Harrison Ford and Goldie Hawn are the hottest grandparents in Hollywood, according to a new survey.
The pair aced a list of celebrity grandparents put together by visitors to AOL’’s Parentdish.com, on Grandparent’’s Day in the U.S. on Sunday, reports Contactmusic.
Ford bagged 51 percent votes in the male category to scoring over Tony Danza, Paul MCCartney, [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Ford’
Harrison Ford, Goldie Hawn voted Hollywood’s hottest grandparents
September 15th, 2009 |
No Comments
Ford Loads 2010 Models with Safety, IT Bells and Whistles
September 14th, 2009 |
No Comments
Ford Motor Co., like Avis in another wheels-oriented market, really is trying harder. In this case, we’re talking about IT and how the company is using more of it to help drivers get from one place to another in safety and comfort. Many of these new features are exclusive to its own product line.
The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker made a stop in San Francisco Sept. 10 to show media members and analysts what they have planned for the 2010 vehicle year. As one might imagine, most of the IT-related features involve safety and Internet connectivity, ranging from on-board radar (to notify the driver of potential road hazards) to voice-activated information systems to programmable keys that limit the vehicle’s top speed and music-player volume levels for younger drivers.
Here is a click-through look at new IT features that will be available in Ford sedans, crossovers, SUVs and trucks this coming year.
– …
2009 Ford F-150 SuperCab Tow Test
August 4th, 2009 |
No Comments
We tested the all-new 2009 Ford F-150 pickup equipped with a three-valve 5.4L V-8 and six-speed auto transmission in Trailer Boats’ March 2009 issue (“Power Packed”), and it was impressive. We found it to offer abundant power, outstanding drivability and firmly planted handling. Months later, however, we got to thinking that it might be interesting [...]
‘Cash for Clunkers’ drives up US auto sales
August 4th, 2009 |
No Comments
The popular “Cash for Clunkers” incentive helped kickstart the US auto market in July, with Ford leading the way on Monday by registering its first increase in sales for almost two years. Total sales hit a seasonally adjusted annualised rate of 11.24 million vehicles in July, the first time
Scrappage scheme lifts Ford sales
August 3rd, 2009 |
No Comments
Car giant Ford says July’s US sales were up 2.3% from a year ago, helped by the government’s scrappage scheme.
The Ford group – which includes the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo brands – sold 165,279 vehicles last month.
The company said demand for its fuel-efficient cars together with the US government’s Car Allowance Rebate System was behind the rise.
"We had another strong month in progress before the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ programme started," Ford said.
Ford is the only one of the "Big Three" US carmakers not to have filed for bankruptcy protection.
Last month, it reported a quarterly profit of $2.3bn (£1.4bn), although the profit was largely due to one-off gains related to debt restructuring. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Renault Laguna hard lesson
July 30th, 2009 |
No Comments
We have been in the thick of the second quarter companies’ results season and it has been pretty absorbing.
In Europe, Volkswagen did well, its global footprint helping it to ride the recession. Fiat did slightly worse than expected, but not that bad. Daimler sees chinks of light. BMW is facing a slight wobble this week, though it could be much worse (‘it could be worse’ must be something of a mantra among CEOs).
But the Frenchies – PSA and Renault – will probably want to forget 2009 as soon as they can. Renault, in particular, posted a Q2 stinker. Why so? Well, some of the cars just ain’t selling. Renault had a very bad first half for sales in Europe. The Laguna, first half production volume down almost 60% on last year, stands out.
If you recall cars like the Vel Satis and Avantime, they had a certain something. The Vel Satis had a quality interior and the audacious Avantime was a rather stunning design – MPV meets sports coupe; mad but true.
But selling large Renaults is a big ask outside of France. The executive segment everywhere is very, very competitive. And the premium brands have muscled in to take more and more D/E-segment customers, who used to go with the volume makers, away. Remember the Ford Scorpio? Ford saw the writing on the wall and dropped it. Ford Mondeo was squarely targeted at fleets and the traditional D-segment customer and not aimed at the retail buyer aspirational set.
The latest Laguna has not been cutting the sales mustard. It cost quite a bit to develop and there’s not much of a return on that investment in prospect. It may well be a nice car, but that’s not the point.
As a Renault it is seen as a poor relation to the premium marques. The private retail buyer would rather have a BMW or Mercedes and those brands have become a lot more affordable and less exclusive over the last ten years. In these hard recessionary times, maybe the punters are even less likely to stray from the strictly conventional.
And the established gorillas in the fleet market can cane Laguna because, well, it’s a Renault and not a bulk-buying, low-cost but reliable fleet staple like a Ford Mondeo. Renault residuals never quite rocked, however hard Renault tried with product. And Renault decided therefore that that was a part of the market it would back away from. The poor old Laguna has been squeezed at both ends.
Should Renault even try to do big cars? It’s an interesting debate. Big cars equal large margins. If you can elevate your product mix into the upscale area, you’re going to make better profits.
Carlos Ghosn knows that well, and that was his plan with Renault. There were to be flair designs that would help to achieve that. Renault would be a premium-volume brand, best of both worlds with French design flair that could carry it off, allied to a bit of alliance industrial muscle underneath. Trouble is, the market just would not buy the premium part of that. And you have to listen to the market, even if you don’t like what it tells you and you insist that the market is being irrational.
If it wants to be irrational, it will. And you will still have to stand there and justify your strategy to the board and shareholders when you have lost a packet.
We may well be seeing the beginning of the end of Renault large cars. I can’t see Renault doing another Laguna after this sorry saga. What do you say to that Carlos, me old bean, me old China? I think I know what he would say: the future, my friend, is electric.
Hybrid Meets Hypermiling in Ford Fusion
July 24th, 2009 |
No Comments
Product: Fusion Hybrid Manufacturer: FordWired Rating: 8
The new Ford Fusion Hybrid isn’t shaped like an almond. It doesn’t have badges shouting “hybrid” from every surface. And it won’t make you sacrifice fun for fuel efficiency. That’s what makes it…
Ford profits from debt restructuring
July 23rd, 2009 |
No Comments
• Ford still has $21bn in the bank
• Carmaker aims to break even in 2011
• Firm may have benefited from fears over Chrysler and GM
The US carmaker Ford offered a chink of light in the gloom engulfing Detroit by delivering a quarterly profit of $2.26bn (£1.37bn), though the gain was entirely down to a one-off financial boost from a debt restructuring which offset losses on the sale of vehicles.
Ford’s market share of crucial US vehicle sales rose by two percentage points to 16.4% as its rivals, General Motors and Chrysler, struggled their way through bankruptcy. But the company still lost just over $1bn on its core business of selling cars and trucks.
The firm, the second-largest American carmaker after GM, is the only one of Detroit’s “Big Three” to have refused any state aid. Chief executive Alan Mulally, conceded that conditions remain tough. “While the business environment remained extremely challenging around the world, we made significant progress on our transformation plan,” he said.
Through a series of transactions to reduce debt by swapping loans for shares, Ford made an exceptional gain of $2.7bn. The company burnt through $1bn of cash in the second quarter, but still has $21bn in the bank and reiterated its goal of breaking even in 2011. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that some US motorists turned to Ford to avoid cash-strapped companies because of concern that warranties could be compromised at Chrysler and GM.
In Europe, Ford’s profits fell from $582m to $138m despite the popularity of a new version of the Fiesta, which has racked up sales of 300,000 since its introduction in the autumn making it Europe’s second-best-selling car. The Fiesta and the Focus are soon to be introduced to the US as Ford tries to satisfy demand among American motorists for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Analysts believe Ford has sufficient firepower to maintain its standalone stance. In a recent research note, Eric Selle, a debt analyst at JP Morgan, said: “We believe Ford has the liquidity to make it to 2010, when its cash burn should improve.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Ford profits from debt restructuring
July 23rd, 2009 |
No Comments
• Ford still has $21bn in the bank
• Carmaker aims to break even in 2011
• Firm may have benefited from fears over Chrysler and GM
The US carmaker Ford offered a chink of light in the gloom engulfing Detroit by delivering a quarterly profit of $2.26bn (£1.37bn), although the gain was entirely down to a one-off financial boost from a debt restructuring which offset losses on the sale of vehicles.
Ford’s market share of crucial US vehicle sales rose by two percentage points to 16.4% as its rivals, General Motors and Chrysler, struggled their way through bankruptcy. But the company still lost just over $1bn on its core business of selling cars and trucks.
The firm, which is the second largest US carmaker behind GM, is the only one of Detroit’s “Big Three” to have refused any state aid. Ford’s chief executive, Alan Mulally, conceded that conditions remain tough. “While the business environment remained extremely challenging around the world, we made significant progress on our transformation plan‚” he said.
Through a series of transactions to reduce debt by swapping loans for shares, Ford made an exceptional gain of $2.7bn. The company burnt through $1bn of cash in the second quarter but still has $21bn in the bank and it reiterated its goal of breaking even in 2011.
Anecdotal evidence has suggested that some US motorists turned to Ford to avoid cash-strapped companies because of concern that warranties could be compromised at Chrysler and GM.
In Europe, Ford’s profits fell from $582m to $138m, despite the popularity of a new version of the Fiesta, which has racked up sales of 300,000 since its introduction in the autumn, making it Europe’s second-best-selling car. The Fiesta and the Focus are soon to be introduced to the US as Ford tries to satisfy demand among American motorists for smaller, more fuel-efficient, vehicles.
Analysts believe Ford has sufficient firepower to maintain its standalone stance. In a recent research note, Eric Selle, a debt analyst at JP Morgan, said: “We believe Ford has the liquidity to make it to 2010, when its cash burn should improve.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Steve Parker: What!?! Bob Lutz back at GM!
July 11th, 2009 |
No Comments
General Motors has come out of bankruptcy after a somewhat-biblical 40 days and nights of massive reorganization, as a new, smaller company more than 60%…
Nice tune, worrabout the Ka?
July 7th, 2009 |
No Comments
Ford has issued a release to say that the catchy tune that goes with its TV ad for the new Ka is available as a single for download from iTunes. The ditty is ‘The Tease featuring Megan Wyler’.
Megan Wyler, currently recording her first solo album, is described in the Ford press release as an experienced singer on the New York City club scene.
“The track was a fun collaboration for me so it was fantastic to hear there was desire for a full track to be recorded – I’m really pleased its been such a success for all involved,” she said. Yes, I’ll bet she is pleased.
Here’s a thought though. The old Ka, the first one, was an astonishing success. It kept the same platform for 13 years with little apparent adverse impact on sales. The thing about it was the distinct and differentiated styling and low price. It wasn’t a boring old Fiesta hatchback that your Aunt Hilda swore by.
Now then. Ford concludes that it needs a new Ka, that it cannot stand still. Old models have to be replaced. Fair enough and I’m sure the new one has much to commend it.
Is there room for a new Ka underneath Fiesta, like there was before? Quite possibly, but lines have got a bit blurred. The new Ka looks like it could be a Corsa and the new Fiesta has a lot more panache about it. The clear blue water between the old Ka and the previous Fiesta isn’t quite there any longer.
Could Ford have actually kept the old Ka going as a low-budget urban cult car, with a kind of retro appeal? The car’s longevity could perhaps even have been turned into a positive asset. A cheeky exception to the rule that models have to be reinvented every four years or so. Maybe they could have looked at giving it a gradual ‘green-over’ with pineapple plant headliners introduced (that does exist on the Brazilian-made VW Fox), more recycled plastics and such, extending appeal to those with environmental concerns. Could the humble Ka have morphed into a Beetle-style celebration of the virtues of low-cost utility over the culture of excess consumption?
Maybe you think I am getting carried away and perhaps I am. But the big winners in business tend to be the people and companies who understand how the world is changing rather than simply extrapolating the established values of the present into the future.
Just a thought. Nice tune, though (spot all the Kas?).