Ford Re-Opens at These Locations Starting May 16

Ford Philippines is opening majority of its dealerships nationwide starting May 16, 2020 while observing strict safety and sanitary protocols to protect its customers and dealer employees.

Opening starting May 16 are Ford dealerships in:

• Baguio
• Cabanatuan
• Clark
• Dagupan
• Davao
• Global City
• Ilocos Norte (Sales)
• Iloilo
• Libis
• Otis Manila
• Pampanga
• Tarlac
• Tagum
• Zamboanga.

Those opening starting May 18 are Ford dealerships in:

• Alabang
• Balintawak
• Baliuag
• Batangas
• Cainta
• Calamba
• Cavite
• Commonwealth
• EDSA
• Laguna
• Makati
• Malolos
• Manila Bay
• Marikina
• Marilao
• Quezon Avenue
• Sta. Rosa
• Subic

Some Ford dealerships opening on May 16 and May 18 are operating on limited capacity depending on the quarantine restrictions mandated by their locality’s respective local government unit (LGU). Customers are advised to contact their nearest or preferred Ford dealership to schedule appointments in advance for both sales and service transactions.

Meanwhile, Ford Cebu and Ford Minglanilla will resume operations as soon as the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) measures are lifted in those areas.

As part of the “new normal” of conducting business, Ford dealers are progressively rolling out measures to maintain a safe and sanitary environment in the showroom. These include conducting regular temperature checks for everyone entering the showroom, re-organization of the dealership floor to ensure social distancing, wearing of face masks and gloves for Ford dealer personnel at all times with a hazardous waste container onsite for proper disposal, enforcement of social distancing rules in all customer interactions, thorough disinfection of all Ford dealerships three (3) times a day, and availability of hand sanitizer dispensers and alcohol in the showroom.

On the sales and service side, Ford dealerships are also implementing a number of initiatives such as vehicle sanitation, remote sales support to give customers a first-hand shopping experience, and support for financing.

“As we open the majority of our Ford dealer network, we would like to assure our customers and dealer teams that their health and safety remain our top priority with safety and sanitary measures in place in our Ford showrooms,” said PK Umashankar, managing director, Ford Philippines.

Between May 1 to 15, 2020, 15 Ford dealerships have opened.

Ford PH Gears Up to Re-Open Dealerships After May 15

Ford dealerships across the Philippines are gearing up to re-open after May 15. While 15 dealerships have already opened in areas covered by the general community quarantine (GCQ), the rest, including those in Metro Manila will open under the guidelines set by the modified ECQ.

With that in mind, Ford dealers are rolling out measures to maintain a safe and sanitary environment in its showrooms such as conducting regular temperature checks for everyone entering the showroom, re-organization of the dealership floor to ensure social distancing, wearing of face masks and gloves for Ford dealer personnel at all times with a hazardous waste container onsite for proper disposal, enforcement of social distancing rules in all customer interactions, thorough disinfection of all Ford dealerships three times a day, and availability of hand sanitizer dispensers and alcohol in the showroom.

On the sales and service side, Ford dealerships are also implementing a number of initiatives such as vehicle sanitation, remote sales support to give customers a first-hand shopping experience, and support for finance and expired warranties.

Ford Tests Its Paint Against Bird Poop

With not much driving going on (and car detailers closed), cars may experience one problem: getting struck and stuck with bird poop. That is, unless you’re in a Ford.

While bird poop has serious implications for a car’s paintwork, Ford’s paint is tested for this with the help of, get this, artificial bird poop.

The laboratory-developed synthetic droppings are so realistic that they can accurately reflect the differing diets—and subsequent different acidity of droppings.

Applied to test panels as a spray, sample pieces are aged at varying temperatures—40, 50, and 60 degrees Celsius in an oven to replicate customer use in extreme heats, pushing the paint corrosion protection to its limits.

The “bird poop test” is just one of the ordeals paint samples are put through. Ford also sprays phosphoric acid mixed with soap detergent, and synthetic pollen on panels before aging them in ovens at 60 and 80 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. The test guards against airborne particulates such as pollen and sticky tree sap.

Summer is an especially dangerous time for paint because it softens and expands under intense sunlight. When it cools at night, it contracts and any grime, including bird droppings, attaches to the surface. If left on the vehicle, it can leave a permanent impression that requires specialist treatment to remove.

Leaving bird poop on any car is never a good idea. The advice for any car owner is simply to regularly wash your vehicle with a sponge and lukewarm water containing neutral pH shampoo, and gently remove harmless looking substances from the paintwork immediately. Waxing painted surfaces once or twice a year helps ensure new paint finishes can better resist harshest attacks, while staying shiny for longer.

Surprisingly, EVs are Easy to Care For Even During Long-Term Storage

Proper car care during this quarantine period for both traditional and hybrid electric vehicles is well-documented given that they’ve been around for quite some time. But what about battery electric vehicles? The imposed quarantine measures seen around the world due to COVID-19 will be the first test of how battery-powered vehicles will cope with long periods of non-use.

