Have you ever wondered exactly how many jobs and dollars your car contributes to the United States economy? If so, keep reading.
A new website called JobsPerCar is a great way to find out how much good you’re doing for the economy simply by the car you drive. In fact, it’s so new that it just launched last week!
And from what I can tell, it’s a very interesting and informative website. It’s the Consumer Reports of its kind. It not only determines how many jobs each individual car creates, but it also tallies up the number of job each automaker creates for the nation. Here are a few examples:
• Ford cars have a JPC rating of 81. This number is calculated by using the total number of cars sold by a company and dividing that by that company’s workforce. By purchasing a Ford, you’re helping contribute to a workforce of more than 80,000 jobs.
The website also provides information about how many factories each automaker has in the United States, the percentage of domestic materials used in a particular model and much, much more. You can even compare between companies and models to see which one is better for the US economy if that makes a big difference in the vehicle you choose to purchase.
JobsPerCar.com is a great resource to use before you go to the dealer to buy a car. If you’re unsure about which one you want, the website can help you make your final decision. Besides, picking the best car means finding one that’s good for your surroundings, too. Who doesn’t want responsible member of citizen of their country and their community?
Yesterday, I mentioned in my blog post that my wife and I rented a Ford Focus a couple years ago when going to a wedding. After that, I found this article about the automaker increasing the production of this popular model.
In April of this year, the Ford Motor Company announced that it was increasing production of its Focus brand by 30 percent this year. Ford is doing this to respond to the increasing demand for this popular and hot-selling vehicle. Its recent redesign and the SYNC system assuredly have something to do with its popularity, too.
The latest incarnation of the current Ford Focus began coming off the assembly line in 2007. During the first three months of 2008, the automaker already sold more than 49,000 units. That’s nearly a 25 percent increase over the same period from last year! That’s why the automaker decided to make more of these Ford cars.
With the boost in production, this means there will be 245,000 units of this model rolling off the assembly line this year. It currently claims about 7.5 percent of the small car market in the United States. In 2007, however, Ford was only producing about 191,000 units and the Focus only claimed a little more than one percent of the same market.
This news is also great for the workers at the Wayne County plant that produces the Focus. The 2,800 workers will likely get an opportunity to work some overtime and even weekend shifts throughout the year. With the recent downturn of the economy, everybody can get all the help they can get!
For the last couple decades, the Ford Motor Company has been on a rollercoaster ride. At one time, it was one of the leaders in the entire auto industry. Then, for a few years after that, the automaker got a bad “rep” for having low quality vehicles. In fact, there used to be an adage that said that the letters in Ford stood for “Found on Road Dead.”
But all that has changed. Now, Ford is back on top of its game and the quality is back!
Study after study shows that Ford cars are once again the quality they once were. They’ve even improved in other areas, too. In order to stay competitive in today’s world, Ford also leads the industry in environmentalism, safety and even smart systems. Have you heard of the Ford SYNC system? That’s just one of the smart systems currently exclusive to Ford. With hands-free communication and the ability to control many features with just the sound of your voice, some analysts say this is one of the main reasons people are flocking back to Ford.
I haven’t owned a Ford, but I have rented one. Two years ago, we rented a Ford Focus to travel out of town to a friend’s wedding. Our car was junky, to say the least. But when we stepped in the rented Ford Focus, it was almost like a luxury vehicle to us. It drove nice and it was even great on gas! Of course, that was when gas prices were still around $2.00 a gallon (I think). And the vehicles have only gotten better since then.
If you haven’t considered a Ford, don’t let the reputation it had several years ago scare you away. Check one out today and prepare to be impressed!
I can’t count the number of times I’ve tried to merge into another lane and been honked at because I didn’t check my blind spot. I’m lucky I haven’t caused any accidents!
But the Ford Motor Company is looking out for people like me. That’s why the safety engineers at the company have developed the Blind Spot Monitoring System. Sounds fairly self-explanatory, eh?
The new safety features are going to start appearing on Ford cars in 2009. With this new device, the cars have radars that detect when something is around it. When driving on the road, the system alerts the driver with a visual indicator on the side rearview mirrors. The system also emits an audible alert in case the driver doesn’t notice the visual warning. And since the system is only activated when the driver uses the turn signal, you won’t have to put up with the alerts at other times when you’re driving.
In addition to the Blind Spot Monitoring System, Ford is also introducing a Cross Traffic Alert System. This comes in handy when a driver is backing out of their driveway or a parking space. If something is behind your car or if there is traffic coming toward the vehicle, the system alerts the driver so they can make the necessary corrections.
Look for these and other safety features that Ford is working on for you!
There’s a lot of talk in the auto world about converting to electricity instead of fuel, and this talk has only increased with the rising cost of fuel. One Illinois man decided to take matters into his own hands and convert his 1996 Ford Escort to running on electricity.
Joe Downing learned how to do this by attending regular meetings of the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association, a group which is a place to get together with other electric car enthusiasts and get the tricks of the trade from others in the same boat.
The Chicago area group has seen its membership jump from around 25 members three years ago to 70 today. The group’s president, Ted Lowe, says that the increase is due to the increase in fuel costs, the overwhelming public interest in all things environmental, and America’s dependence on foreign oil.
Downing says his commute costs have decreased from about $32 a week to $10 a week, and with numbers like that, it’s no wonder people are flocking to buying electric cars or modifying their current cars to run on electricity. At the moment, converting one’s car is not for the faint of heart, and it’s really only an accessible option for people with the time, money, inclination and know-how to do it themselves.
It looks like the major auto makers, including Ford, are paying attention to these shifts in customer focus and all of them are creating electric and hybrid cars to meet the market demands. They realize not everybody can trick out their own car, and why would they want to? The days of a new Ford truck or car that runs exclusively on electricity are not far off.
If you’re looking for your own new Ford truck or car, stop by Sunset Ford for a test drive, or visit the website for specials and new inventory.
Can you imagine a car company selling nine million vehicles in the last 30 years? That’s an impressive number! But that number is even more impressive when only one brand of vehicle for a particular company sells that many.
That’s exactly what happened with the Ford Motor Company. The Dearborn-based automaker recently delivered its nine-millionth Mustang to another proud and excited owner.
The exciting, once in a lifetime event occurred in Story City, Iowa. Thomas Krumm purchased a GT convertible Mustang. But this wasn’t the family’s first Mustang. He became interested in these Ford cars when his 17-year-old daughter purchased one several years ago after saving her money for months.
The Krumm’s aren’t alone, either. Customers have purchased nine million other Ford Mustangs because of its sleek style and reputation. The first one was released nearly 35 years ago on April 17, 1964 at the World’s Fair in New York. During its first year, Ford sold 419,000 Mustangs to customers enamored by its sports car appearance. Within two years of its introduction, the company sold over two million units! That was a record at the time and it’s still a record today.
You might also be interested to know that the Mustang comprises 50 percent of the sports cars sold in the United States. That means for every sports car bought from the various other brands, there’s one Mustang sold as well.
How many other automakers can say that?
A lot of buzz has been created lately in the automotive sector. Despite vehement denials by Ford executives, many auto industry experts are predicting that Ford will be retiring their Mercury brand in order to focus on the Ford and Lincoln brands.
Declining sales of the Mercury brand led industry analyst Aaron Bragman of Global Insight to say “Mercury has one more product cycle left in it, and then will most certainly be retired as a brand.”
Jerome York seems to agree with the prevailing theory that Mercury’s days are numbered. Previously an automotive executive, he now serves as an advisor to the investment company that handles Kirk Kerkorian’s investments. Mr. Kerkorian currently owns 4.7% of Ford stock, and recently made a move to bolster his position as a Ford shareholder.
Mr. York indicated that he too believed that the struggling auto maker would benefit from retiring the Mercury brand, and given Mr. York’s current position some believe this may cause Mr. Kerkorian to use his influence to eliminate Mercury.
Another industry analyst, Tom Libby, summed up the problem quite succinctly. “It’s hard to sell a Mercury when it looks just like a Ford that’s priced at $4,000 less,” said Libby.
Other than the fact that Ford executives are resolutely denying the truth of this claim, there’s not much to go on with this claim and it may end up working out in Ford’s favor. They say that no publicity is bad publicity, and with Kirk Kerkorian’s recent investment in the company and all this talk about Ford and Mercury’s plans for the future, the auto company is certainly in the news more than usual. Marketing types might argue that this can do only good things in an industry full of flagging auto sales.
When you’re looking for a new Ford truck — or any Ford product, Mercury or otherwise — stop by Sunset Ford for a test drive.
