and why?
A:“Green” can mean different things to people who have different vehicle needs. Customers want the ability to
choose vehicles based on functionality, style and affordability as well as fuel efficiency. Ford offers vehicles with
competitive fuel economy in all segments. Two of our best were recently named in Green Car Journal’s Top Ten
Fuel Economy Faves: the Ford Focus (24 city/35 highway mpg), Ford Flex (17 city /24 highway (tied with GM’s
CUV and ahead of the Honda Pilot)) and Ford Escape Hybrid (34 city/31 highway mpg). The 2009 Ford Escape
also has best-in-class highway fuel economy of 28 mpg with its all-new I-4 6-speed powertrain.
Q: How do I explain EcoBoost?
A:EcoBoost is our upcoming family of 4- and 6-cylinder engines featuring turbocharging and direct gasoline injection
technology. EcoBoost builds upon today’s affordable gasoline engine and improves it, providing more customers
with a way to improve fuel economy and emissions with the added bonus of offering a great driving performance.
Think of the strategy as “downsizing and boosting” which means we’re able to decrease the size of the available
engine, such as installing a V-6 versus a V-8, yet boosting the power using turbocharging to deliver similar power
and torque of that larger engine
EcoBoost engines will deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy and 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions.
With its direct-injection technology, fuel is injected into each cylinder of an engine in small, precise amounts,
delivering higher fuel economy and performance. The combination of turbocharging and direct injection allows
smaller engines to act like larger ones while still delivering the fuel economy of the smaller powertrain.
Q: When is EcoBoost coming and in what vehicles?
A:Within five years, Ford will be making this new technology available on up to a half million Ford, Lincoln and
Mercury vehicles annually, beginning with the new Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS in 2009.
Q: What other technologies should I know about for fuel economy?
A: Technologies that are assisting in improving vehicle fuel economy include:
Hybrids: The Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid are Consumers Digest 2008 Automotive Best
Buy recommendations. Sales were up approximately 10 percent last year. In addition, the American Council
for an Energy-Efficient Economy recently placed the Escape Hybrid on its Greener Choices list in its ACEEE’s
Green Book Online for 2008.
The Escape and Mariner Hybrids with automatic transmissions get 34 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, making
them among the most environmentally friendly vehicles on the market today. Next up: The Ford Fusion and
Mercury Milan Hybrid sedans, coming in early 2009.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles: Ford began working on hydrogen technology in the early 1990s. The company
currently has a fleet of 30 hydrogen-powered Focus fuel cell vehicles on the road as part of a worldwide,
seven-city program to conduct real-world testing of fuel cell technology. The fleet has accumulated more than
700,000 miles since its inception, generating information that can be integrated into future fuel cell vehicle
propulsion systems.
Ford Escape PHEV: Imagine getting 120 miles per gallon. Those are the numbers that the Ford Escape
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) achieves in its first 30 miles of surface-street driving following a full
charge, giving great hope to those who see electric vehicles as the car of tomorrow. Ford has delivered
the first of 20 PHEV research vehicles to Southern California Edison as part of a relationship to advance
the commercialization of plug-in hybrids. The Escape PHEV’s high-voltage lithium ion battery is recharged
overnight using a standard household electric outlet. It features engine-off operation during low-speed driving
and regenerative braking to maximize efficiency.
Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS): Fuel-saving electric power assisted steering (EPAS) and other
engine actions help deliver a fuel savings benefit of about 5 percent. Between 80 to 90 percent of Ford,
Lincoln and Mercury vehicles will have EPAS by 2011.
Did you know…
Ford was the first manufacturer to market a flex-fuel vehicle in Europe, capable of running
on E85 (a blend of up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), gasoline only, or any
mix in between.
From 2000 to 2006, Ford Motor Company has cut manufacturing CO2 emissions 31 percent.
Ford earned the EPA Energy Star 2007 Partner of the Year Award.
Drive safe.
Q: How do I explain why it’s so important that we have more five-star
government crash test ratings than any other brand or company in U.S. history?
A:Research shows that safety continues to be a leading driver of purchase consideration, and Ford is already a
safety leader. Anchoring Ford’s new “Drive Safe” campaign is proof of this, including the fact that Ford has the
most five-star National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)-rated vehicles on the road. As a family
brand, Ford is focused on standardizing safety features such as stability control and advanced air bag systems for
millions of customers – not just for the few.
