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Bill Ford wins National Pond Hockey Championship with employees

Who says executives aren't people? This past weekend, Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, and a group of employees trekked up to Eagle River, WI for a few games of pond hockey. Team Ford took part in the 2014 Labatt Blue/USA Pond Hockey Championship, capturing its fifth title in the 50+ Tier 1 Division.
"It feels great to win," Ford, who plays on the team alongside other Ford employees, told the USA Hockey website. "It was fun to play [River Valley Pioneers] because they're great guys and we play them every year. We finally beat them, which we were due. It was a very clean game, a tough game."
The FoMoCo team managed to score seven goals to River Valley's two, and went undefeated in all five of its games during the tourney. Take a look below for the official press release on Team Ford's win.

Ford, GM still doing new business with Takata amidst airbag crisis

Lengthy vehicle development times make it difficult for automakers to cut and run from the supplier. You might expect automakers to be fleeing any connection with beleaguered supplier Takata in the wake of the company's exploding airbag inflator crisis. After all, with a Senate hearing, pending lawsuit, plummeting stock value and demand for a national recall, the tier-one supplier isn't at its strongest right now. However, years of cooperation mean that automakers are standing by Takata, and necessity may be playing a role, as well. About 39 percent of Takata's business comes from airbags, and seatbelts make up another significant chunk of the operation too, says Bloomberg. The long-term relationships and lengthy vehicle development times make it difficult for automakers to cut and run from the supplier. "Takata has so much product breadth that I don't really see that they could just disappear," said AutoPacific analyst Dave Sullivan to Bloomberg. For example, Takata helped develop the unique front center airbag with General Motors in models like the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. Outside of safety tech, it is also a partner with Ford on the adaptive steering system available on the upcoming 2015 Edge. These long-lasting partnerships make change difficult now that there's a problem. According to Reuters, automakers claim it would take a year or longer to set up with a different supplier for replacement airbag inflators. Switching to a completely different part for the repairs might not be a viable option either, because of the engineering time needed. BMW is taking action, though. According to Reuters, the Bavarian brand is working with the supplier to move inflator production from Monclova, Mexico, to a Takata factory in Freiburg, Germany. The Mexican plant may be the source of some of the faulty parts. News Source: Bloomberg, ReutersImage Credit: Jens Meyer / AP Photo BMW Ford GM Safety Takata airbag recall

Ford, Ram in heavy-duty towing spat

Every pickup truck commercial has the brand trying to convince us that its model is the biggest, brawniest vehicle on the block. But Ford and Ram appear ready to really throw down the gauntlet and scrap over the towing figures for their heavy-duty models, and it could potentially end up in court.
The issue revolves around what it means to be best in class. Ford claims that its 2015 F-450 (pictured above) has a max tow rating of 31,200 pounds, compared to 30,000 pounds for the Ram 3500 (right). However, both companies market these heavy haulers as having the top towing in their class. According to Automotive News, Ford is threatening legal action if Ram doesn't back down.
The situation isn't as simple as just comparing the numbers, though. First, the two companies calculate their towing capacities differently. Ram adheres to the SAE J2807 rating, while Ford uses its own internal system. Although, as the company introduces new models, they are certified using the SAE standard. "When an all-new F-Series Super Duty is introduced, it also will use SAE J2807," said Ford to Autoblog in an emailed statement.