1995 Lincoln Town Car Signature Sedan 4.6l. Extra Clean Low Miles. No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Ford's cars being held up in Chinese ports in trade tensions with U.S.

BEIJING — Ford Motor Co's imported vehicles are being held up at Chinese ports, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, underscoring how U.S. goods are facing increased customs scrutiny in China amid a tense trade standoff. The three people said Ford and Lincoln vehicles were facing unusual delays at customs, with officials asking for extra technical checks. Two of the people said U.S.-made models of some German carmakers, mainly SUVs, being brought into China, were also affected. Ford was being asked to do extra checks on emission components, said a China-based Ford executive familiar with the matter, asking not be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. China's customs agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The holdups add to a growing list of American products facing issues at China's borders, as officials try to avert a full-blown trade war. Some trade experts said they believe Beijing is sending a defiant warning to Washington in response to sweeping U.S. trade demands made on China last week. Reuters reported Tuesday that China had ramped up inspections of pork shipped from the United States, after the country's customs agency said it would step up quarantine checks on American apples and logs. The second person, a China-based industry official with knowledge of the matter, said the delays for Ford — as well as some U.S.-made cars from BMW and Mercedes-Benz — had been going on for the last two weeks. "Customs pretends there are technical non-conformities of some nature that won't allow them to clear these U.S.-made cars through customs, but the U.S.-China trade frictions must be the background to this," he said. "Although no one will officially admit it." Responding to a request for comment from Reuters, a BMW spokesman said that "U.S.-made BMW cars have not been delayed at the ports as of last week and before." A Daimler spokeswoman said it was "monitoring the situation closely" regarding ongoing trade talks between China and the United States, but that she could not speculate further on other matters. The third person said the Ford issue, which had been noted by the United States government, and other holdups facing American goods, were clearly related to the trade dispute. A Ford spokeswoman in Shanghai when asked about the matter said: "We are closely monitoring our situation at the port." She declined to comment further.

2023 Lincoln Aviator gets a few small changes, small price bumps

The 2023 Lincoln Aviator Lincoln makes a few small changes to its offer, as related by Ford Authority. On the feature side, the 12-way Comfort Front Seats for driver and passenger are gone. The bottom three trims, Standard, Reserve and Grand Touring all come with a 10-way Comfort Front Seat for the driver and an eight-way throne for the passenger. The Black Label and Grand Touring continue with their 30-way Perfect Position front seats. Outside, the Bronze Smoke Metallic and Burgundy Velvet Metallic colors depart the exterior palette, replaced by Diamond Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat and Jewel Sandstone. The Jet Package expands availability to the base Reserve trim, no longer requiring the Reserve I package, and to the Black Label, which didn't offer it before. The package full of black trim pieces and wheels hasn't changed from when Lincoln introduced it a year ago, including bits like a solid black grille and surround, black door spears and mirror caps, and 22-inch black aluminum wheels. A similar package exclusively for the Black Label trims is called the Black Label Special Edition Package. It makes the same changes as the Jet Package while also painting the roof black. Finally, the Illumination Package for the Grand Touring PHEV adds fog lights for 2023. Prices for the 2023 model year after the $1,195 destination charge are up a little over the sums we noted when the 2022 model year debuted. Remember, however, that 2022 pricing went down on all but one trim by anywhere from $5 to $1,085. The new MSRPs are in line with model year premiums we're used to seeing from a time before industrial upheaval. The figures and their differences from 2022 are: Standard: $54,535 ($1,875) Reserve: $59,700 ($1,150) Grand Touring: $70,385 ($830) Black Label: $81,920 ($1,375) Black Label Grand Touring: $90,475 ($1,375) Engine choices don't change, those being the twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 with 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque for all trims but the Grand Touring PHEV. The plug-in hybrid electrifies that engine to make a combined 494 hp and 630 lb-ft. Every Aviator shifts through a ten-speed automatic. The Aviator has sold 20,324 units so far this year. Based on figures for the past three years, we anticipate it will finish above last year's 20,324 sales and 2020's tally of 23,080 sales. A refresh expected in 2024 should bring more substantial updates and improvements.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party.

Farley reacts as UAW expands strike against Ford, GM

Members of the United Auto Worker union walk out of the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant as Lance Williams from Lansing, Ill., waves the UAW flag Friday. (AP)   As the United Auto Workers walk off the job at an additional Ford and General Motors plant, Ford CEO Jim Farley addressed investors and members of the media Friday, pleading the case for the company's latest overture to the union and addressing both public and investor concerns regarding the core issues facing American manufacturing.  Farley made a public case for Ford's efforts to resolve the dispute, expressing frustration with the ongoing stalemate and noting both the concessions Ford offered before the strike began and the signing of a contract with Canada's Unifor. Farley also acknowledged UAW President Shawn Fain's success in getting the union's message out, quipping: "Shawn has been on TV more than Jake from State Farm at this point." The first-ever simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three automakers enters its third week with threats of continued expansion, but little in the way of obvious concrete progress.  "If the UAW’s goal is a record contract, they have already achieved this," Farley said. "It is grossly irresponsible to escalate these strikes and hurt thousands of families." Farley also lamented the fact that EVs have become the subject of partisan conflict, with the company's recently announced battery production facilities taking heat from both pundits and investors as Ford was forced to press pause on the venture while negotiations continue. Former President Donald Trump dropped in to Michigan this week to declare EVs the enemy of blue-collar jobs. "They've become a political football, and that's a shame," he said. Friday saw an expansion of the UAW strike to Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing, Delta Township, Michigan, assembly plant, covering about 7,000 workers, Fain said in an announcement, bringing the total number of workers on the picket lines to 25,000. The strike will not include any additional members at Stellantis, where talks have reportedly been more productive. The Ford and GM plants went on strike at noon Eastern today (Friday). Ford builds the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in Chicago. GM's Delta Township plant builds Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave. "Despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress," Fain said in a video address Friday morning.