The Ford Motor Company in Canada made a significant upward spike in sales–with the completely remodeled Ford Escape emerging as the company’s winning unit. The rugged and adventurous SUV set yet another sales record this September, which is the sixth monthly sales record in a row.

“Canadians are really embracing the bold, tougher exterior of the new 2008 Ford Escape. That rugged exterior is coupled with an all-new interior featuring the industry’s first fabric seating surfaces made from 100% recycled material,” Bill Osborne, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited President and CEO said.

The Ford Escape does not only contribute to the good sales record of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, other Ford vehicles add to the sales record and show an increase as well. The sales for Ford Expedition increased by 133 percent while Ford ranger increased by 13 percent. For the Ford SUV, the sales rise by 30 percent. Lincoln Mark LT made an increase of sales by 14 percent and the Lincoln line-up boosts by nine percent. Additionally, making the greatest increase of sales for September is Ford Escape, attaining 35 percent increase.

On the other part of the record, the over-all total sales met a reduction of sales by 9.5 percent. Ford’s car sales reduced by 18.4 percent to 3,389 units compared to the sales for September last year. The overall sales for trucks also decreased, obtaining a decline of 6.1 percent with 10, 503 units.

The distribution of Ford September sales can be viewed via Media Ford.

The manufacturing of F-series Duty pickup by Ford Motor Co. will be postponed based from the production plan released by the company last September 4. Although Ford’s September sales decreased by 20.4 percent and F-series pickup sales declined by 20.8 percent from the previous month, the company’s sales analyst said that the latter has nothing to do with the latest sales performance.

Ford’s Super Duty Plant located at Louisville, Ky. will continue to produce trucks on October 22.

According to George Pipas, Ford’s sales analyst, “We are absolutely determined not to let inventories get ahead of demand for anything”.

Ford Motor Co. started in the early 1900s to manufacture a huge production of assembly lines. After several periods, the company achieved success in the automotive industry and made its name as one of the biggest automakers of trucks and cars all over the world. It manufactures, develops, designs and provides vehicles and even car parts through its branches.

The company sells vehicles and auto parts under the brand names Volvo, Mercury, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar and Lincoln. Ford Motor Co. holds the 33 percent controlling stake of Mazda. Through the Premier Automotive Group, the company manages the nameplates for Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar vehicles.

Ford Motor Co. not only manages the automotive sector, it also has its Financial Services. Ford Motor Credit, which is the company’s finance subsidiary, is the leading automotive finance company in the United States. Hertz, also the leading car-rental business in the world, had been owned by Ford and later sold.

News via Left Lane News.

Contract agreements with Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC are anticipated by UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. These follow the pattern set with General Motors.

New officers will negotiate to the UAW contract. Ford’s present CEO is Alan Mulally while Bob Nardelli handles the Chrysler.

“We expect this will basically be the same agreement we’ll get at the other companies. There’s some modification, but for the most part, it will be a pattern agreement,” Gettelfinger said while interviewed in WJR-AM radio in Detroit.

General Motors and Ford discussed in 2005 about health care concession but Chrysler was not able to acquire the midcontract. DaimlerChrysler AG settled to make Chrysler for sale after a few months.

The spokespersons of Chrysler and Ford said that they had not yet heard from the union but still they wait which automaker will be the next to make a new contract with UAW.

According to Ford’s representative Marcey Evans, “The decision is totally up to the union.”

The UAW President said that he will discuss the situation with his top officials and expects fast negotiations with the other two companies.

“There’s no reason at this point why we can’t get both of those done at the same time. If we run into difficulty at one or the other, then we’ll make a decision. I would hope we could do that. I’m not saying that’s what we will do.” Gettelfinger said.

The second plant of Changan Ford Mazda was opened in Nanjing with an approximate capacity of producing 160,000 units every year. The new plant is a project of three companies namely Changan, Ford and Mazda. Half of Changan Ford Mazda Automobile is owned by China’s Changan Automotive Group, the fourth-largest Chinese car producer, the thirty five percent is owned by Ford while Mazda Motor Corp., a Japanese automobile maker, owns the fifteen percent. An investment of US$510 million is given to the second plant.

The Mazda2 model is planned to be manufactured in the new plant on October 30. And according to a statement released at the opening of the new plant, the company also intends to launch a small-car Ford model next year.

The first plant was established in Chongqing. It is able to produce 250,000 units each year which consists of the models Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo, For S-Max, Volvo S40 and Mazda3. According to Nigel Harris, the general manager, there was a production strain at the Chongqing site since the demand for automobile of the first-time auto buyers becomes increasingly high. However, the sales of this site soar up to 57 percent. Ford Focus contributes much to the sales surge.

