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Ford launches mobile coronavirus test program with partners

For its latest coronavirus act, Ford has joined forces with a Detroit university, its affiliated physicians group and an Arab-American human services nonprofit to launch a mobile Covid-19 testing program for symptomatic first responders, health care workers and corrections officers in Michigan. Since Monday, Ford has been supplying Lincoln Navigators and drivers from the Lincoln Personal Driver pilot service, both offered through its Ford X in-house incubator. They’re equipped with tents, sanitation, power and Wi-Fi. Partners Wayne State University, the Wayne State University Physician Group and Dearborn-based ACCESS are providing staff and medical kits. The program is billed as an extension of drive-through testing sites operating in Detroit and Dearborn, but capable instead of bringing testing to locations and people who lack access to it. The mobile Navigator test vehicles will be capable of testing up to 100 people per day at no cost, with results returned within 24 to 36 hours. Testing will start at sites in southeast Michigan and then branch out to other parts of the state, including Battle Creek, Lansing and Grand Rapids. Michigan has been a major epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with 27,001 confirmed cases and 1,768 deaths as of the most current data from Tuesday. The state has been under a stay-at-home order since March 23. With its factories remaining temporarily idled for vehicle production, Ford has kept busy branching out into the fight against the novel coronavirus on multiple fronts. It kicked off production of a waist-mounted, powered air-purifying respirator it designed with 3M on Tuesday, and it plans to begin building ventilators at a plant in Michigan next week. Earlier this week, Ford announced it was helping a supplier that makes airbags use the material instead for reusable medical gowns for health care workers. Employees are also manufacturing protective face masks at its Van Dyke Transmission Plant, plastic face shields at a subsidiary near Detroit and helping a medical device company ramp up production of Covid-19 field testing kits. Related Video:     Ford Lincoln SUV

Automakers tussle over owners of 'orphan' makes

When General Motors put down several of its brands in recent years, it also let loose thousands of brand-loyal customers who will eventually need another car.
R.L. Polk Associates estimates there are more than 18 million cars from 16 discontinued makes on the road today. Those "orphan owners" have sales-hungry competitors seeing dollar signs. GM is offering Saturn owners $1,000 cash toward a Chevy Cruze, Cadillac CTS or a GMC Acadia. Ford is giving its Mercury lease customers a chance to get out of their contracts with no early-termination penalty and offering to waive six remaining payments if they drive off in a Ford or Lincoln.
Edmunds.com research shows the efforts are paying off somewhat for GM, with 39 percent of Pontiac owners, 37 percent of Hummer owners and 31 percent of Saturn owners taking delivery of another GM-branded vehicle. But that leaves as much as 69 percent of owners going elsewhere. Ford, Honda and Toyota seem to be attracting many former GM owners.

Electric Lincoln Corsair-E coming in 2026, report says

An electric Lincoln Corsair is on the way, Automotive News reports. It’s currently scheduled to arrive in 2026 and will be built at the Oakville, Ontario, assembly plant. Automotive NewsÂ’ source for this information is AutoForecast Solutions LLC, an automotive global forecasting company. “At this point, weÂ’re not sure if it will completely replace the Corsair or if there will be an equivalent gas-powered Corsair. But they would be on two different platforms,” Sam Fiorani, vice-president of AutoForecast Solutions, told Automotive News. The vehicle is currently going by the name of Corsair-E. ItÂ’s no surprise to see that it would require a new platform to build. The Corsair is currently riding on the Ford EscapeÂ’s platform, and the highest level of electrification seen there is a plug-in hybrid variant. This electric Corsair will be one of many EVs/electrified vehicles being manufactured at the Oakville plant in the coming years. It was announced late last year that Ford would build five new electrified models there this decade, with the first scheduled to roll off the assembly line in 2025 and the last in 2028. This could mean full EVs or hybrids, but the split is unknown so far. Ford still isnÂ’t talking about its specific plans with this Canadian plant. Automotive News received the standard, Ford “does not comment on future products” response when it queried the Blue Oval. In the meantime, anyone wanting their electrified Lincoln Corsair fix can find it in the Corsair Grand Touring PHEV going on sale soon.  Related video: