In the last few months, you’ve probably read story after story about how Ford is laying off workers and trying to get them to retire early. This is done to match the demand for Ford vehicles with the number of workers making them. Luckily for Ford, though, several foreign markets are selling cars like hotcakes and creating a profit for the automaker.

The Russian market is one example of this. While many North American factories have downsized, the Ford Motor Company is adding workers to a factory in Russia to keep up with the demand for the product in the region. By doing this, Ford increases that country’s production of vehicles by 75 percent!

That’s an amazing feat for the automaker, too. That means the workers will be making 125,000 vehicles by next year.
The Vsevolozhsk plant in St. Petersburg is the facility getting these new workers. Employees there create the Ford Focus hatchback, which has become the most popular imported brand in the country since 2007. The factory will also begin production of the Mondeo, another popular export of the Ford Motor Company.

Russia’s great sales figures are one reason why Ford is looking to the eastern European region to increase sales globally. That particular market sold nearly two million units in 2007, which is about 72,000 more than it sold the year before.

Unfortunately, the North American market isn’t doing that well. But the figures do look promising. With any luck, maybe Ford’s domestic market will perform as well (or even better) than the ones overseas.

When you’re searching for a great deal on a certified Ford, there are several ways to find a bargain. You don’t need just to haggle with the salesman or settle for a lesser car. Follow today’s and Friday’s tips and you might be able to upgrade to a vehicle you never dreamed you could afford.

• Consider the Seasons
Price-wise, springtime is the best time to buy an SUV. Many car buyers are looking for SUVs for the winter months, not for the warmer months. Therefore, they are in lower demand during the spring. Conversely, you might get a better price on a convertible if you purchase it during the months of November, December, January or February.

• TaKe Advantage of Timing 
If you wait until a month or two before the automakers release their new models, you can often save thousands off sticker prices. Most companies release the following year’s models during the summer. For instance, many 2009 models arrive during the summer of 2008. Dealers need to make room for new vehicles and are more willing to negotiate during this time.

• Look for Rentals and Company Cars
Rental car companies often upgrade their fleets with newer models. Although the cars might have more mileage than non-commercial vehicles, they’ve also benefitted from much better maintenance. You might be able to find these at your local dealership, too.

Even if the word “haggle” makes butterflies flutter in your stomach, you can still use these tips to get a great price. You might just be surprised at how much you can save without even negotiating.

If you just answered “not me” to that question, then join the crowd. According to the Ford Motor Company, minivan sales are at their lowest point since 1985. Could that have something to do with the rising gas prices? I would guess that’s part of the problem, because truck sales are also down.

But this story hits close to home for me. According to George Pipas, a sales analyst for Ford vehicles, minivans were “America’s family car” during the 1980s. I can attest to that fact. The first vehicle that my dad handed down to me was a minivan. I loved that thing, too.

It was a dark blue color with a couple of silver stripes that went around it. My folks bought it in 1988 when it was two years old. I didn’t get it until 1993, just before my senior year in high school. I learned how to do everything in that van. I learned how to drive in that minivan. I went on several road trips in that van. I even went away to college in South Carolina with that minivan.

When I received it, I named her Abby. She became my best friend. I kept her for four years until it was time to let her go. That was a sad day, too. My friends and I took pictures inside the van and had a ceremony before selling it. I still miss it.

Luckily, sales analysts feel the sales will rebound in 2009 when consumer confidence hopefully increases. If you have a chance, I suggest getting a minivan for your family. The memories you’ll make will be priceless!

Do you ever feel “the need for speed”? Do you enjoy reading about some of the best performance Ford vehicles that your local dealer has to offer? If so, Ford has a new website for you.