Did you know one of Ford’s compact cars will be featured in the new James Bond film? You can’t ask for a better marketing strategy or more publicity than that!
The Ka, one of the most popular UK Ford cars, is making its big-screen debut this Halloween season in the highly-anticipated movie “The Quantum of Solace.” Although official announcements haven’t been made, many people “in the know” caught some glimpses of the small vehicle milling around the set.
The Ka is a good choice for 007, too. It looks like it drove right out of the older James Bond movies and directly into the new one. The body design is similar to other popular UK vehicles, like the Mini Cooper, but it also has its own distinct features that set it apart from other cars.
The use of the Ka also gives Bond a new, environmentally-conscious attitude. Even though he’s racing to and fro while fighting his latest nemesis, the Ka allows him to do so with only a minimum of carbon emissions.
Maybe 007’s next villain can be global warming!
But this isn’t Ford’s first time in a bond film, either. Last year’s “Casino Royale” featured the Ford Mondeo, one of the automaker’s newer models on the market. Maybe future Bond movies will feature Ford cars, too. As a 007 fan and a Ford fan, I’m anxious to see the two together once again.
As some unfortunate drivers can attest, there is no more devastating news for a car enthusiast than to learn that their vehicle has been written off by their insurance company after being in a major collision. Insurance companies have to take into consideration the amount of damage done to the vehicle and if it is likely that a repair job would completely fix issues for the remainder of the life of the vehicle.
If it is determined that the car cannot be safely repaired, the insurance company writes it off, pays the value of the vehicle to the driver, and the wreckage is towed to a junk yard. Or is it? As 261 Irish motorists found out, this may not necessarily be the case.
The Irish Department of Transport recently completed an audit on over 5420 vehicles previously written off by insurance companies, only to find that 261 of the vehicles had found their way back onto Irish roads. This resulted in a number of urgent letters sent to motorists warning that their vehicle may be unsafe and imploring them to have their vehicles checked out by a reputable mechanic. It seems these vehicles were re-sold and many of the new owners were unaware of their vehicle’s past history.
Apparently this state of affairs was allowed to occur because although insurance companies keep records of their write offs, there was no organized system to share this information with the government. Immoral dealers knew that there was no way for a potential buyer to check the write off lists to see if the vehicle they were purchasing had ever been so classified. They simply repaired and resold the cars, not seeming to care that they were potentially putting lives at risk.
When asked what was being done to correct the problem, Mr. Noel Dempsey, Minister for Transport, replied “If necessary, I am prepared to legislate to compel insurance companies to supply this information; however, at this stage, I am confident insurance companies will voluntarily make this information available on a systematic basis”. A formalized tracking system has since been put in place.
When you’re ready to pick up your new Ford truck, make sure you stop by and say hi. Aren’t you glad Sunset Ford is American?
Today, it seems like everybody’s jumping on the hybrid bandwagon. More and more people are turning to this eco-friendly form of transportation to save gas and the environment. But there are still some who refuse to change their mind. If this describes you, read the following myths about current hybrids and you might just change your mind.
1. Hybrids don’t have much power.
This was once true when hybrid vehicles came out. Today, however, hybrids have just as much power as most other vehicles. In fact, some hybrid models can even accelerate as fast as most gasoline-powered vehicles. Besides, power usually equals decreased efficiency. And who wants that nowadays?
2. Hybrids are too expensive.
Again, this was true when hybrids first came out. But when you factor in tax credits and fuel prices, hybrids can actually save you money within a few short years. Also, hybrids retain a greater amount of their resale value. And that figure just increases as gas prices continue to go up.
3. Hybrids need to be plugged in to charge
Although some of the newer electric cars run solely on electricity, nearly all hybrids have a mechanism that charges the batteries during braking. As a result, plugging the car in is simply not necessary with today’s hybrid.
4. Hybrids have expensive batteries
Even though hybrid batteries might be expensive, most car manufacturers give their hybrids warranties that last up to 10 years. Since most people don’t keep their cars that long anyways, you may never need to pay for replacing the battery. The batteries seem to be durable, too. One taxi driver drove his hybrid taxi for nearly 200,000 miles and his battery is still going strong!
With all of these myths dispelled, it’s never been a better time to find a hybrid model of your favorite Ford cars. Check one out today and stop “breaking the bank” at the gas station!
