Seattle Fears Dangerous Drivers and Believes Technology Beneficial to Lessen Risk; Ford Smart Mobility Tour showcases technologies to help

•     Seattle residents fear dangerous drivers, but more than half who responded to a survey say they would find blind spot monitoring and rearview back-up camera technology useful to lessen the risk – according to an independent study commissioned by Ford, which brings its Ford Smart Mobility Tour to town
•     Ford Smart Mobility is the company’s plan to take it to the next advances in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data; a major area of focus is multimodal transportation, including development of an app that facilitates routing and that integrates seamlessly with vehicles and electric bikes
•     To improve the driving experience, Ford has introduced several driver-assist technologies such as its Blind Spot Information System and Pro Trailer Backup Assist, as well as semi-autonomous technologies including a lane-keeping aid and active park assist

SEATTLE, Sept. 17, 2015 – A majority of Seattle residents fear dangerous drivers – according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by independent research company Penn Schoen Berland, examined driving-related fears, as well as public receptiveness to driver-assist and semi-autonomous technologies designed to ease driver anxiety and commuting hassles.

Dangerous drivers are the top concern for Seattle residents, the survey found. Three out of five said they are afraid of dangerous drivers on the road when driving themselves, or when being driven by others. Moreover:

•     74 percent find monitoring blind spots concerning
•     73 percent are concerned about not being able to see all angles when backing up
•     71 percent are concerned about backing up into a busy street

Most in Seattle say technology that can alleviate these driving concerns is compelling. The survey found:

•     Nine in 10 would be more comfortable driving a car with blind spot detection technology; 73 percent would describe such technology as “useful”
•     Nine in 10 would be more comfortable driving a car with a rearview camera; 69 percent would describe such technology as “useful”

Ford Smart Mobility Tour

This week Ford brings its Ford Smart Mobility Tour to Seattle. The tour highlights the company’s driver-assist features that can help address driving-related fears, including Blind Spot Information System and semi-autonomous driving technologies – along with the Ford Smart Mobility plan.

Ford Smart Mobility is the company’s plan to take it to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data. Ford introduced the plan in January, along with 25 initial experiments aimed at better understanding consumers’ mobility needs around the globe.

“Our smart mobility vision at Ford is about changing the way the world moves,” said Ken Washington, Ford vice president, Research and Innovation. “We are transitioning from experimentation to the start of implementation, beginning with the Go Drive and Peer to Peer car sharing pilots. Our goal is to make people’s lives better by helping them more easily navigate to where they want to go, using one or more interconnected modes of transportation.”

Multimodal mobility solutions

In many cities, driving your vehicle directly from home to work is not feasible. Ford believes solutions for multimodal journeys can make travel to and within urban areas more convenient. The company is studying how electric bicycles and mobile application technology can work seamlessly with cars and public transport to deliver faster and easier daily commutes and help businesses operating in urban environments.

Ford’s electric bicycle experiments include:

•     MoDe:Me, introduced in March, is intended to keep the urban commuter moving in congested traffic
•     MoDe:Pro is built for urban commercial use, and is designed to stow in a commercial vehicle such as Ford Transit Connect
•     MoDe:Flex is easily reconfigurable for different customer needs. The bike’s center frame assembly includes the motor and battery, while the front and rear assemblies and wheels can be configured for road, mountain or city riding

Ford’s electric bicycle prototypes fold easily into Ford vehicles, and integrate seamlessly with the MoDe:Link app, which can be paired with a smartwatch.

This includes the “no sweat” mode, which increases electric pedal assist based on heart rate – ensuring a rider gets to his or her destination without breaking a sweat. The app also provides safety notifications. Hazards, such as potholes ahead, are signaled through vibrating handlebars.

Driver-assist and semi-autonomous technologies

To improve today’s driving experience, Ford has introduced driver-assist and semi-autonomous technologies such as active park assist to help drivers parallel and perpendicular park more easily, as well as a lane-keeping aid to help drivers stay in their lane. Driver-assist technologies include BLIS® – which alerts drivers to vehicles detected entering their blind spots.

To stay connected while in motion, SYNC® 3, Ford’s all-new communications and entertainment system, features faster performance and conversational voice recognition, along with an available intuitive smartphone-like touch screen.