At FordPerformance.com, vehicle lovers of all kinds can find something they enjoy. The main purpose of the website, though, is to connect Ford owners and enthusiasts with the clubs that meet their interests.
Right now, one of the most popular enthusiast clubs on the site is the International Mustang Bullitt Owner’s Club (IMBOC). This is where fans of the movie Bullitt can go to learn all about the classic car used in the movie and the re-release of a new and improved Bullitt Mustang. This particular club for Bullitt car devotees has more members than any other Mustang enthusiast club in the world. Members pay only $37 each year, but that gives them the following benefits:

• IMBOC window sticker, custom-cut and color-coordinated to match your vehicle
• IMBOC T-Shirt with double-sided screen printing, available in sizes up to XXXL
• IMBOC memberships cards with full-color design. Members get a card for the wallet or purse and another one to display on their cars at car shows or anywhere else they choose.
• Special access to IMBOC.com, which includes a “members only” forum, uploading privileges and other features
• Unexpected IMBOC freebies
• Priority Mail Shipping
• . . . and much, much more!

Don’t wait. Join the club today and see what the other Bullitt Mustang lovers are talking about.

You’ve probably heard a lot about the electric car. Whether it’s the conspiracy theories that the oil companies have stifled the idea or the stories about how car manufacturers are getting closer to this goal, the electric car generates conversation. But individuals aren’t the only ones getting ready for this new phenomenon.

The utility companies are also jumping on board to prepare for electric cars. Many electric utility facilities are joining with car makers to develop “smart charging” technology for recharging an electric car. You probably thought you could just plug it in next to your toaster, didn’t you? Me too.

But it’s not going to be that simple. With more than 300 million people in the United States alone, we already use a huge amount of electricity on a day-to-day basis. But if a million (or even hundreds of thousands) of people had electric cars, that could put a strain on the grids. That’s why utility companies need to make changes in the infrastructure to accommodate the arrival of these vehicles.

These cars might be on the road sooner than you think, too. The state of California requires car companies to put nearly 60,000 of these on the state’s roads between 2012 and 2014. That’s less than ten years from now! And everybody knows that once California has done it, other states will follow suit very soon.

When it comes time to trade in your certified Ford, you might want to consider an electric hybrid vehicle. Because it has bigger batteries, it runs more on electricity and less on fuel. By the looks of things, gas prices will soon be about $20 a gallon and electric cars will look even more attractive than they do now.

If you’re a reader of our blog, you’ve noticed that we’ve mentioned several Ford vehicles and models in the last few months. There’s the Falcon, the Focus and the Escape, just to name a few. But have you ever heard of the Ford Foose F150?

This oddly attractive pickup truck is my new favorite Ford product. And that’s just judging from the pictures I’ve seen. But it’s more than just another Ford model.

The Ford Foose is the creation of Chip Foose, the youngest inductee into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame (I didn’t even know there was such a thing). He’s also the “custom vehicle maker to the stars,” as many Hollywood celebrities seek him out when they want entirely genuine vehicles designed so they can show off.

And now, Chip Foose has made his mark on the Ford brand of vehicles. I’m loving it, too. Instead of the typical F150 that sits high off the ground, the Foose model is lower so it hugs the road regardless of where you’re driving. The lowered body combines the American ideals of a pickup truck and a race car for a truly unique appearance.

The funny thing is that the entire creation sprang from a challenge. Last year, Ford’s truck team challenged Foose to create a sporty, hot rod-like version of the F150. Less than five months later, Foose’s creation made its public debut. 

Ford’s manufacturing plant in Kansas City is producing the trucks. They should be on sale soon if they’re not already.

Earlier this week, we posted a blog about a small black box that some car dealers are installing in vehicles. When a person doesn’t make timely payments, the black box disables the car until the owner finally pays the overdue installments..  And stories like these are the reason why.

A recent article in southern California’s The Press-Enterprise states that vehicle repossession has increased in recent months and years. The article blames the housing market and a failing economy. One expert said the number of repos has increased 15 percent over last year’s rate.

And that number continues to grow as more people are having trouble making payments on everything else as well. “There are cases where people say the lesser of the two evils is [to default on] the car,” stated Tom Kontos, VP of Adesa Analytical Services.

But there are several other factors that are causing more repossessions lately. Some analysts blame loan terms for the problem. As people buy new or used cars before paying off their current ones, their payments undoubtedly increase. At times, this can be a huge increase, too. More than one-quarter of all vehicles people are trading for upgrades are negative equity vehicles, meaning the owners owe more on them than what they’re worth.

As dealers lose an average of $7,000 every time they repossess a car, they don’t like to do it. But it’s a last resort that’s necessary to salvage any profit that they can still get from a quality car.

Think about this story when you’re considering buying a certified Ford. Don’t take on payments that you can’t afford and “hope for the best.” Find a car you can afford and make timely payments. It’s the right thing to do.

The Ford Motor Company is planning on delivering an entirely new type of engine for many of its upcoming models. The new EcoBoost engine promises to have many improvements that will increase fuel economy for millions of customers worldwide. But this isn’t just a dream. Engineers plan on doing this within the next five years.

The new technology, introduced to the masses earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show, comprises “smaller displacement engines with direct fuel injection and turbocharging (GDTI) to provide a fuel economy boost without any loss of performance.” That description is according to Autoblog.com.
If you’ve been following Ford’s dedication to better fuel economy, you might recognize the EcoBoost by another name: the Twin Force. But some of the automaker’s team thought this sounded too “gas thirsty” for today’s concerns over gas prices and the environment. As a result, they changed the name to EcoBoost because it sounds more efficient for today’s consumer.

The first of the Ford vehicles that will have the EcoBoost engine is the Lincoln MKS models in 2009. It will take the place of the current V8 engine. After the MKS, Ford hopes to introduce the new engine in the Flex models and the Explorer brand. The automaker’s main goal is to make the EcoBoost a mainstream feature in many more vehicles in the next few years.

I say bring it on. I’m paying about $3.89 a gallon for fuel where I live. Anything that relieves that strain on my wallet is welcome!

How many times have you been backing up in your vehicle and wondered if there was an abandoned tricycle or, worse yet, an occupied tricycle behind you? If you’re like me, that’s happened more times than you care to remember.
But the Ford Motor Company has recognized this problem and its engineers have worked to address it. Many Ford vehicles will soon have two new pieces of technology designed to help drivers back up safer. The modified “blind spot mirror” will soon be a standard feature on the Mercury and Lincoln brand vehicles. These new mirrors give drivers a better view of what they couldn’t see before.

But that’s not all.

Also available is the new “blind spot-checking radar” that uses a 24GHz spectrum to alert drivers when something enters their blind spots. Amber lights mounted on the wing mirrors blink and beep when there is something in an area the driver can’t typically see. This feature isn’t standard, though. Starting with the 2009 models, it will be an option that many drivers will likely choose.
Studies have found that more than 75 percent of the drivers who used this blind spot-checking technology drove with more confidence. They also felt less pain in their necks because they didn’t need to stretch them as much to check their blind spots. The mirrors and the radar system did it for them.

I’m not a big fan of smoking. I don’t like the smell, the effect it has on your health or the cost of a pack of cigarettes. But I’m also not a fan of telling people when and where they can’t smoke. And I’m definitely against telling people that they can’t smoke in their cars.

But when they’re smoking in cars with their kids, it poses a dilemma. On the one hand, we’re talking about people’s own kids, and it’s their decision to smoke in the cars with them. I mean, you can’t really tell parents how to raise their children. And once you ban smoking in cars because of children, where do the bans stop?

But in Australia, they’re doing just that. The Tobacco Control Officers from the Health Department are fining people who smoke in cars that also have kids in them. Some fines can cost well over $100.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about the message they’re trying to send. You really shouldn’t smoke in your vehicle if your kids are also in the car. But what’s next? Will they start issuing fines to parents who swear in front of their children? Or will they start imposing fines on parents who eat Twinkies in front of their children? After all, you could argue that both habits are just as bad for kids as secondhand smoke.

I’m assuming that new law will be coming to North America soon, too. That is, if it hasn’t already sneaked its way into some states. So if you drive your certified Ford around with your kids, be sure to put that cigarette out. Don’t do it out of fear of being fined.  Do it because it’s the right thing to do for your child’s health and your health.