Monday, February 1st, 2010
As chief engineer for the all-new Ford Edge, Elaine Bannon is
committed to building a vehicle that will stir emotion. She is leading
the vehicle team with the hottest new entry into the red-hot crossover
market, working to ensure the right combination of great looks and
outstanding performance.
Join Elaine right here for a live chat on February 10 at 12:15 p.m. CST.
“There are a lot of great vehicles out there, but only a select few
can make you feel confident, powerful and sexier,” says Elaine. “Edge
becomes an extension of your personality. It delivers on all counts,
from its bold design, to its balanced ride, fun-to-drive character and
confident handling.”
Elaine, who joined Ford Motor Company in 1984, brings a wealth of
engineering and management expertise to the Edge program. Her influence
is evident in the superb craftsmanship of the Edge’s interior and
exterior. As principle lead for Global Craftsmanship, Elaine helped
elevate the company to a new level of quality in fit and finish. The
Global Craftsmanship team was instrumental in the development of the
critically acclaimed 2004 Ford F-150. Before taking on her current
assignment, Elaine was chief engineer for Ford’s commercial trucks,
helping integrate the expansive medium and heavy truck lineup into one
cohesive business unit.
The Detroit-area native holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical
engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Michigan. Elaine
says raising her young son and writing poetry helps her see issues from
many perspectives. Elaine, who enjoys working the pit crew during her
husband’s motorcycle road races, takes on each challenge with the
belief that there is no finish line.
“Spending time with my husband on race weekends makes me appreciate
the effort it takes to get to the top of your game – no matter what the
area,” says Elaine. “Commitment to a skill and the enhancement of that
skill takes tenacity, passion and positive energy – whether you’re
confronted with greatness or adversity.”
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Tags: Chief Engineer, crossover, Elaine Bannon, Ford Edge, Ford Motor Company, Global Craftsmanship, Live Chat
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Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008
Ford Engineering and Design Achieve Breakthroughs in Smart Technologies
As one of its key pillars, Ford’s entire lineup has been benefiting from its advancements in smart technologies. These include:
SYNC® System – Standard on many models, Ford’s exclusive voice-activated, seamlessly integrated mobile phone and digital music system allows drivers to place and answer calls as well as play individual songs or complete playlists without their hands ever leaving the wheel.
SIRIUS® Travel Link™ – The next-generation navigation system offers real-time updates on movie times, gas prices, weather, traffic and other on-the-road conveniences.
SYNC® 911 Assist™ – This helpful feature quickly connects vehicle occupants to a local 911 emergency operator to get help automatically if the air bag deploys.
Ford Work Solutions™ – Ford’s suite of industry-exclusive options for F-Series trucks and commercial E-Series vans enables business owners to be more productive and successful. The onboard computer, which runs Microsoft Windows for automotive, lets business owners create spreadsheets, invoices and estimates right from the cab. Developed in conjunction with DeWalt, Tool Link™ uses Radio Frequency ID to track tools and equipment in the bed so nothing gets left behind. Crew Chief™, through Ford’s partnership with Garmin, lets a foreman track crews wherever they are, ensuring the right team gets to the right job efficiently.
Blind Spot Mirror – An industry-first innovation, the Blind Spot Mirror replaces traditional side view mirrors and features an integrated convex spotter mirror that provides an optimized view of the driver’s blind spot. The mirror is standard equipment on the 2009 Ford Edge.
Tags: Ford Edge, Ford engineering, Ford F-150, Ford Technology, SYN
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Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Visitors to Orlando's SeaWorld in for a different kind of ride from Ford
SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, recently took delivery of two Ford hydrogen-powered buses that will transport park guests and employees to and from the adventure park's four different attractions for the next two years.
For the inaugural ride, the buses shuttled SeaWorld employees to Shingle Creek, the northernmost headwaters of the Everglades, for a clean-up conservation project of the protected wetlands area.
The two Ford E-450 buses are powered by 6.8-liter V-10 engines that are supercharged and modified to run on hydrogen rather than gasoline. Compared with today's gasoline engines, these vehicles can deliver up to a 99.7% reduction in CO2 emissions and include many of the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell technology, but at a fraction of the cost.
SeaWorld will record miles driven and hydrogen fuel used each day and compare these figures to the park's gasoline-fueled buses. The data will be shared with Ford.
Ford Motor Company will have 30 hydrogen-powered buses operating across North America as part of test fleets before year's end. Ford has leased the vehicles to fleets in order to gather valuable real-world experience from high-mileage usage, to further its research in alternative fuel technology.
In addition to SeaWorld, buses have been presented to:
- The Greater Orlando (Fla.) Airport Authority
- The Orlando (Fla.) Convention Central District
- The University of Missouri Raleigh
- The city of Las Vegas, Nevada
- The San Mateo (Cal.) County Transportation Authority
Ford has also delivered 10 buses to Canada for use in Prince Edward Island, Ottawa and Vancouver.
Other hydrogen-powered test projects from Ford include:
- A fleet of 30 hydrogen-powered Ford Focus fuel cell vehicles that has accumulated more than 575,000 miles since its inception in 2005.
