Happy Earth Day - Go Green Buy Blue

FORD HYBRIDS EARN TOP GREEN VEHICLE KUDOS FROM KBB.COM

Just in time for Earth Day and for the second year in a row, the Ford Escape Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid have earned spots on kbb.com's Top 10 Green Cars for 2010 list. Vehicles chosen were required to offer fuel economy and CO2 emissions superior to the bulk of vehicles in their class, while providing customers with safety, creature comforts and driving enjoyment. For more information, visit

 www.kbb.com/GreenCars2010.

Ford and Electric Vehicles

FORD PLUGS INTO THE SUNSHINE STATE WITH PROGRESS ENERGY

• Ford Motor Company and Progress Energy are expanding their plug-in vehicle research partnership to include the utility company’s Florida operations
• Ford is working with a dozen utility companies across the nation to advance the commercialization of electric vehicles under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy
• Ford plans to bring a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to market in 2012 as part of its electrification product strategy 

 ORLANDO, Fla., March 2, 2010 – Ford Motor Company is expanding the range of its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) research program as one of its regional utility partners, Progress Energy, expands its role by adding a Ford Escape PHEV to its Florida operations. Ford and Progress Energy made the announcement today at the University of Central Florida’s Solar Smart Grid in Orlando.
Progress Energy is one of a dozen North American energy companies working with Ford to advance the commercialization of electric vehicles under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy. Progress Energy joined the research program in February 2009 when it announced that it would road-test a Ford Escape PHEV in Raleigh, N.C.
Ford was the first automotive manufacturer to partner with the utility industry in a shared effort to understand all of the issues related to PHEV technology and its interconnectivity with the electric grid. Ford started the program in mid-2007 when it formed its first utility partnership with Southern California Edison.
Ford’s utility partners have already conducted more than 160,000 miles of road testing with a fleet of 21 Escape PHEVs. These rechargeable vehicles use a combination of pure electric power and a gasoline engine to achieve up to 120 mpg.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles offer several benefits, including:

• Reduced dependency on petroleum and increased energy independence
• Reduced environmental impact through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
• Potential consumer cost savings on energy/fuel costs

“This PHEV research is helping Ford and our utility partners to better understand the issues related to connectivity between vehicles and the electric grid,” said Greg Frenette, Ford manager, Global Electrified Fleets. “We’re delighted that Progress Energy is expanding its participation to include the Sunshine State.”

Plugging in to the ‘smart’ grid
In Florida, Progress Energy will road-test a 2010 Escape PHEV equipped with one of the industry’s first vehicle-to-electric “smart” grid communications and control systems. The ultimate goal of this new technology is to enable plug-in electric vehicles to interface with the electric grid and to allow the vehicle operator to determine when and for how long to recharge the vehicle, potentially enabling the user to take advantage of lower, off-peak utility rates.
Florida is a natural fit for Ford’s PHEV research program. According to the recently released Metro Orlando Cleantech Study, the University of Central Florida and the Orlando region are steadily becoming a hotbed for renewable energy and alternative fuel endeavors, as well as for a variety of research and development initiatives aimed at deploying more cost-efficient, environmentally compatible power.
“Progress Energy is committed to helping Ford pave the way for electric transportation and confronting the new energy realities of evolving energy demand, global climate change and rising fuel costs,” said Rob Caldwell, vice president of Efficiency and Innovative Technology at Progress Energy.

Partners in progress
In addition to Progress Energy, Ford’s PHEV research partners include:

• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
• U.S. Department of Energy
• Southern California Edison
• New York Power Authority
• Consolidated Edison of New York
• American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio
• Alabama Power of Birmingham, Ala.; and its parent, Atlanta-based Southern Company
• DTE Energy of Detroit
• National Grid of Waltham, Mass.
• Pepco Holdings
• New York State Energy and Research Development Authority
• Hydro-Québec, the largest electricity generator in Canada

The Electric Power Research Institute, which is providing financial and logistical support for the research, formed the collaboration of utilities for the program in 2008. This allows EPRI and Ford to study regional differences and the impact on the electric grid as well as the vehicles.
“Bringing additional utilities and states on board raises the program to a new level,” said Arshad Mansoor, EPRI vice president of Power Delivery and Markets. “We expect the expansion of the program’s participants will result in more robust data, ultimately helping automakers and utilities develop an efficient, convenient infrastructure and a seamless interface between the road and the power grid.”

