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Hot-selling Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator get production boost

Ford is investing an additional $25 million in its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville to increase by 25 percent production of the hot-selling and all-new Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition SUVs. The investment adds to $900 million in previously announced spending at the plant, which also builds F-Series Super-Duty pickups and employs 8,400 workers. Assembly-line workers are putting in overtime and working voluntary weekend shifts to keep up with demand. The new investment will cover upgrades to the assembly line but does not involve further hiring, Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker says. The popularity of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator is a bright spot as Ford stock has been battered by Wall Street amid concerns concerns about the automaker's future vision and slowness to detect trends. Ford says the investment is an example of its bid to improve "operational fitness," one of CEO Jim Hackett's common refrains. Ford says Navigator retail sales more than doubled in January, and Navigators are spending an average of just seven days on Lincoln dealership lots as customers trade in vehicles including Land Rovers and Mercedes-Benz. Nearly 85 percent of buyers are opting for high-end Black Label and Reserve trim packages, contributing to an average transaction price increase of more than $21,000 in January compared to a year ago. The 2018 Navigator won the North American Truck of the Year award and also topped a Detroit News poll of public favorites at last month's Detroit Auto Show. Sales of the Expedition, meanwhile, were up almost 57 percent last month as the full-size SUVs also spent an average of just a week on dealer lots. Platinum trim models represented 29 percent of sales, pushing transaction price increases up $7,800. Ford gave the 2018 Expedition an all-aluminum body to save mass in its first significant redesign since 2007. The plant last year got nearly 400 new robots, mainly in the body shop, to help increase line speed, and Ford added a robot lab where employees can test software tweaks or troubleshoot issues away from the factory floor. The Louisville plant also benefits from extensive new data analytics, with seven big-screen monitors providing minute-by-minute updates showing progress against hourly targets or alerting workers to pending parts shortages. A huge spare-parts "vending machine" lets workers more quickly locate needed parts and keep inventory at necessary levels.

Ford exec downplays idea of aluminum-intensive cars

Ford certainly made waves when it rolled out the all-new 2015 F-150 made primarily out of aluminum. But while trimming weight off its vehicles is a top priority for the Detroit automaker, we shouldn't expect the lightweight metal to be used as widely on passenger cars as it has been on its new pickup. Speaking at the Automotive News World Congress on Wednesday, top Ford exec Joe Hinrichs said that using aluminum in passenger cars isn't as beneficial as it is in trucks – primarily because the weight savings isn't as dramatic, or as deeply needed. Though improved fuel economy is certainly one advantage of aluminum construction in a truck like the F-150, low prices at the pump have prompted Ford to highlight another advantage, and that's capability: With less weight on its own, a lighter-weight truck can carry and tow more than a heavier one, because it all comes down to combined weight ratings. Ford is expected to make the new F-Series Super Duty largely out of aluminum for the same reasons, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the next Expedition use the material as well. But while certain components in Ford passenger cars will be made of aluminum, we shouldn't expect entire chassis and bodywork assemblies to use the material as extensively as on the F-150, or on more upscale passenger cars from the likes of Audi or Jaguar. Dearborn is, however, investing in other lightweight materials. It has a joint venture with Dow Chemical to put carbon fiber into mass production, much as BMW has with its i3. The Blue Oval will use a combination of carbon and aluminum on its 2017 GT supercar, and it has stripped weight by removing amenities from the 2016 Mustang GT350R, but apparently neither is a method Ford can practically apply to its volume models. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Ford F-150 View 36 Photos News Source: TheDetroitBureau.com, Automotive News - sub. req.Tip: Ford Green Ford aluminum joe hinrichs

Trump tells Detroit 3 CEOs he wants more US jobs, calls environmentalists 'out of control'

As expected, President Donald J. Trump met with top executives from FCA, Ford, and General Motors this morning as part of a larger push to generate jobs in America. "I want new plants to be built here for cars sold here!", Trump said in a tweet ahead of the meeting. Not everything said in the meeting was made public, but the President later tweeted that he had a "Great meeting with automobile industry leaders." FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne, Ford chief Mark Fields, and GM's Mary Barra all echoed the positive vibes after the meeting. In a statement, Barra called the discussion "very constructive and wide-ranging," adding that it focused on "policies that support a strong and competitive economy and auto industry," and "that supports the environment and safety." That's noteworthy, because Trump is reported to have said "I am to a large extent an environmentalist. I believe in it, but it's out of control." Fields, speaking to reporters after the meeting, said, "We're excited about working together with the president and his administration on tax policies, on regulation and on trade to really create a renaissance in American manufacturing." The Ford CEO was specifically talking about Trump's withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. "We've repeatedly said that the mother of all trade barriers is currency manipulation, and TPP failed in meaningfully dealing with that, and we appreciate the president's courage to walk away from a bad trade deal," he said. Marchionne focused on American manufacturing in his statement after the meeting. "I appreciate the President's focus on making the US a great place to do business. We look forward to working with President Trump and members of Congress to strengthen American manufacturing." Perhaps equally as interesting as what was said and who was invited are what wasn't said and who wasn't invited. Trump has been very vocal about his distaste for US automakers' plants in Mexico, but no mention was made of the North American Free Trade Agreement by Trump or any of the Detroit CEOs after the meeting. We also have to wonder if Trump plans to meet with representatives from German, Japanese, and Korean automakers that have made massive investments into American plants and produce a large number of cars in this country. Related Video: News Source: Reuters, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automotive, Donald J.