- The Ford Edge with HySeries Drive, the world’s first drivable hydrogen fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle with plug-in capability that has a range of 225 miles producing zero emissions.
- An experimental Ford-developed 2.3-liter I-4 hydrogen-powered aircraft engine, used by Boeing Company to test the hydrogen propulsion system of its High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft.
Tags: Boeing Company, Ford E-450, Ford Edge, Ford Focus, High Altitude Long Endurance, hydrogen, hydrogen fuel cell technology, hydrogen-powered buses, HySeries Drive, SeaWorld
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Monday, February 25th, 2008
Ford’s Commitment to Quality Results in 102 Accolades in 2007
Ford’s 102 quality accolades in 2007 are the result of everything that Ford is doing right. A focused "quality first" effort has put Ford at the forefront of numerous consumer and industry surveys and reports.
Some of the quality achievement highlights include:
- Ford Motor Company earned five initial quality model segment awards – more than any other automaker – from J.D. Power and Associates’ Initial Quality Study.
- Ford quality leapt 11 percent, soaring above the industry’s two percent improvement according to a U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study by RDA Group released in October 2007.
- A GQRS study named six Ford vehicles that ranked best in their segment: Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Ford E-Series, Mercury Milan, Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Mark LT, Mazda MX-5 Miata.
- Twenty Ford vehicles lead their segment in quality.
- Ford received quality accolades from 12 important customer surveys in 2007, including three from J.D. Power and Associates: Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study and the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS).
- Ford has quality winners in virtually every major vehicle segment including:
- Mid-size sporty car - Ford Mustang
- Mid-size car - Ford Fusion
- Large car - Ford Five Hundred
- Van - Ford Econoline
- Large pickup - Ford F-150 LD
- Eleven of 15 Ford vehicles received quality awards in 2007, and 4 of 5 Lincoln vehicles received quality awards.
- Ford Edge, Ford Explorer Sport Trac and Lincoln MKX were named as top performers in AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA), an industry benchmark for objectively measuring new-car or light-truck owner satisfaction.
- Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan &Lincoln MKZ have maintained their high quality levels since launching late 2004. And, in 2007 all three models achieved their best quality showing of any first-year vehicle in Ford’s history.
Tags: automotive quality, durability, Ford Crown Victoria, Ford E-Series, Ford Econoline, Ford Edge, Ford F-150 LD, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Fusion, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Ford Quality Links, GQRS, initial quality, J.D. Power and Associates, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln Navigator L, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mercury Milan, quality vehicles, reliability
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Monday, February 25th, 2008
Quality Jumps 11 Percent at Ford, According to GQRS Study
In 2007 Ford continued to drive quality gains, by reducing Things Gone Wrong (TGW) levels and increasing quality levels by 11 percent, far above the industry-wide average of 2 percent improvement. In 2006, Ford improved quality levels by 14 percent while the industry improved by 12 percent. With such year-after-year double-digit improvement, Ford was able to outpace the industry’s gradual rate of improvement. The results are now evident in consumer reports and surveys.
The quarterly Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study gathers information from customers of all major vehicle makes and models, asking customers to grade overall product satisfaction and comment on any problem areas with their three-month-old automobiles and trucks. The outstanding rankings garnered by Ford demonstrate Ford’s commitment to designing, manufacturing and launching vehicles in an environment of quality.
Top honors for TGW performance in the 2007 third-quarter GQRS went to Mustang Shelby GT500, Ford Explorer and Lincoln Mark LT pickup. When it came to customer satisfaction, Ford Edge, Ford E-series vans and Mazda MX-5 Miata topped their segments. Newer vehicles, including Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX and Lincoln Navigator L also claimed strong customer satisfaction ratings – and each launched with noticeably fewer TGWs than the industry average.
Second-place winners for TGW performance and customer satisfaction include:
- Ford Freestyle - TGW performance, Crossover utility.
- Ford Expedition - TGW performance, Large traditional utility.
- Ford Expedition EL - Customer satisfaction performance, Large traditional utility.
- Ford E-Series - TGW performance, Full-size van passenger/cargo.
- Mercury Milan - TGW performance, CD car segment.
- Mercury Mountaineer - TGW performance, Medium traditional utility.
- Lincoln Navigator L - TGW performance and customer satisfaction performance, Large premium utility.
- Mazda MX-5 Miata - customer satisfaction, Sports car segment.
- Volvo S60 - TGW performance, CD Premium car segment.
- Volvo S80 - TGW performance, D Premium car segment.
Third-place winners include:
- Ford Fusion - TGW performance, CD car segment.
- Ford F-150 - TGW performance, Fullsize light truck segment.
- Lincoln MKZ - TGW performance, CD Premium car segment.
- Lincoln Navigator - TGW performance and customer satisfaction performance, Large premium utility segment.
- Mazda MX-5 Miata - TGW performance, Sports car segment.
Tags: automotive quality, customer satisfaction, Ford Crown Victoria, Ford E-Series, Ford Edge, Ford Expedition, Ford F-150 LD, Ford Freestyle, Ford Fusion, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln Navigator L, Mazda MX-5 Miata Mercury Milan, Mercury Mountaineer quality, quality vehicles, reliability, TGW performance
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