After Ford experienced falling of sales and high operation cost, it shut down plants and cut staff in the United States. But, China did a big part in the Ford business and is regarded as one of the most important markets of the Company. The China sales for the first eight months this year rose 29% to 114,702 vehicles.

Ford Motor Company will hold back the production of its F-150 units in Claycomo for two weeks. This is primarily due to the reduced condition of sales of the automotive company.

According to a news report from kansascity.com, United Auto Workers Representative Jim Stoufer announced that Ford will shut unit construction at the Claycomo plant starting next week.

Sources say that a certain amendment on work schedule was agreed upon by the management of Ford and the labor union. When the operation resumes, the workers shall work 10 hours a day, four times a week. Employees from Claycomo plant and other factories shall be subjected to this schedule. Such an aggressive change in working conditions at the Claycomo plant and other auto production facilities was ventured into by Ford with the hope of trimming down its production costs.

For the early two weeks of October that Claycomo plant will cease its operations, more than 2,000 workers shall undergo an unpaid leave. On the other hand, plants that manufacture models Mercury Mariner SUVs and Ford Escapes will go on with their original work schedule that permits overtime.

F-series trucks experienced a 12 percent decrease in sales during the first months of this year. According to Stoufer, Ford is trying to be very careful in dealing with the F-series because of its present sales performance and the existing economic situation.

In its aim to boost the company standing, the management of Ford is generating a lot of efforts to cut the costs of its production. Recent reports showed that there was a Ford F-150 facility in Norfolk that underwent permanent stoppage prior to the closing of the Claycomo plant.

As part of its corporate social responsibility program, Ford Motor Company has initiated a comprehensive endorsement that aims to improve the consciousness of people from various sectors about breast cancer. The automotive company carries out this health campaign in collaboration with the popular game show of NBC Deal or No Deal and famous pop songster Kelly Clarkson.

The 2007 Warriors in Pink is an event organized by Ford especially for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an association of breast cancer survivors and advocates. Ford organizers have planned to hold this health drive on October, which is officially the month of breast cancer awareness. The event will be aired on October 19 as a special chapter of Deal or No Deal on NBC.

This breast cancer campaign is directed not only to middle-aged women but also to the young generation. Advertising agency JWT Detroit and Public Relations firm Hill & Knowlton Irvine were chosen by Ford to help endorse its social campaign to a youthful audience. The two media groups came up with a promotional strategy that includes the introduction of a MySpace web page that features a public service announcement by Kelly Clarkson. The page is also an outlet through which people can share their views on breast cancer.

According to Ford Sponsorship Executive Crystal Greene, the company purposely selected Clarkson to promote its campaign for breast cancer awareness. The young songbird, who is continually gaining recognition from all over the world, is tasked to support Ford’s worthy cause in print ads, website Fordcares.com, and public service announcements on television.

Ford, which has been supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure group for several years now, is intending to broaden its social endeavors by extending them to members of the Hispanic and the African-American populations.

A series of television ads that campaigns for anti-speeding becomes a source of disappointment on the part of Ford Motor Company. The anti-speeding advocacies capture the downfall of a speeding old model of Ford Falcon.

The advertisements that amount to about two million dollars disguise the anti-speeding concept as an ordinary car brand promotion. The storyline begins with a man casually driving a Ford Falcon model. The contentious ads end with the Ford Falcon model experiencing a ruthless crash.

According to sources from The Herald, Ford is planning to appeal for the removal of these ads, which were produced by the Land Transport New Zealand. It has even hired lawyers to handle the case, claiming that the ads create a negative image of Ford vehicles even though the Ford badge is not actually seen.

“We do have concerns which we are raising with LTNZ and we are looking at our marketing, legal and PR options,” Ford Spokesperson Clare Ponton claimed. She stressed that the anti-speeding campaigns violated a part of the convention between the association of automotive companies and the Land Transport New Zealand. It is part of the agreement between the two parties that in making road safety advocacies, it is not allowed to feature a model of any vehicle that can be identified by the viewers.

Though Ford, on its part, feels that the ads are unfair, Advertising Manager for Land Transport New Zealand Paul Graham believes otherwise. Graham would not yield in finishing off the ads since he claims that the ads are all based on sound research.

The restructuring efforts of Ford Motor Company somehow bore fruit as its shares recently experienced a significant increase.  This raise in shares is, by and large, attributed to an analyst’s evaluation that a potential health care deal for retirees may bring more advantages to Ford than to the world’ s largest automotive company  General Motors Corp. 

