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Car companies used to cook up sales with recipe books

The evolution of automotive marketing has undergone a number of strange phases. Few, though, match the strangeness of the 1930s to 1950s, when automotive marketers turned to cookbooks as a means of promoting their vehicles. Yes, cookbooks. We can't make this stuff up, folks.
This bizarre trend led to General Motors distributing cookbooks under the guise of its then-subsidiary Frigidaire. Ford, meanwhile, offered a compilation of recipes from Ford Credit Employees (shown above). The cookbook-craze wasn't limited to domestic manufacturers, though. As The Detroit News discovered, both Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen got in on the trend, although not until the 1970s.
The News has the full story on this strange bit of marketing. Head over and take a look.

Editors' Picks January 2022 | Ford Maverick, Jeep Grand Cherokee and more

This month, we awarded Editors' Pick awards to a number of totally redesigned, new models. Most notable of the bunch is the 2022 Ford Maverick. Ford took a chance on a new segment, and its execution is as close to perfect as we could hope for. The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a worthy competitor, though, and was also named an Editors' Pick. Also in this list, we have the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's an excellent SUV, and it's only going to get better when the plug-in hybrid 4xe model hits the roads. In case you missed our previous Editors' Picks posts, here’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get EditorsÂ’ Pick status. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. The list that youÂ’ll find below consists of every car we rated in January that earned an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Quick take: Jeep's midsize SUV hits it out of the park with the latest generation. We could stand to see some powertrain innovation, but the Grand Cherokee's premium proposition is sound. Score: 8.0 What it competes with: Honda Passport, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Edge, Chevrolet Blazer, Nissan Murano Pros: Highly capable, luxurious interior, choices aplenty Cons: Pricey, fuel economy From the editors Associate Editor, Byron Hurd — "Jeep did almost everything right with the redesigned Grand Cherokee. Its powertrain offerings are fairly unremarkable, but the new two-row 4xe will go a long way toward addressing that. It's an otherwise fantastic, modern, luxurious Jeep SUV." In-depth analysis: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee First Drive Review | 1 fewer row, 1 more touchscreen   2022 Ford Maverick Quick take: The Ford Maverick offers tremendous value, efficiency, incredibly well-thought-out packaging, plenty of storage, a fairly engaging drive and ease of use, all with the utility of a pickup bed. We like the hybrid, but the EcoBoost engine and FX4 package offer more capability. Score: 8 What it competes with: Hyundai Santa Cruz Pros: Very affordable, Hybrid fuel economy, compact size Cons: Tight backseat, FWD only Hybrid, no cruise control in base trim From the editors: Green, Senior Editor John Beltz Snyder — "The Maverick is simply a dynamite package. It's smart, useful, drivable, efficient, providing affordable utility in the underserved compact pickup segment.

Mulally will stay close to Ford after he steps down, plans to advise Fields [w/video]

Ford CEO Alan Mulally has less than a week left in his role of leading the Blue Oval before he hands off duties to Mark Fields on July 1. It doesn't look like Mulally is going to be shuffling off into his retirement anytime soon, though. The 68-year-old is being rather secretive about his next move, but he tells Bloomberg in a recent interview that he plans to stay close to Ford. Also, if Fields wants to ask for any advice, Mulally is happy to help.
Mulally took over at Ford in 2006 and led the company through a seriously rough patch in the auto industry. According to Bloomberg, he became famous or his Thursday meetings where executives were forced to deal with any problems before they could leave. Since announcing his retirement from Ford in May, Mulally has been insuring a smooth transition of power by traveling the world to all of company's major locations and saying goodbye to employees and dealers.
In terms of the future at Ford, Mulally doesn't predict any big changes in management style because the rest of the executive team is staying in place. He believes that Fields is going to maintain the processes already in place to keep things going. After all, it seems to be working. The company is predicting a return to profitability in Europe next year and is opening 88 new dealers in China. If the business could get its recalls under control, things could get even better.