# # #

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 198,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.
About Progress Energy
Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 22,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company has earned the Edison Electric Institute’s Edison Award, the industry’s highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder’s Award for customer service. The company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future, which includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. Progress Energy celebrated a century of service in 2008. Visit the company’s Web site at www.progress-energy.com.
About EPRI
The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) conducts research and development on technology, operations and the environment for the global electric power industry. As an independent, non-profit organization, EPRI brings together its members, the institute’s scientists of research to meet challenges in electricity generation, delivery and use, including health, safety and the environment. EPRI’s members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated in the United States, and international participation extends to 40 countries. EPRI has major offices and laboratories in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.

Ford's Foresight Will Put Them on Top

Ford's Foresight



This morning on the front page of MSNBC they ran the following article on Ford and Alan Mulally. They discuss Ford's current situation and the future of the auto industry. It is a good article. We think it should be noted that they attribute some of Ford's current situation to luck, and that can certainly be defended. However, it is ironic that once again Alan Mulally pulled up to Washington DC in a production Hybrid, while the other 2 CEO's of the Big 3 came in cocept vehicles. Ford was on the right path before the current problems began.



Ford’s foresight puts carmaker in pole position

Gerald Herbert / AP file

Ford’s Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in a new Ford Fusion hybrid vehicle.

MSNBC.com

Ford’s foresight puts carmaker in pole position

Sales are still dreadful, but the No. 2 carmaker is gaining share on rivals

By Roland Jones

updated 9:24 a.m. CT, Wed., May 6, 2009

As Chrysler makes its way through bankruptcy court and General Motors tries to avoid the same fate, Ford is emerging as the strongest of the Big Three automakers.

Ford has taken no federal bailout money, but it’s pulling ahead of its rivals because of well-timed financial planning and a focused and attractive mix of product. The automaker also is profiting from the troubles at GM and Chrysler.

“[Ford’s Chief Executive Alan] Mulally went out and got credit when it was available, and he has positioned the automaker with a global strategy using the Fiesta and the Focus,” said George Magliano, director of automotive industry research at IHS Global Insight. “So they have gone way up the ladder, and of course they look a lot better because they didn’t ask for a bailout.”

North American auto sales remain dismal, but Ford added market share in April, thanks to record sales of its fuel-efficient midsize Fusion. And with Chrysler in bankruptcy and likely to see sales continue to plummet, Ford will continue to gain, analysts say.

Ford sales were down 32 percent from a year earlier, but that was good enough to push past Toyota to reclaim its position as the nation’s No. 2 car company, with 16 percent of the market. GM, the largest automaker with 21 percent of the market, saw sales drop 34 percent. Chrysler, which filed for a government-engineered bankruptcy Thursday, reported the sharpest decline among major automakers, falling 48 percent.

Key to Ford’s success is its strong cash position. Two years ago, having just arrived in Detroit from Boeing and profiting from a stronger credit market, Ford’s Chief Executive Alan Mulally mortgaged every conceivable asset owned by the automaker — including the iconic blue oval Ford logo — to the tune of $23 billion to finance its turnaround plan.

Today, Ford has around $30 billion on hand, enough to finance its day-to-day operating needs until sometime in 2010, when the auto market is expected to pick up again, according to analysts.

Ford also has managed its product mix effectively, notes Tom Appel, associate publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive, a guide for car buyers. In mid-2008, when the price of gasoline topped $4 a gallon for the first time, Ford was best-placed out of all the big U.S. automakers to “roll into the recession” and handle the sharp rise in gas prices, he said.

While Chrysler had developed a suite of compact and midsize cars, including the Dodge Avenger and the Jeep Compass, that all looked similar and unrefined, and were not especially fuel-efficient, Ford and GM were producing stronger vehicles in these categories, Appel said.

Ford’s Fusion and Mercury, in particular, were perfect for when the recession hit and car-buyers “got conservative,” he said. Dodge’s midsize Avenger sold 1,400 units in April, but the Ford Fusion sold 18,000 units, Appel added. Ford also managed to work nice new interiors into the vehicles, and they have benefited from good press surrounding the introduction of the Ford Fusion hybrid.