The shares of the automotive company went 3 percent higher than its earlier standing.  People in the deal saw Ford’s shares soar to 8.28 dollars, a vital development from its previous 6.85 dollar share.

Representatives from the United Auto Workers and General Motors persist on their negotiation regarding a new labor agreement, subsequent to termination of the preceding labor contract that lasted for four years.  Included in the contract being negotiated is the financial assistance to be allotted for the health care of General Motors retirees.

General Motors went all out in its effort to cover all the health expenses of its retirees through this health deal with United Auto Workers. In turn, this North American labor union expects a guaranteed array of job openings for its members.

Sources say that once the United Auto Workers agrees with the proposed plans of General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler LLC have a big chance of enjoying the same agreement. 

According to Bear Stearns representative Peter Nesvold, the shares of Ford in fact have more potential than the shares incurred by General Motors.  Since it was foreseen that a decent health care contract will be achieved by Ford, its shares experienced a notable raise.

Ford is also expected to gain its own health care system for its retirees.  Nesvold said that the proceeds could even be greater than that of General Motors.

The racing and Special Vehicle Team (SVT) sections of Ford Motor Company, together with Shelby Automobiles Inc., have made an effort to equip the Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500KR 2008 model with a 4-litre supercharged V8 power plant and an upgrade in its racing engine. This new edition has been produced in commemoration of Ford Mustang’s 40^th anniversary.

The improved Ford Mustang GT500KR carries with it approximately 691 N.m of torque. Since it has an ultimate drive proportion of 3, 7:1, this enhanced engine makes the GT500KR one of the greatest versions of the Ford Mustang.

Sources from Ford and Shelby have refused to give a concrete remark regarding how this Mustang actually performs. However, they insinuated that the latest version of GT500KR can actually take the limelight from the Saleen Mustang 281 Extreme, which actually boasts of a superior level of performance.

The 2008 model of the GT500KR received a tremendous amount of enhancement. Because of the modified ignition system and an improved throttle calibration, making the power plant of the car work at an optimum level is certainly possible. Moreover, the new GT500KR underwent minor yet important changes such as incurring lesser front air barrier and having a composite bonnet made of carbon fiber.

Ford has been very particular with every little feature of the Mustang, from the delivery of the engine power to the minor auto parts. This is chiefly because of its aim to offer a grand driving experience to its potential customers. “We aren’t fixing our attention on one or two attributes, but working on the vehicle as a whole,” said Shelby Automobiles Inc. Vice President of Operations Gary Patterson.

For the 40^th anniversary of the Mustang, about 1,000 new GT500KR units are to be released. These limited edition Mustang units are furnished with a Shelby engine compartment tag, mirror caps in various striking colors, and rear and bonnet with a Shelby inscription, and an elegant interior featuring Shelby insignia.

Ford greatly invested on this new edition of the Mustang GT500KR in order to sustain and even develop the standing of the original Ford Mustang.

Ford Motor Company, in cooperation with Microsoft Corporation, recently introduced in Seattle the latest technologically advanced system for Ford Focus units.

The new set of Ford Focus units is equipped with Sync, an entertainment and communication automotive device produced by Microsoft. According to Ford America President Mark Fields, the Sync technology of Microsoft is being utilized by Ford to make the lives of Ford automobile owners a lot easier.

This technological breakthrough helps in trimming down the distractions in driving through its wireless phone call and text message system. Owners of Ford automobiles can send a text message, answer a call, or listen to their favorite MP3 tunes in a single voice command.

The refurbished Ford Focus 2008 model was the first to be equipped with the Sync system, which was first introduced to the public in the Detroit auto show last January. The improved Ford Focus will be sold at approximately 14, 690 dollars. Owners of Ford Focus units that are not equipped with this entertainment and communication system will have to spend 395 dollars to obtain this Microsoft innovation.

Incorporating Microsoft’s Sync technology is something Ford ventured on in order to improve its dwindling sales. The once lustrous Ford Focus has been slowly losing its popularity in the automotive market. Reports show that for the month of August, Ford Focus incurred US sales 3 percent less than what it gained last year. The Sync innovation in Ford Focus units can attract more potential customers and win back the market that Ford has lost.

In addition to the improvement in Ford technology, the struggling automotive company also aims to concentrate on the production of smaller vehicles. This plan is based on a study showing that a significant percent of Americans are now being practical and are yearning for more efficient and manageable automobiles.