Ford offers more vehicle nameplates in the United States with active park assist, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning with lane-keeping aid and blind spot monitoring than any other manufacturer – according to automotive research firm SBD. Ford also leads in four segments, offering vehicles with the most available driver-assist features among mainstream vehicles in the country:

•     Large light-duty pickup – F-150
•     Midsize SUV – Edge and Explorer
•     Midsize car – Fusion
•     Large car – Taurus

Ford will also demonstrate its new Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature that will be available on the 2016 F-150. The technology helps to ease the anxiety level of backing a trailer – which can be a challenging task for the novice and tricky even for those with trailering experience.

Seattle and STEM

Seattle is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, according to 2014 U.S. Census figures, due in part to a surge in employment opportunities. The city is a budding tech hot spot. With an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, the Ford Smart Mobility Tour visits Technology Access Foundation in Federal Way. Students at TAF Academy will have the opportunity to interact with Ford experts and see firsthand possibilities that could await them in the automotive industry in the future. Ford will present Technology Access Foundation with a $5,000 donation this week.

The Ford Smart Mobility Tour will also visit Denver and Los Angeles.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 195,000 employees and 66 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
About Penn Schoen Berland

Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), an independent research company, conducted the poll on behalf of Ford Motor Company among 1,500 general population respondents (age 18+) in the U.S. – with 300 in Louisville, 300 in Orlando, 300 in Los Angeles, 300 in Seattle and 300 in Denver. The online survey was conducted from Aug. 11-17, 2015. The margin of error for each city is +/- 5.66%.

ROUSH CleanTech Extends Fuel Range of Propane Autogas Ford E-450

ROUSH CleanTech has developed for the Ford E-450 chassis an extended-range propane autogas tank that holds 56% more fuel than a standard, 41-gallon tank.

With 64 usable gallons of propane autogas, the tank offers the longest fuel range for the Ford E-450 model, according to Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing for ROUSH CleanTech.

"We listened to our paratransit customers who wanted the Ford E-450 chassis yet also needed more autogas fuel capacity," he explains.

Built on Ford’s 6.8-liter V10 engine, the Ford E-450 with an extended-range fuel system comes with an extended, five-year, 100,000-mile warranty exclusively for the transit industry.

ROUSH CleanTech Ford E-450s are compliant with California Air Resources Board and Environmental Protection Agency standards and have completed the Federal Transit Administration’s new model bus testing program (Altoona Testing).

“With a strong backlog of more than 200 orders, we will begin shipping the Ford E-450 with the extended-range fuel tank option in October 2015,” adds Mouw.

A.R.E. Truck Caps Plant Tour on Inside Industry

ab Brown of Inside Industry gives us an informative and entertaining plant tour of A.R.E.'s industry leading Massillon, OH facility where they manufacture A.R.E. fiberglass truck caps and covers.

New Ford TV Ads Highlight Why F-150 Is Toughest, Smartest, Safest, Most Capable F-150 Ever

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 13, 2015 – Ford debuts three new national television advertisements, with the first spots airing today on Fox NFL Sunday to promote the all-new F-150 – the toughest, smartest, safest, most capable F-150 ever.

The ads, which will appear throughout the 2015 NFL regular season, feature the groundbreaking innovations and achievements that make F-150 the leader in the light-duty pickup segment. The ads include:

• “Wake-Up Call” is a leadership anthem spot highlighting Ford F-150 best-in-class claims, including the benefits of high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy that helps save up to 700 pounds of weight to improve towing, payload and gas mileage
  
• “Battle-Tested” focuses on the work the F-150 engineering team completed to deliver the safest F-150 ever. The 2015 F-150 is the only full-size, light-duty truck to earn the highest rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a five-star crash test rating for driver and passenger for all crash test modes and cab configurations* – SuperCrew, SuperCab and Regular Cab
  
• “Brainstorm” shows the ingenuity of Ford F-150 engineers and their latest, segment-exclusive development – Pro Trailer Backup Assist^™, which helps make backing up a trailer as easy as turning a knob
  

Rather than using computer-generated imagery, each spot was filmed using live-action and stop-motion animation – which provides an authentic element not always present in digitally animated spots.
To showcase the truck’s top safety rating, five 8-foot-tall metal stars were custom fabricated and towed by F-150 for the spot “Battle Tested.” The visual is accompanied by voiceover stating F-150 “pulled a five-star safety rating.”