“Ford didn’t spend a lot of money on the Focus; they didn’t redesign it, so when $4 gas came they had this vehicle ready, and so they could sell it cheaply when people started looking for cheaper transportation,” he said.

Chrysler in particular missed the mark on vehicle introductions, bringing out the redesigned Dodge Ram pickup truck and updated minivans just when the auto-buyer market was shifting to smaller vehicles.

“The Dodge Ram is an outstanding vehicle, but the market is not good for trucks right now,” Appel said. “They might have the best pickup ever made, but this is not the time to get the word out on it.”

The Obama administration has said it will backstop Chrysler warranties even with the automaker in bankruptcy, and has promised to extend the same protection to GM customers.

But a recent survey by research firm TNS Automotive shows 20 percent of customers are less likely to buy cars from an automaker that is operating with government help. That figure rises to 37 percent when bankruptcy is introduced, according to report on the findings by IHS Global Insight. Only 12 percent say they would support a car receiving government aid, with that number falling to 8 percent if the company files for bankruptcy, according to the report.

IHS Global Insight’s Magliano says Chrysler is likely to lose 40 to 60 percent of its sales volume in bankruptcy, and something similar could happen to GM if it is forced into bankruptcy protection. What’s more, Chrysler is cutting plants and scaling back production, which also will weigh on sales, he added.

“Despite the government guarantees for when you buy a car or a truck from these guys, this is a serious issue for the automakers,” Magliano said. “These sales will be lost and spread throughout the industry, and so we think Ford could see their sales volume increase by 30 or 40 percent because there are people out there predisposed to buy an American brand. That’s a significant amount of value for them.”

However, Ford isn’t out of the woods yet, notes Magliano. They’ve had luck getting money to survive on, but they still have too many plants and too many dealers, and also too many dealers in a shrinking and increasingly fragmented industry.

“And they’re counting on a significant recovery in sales at the end of this year, expecting annual sales to come in at the 12 million range, but we are looking at something more like 9.5 million or 10.5 million,” he said. “So there could be significant pressure on them at the end of this year; pressure they haven’t been counting on.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30576127/

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© 2009 MSNBC.com

Fusion Hybrid Averages 81.5 MPG, Sets World Record with 1,445 Miles on Single Tank of Gas - Yahoo! Finance

The Fusion Hybrid 1,445 Miles on one tank of Gas

Over the Weekend Ford ran a test to see how far they could go on one tank of gas. They were trying to go over 1,000 miles. Well they did that and then some.

Yesterday I was discussing this with one of our Escape Hybrid owners, and she told me that twice she got 50+ MPG to the tank and is averaging just shy of 40 MPG.

Fusion Hybrid Averages 81.5 MPG, Sets World Record with 1,445 Miles on Single Tank of Gas - Yahoo! Finance
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090428/de06784.html?.v=1

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Yahoo! Finance http://finance.yahoo.com/

Ford Is Going To Drive a 2010 Fusion Hybrid 1,000 Miles on a Single Tank of Gas

You can follow this on FORD's Twitter Account
Ford Set To Drive 2010 Fusion Hybrid 1,000 Miles on a Single Tank of Gas http://www.azocleantech.com/Details.asp?newsID=5333
George O'Sullivan sent this using ShareThis.

The Auto Show Comes to Town

The Greater Kansas City Auto Show

Starting yesterday and lasting through this Sunday, the greater Kansas City Auto Show will be at Bartle Hall. We will have several of our salesman there to assist you if you need anything. There are discount certificates at our receptionist desk if you are planning on going to the show.

We at Thoroughbred Ford recommend that you do go to the show and compare Ford's products to our competition. This will solidify why Ford is number one in quality and reliability.

Remember; "Why buy a Ford when you can own a Thoroughbred?"

Gladstone Goes Green

The Hybrid's are Here!

Tomorrow is a big day for us. Gladstone is going Green and they have ordered 18 Hybrid Escape's. The cars are in cleaned and lined up. Tomorrow morning Channel 41 will be broadcasting live from Thoroughbred Ford.

The city of Gladstone, Missouri is going green and they are starting with Escape Hybrid's to replace every city vehicle, (with the exception of Police and Fire).

Stay tuned for more information.