Ford has a long history of safety advancements, including introduction of the industry’s first three-point safety
belts, leading the shift to multiple-deployment air bags and the most unique stability control system in the world,
just to name a few.
Q: What products should I point to as “safety heroes” and why?
A:While all Ford vehicles offer great safety, the Ford Taurus is among our heroes. Taurus is the safest-rated in
sedan in America and earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) top five-star rating
for all crash tests. In addition, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also gives Taurus top marks –
“Good” ratings – for frontal, side and rear impacts.
Taurus safety begins with Ford’s Side Protection and Cabin Enhancement architecture (SPACE) that is designed
to help protect occupants using a complex configuration of strategically placed long steel rails and square tubes
under the car body, along the vertical door posts (“B pillars”), in between the front and rear seats, and the front
vertical or diagonal posts (“A pillars”) that lead to the roof lines. The rails are designed to bend and the tubes
compress in a severe crash; this creates 10 different crush zones in different parts of the car to help channel
crash forces away from the occupants inside.
Q: What other safety technologies from Ford could I let people know about?
A: We have a long list of safety technology including:
Rear back-up camera: The available camera is activated when the vehicle is shifted into reverse, giving the
driver a view of what’s behind the vehicle. The system works in conjunction with the vehicle’s reverse sensing
system and uses the navigation screen as a display.
AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control): This system can predict a vehicle’s path, using a sensor
to measure oversteer and yaw by monitoring the vehicle’s speed, throttle position and steering wheel angle.
When the system senses wheel slip or the loss of traction, it applies braking where needed to keep the
vehicle safely on its intended path.
Ford’s Personal Safety System: This suite of safety features is standard on most Ford vehicles and
includes dual-stage driver and front passenger air bags, side chest air bags for front seat occupants, safety
belt pretensioners, seat weight sensing system for the passenger seat and crash severity sensing. The system
processes information from several sophisticated sensors to adjust the performance of the safety features to
help enhance occupants’ protection in the event of frontal and side impact collisions.
Ford’s exclusive Safety Canopy® side curtain air bag: Designed for all three rows, this side curtain air bag
rollover protection system is a Ford-exclusive feature that helps protect front and rear outboard passengers in
both rollovers and side impact crashes. The side curtains feature Ford’s unique Roll Fold technology to help
them slip between the occupant and the side window unlike conventional curtains that deploy at a 45-degree
angle. The Safety Canopy is designed to stay inflated for several seconds, as rollover crashes often last much
longer than side impact crashes.
Ford’s Belt-Minder® safety belt reminder for driver and front passenger: This audio chime reminds
passengers to belt up before driving and has been credited by the government for increasing belt usage by
5 percent.
SYNC 911 Assist: When a phone is properly paired, turned on and connected to SYNC™ – which is designed
to happen every time the driver enters the vehicle with his or her cell phone – the system will be ready to
assist in placing a call to a local 911 emergency operator should an air bag-deploying accident occur. A SYNCassisted call should reach 911 operators faster than competitive systems, as there are no handoffs and no
need to speak to a call-center operator. Further, there is no additional monthly fee for this feature, as SYNC
utilizes a customer’s existing mobile phone.
Additional features: Ford vehicles also include child safety locks on the rear doors, the LATCH child safety
restraint system and Ford’s tire pressure monitoring system.
Did you know…
Ford has received more five-star crash test ratings than any other brand/company in U.S. history.*
Ford offers more vehicles/products equipped with available 4WD and AWD systems than
any other brand.
* Star ratings are part of U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safercar.gov program (www.safercar. gov). Government star ratings are part of the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov).
Drive smart.
Q: How do I explain why SYNC and our new navigation system (with SIRIUS Travel Link) set us apart from the competition?
A:SYNC is an advanced software platform that provides consumers the convenience and flexibility to bring digital
media players – Apple iPods and other MP3 players – and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones into their vehicles
and operate the devices via voice commands or with the steering wheel’s redundant radio controls.
We are also committed to staying ahead of the industry by offering new features for SYNC™ on a frequent basis.
Next up is SYNC 911 Assist. When a phone is properly Bluetooth-paired, turned on and connected, the system will
be ready to assist in placing a call directly to a local 911 emergency operator should an air bag deploying accident
occur. A SYNC assisted call should reach 911 operators faster than competitive systems as there are no handoffs
and no need to speak to a call-center operator. There is also no additional monthly fee for this feature, as SYNC
utilizes a customer’s existing mobile phone. This will be available on 2009 and 2010 model year vehicles launching
later this year, and the feature will be available to current SYNC customers through a software download during a
visit to their local dealer (nominal labor fee will apply).
Ford’s available next-generation navigation with SIRIUS® Travel Link™ takes in-car connectivity even further. With
Travel Link, there is access to up-to-the-minute information and entertainment content integrated with the vehicle’s
navigation system. This includes:
current gas prices from an estimated 120,000 filling stations
local, real-time traffic information for 78 markets
coast-to-coast weather conditions with five-day forecasts
sports scores
movie listings with show times
Q: What other technologies set us apart from the competition?
A: Our signature technologies also include:
Easy Fuel™: This exclusive feature eliminates the likelihood of forgetting to put the gas cap back on after
fueling. It also saves time by doing away with unscrewing and replacing a fuel-filler cap and provides a better
seal, cutting down the emissions of smog-forming vapors. Easy Fuel will be standard equipment across the
entire Ford, Lincoln and Mercury product line by 2010.
SecuriCode™: The next generation keyless entry pad is invisible until touched and eliminates the need for
door-mounted buttons, giving customers the ability to unlock doors, disarm the alarm system and disable the
auto-lock function by entering a five-digit code. First appearing on the 2009 Lincoln MKS and 2009 Ford Flex,
SecuriCode will be available across the entire company portfolio by 2010.
Adjustable Ambient Lighting: Owners can choose interior lighting to fit their mood. With this feature
customers use a dashboard switch to change the lighting on two LEDs mounted on the front console, two on
the footwells and two around the cupholders. The changeable accent lighting also offers a practical solution for
people whose eyes have a hard time adjusting to certain colors.
Ford offers other unique technologies in individual products, including:
Ford Flex Mini Fridge: Industry-first refrigerator, mounted between the second-row captain’s chairs. Unlike
competitors’ systems that merely keep cold beverages cool, the Flex’s available compressor-driven refrigerator
can cool up to seven 12-ounce cans, four half-liter bottles or two 20-ounce bottles from room temperature to
41 degrees in just over two and one-half hours. That’s 40 percent faster than a standard home refrigerator.
Ford Work Solutions: (Available as an option with the new 2009 F-Series and E-Series vans.) This is a new
suite of productivity resources that will be particularly valuable for contractors and those who work in skilled
trades. The applications include an in-dash computer with internet access, technology to tag tools with RFID
(radio frequency identification chips), a system to track truck locations and vehicle diagnostics, and a unique
cable lock to secure items in the truck bed.
Did you know…
Ford SYNC™ was the winner of Popular Mechanics Breakthrough 2007 Award.
Ford SYNC™ was the winner of 2007 Popular Science Best of What’s New Award.
Ford Motor Company is the first manufacturer to feature a capless fuel-filler system on any vehicle sold in the United States.
Q: What product information have we announced that I can share with people?
A:We are in the middle of one of our biggest North American product onslaughts in history, with six major new
products, plus two new hybrids being launched in 2008 and a brand new Mustang following right behind in 2009.
Ford is delivering more products people want as the company delivers a 70 percent new or significantly freshened
showroom by the end of the year and work toward a 100 percent new or significantly freshened by 2010.
Following is information we have shared publicly.
2008-calendar year introductions:
Lincoln MKS – began shipping in June (EcoBoost in 2009 calendar year; first production application)
Ford Flex – began shipping in June (EcoBoost in 2009 calendar year)
Ford F-150 – this fall (EcoBoost and diesel in 2010 calendar year)
New Ford Fusion and hybrid – production begins late this year, in dealer showrooms early next year
New Mercury Milan and hybrid – production begins late this year, in dealer showrooms early next year
New Lincoln MKZ – production begins late this year, in dealer showrooms early next year
Other product news:
2008 Shelby GT500KR – production began in spring 2008
2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner – production began in spring 2008
2009 Mustang GT Glass Roof – in showrooms this summer
Next-generation Mustang – arrives early in 2009
Ford Fiesta and European-based Ford Focus arriving in 2010

Did you know… - Blue Oval Connect

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