“Ford truck customers rely on F-150 to get the job done – whether in their personal or work lives,” said Chantel Lenard, General Marketing Manager, Ford and Lincoln, U.S. “These new ads highlight breakthrough Ford F-150 innovations and achievements, including Pro Trailer Backup Assist and the NHTSA five-star safety rating, and demonstrate why every competitor truck is history.”

TV spots will also showcase Ford’s long-running truck leadership. F-150 is part of the Ford F-Series truck lineup, now in its 67th year. F-Series has been the best-selling truck in America for 38 consecutive years and best-selling vehicle in America for 33 consecutive years.

Ford and Fox Network Group are working together to promote F-150 across the network’s news, sports and Hispanic platforms, including Fox Deportes and MundoFox.

Ford F-150 delivers class-leading towing capability of up to 12,200 pounds and hauling capacity of up to 3,300 pounds. When equipped with the available 2.7-liter EcoBoost^® engine, the new F-150 4x2 returns EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined – the highest of any full-size gasoline-powered pickup on the market. Actual mileage will vary.

*Government five-star safety ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration New Car Assessment Program (www.SaferCar.gov). Tests include driver and passenger front, side and side barrier and pole tests.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 195,000 employees and 66 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

America's Businesses Turn to Ford Vans as Economy Grows; Ford Vans Are Top Sellers in 47 States

• More than half of commercial van customers in the United States in the first six months of 2015 bought a Ford van – Transit, Transit Connect or E-Series
• Ford is the fastest-growing brand in the commercial van market, driving 80 percent of the segment’s growth in the first half of 2015, according to Ford analysis of new vehicle registrations from IHS Automotive
  
• Top-selling commercial van in 47 states is a Ford van
  

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 9, 2015 – Growing businesses are increasingly turning to Ford commercial vans, making Ford the largest and fastest-growing manufacturer of commercial vans in the United States in the first half of 2015, according to Ford analysis of IHS new vehicle registrations through June.
Ford vans have been America’s best-selling commercial vans for 36 years, helping businesses transport equipment to job sites, shuttle passengers to their destinations and more. The new Transit, which went on sale just last summer, can be converted to serve as emergency response vehicles, food trucks and mobile dog grooming studios.

Businesses can choose from 58 vehicle configurations with the introduction of a dual sliding door option on the 2016 Transit van, meaning the vehicle with the most configurations in its class just got even more flexible.
“Transit customers appreciate the van’s flexibility because it can enable them to right-size their vehicle to the needs of their vocation.” says Yaro Hetman, Ford brand manager for Transit, Transit Connect and E-Series. “There are 12 ship-through upfitters located within 30 miles of Kansas City Assembly Plant, making it easy and fast for customers to design their Transit vans to serve their business requirements.”
Transit sales success has led Ford to capture 56 percent of the U.S. commercial van market as of June 2015 – up from 48 percent in June 2014, according to IHS new commercial vehicle registration data.
Commercial van sales are increasing as the U.S. economy is growing, and Ford vans drove 80 percent of growth in the segment in the first half of the year, according to Ford analysis of IHS data.

Ford commercial van sales increased 28 percent January through June, while the segment overall grew 11 percent.

Ford vans are top sellers in 47 states, according to Ford analysis of IHS data. Those 47 states represent 99.09% of the U.S. population.

Ford Transit became the best-selling full-size van in America just six months after it went on sale, replacing America’s best-selling van for 35 years, E-Series, first sold in 1961 as Ford Econoline. For the 2015 model year, Ford produced more than 100,000 Transit vans, wagons, cutaways and chassis cabs at Kansas City Assembly Plant.

Ford Transit Connect, America’s small commercial van pioneer, has been on sale since 2009 and has reigned as the country’s best-seller in the segment for the last five years. Transit Connect leads the small commercial van segment with 69 percent share and is on pace to have another record year, with commercial sales up 43 percent in the first half of 2015.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 195,000 employees and 66 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Ford F-150 Surprises Construction Workers with Massaging Seats

We surprised some of the hardest working guys in Michigan with the massaging seats now available on the Ford F-150. The new F-150 is more than the toughest, smartest and most capable F-150 ever. F-150 King Ranch, Platinum and Limited editions offer passenger convenience features rivaling high-end luxury vehicles, making F-150 versatile and exceptionally comfortable to drive. With a maximum tow rating of up to 12,200 pounds and the first-ever multi-contour massaging seats available for a full-size pickup, now you can work hard and reward yourself.

An Update on Our Green Fleet

We speak with members of TWC’s Fleet Team and the National Clean Fleets Partnership.

What you can expect from your Spartan Service Truck Body

This workshop on wheels is preferred by general contractors, HVAC, plumbers, handymen, decorators, painters, carpenters, cleaners, and remodelers. You can work standing up inside, plus custom shelving and compartments keep you organized at the job site.

Features

    Gain added convenience on the job site by using the horizontal compartment door as a workbench; it can also be lowered flush to the sidewall
    Save time by organizing and storing tools with up to 5 spacious compartments per side (based on truck body length); with two adjustable shelves per vertical compartment accommodate bulkier tools and equipment
    Load and unload your cargo and tools with ease in a low-profile design with low floor heights that allow you to access what you need without using a liftgate
    Enjoy a bright interior work space with a durable and lightweight 3/8″ FiberPanel® PW (FRP) white side wall panels
    Minimize front wall damage with a heavy-duty FiberPanel® PW (FRP) front wall
    Load large cargo – even sheets of plywood – with the extra room of the true interior truck body lengths and 48-1/2″ double-swing rear doors
    Work comfortably in your cargo area with the stand-up truck body height interior

Options

    Enjoy more cab room and stand up to move between the cab and cargo area with a full-height cab-access door (cutaway only); Note: Shortens interior truck body length
    Load, store and quickly access long items, such as PVC, conduit or copper pipe, with a pipe door
    Organize and store your cargo and equipment with custom interior fixed or adjustable shelves above compartments
    See and access tools more easily from the interior with a sliding, reach-through Plexiglass® door for the horizontal compartment
    Save time by storing and accessing your ladder more efficiently  with a ladder rack and rear access ladder
    Keep cargo safe and secure with a Master Lock®
    Acquire additional towing capabilities with a hitch receiver

Find out more at: http://supremecorp.com

Manual Transmission Gearbox, How it works ?

Working of a Manual transmission is explained in an illustrative and logical manner in this video with the help of animation. Here the working of Sliding mesh and synchromesh transmissions are well illustrated. This video also explains the working of a reverse gear.

All-new Ford F-150 Raptor Prototype Trail Testing

Ford Performance engineers are busying trail testing prototypes of the all-new F-150 Raptor, the toughest, smartest and most capable Raptor ever. The all-new Raptor is able to tackle even tougher hills, ruts and bumps along trails than the previous model. Here an early engineering prototype that combines parts from the 2017 Raptor with the 2015 F-150 climbs tight two track trails in Northern Michigan, where the team is testing the new truck’s components over challenging terrain. The 2017 F-150 Raptor has better ground clearance than the first-generation Raptor and comes standard with new 3.0-inch FOX Racing Shox with custom internal bypass technology. The shock absorption technology works to damp and stiffen suspension travel over rough terrain. An all-new four-wheel-drive, torque-on-demand transfer case further improves Raptor’s trail performance. The new transfer case, which manages power distribution between the front and rear wheels, combines the best attributes of clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel drive with durable, mechanical-locking four-wheel drive. You’ll be able to test the all-new Raptor for yourself in Fall 2016.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 195,000 employees and 66 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Transfer Flow In-Bed Fuel Tanks

Double or Triple your pickup's fuel capacity 

with an in-bed auxiliary fuel tank system

Increase your Ford, GM or Dodge Ram diesel pickup’s fuel capacity and driving range with an in-bed auxiliary fuel tank systems from Transfer Flow! Transfer Flow in-bed auxiliary tanks are available in 37, 50, 75, 98 and 100 gallons, and are available in sturdy aluminized steel and bright diamond plate. Transfer Flow fuel tanks are fully baffled to minimize fuel sloshing and come complete with all necessary installation components and detailed instructions (some pickups require a fillneck kit or tee). Using the patented technology of our TRAX 3™ or our MaxFlo-TFI™ operating system, the transfer process is entirely automatic and 100% worry free! Exclusive design features allow some tanks to be used in conjunction with other popular cargo accessories such as retractable truck bed covers and tonneau covers. Let us "fuel your adventures" with a safe, legal and durable in-bed auxiliary fuel tank system from Transfer Flow!

See all the models at: http://www.transferflow.com/fuel-tanks/in-bed

Going to Extremes: Ford's Cold-Weather Testing in the Sunshine State Leads to Enhanced Vehicle Quality Globally

•     Ford vehicles of all sizes – from Focus to F-Series Super Duty – annually submit to subzero testing in the U.S. military’s all-weather laboratory designed to re-create nearly every weather condition on earth
•     Extreme cold-weather testing at the Florida lab in the summer contributes to continuity, collaboration and efficiency in Ford’s product development cycle and, ultimately, to enhanced global vehicle quality
•     Ford customers worldwide can approach winter with the assurance their vehicles are designed – through extensive testing – to start and run in frigid weather conditions

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fl., August 13, 2015  -- Each year, Ford brings global prototype vehicles and a team of engineers to the world’s largest climatic test facility – McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle – to push the limits of extreme cold-weather testing in order to improve vehicle quality and performance for customers.

In this sophisticated, all-weather facility used by the U.S. Air Force to test every aircraft in the Department of Defense inventory [1], Ford engineers can get temperatures down as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit in a span of just 10 hours. The hot, humid climate of northwest Florida in August has no impact on conditions inside the lab – making it ideal for simulating winter in Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay or Canada’s Yellowknife region.

So when it’s the middle of a development cycle, or the middle of summer, and there’s no access to a natural environment where engineers can evaluate whether a vehicle is starting as robustly as it should in below-freezing temperatures, McKinley Climatic Lab allows Ford to simulate, calibrate and validate – all under one roof.

The opportunity to accommodate 75 global prototype vehicles of all sizes for rigorous testing – plus house a versatile team of 54 engineers and technical experts – creates efficiency in the company’s product development cycle that helps Ford learn in just three weeks what could take twice as long in a smaller facility. Collecting multiple data sets, analyzing results, and comparing and contrasting enables Ford engineers to quickly implement changes that enhance vehicle quality and ultimately benefit the customer.

Optimum performance in the most extreme weather conditions means different things for customers in different parts of the world. That’s why Ford engineers strive to account for all variables when seeking assurance that customers who live and work in cold climates will be able to reliably start and run their vehicles in subzero temperatures. Specific situations engineers test for include:

•     In the oil fields of Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay, Ford F-Series trucks are not only a mode of transportation, but also a safety device for workers who need a warm cabin to retreat to on-site to prevent cold-weather injury on the job. Ford engineers conduct idle tests at the lab – running the engine week after week as temperature fluctuates from 40 degrees to minus 40 degrees, and examining the exhaust as it heats up then cools back down – to help ensure the needs of these customers are met
•     For those customers who depend on their vehicles for work commutes and to transport their families around town, Ford testing at the lab ultimately seeks to provide them with the assurance that their vehicles are designed to start and run in the bitter cold. As temperatures in the lab drop to minus 22 degrees, Ford engineers examine the volatility of 13 different types of fuel commonly used by customers across the globe to calibrate the cold start

When running tests at such low temperatures inside McKinley Climatic Lab, engineers make changes daily to help ensure engine start and vehicle driveability, and that Ford is meeting the high quality standards its customers expect. Learnings from these cold-weather tests helped Ford engineers perfect the 6.7-liter engine that powers the current F-Series Super Duty. Engineers found that replacing metallic plugs with ceramic gold plugs enabled the engine to heat up more quickly, for a more robust start.

[1] http://www.eglin.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=6450

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 195,000 employees and 66 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Ford Secures 1,000-Plus U.S. Jobs, Starts Production of All-New Ford F-650/F-750 Medium-Duty Trucks in Ohio

•     Ford kicks off production of 2016 F-650/F-750 for the first time in the United States; medium-duty truck lineup – previously assembled in Mexico – now built at Ohio Assembly Plant
•     All-new F-650/F-750 medium-duty truck production shift to Ford’s facility in Avon Lake, Ohio, helps to secure more than 1,000 UAW hourly jobs and $168 million U.S. plant investment                
•     2016 Ford F-650/F-750 trucks, available this summer, deliver commercial-grade quality, capability and convenience, and feature segment-exclusive Ford diesel and gasoline engines, delivering strong performance at an affordable price

Ohio Assembly Plant Fact Sheet

AVON LAKE, Ohio, Aug. 12, 2015 – All-new Ford F-650/F-750 medium-duty trucks roll off the line today for the first time in the United States. Production of the trucks at Ohio Assembly Plant, previously built in Mexico, helps secure more than 1,000 hourly UAW jobs and a $168 million plant investment in the United States.

2016 F-650/F-750 trucks, the toughest, smartest, best-value medium-duty trucks ever, anchor Ford’s commercial vehicle lineup – America’s best-selling commercial trucks for 30 straight years. Ford is the only truck manufacturer that provides vocational customers an unmatched one-stop shop to meet their needs – from the Class 1 Transit Connect cargo van to the Class 7 F-750 tractor rig.

“Our investment in Ohio Assembly Plant reinforces our commitment to building vehicles in America and to delivering best-in-class commercial trucks,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas. “Working with our partners in the UAW, we found a way to make the costs competitive enough to bring production of a whole new generation of work trucks to Ohio.”

Offered in Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab body styles and in straight-frame, dock-height and an all-new dedicated tractor model for heavy towing applications, the 2016 F-650/F-750 line features a bold new look inside and out.

Ford is the only medium-duty truck manufacturer that designs and builds its own diesel engine and transmission combination – ensuring the powertrain will work seamlessly with all chassis components and vehicle calibrations.

Along with its 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V8 diesel engine option, Ford remains the only automaker to offer a gasoline-powered engine in the medium-duty truck segment. The 6.8-liter V10 with 320 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque now will be available for both F-650 and F-750 models with the heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission. The 6.8-liter can be factory-prepped for converting to compressed natural gas or liquid propane gas as cost-effective alternatives to gasoline.

Ohio Assembly Plant investment
In 2014, Ford announced a $168 million investment to shift production of F-650 and F-750 from Mexico to Ohio Assembly Plant, in addition to adding new body shop equipment and other tooling needed to produce the medium-duty vehicles. The production shift from Mexico is part of the collective bargaining agreement Ford and the United Auto Workers negotiated in 2011.

"Through collective bargaining, we were able to secure production of the Ford F-650/F-750 to Ohio Assembly Plant,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW vice president and director, National Ford Department. “Building these world-class vehicles in America helps secure jobs for more than 1,000 UAW members and provides economic growth for the Avon Lake community. Strengthening the economy through job creation continues our efforts to rebuild the American middle-class and communities all across this nation.”

Opened in 1974, Ohio Assembly Plant employs nearly 1,400 people and is one of the largest employers in Lorain County. In addition to now producing all Ford F-650 and F-750 models and configurations, the plant also produces Ford E-Series cutaway vans and stripped chassis.

Toughest, smartest, best-value Ford medium-duty truck ever

2016 Ford F-650/F-750 trucks are the toughest, smartest, best-value Ford medium-duty trucks ever – providing the ideal combination of value, capability and upfit readiness in the segment.

These attributes underscore the F-650/F-750’s position as the future of medium-duty trucks:

•     Toughest: Fully designed and developed by Ford truck engineers in Dearborn, Mich.; robot-tested on taxing durability courses; 500,000-plus miles of harsh dynamometer engine testing at extreme power levels and temperatures; Ford-built in the U.S.
•     Smartest: All-new upfit-friendly chassis developed in cooperation with leading industry body makers; clean chassis capable of accommodating vocational bodies with little to no modification; all-new dedicated tractor model for heavy towing
•     Best value: Choice of segment-exclusive 6.8-liter V10 gas engine or 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 diesel – both backed by Ford’s heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission enhanced for medium-duty use with great power, performance and fuel economy; includes unsurpassed five-year/250,000-mile warranty and national network of Ford service centers

More information regarding the all-new 2016 Ford F-650/F-750 lineup can be found here.
About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 195,000 employees and 66 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Tommy Gate's G2 Series Liftgate

Tommy Gate's G2 Series is the latest in parallel-arm technology. Dual hydraulic cylinders apply direct power to both sides of the platform for increased consistency in motion and stability. With reduced maintenance requirements, wide variety of platform options, and vast hitch compatibility, G2 Series hydraulic lifts are a strong, versatile lift that are convenient, efficient, and make trucks work better.

Liftgate Features

    Dual hydraulic cylinders
    Maintenance-free components
    Recessed control
    Larger platforms
    Fully-enclosed hydraulic system

Ford F-150 Raptor on Patrol in Park City

Thanks to a local businessman, Park City, Utah, has a very special Raptor that the police department uses to draw attention to special activities and to help get the public involved in positive programs.