http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/explorer-terrain-management-system/

FORD SUPPLIERS ADD 5,500 JOBS TO SUPPORT GLOBAL LAUNCH OF ALL-NEW FORD FOCUS

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 25, 2011 – As the all-new Ford Focus gets set to hit dealer showrooms across Europe and North America, Ford’s global supply network is expanding to meet the needs of the vehicle’s international launch.

Ford Focus Suppliers Add Jobs to Support Global Launch (PDF)

Of the 310 suppliers in 22 countries making parts for the new Focus, many are adding jobs, facilities and equipment in local communities to produce the vehicle. Others have been able to maintain employment levels as a result of Focus sourcing. Among the major Focus suppliers alone, 5,500 jobs have been added at facilities in North America, Europe and Asia to produce parts for the new Focus.

“Suppliers are critical to the success of the new Focus, and they are stepping up to support Ford in this important launch,” said Tony Brown, group vice president, Ford Global Purchasing.

Developed in Europe for sale in more than 120 markets worldwide, the new Focus is a key part of the One Ford plan to leverage the company’s global assets. Production is under way at Ford’s Saarlouis Assembly Plant in Germany and at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. New Focus production will be expanded to Ford’s plant in St. Petersburg, Russia, later this year. Production in the Asia Pacific region will begin in 2012, when new Ford plants come on line in Chongqing, China, and Rayong, Thailand.

Focus, which is part of the company’s new global C-car platform, also sets new benchmarks for supplier component commonality. Eighty percent of the car’s parts and components are common around the world. Three-quarters of the supply base for the new Focus will be the same at the five plants where the vehicle will ultimately be built. In addition, 65 percent of the value of Focus is sourced to suppliers in the Aligned Business Framework (ABF), the highest of any global vehicle.

“The new Focus raises the bar for Ford and our suppliers in terms of common parts and global processes that will pay off with higher quality and lower costs,” said Brown. “It also represents a new era in how we work with our supply base. The high level of communication, early information sharing and data transparency between Ford and our supply base is paying off for all of us as we move into the global launch.”

Below are examples of major Ford suppliers that are expanding or maintaining operations to supply key components to support the Focus launch. Suppliers and their contributions to the Focus include:

• Robert Bosch LLC: supplying control units, fuel rail assemblies, high pressure pumps, sensors, throttle body assemblies, fuel delivery modules, engine cooling modules, alternators, front and rear wiper systems, airbag control devices, multi-functional displays, and DC/DC converters. Using a global platform approach, more than 10 of Bosch’s plants worldwide are supporting the Focus launch.

• Continental: supplying brake components, engine control parts, cameras for lane departure warning and lane keeping assist, high-beam controls, traffic sign recognition systems, short-range lidar sensors for emergency braking for city areas, door control units, access control systems, tires, hoses, axle boots and steering gaiters. Continental is adding 30 jobs in various locations throughout Europe and 60 jobs at U.S. locations. It is also expanding facilities in Henderson, N.C.; Las Colinas and Guadalajara, Mexico; and Frenstat, Czech Republic.

• Faurecia: supplying instrument panels, consoles, door panel parts and hot-end emissions control components. Faurecia is adding 350 jobs in the U.S. and Mexico, as well as at facilities in South America, Europe, Asia and South Africa. All told, Faurecia has 1,600 employees supporting Focus production and has committed $185 million for its industrial and development efforts.

• GETRAG FORD Transmissions (GFT): supplying the PowerShift transmission. GFT added 100 positions at its Kechnec, Slovakia, manufacturing facility. The additional people will support added work at the plant, including the Ford Focus.

• Johnson Controls (JCI): supplying seat systems and instrument clusters. JCI is adding 140 jobs at facilities in Asia. Future expansion is also planned at its Bridgewater Interiors joint venture in Detroit. Bridgewater is a minority-owned business enterprise.

• Lear Corp.: supplying wiring, body control modules, terminals and connectors. Lear invested $52 million to add a facility in Thailand and expand a current plant in China. It is also adding 4,400 positions to support the business.

• TRW Automotive: supplying electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) systems. TRW is adding 115 jobs at its U.S. plants. It is also adding three new assembly lines to support Focus production in Gelsenkirchen, Germany; Nove Mesto, Slovakia; and Marion, Va., with supporting equipment in Rogersville, Tenn.

• Tenneco: supplying cold-end emission control systems, resonators, underbody converters, catalysts, diesel particulate filters, and front and rear shock absorbers. Tenneco is supporting Focus production from seven manufacturing facilities in Marshall, Mich.; Saarlouis, Germany; Valencia, Spain; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Celaya, Mexico; Chongqing, China; and St. Petersburg, Russia. To date, about 450 employees are supporting the platform in locations where it has launched.

• Visteon Corp.: supplying climate, electronics, interior and lighting components. Visteon is adding 133 jobs at facilities in the U.S., Mexico and China. All told, Visteon has 1,279 workers supporting Focus work and has invested more than $12 million.

Focus production is also having an impact in local communities as midsize suppliers expand. Flex-N-Gate, a minority-owned supplier of fascias, is adding 87 workers at its facility in Evart, Mich.; Inergy, which produces fuel tanks, is adding 30 jobs at its facility in Adrian, Mich.; and Piston Automotive, a minority-owned supplier of cooling module assemblies, is adding 16 jobs at its facility in Redford, Mich.

FORD OFFERS UNPRECEDENTED LOOK AT TEARDOWN OF F-150 ECOBOOST ENGINE TO PUBLIC AT 2011 NAIAS

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 27, 2010 – Ford powertrain engineers will tear down an engine that

has gone a distance equal to six times around the earth and three quarters of the way to the moon. Or put another way: the engine has the equivalent of 160,000 miles and 10 years of rugged use.

Now, Ford engineers want to see how the engine’s parts and components held up. They will disassemble and examine it for long-term durability in front of the public at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 15, 2011 at 11 a.m.

“Customers will be able to see for themselves how the components fared during a regime of tests that, when taken together, are far more extreme than even the harshest-use customer could dish out,” said Jim Mazuchowski, V6 engines programs manager. “This EcoBoost truck engine received no special treatment, and now we’re going to see how it did.”

The F-150 EcoBoost engine saw its first action on the dyno in July. Engineers punished it in temperature and load extremes simulating nearly 10 years of use – a regimen tougher than any consumer could ever subject a truck to. At this point, most engines would be ready to be rebuilt or retired, but the EcoBoost testing engine was just beginning.

The engine was dropped into a regular production 2011 F-150 at Kansas City Assembly Plant Then it hit the road and saw some of the most severe use Ford engineers have ever dreamed up.

• It hauled 55 tons of lumber
• It ran at full throttle for 24 straight hours towing 11,300 pounds
• Beat competitors’ larger engines in an uphill towing competition
• Completed the world’s toughest desert endurance race, the SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 in Mexico

Go to http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/experiencef150 to see firsthand how the EcoBoost truck engine performs in each of these events.

After its run in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost truck engine was removed from the F-150 race truck and shipped to Dearborn. To view, go to http://fordvideo.wieck.com/search?q=F-150Baja1000.

Last month, the engine returned to the Dearborn dynamometer lab – where it started its “torture test” – to have power levels and output checked at a speed range from 1,500 rpm to 5,000 rpm. The results:

• Produced best-in-class 420 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,500 rpm on regular fuel
• Produced 365 horsepower at 5,000 rpm on regular fuel
• Power and torque met with the same level of boost as the new advertised power engine
• Cylinder compression (a measure of how efficiently the engine makes power) and leakdown (measures pressure lost due to worn piston rings or defects in the valvetrain) both were still in specification
• No oil or fluid leaks

Twin turbochargers and direct fuel injection

Key to EcoBoost’s performance is the wealth of low-end torque produced by the combination of twin turbochargers and direct fuel injection. Up to 90 percent of the EcoBoost truck engine’s peak, best-in-class torque of 420 lb.-ft. is available from 1,700 rpm to 5,000 rpm – all on regular fuel. The engine produces 365 horsepower at 5,000 rpm.

“Truck customers should think of the EcoBoost truck engine as a gas-powered engine with diesel-type capability and characteristics,” said Mazuchowski. “The twin turbochargers and direct injection give it the broad, flat torque curve that makes towing with a diesel so effortless – and hard acceleration so much fun.”

The EcoBoost truck engine also features twin independent variable camshaft timing, or Ti-VCT, to help save fuel. Ti-VCT provides extremely precise variable – yet independent – control of timing for intake and exhaust valves. Ti-VCT also reduces emissions, especially in situations when the throttle is partially open.

Independent adjustment of intake and exhaust valve timing allows maximum fuel economy at part-throttle, while delivering optimized power in full-throttle situations. An added benefit is improved driveability and responsiveness across the torque curve.

Final phase of EcoBoost “torture test”

The teardown is the final phase of the new 3.5-liter EcoBoost truck engine’s “Torture Test,” a multipart series of web-based documentaries that began when this randomly selected EcoBoost engine endured the equivalent of 150,000 miles or 10 years’ use on the dynamometer, replicating the duty cycle of the harshest-use customer.

EcoBoost is fundamental to Ford’s strategy to provide technologically advanced, high-output, smaller-displacement powertrains that deliver uncompromised performance and fuel economy. EcoBoost engines deliver fuel economy gains of up to 20 percent and reduction of CO₂ emissions of up to 15 percent, compared with larger, less-efficient engines.

In addition to turbocharging with direct injection, Ford engineers have enhanced EcoBoost’s technology capabilities by adding variable valve timing and precisely controlling all aspects of the engine. Ford has at least 125 patents on its EcoBoost technology.

Ford truck leadership continues

Ford F-Series is the best-selling and most-awarded pickup truck (for 34 years straight) and best-selling vehicle (for 29 years straight) in America. Here are some of the recent awards for Ford F-Series trucks:

2011 F-150

• PickupTrucks.com and USA Today: 2010 V-6 Shootout: Best Overall V-6 Work Truck
• Consumer Digest Best Buy
• The SEMA Award^™ for Hottest Truck

2011 Super Duty

• Farmer Industry News Best Pickup
• Popular Mechanics Auto Excellence Award: Best Workhorse
• Ward’s Best Engine: 6.7-liter Power Stroke^® diesel
• PickupTrucks.com Best Engine: 6.2-liter gas
• ALG Residual Value
• Kelley Blue Book Residual Value
• Truck Line of Texas

ALL-NEW FORD FOCUS OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED AT 40 MPG WITH FEATURES, TECHNOLOGY COMPETITORS CAN’T MATCH

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 25, 2011 – The all-new Ford Focus with the SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package delivers an EPA certified 40 mpg on the highway to go with its array of smart technologies, exceptional standards of craftsmanship and retuned suspension for a total driving experience not found anywhere else in the segment.

The new Focus is certified by the EPA at 40 mpg highway and 28 mpg city through its advanced six-speed automatic transmission.

Some competitors utilize a manual transmission to achieve their highest fuel economy ratings, though sales of vehicles with automatic transmissions account for more than 90 percent of the market.

Focus becomes the fourth vehicle in the Ford Motor Company vehicle lineup with an EPA-certified rating of 40 mpg or more.

“Our customers tell us that fuel economy is the top reason for purchasing a Focus,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. “The all-new Focus meets that demand with great fuel economy, class-leading technologies and features, exceptional standards of craftsmanship and driving dynamics typically reserved for larger, more expensive vehicles.”

Affordable fuel economy
With the EPA certification of Focus, Ford continues to deliver on its promise to make fuel economy affordable for millions of consumers. Today, Ford Motor Company has 12 vehicles including cars, utilities and crossovers in the U.S. that lead their sales segments for fuel economy – a number no other automaker matches.

With the new Focus, four 2011 models achieve at least 40 mpg – the Ford Fiesta SE with SFE package (40 mpg highway) and the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid (41 mpg city). No other automaker offers four nameplates with EPA-certified ratings of 40 mpg or more, according to the 2011 EPA Fuel Economy Guide .

Here's how the Ford Focus SFE compares with current 2011 model year competitor products with automatic transmissions:

	Ford Focus SFE	Honda Civic	Mazda 3	Toyota Corolla	Volkswagen Jetta	Chevrolet Cruze Eco	Hyundai Elantra
Fuel economy city/highway	28/40	25/36	24/33	26/34	24/31	26/37	29/40

High fuel prices coming? Focus ready for challenge
That exceptional fuel economy could be vital in the months ahead. The Department of Energy is offering a somewhat bleak forecast at the gas pumps. Gas prices, now at a national average of $3.22, according tohttp://www.nationalgasaverage.com, could go as high as $3.50 a gallon, and there’s even a slim chance they could go higher – maybe even above $4.

The all-new Ford Focus answers that challenge with content that builds off the mid-range SE model four-door sedan with the PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission.

The engaging driver appeal of the new Ford Focus is magnified by an advanced powertrain. Focus is fitted with a completely new 2.0-liter gasoline direct-injection DOHC four-cylinder engine that combines high-pressure direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency. This engine delivers more power than the current 2.0-liter Duratec® unit featured in the North American Focus, while contributing to fuel economy gains of more than 10 percent.

To maximize its performance and economy advantage, the engine is mated with the latest dry-clutch six-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission. A high-efficiency dual dry-clutch design, the transmission alone can help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 9 percent compared to a traditional four-speed automatic.

The SFE package also includes 16-inch steel wheels with aero wheel covers, active grille shutters, high-efficiency tires, four-wheel disc brakes, rear spoiler and a special SFE badge.

Unlike other competitors, the Ford Focus employs full active grille shutters. Active grille shutters help optimize aerodynamics by using vents to control airflow through the grille to the cooling system and engine compartment.

If air is required to cool the engine, the vents are opened. If no airflow is needed the vents are shut, contributing to significantly reduced aerodynamic drag.

Mounted in the grille aperture ahead of the radiator, the active grille shutters feature motorized horizontal vanes that can rotate through 90 degrees to block the airflow. Automatically controlled by the car’s electronic control unit, the vanes can be rotated into 15 different positions – from fully closed to fully open – depending on the amount of cooling air required.

When fully closed, the reduction in drag means the active grille shutters can reduce CO2 emissions by 2 percent.

As an additional benefit, the system keeps the vanes closed as long as possible when starting from cold, so the engine reaches its most efficient operating temperature more quickly. This also helps reduce fuel consumption.

Great looks, smart technology and true performance
The dynamic Focus exterior is reinforced by a modern, cockpit-style interior with a stylish center console.

The most significant interior innovation is the available SYNC® with MyFord™, which includes a sophisticated voice control system for vehicle functions, connected Bluetooth® devices, MP3 players and a wide variety of external media.

The interior combines functionality with outstanding craftsmanship. The cabin’s bold and contemporary graphics, the sculptured shape of the soft-touch instrument panel and the choice of superior trim materials combine to give occupants a premium-class experience.

Focus interior space rivals larger vehicles, with more shoulder room than an Audi A4 and more front headroom than a Toyota Camry. The second row of Focus provides more hip room than the Audi or Toyota.

The original Ford Focus brought new levels of driving agility to this segment of cars. Now Focus raises the benchmark to target class-leading driving quality, blending communicative steering with significantly improved ride quality.

“The all-new Ford Focus delivers the outstanding fuel economy our customers demand in a more stylish package with more technology and an even greater driving experience,” said Kuzak.