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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.

Huge JFK auction includes two classic Lincolns

Want to own a piece of American history? Perhaps you should consider 35th President John F. Kennedy's limousine, a stretched 1960 Lincoln Continental, or the last car he safely rode in before his assassination, a 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible. Both of them will be up for sale at the Camelot: Fifty Years after Dallas auction on October 24, a JFK 50th anniversary auction in Boston.
The black 1960 Continental was part of the presidential motorcade and is bulletproof. The body has been restored to the tune of about $35,000, according to RR Auctions, but the interior was left alone. That's okay, because the winning bidder will be able to enjoy lounging in the well-preserved seats and stepping on the original tan carpeting, just as President Kennedy did. The next owner can even play President, with a divider window, passenger air controls and a two-way telephone - if a chauffeur is hired, of course. The starting bid for the Continental is $25,000.
The other car is more historically relevant (but in this writer's eye, less beautiful), and commands a starting bid of $50,000. The white, convertible 1963 Continental was the last car President Kennedy rode in before his assassination in Dallas - with a notarized document by the car's owner at the time as proof. It was used to transport the President, his wife, Jacqeuline, and Texas governor John Connally "from a breakfast and speech at the Texas Hotel ballroom through the streets of Fort Worth to Carswell Air Force Base, where they boarded a short flight to Dallas on the morning of November 22, 1963," according to RR Auctions. Lincoln specialist Baker Restoration in Connecticut restored the car, which included an engine replacement, body work and paint. Most of the interior, including the seats, are in original condition.

Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 and our new long-term Acura TLX | Autoblog Podcast #661

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. This week, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 and Audi A4, as well as the recently departed long-term Volvo S60 T8 and the new addition to the long-term fleet, an Acura TLX. In this week's news, they talk about the Stellantis merger completion, some more thoughts about GM at CES, BMW announcing an electric M car, an upcoming electric Lincoln Corsair and the possibility of an electric-only Ford Mustang in 2028. Autoblog Podcast #661 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving:2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 2021 Audi A4 S Line 45 TFSI Quattro 2020 Volvo S60 T8 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec News:Stellantis is a thing now More thoughts on GM at CES BMW announces electric M car is coming this year Electric Lincoln Corsair-E coming in 2026, report says The next-gen Ford Mustang reportedly going all-electric, arriving in 2028 Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: