The 1 Millionth Ford Mustang Built at the Flat Rock Assembly Rolls Off the Line

Watch as the 1 millionth Ford Mustang, built at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock Michigan, rolls off the line, as Ford celebrates 50 years of the iconic nameplate.

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Flat Rock Assembly Plant Celebrates Producing One-Millionth Ford Mustang As Year 50 Begins

• Nine years after Ford Mustang production moved to Flat Rock, Mich., Flat Rock Assembly Plant celebrates producing one million of these iconic sports cars

• Raj Nair, Ford group vice president for product development, commemorates the occasion by riding off the line in a Ruby Red 2014 Mustang convertible accompanied by a senior plant employee

• Ford celebrates 49 years of continuous Mustang production with more than 8.5 million of America’s favorite sports cars produced

 

FLAT ROCK, Mich., April 17, 2013 – Happy Birthday Mustang! Forty-nine years to the day after its 1964 debut in New York, the iconic sports car celebrates another milestone: One million Mustangs have rolled off the line at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant since production moved there in 2004. Ford is celebrating this milestone as year 50 of continuous Mustang production gets under way at Flat Rock Assembly.

 

Raj Nair, group vice president for global product development, today rode off the line at Flat Rock Assembly Plant in a Ruby Red 2014 Mustang convertible. Nair was riding shotgun with Ed Salna, material planning and logistics manager at the plant. Salna is a 27-year veteran of Flat Rock Assembly, starting work there more than a year before the plant produced its first car.

 

“Mustang is one of the most beloved nameplates in the industry, with fans around the world and throughout Ford Motor Company,” said Nair. “The team here at Flat Rock Assembly has built an outstanding reputation for quality while producing one million Mustangs over the last nine years, and we expect that to continue for many years to come.”

 

Ford has built Mustangs near its home base in Dearborn, Mich. for 49 years. The car was built at Ford’s famous Rouge factory, just a few minutes from company headquarters, for four decades before moving a few miles south to Flat Rock in 2004.

 

Introduced in April 1964, Mustang proved to be far more popular than anyone expected, prompting Ford to add production capacity outside Michigan. By early 1965 plants in Metuchen, N.J. and San Jose, Calif. were also building Mustang. Less than two years later, on Wednesday, March 2, 1966, the one-millionth Mustang rolled off the line in Dearborn. To date, Ford has produced and sold more than 8.5 million Mustangs.

 

The launch of Mustang production at Flat Rock coincided with introduction of the then all-new fifth-generation model – first in the series to get a dedicated platform. In addition to the standard V6 and the V8-powered GT model, Mustangs coming out of Flat Rock Assembly Plant have included several special editions and race cars:

 

• In 2006 Flat Rock built a limited run of black and gold Shelby GT-H coupes for Hertz rental fleets to commemorate the 1966 Shelby GT350H rental car
• 2007 brought the debut of the Shelby GT500 Mustang developed by SVT with a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 producing 500 horsepower, the most ever for a Mustang then
• For the 2008 and 2009 model years, the Mustang lineup included the Bullitt, inspired by the car driven by the title character in the 1968 film of the same name
• For the 2012 and 2013 model years, Flat Rock built the track-optimized Boss 302
• The Flat Rock line has produced numerous competition versions of Mustang including the FR500, Boss 302R and the extremely successful Cobra Jet drag racer

The Flat Rock factory has been producing vehicles since 1987, when it opened as Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA and built the Mazda MX-6. In 1992 Ford purchased a 50 percent share in the plant and it was renamed AutoAlliance International. Over the years Flat Rock Assembly has produced the Mazda 626, Mazda6, Mercury Cougar and Ford Probe. In addition to Mustang, Flat Rock will add production of the Fusion sedan later this year.

 

“Flat Rock has gone through an amazing transformation over the past year,” said Tim Young, plant manager, Flat Rock Assembly Plant. “We’ve invested $555 million including a state-of-the-art, fully flexible body shop and an upgraded paint shop to make sure we’re continuing to build the best of the best for the next one million Mustangs.”

 

“The one-millionth Mustang is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of the Flat Rock Local 3000 membership,” said Tony Bondy, UAW Local 3000 chairman. “It’s been great building an iconic American car since 2004, and with the introduction of Fusion along with our new plant upgrades, we will keep building world-class quality in Flat Rock for years to come.”

 

Ford is adding 1,400 jobs and a second shift at Flat Rock Assembly Plant to support new Fusion production as part of its plan to add 12,000 hourly jobs in the United States through 2015.

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Video Snacks Bring Vehicle Features Directly to Consumers

• Ford launches a new Vehicle Orientation program this week at dealerships nationwide designed to bring consumers closer to the features available on their cars through an e-mailed checklist with links to ‘video snacks’ on Fordowner.com

• The inspiration for video snacks comes from Ford’s Global Consumer Experience Movement, a revolutionary program created to elevate the dealer-customer relationship into a world-class consumer experience

• VIDEO: Vehicle Orientation Program overview

 

DEARBORN, Mich., April 15, 2013 – Ford is launching a new Vehicle Orientation program at dealerships nationwide this week that is designed to help bridge the gap between consumers and their cars by providing customers with access to a comprehensive online library of “video snacks” – short videos that explain how to use specific vehicle features like Remote Start Systems, MyKey^® and Integrated Blind Spot Mirrors.

 

While a customer is completing their sales transaction for a new vehicle at the dealership, the salesperson will walk them through an orientation guide of specific features they would like to learn about at delivery, at their Sync My Ride session or on their own. That list is then e-mailed to the customer with each item checked including a link to a corresponding video snack that they can watch at any time, whether at home or even in the dealership. The salesperson keeps a copy of the list so that he or she can review any items the customer may have missed when the customer returns to pick up their vehicle.

 

“Now more than ever before our vehicles are equipped with a variety of advanced technologies designed to make life better for drivers, but we know that just because a cool feature is available doesn’t necessarily mean it is being recognized or used by the consumer,” said Andrew Ashman, Ford and Lincoln Consumer Experience Manager. “Our goal is to simplify and enhance the sales experience by providing customers with the resources they need when they need them so that they can fully enjoy all the benefits their vehicle has to offer them.”

 

“It was seamless. It helped us take our conversation and our connection with our customer one step further,” said Casey Jenkins Combs, Internet Manager at Jenkins and Wynne Ford Lincoln.  “The neat thing about this new orientation process is that we were able to tap into the customer’s needs just a little bit deeper and cater to them versus just saying, ‘Here is our agenda.’ We were able to listen and ask, ‘What’s important to you?’ and take it from there.”

 

The inspiration for video snacks comes from Ford’s Global Consumer Experience Movement, a revolutionary program based on the ideals of trust, control, respect and relationship that is designed to elevate the dealer-customer relationship into a world-class consumer experience.

 

Listening to customers

“We created the new Vehicle Orientation process to bring helpful information about our vehicles directly to the customer during the sales experience, putting the control in their hands to choose what they want to learn about – whether they are watching at home or experiencing it in a demonstration at the dealership,” said Ashman.

 

In an effort to zero in on specific vehicle features to spotlight in the form of a video snack, Ford reviewed customer research received 30 to 90 days after purchase and looked at what vehicle owners were posting on forums to find which technologies they were most interested in. One example is Ford MyKey system, which allows parents to create a customizable key with specific driving settings, including speed limit control, for greater safety for teen drivers.

 

The video snacks – which are a blend of video and animation with a little bit of narration – focus on a feature and not a specific vehicle so that they can be used across vehicle lines. Customers who buy a new vehicle will receive an e-mail notifying them where they can view the videos. The video snacks will also be posted on YouTube on a popular channel called “Know Your Vehicle.”

 

“Making sure our customers have the best possible experience owning their vehicle is our ultimate goal,” said Ashman.

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Ford and GM to Jointly Develop Advanced Nine- and 10-Speed Automatic Transmissions

• New project to build on success of previous collaborations

• Initial design and engineering work is already under way

• New transmissions will improve fuel economy and enhance performance

DEARBORN, Mich., April 15, 2013 – Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation have signed an agreement under which both companies will jointly develop an all-new generation of advanced-technology nine- and 10-speed automatic transmissions for cars, crossovers, SUVs and trucks.

 

The new transmissions, to be built in both front- and rear-wheel-drive variants, will improve vehicle performance and increase fuel economy.

 

The collaboration enables both automakers to design, develop, engineer, test, validate and deliver these new transmissions for their vehicles faster and at lower cost than if each company worked independently.

 

“Engineering teams from GM and Ford have already started initial design work on these new transmissions,” said Jim Lanzon, GM vice president of global transmission engineering. “We expect these new transmissions to raise the standard of technology, performance and quality for our customers while helping drive fuel economy improvements into both companies’ future product portfolios.”

 

A track record of success

This new agreement marks the third time in the past decade that GM and Ford have collaborated on transmissions. These collaborative efforts have enabled both companies together to deliver more than 8 million durable, high-quality six-speed front-wheel-drive transmissions to customers around the globe.

 

Ford installs these six-speed transmissions in some of America’s favorite vehicles, such as the Ford Fusion family sedan, the Ford Edge crossover and Ford Escape and Explorer SUVs, while GM installs them into a variety of high-volume, award-winning products such as the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Traverse, Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Cruze.

 

That original collaboration served as a template for the new one. As before, each company will manufacture its own transmissions in its own plants with many common components.

 

“The goal is to keep hardware identical in the Ford and GM transmissions. This will maximize parts commonality and give both companies economy of scale,” said Craig Renneker, Ford’s chief engineer for transmission and driveline component and pre-program engineering. “However, we will each use our own control softwareto ensure that each transmission is carefully matched to the individual brand-specific vehicle DNA for each company.”

 

“With the jointly developed six-speed automatics we have in production today, we’ve already proven that Ford and GM transmission engineers work extremely well together,” said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president of powertrain engineering. “Our front-wheel-drive transmissions have exceeded expectations and there is every reason to believe we will have the same success with these all-new transmissions.”

 

“This agreement provides tremendous benefits for both companies, and it will pay big dividends for our customers and shareholders,” added Lanzon. “By jointly sharing the development of these two new families of transmissions, both GM and Ford will be able to more efficiently use our respective manpower resources to develop additional future advanced transmissions and bring them to market faster than if we worked alone.”

 

Further technical details and vehicle applications for these transmissions will be released by each company at the appropriate time before launch.

Ford Launches New Fuel-Efficient 1.5-Liter EcoBoost Engine; Boosts Company’s Global EcoBoost Capacity

• Ford announces new fuel-efficient 1.5-liter EcoBoost^® engine, extends successful EcoBoost lineup to meet global demand for four-cylinder EcoBoost engines

• Ford now has capacity to build 1.6 million EcoBoost engines annually, triples number of plants that produce EcoBoost engines in Europe, Asia and North America from 2010 to 2013 

• 1.5-liter EcoBoost offers trademark EcoBoost turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing; delivers power of a larger engine with smaller unit economy

• Fifth Ford EcoBoost engine delivers new innovations, and significant consumer benefits in global markets offering tax reductions for vehicles equipped with engines of 1.5-liter capacity or less

 

DEARBORN, Mich., April 11, 2013 – Ford Motor Company today announces a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost^® engine will join its lineup of fuel-efficient, innovative powertrains. The 1.5-liter engine is a key strategic entry for Ford, as the company works to meet strong global demand for its four-cylinder EcoBoost engines.

 

With the launch of this newest fuel-efficient engine, Ford now has capacity to build 1.6 million EcoBoost engines annually. By the end of 2013, six plants across Europe, Asia and North America will be producing EcoBoost engines, triple the number that were doing so in 2010.

 

Production of the four-cylinder 1.5-liter EcoBoost – the fifth member of the EcoBoost family – will commence initially at Ford’s world-class facility in Craiova, Romania, later this month. Other manufacturing locations will be announced in the future. The new engine will be first introduced in China in the all-new Ford Mondeo, making its public debut later this month at Auto Shanghai 2013, with applications following in the Fusion sedan in North America this year, and later the new Mondeo in Europe.

 

As a key contributor to Ford’s aggressive fuel economy and emissions strategy, EcoBoost technologies enable improvements to both fuel efficiency of 20 percent and emissions of up to 15 percent. The 1.5-liter engine benefits from signature EcoBoost turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing, and has been designed to be even more fuel efficient and offer high levels of refinement, quietness and performance.

 

Additionally, the newest EcoBoost engine will be a strategic entry for Ford in global markets that offer tax relief to consumers who purchase vehicles powered by engines of 1.5-liter capacity or less.

 

The new aluminum-block, twin-cam 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine will include some of the innovative features introduced on the award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost such as an integrated exhaust manifold. The new engine is expected to provide similar horsepower and torque performance to Ford’s current 1.6-liter EcoBoost, while delivering improved fuel economy and lower CO₂ emissions.

 

The 1.5-liter EcoBoost is the first engine from Ford to incorporate a computer-controlled clutch on the belt-drive water pump, which further improves efficiencies by reducing warm-up time. A water-cooled charge air cooler is added to offer a more efficient feed of air into the engine.

 

“Ford EcoBoost technology has changed the way people look at gas engines and has enjoyed huge success with customers,” said Joe Bakaj, vice president, powertrain engineering for Ford. “The new 1.5-liter unit further extends our EcoBoost promise of economical driving in terms of both fuel efficiency and – in some markets – tax savings.”

 

Ford has sold more than 600,000 EcoBoost-equipped vehicles globally since the range was launched with the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost in 2009. Ford added the 2.0-liter EcoBoost in 2010, the 1.6-liter EcoBoost followed in 2011, and last year the 1.0-liter EcoBoost was launched, winning the 2012 “International Engine of the Year” award.

 

By the end of this year, nearly 80 percent of the company’s global nameplates will be available with fuel-saving EcoBoost technology.

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Ford Delivers Best Hybrid Sales Quarter Ever as Fusion and C-MAX Hybrids Attract New Customers to Brand

• ord’s hybrid sales in the first quarter of the year totaled 21,080 vehicles, marking the first time Ford has sold more than 20,000 hybrids in a quarter; first-quarter hybrid sales increased by 324 percent 
• First-quarter growth even higher in key markets; Fusion Hybrid sales up 518 percent in New York, 478 percent in Los Angeles and 325 percent in San Francisco
• Beyond fuel economy, design and technology are among the top reasons customers are choosing Fusion Hybrid over the competition, according to early buyer data from J.D. Power
• Fusion Hybrid is attracting the youngest buyer of any mid-size hybrid in the market today  with 29 percent of customers under the age of 36

 

 

DEARBORN, Mich., April 10, 2013 – Ford delivered its best hybrid sales quarter ever in the first quarter of 2013 with sales totaling 21,080 vehicles – marking the first time Ford has sold more than 20,000 hybrids in a quarter. Ford’s hybrid sales were up 324 percent nationally over 2012, achieving 16 percent share of the electrified vehicle market – up from 4 percent last year.

 

This was the first quarter in which Ford offered all four of its new hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including Fusion Hybrid, Fusion Energi, C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi. Ford’s first hybrid offerings went on sale in October 2004, nearly a decade ago. 

 

This record sales quarter was driven by the success of the C-MAX hybrids and Fusion hybrids. The all-new design, fuel efficiency and smart technology the company’s new hybrids offer is attracting an entirely new group of customers to Ford showrooms.

 

Three out of four customers in key hybrid markets are coming from other brands. In addition to fueling a surge in sales of Ford’s latest electrified vehicles, these customers are equipping their new rides with some of the most advanced technology on the market.

 

Ford hybrids attracting new buyers to the brand

One quarter of electrified vehicles sold in the United States in 2012 were purchased in California – more than any other state – and increasingly these customers are opting for a Ford-brand vehicle. Since the new 2013 Fusion Hybrid went on sale last fall, 73 percent of the car’s customers in the Los Angeles area are new to the Ford brand. In the San Francisco area, 77 percent of Fusion Hybrid customers are coming from another brand.

 

Four months ago Los Angeles-based Eddie Sasaki replaced his Jeep Wrangler with a Fusion Hybrid after checking out the Chevrolet Volt and Kia Optima Hybrid. “I love the look of the Fusion,” says Sasaki. “Fusion’s overall appearance and value are what sold me.” So far Sasaki is averaging about 42 mpg on his 40-mile daily commute.

 

Toyota remains the top conquest brand for both Fusion Hybrid and C-MAX hybrids. Initial sales data show C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi are also bringing new customers to Ford, with conquest rates remaining above 60 percent since the vehicles hit the market in 2012.

 

Even among consumers who are still car shopping, Ford hybrids have gained ground on the longtime market leader. According to data from consumer research site Edmunds.com, Ford’s all-new Fusion Hybrid is already taking the lead over Toyota Camry Hybrid in purchase consideration. Meanwhile C-MAX hybrids – Ford’s newest nameplate and first dedicated hybrid lineup – are showing consideration equal to Toyota Prius and purchase intent near equal to Prius, all while offering lower incentives than Toyota for both Camry Hybrid and Prius. The Prius and Honda CR-V remain the top two competitive trade-ins for C-MAX Hybrid.

 

Fusion hybrids are also attracting the youngest wave of customers in the midsize segment. More than one in five buyers of Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi are under 36 years old.

 

Ford’s electrified vehicles are also attracting customers in areas that have traditionally shied away from hybrids, including Texas, Florida and the central region. One-third of all C-MAX sales are in the Midwest, where hybrid sales have historically been lower.

 

Hybrid customers want technology under the hood and in the cabin

Early buyer data from industry analytics firm J.D. Power indicate design and technology are among the top reasons customers are choosing Fusion Hybrid over the competition. Fusion’s stunning new design grabs attention at first glance, while technologies including SmartGauge^® with EcoGuide, Lane-Keeping System, Driver Alert, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS^®) and SYNC^® with MyFord^® Touch help to close the deal.

 

Technology features highly sought after in Fusion Hybrid include:

 

• 70 percent of all Fusion Hybrids are equipped with the MyFord Touch package compared to just 50 percent on the conventional Fusion
• BLIS and Lane-Keeping System are installed on 31 percent of hybrids, double the rate of the conventional Fusion
• 12 percent of hybrid customers select active park assist, compared to 7 percent for the conventional Fusion

 

C-MAX Hybrid customers are also far more likely to load up their vehicles:

 

• Vehicles equipped with technology packages on C-MAX Hybrid move off dealer lots three times faster than those without
• 27 percent of C-MAX customers get the panoramic fixed-glass roof
• More than three out of four customers choose the hands-free liftgate

 

Ford’s electrified vehicles

Already Ford’s most fuel-efficient sedan, the all-new Fusion Energi has an EPA-rated total range of up to 620 miles and the ability to drive up to 21 miles in electric-only mode, nearly triple the electric-only range of plug-in hybrids from Toyota and Honda – along with EPA-rated fuel economy of 108 MPGe city, 92 MPGe highway and 100 MPGe combined.

 

Fusion Hybrid is America’s most fuel-efficient midsize hybrid sedan with an EPA-estimated rating of 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway (best-in-class) and 47 mpg combined.

 

Also available are Focus Electric, C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. Focus Electric is one of America’s most fuel-efficient compact cars with an EPA-rated 110 MPGe city, 99 MPGe highway and 105 MPGe combined. C-MAX Energi is EPA-rated at 108 MPGe city, 92 MPGe highway and 100 MPGe combined. C-MAX Hybrid delivers an EPA-estimated 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway and 47 mpg combined.