Ford’s “battery expert,” Bob Taenaka, senior technical leader, Battery and Cell System Development weighs in on how the battery reacts if EVs aren’t used or charged regularly.

Taenaka says, the most important thing is to make sure that the 12-volt battery (yes, EVs still have the traditional lead-acid battery) stays charged, and that the high-voltage battery has adequate charge—10 percent or more—to prevent it from potentially draining to zero percent.

If an EV has been plugged in or driven for at least 8 hours in a month, the 12-volt battery should be adequately charged.

For the larger traction battery, Taenaka recommends keeping it at a state of charge between 10 percent and 80 percent.

A high-voltage battery above 10 percent state of charge can go for more than six months without charging, but the 12-volt battery will drain much faster, especially when connected to the vehicle.

If there are no plans to drive the EV for longer than 30 days, it’s best to disconnect the negative terminal of the 12-volt battery. If the EV or plug-in hybrid can be plugged in, keeping it charged will also charge the 12-volt battery. If no charger is available, a 12-volt battery charger like those from CTEK can be used to keep it topped up.

Ford Family Joins Tesla-Rival Rivian's Board

Ford is cementing its relationship with EV startup Rivian with the announcement that Alexandra Ford English will join the latter’s board of directors effective immediately.

Daughter of Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, English is also the director of Corporate Strategy for Ford—responsible for the company’s enterprise strategy and connectivity and digital network strategy.

“Alexandra and I share a deep passion for mobility and electrification, and her connection to Ford’s long family role in transportation is something special. I am looking forward to working closely with her and the perspective that she will bring to the Board,” said RJ Scaringe, Rivian founder and CEO.

Ford made an initial equity investment of USD 500 million in Rivian in April 2019, and an additional equity investment in December. Moreover, Ford has announced plans to develop vehicles using the Tesla rival’s flexible skateboard platform. The first vehicle was supposed to have been premium brand Lincoln’s first EV, but citing economic complications brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, those plans have since been canceled.

“Our strategic partnership with Rivian plays an important role in the future of fully networked battery electric vehicles,” said Jim Hackett, Ford president and CEO. “With Alexandra’s experience in mobility and self-driving services, she will bring a unique perspective to Rivian’s board during this transformational time in our industry.”

English joined Ford Motor Company in 2017. Prior to joining the corporate strategy team, she was a member of the Ford Autonomous Vehicle LLC team and a member of the City Solutions team. Before joining Ford, she was responsible for managing profit and loss operations for customer-centric businesses in the merchandising divisions of Tory Burch in New York and Gap Inc. in San Francisco.

Ford PH Reminds Us That Pickups Are Great at Hauling Stuff

Most Filipinos buy pickup trucks because they look cool, but now and again, carmakers remind them that they’re great at doing one thing: hauling stuff. Ford did exactly that when its “Built Ford Tough” truck helped transport food and medical supplies to various front liners during the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

Ford Philippines partnered with San Miguel Foods to deliver over 49,000 pieces of baked products and breads to front liners in various local government units (LGU), police districts, parishes, charities, and hospitals around Metro Manila. The delivery took place daily over a course of two weeks.

And because front liners can’t live on bread alone, the Ranger also delivered medical supplies and personal protective equipment to various hospitals with the help of The Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Foundation and AmCham Foundation.

Ford also transported, via the Ford Ranger, its own donations of medical supplies to medical front liners from Philippine General Hospital, Manila Doctors Hospital, Ospital ng Muntinlupa, and San Juan De Dios Hospital. Ford also donated medical supplies to Philippine College of Occupational Medicine and Bauan Medical Society, its partner medical organizations in its medical missions.

Earlier into the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, Ford lent its Ford Transit van for the transport of medical front liners. These will be in service until May 4, 2020.

Guy Who Engineered Ford Ranger, EcoSport Will Lead Ford's Americas & International Markets Group

After a 10-week “deep dive” led by Ford’s newly appointed Chief Operating Officer, Jim Farley, the American carmaker is making leadership changes to its global automotive operations in a bid to fast track its transformation plan.

Aimed to sharpen Ford’s focus on product and launch execution, improve quality and lower costs, the shakeup includes a new man at the helm of the Americas & International Markets Group (IMG) which includes the Philippines.

Kumar Galhotra, the man who led Ford’s aggressive product drive in Asia Pacific in the late 2000s will assume the role on May 1. During his stint in the region, he brought more than 50 new vehicles and powertrains, most notably the Ford Ranger. He was also the chief engineer for the first-generation Ford Escape, which also spawned the Mazda Tribute.

More recently, Galhotra served as Ford’s North America President. Previous to that, he was Ford’s Chief Marketing Officer. During his stint there he focused their marketing effort towards product categories that played to the company’s strengths, and developing more effective brand communications including digital services, mobility, and autonomy.

In his new role, Galhotra is responsible for the profit and loss of the business units, including a newly established commercial vehicle business unit for the U.S. and Canada. He reports to Jim Farley.

Below Galhotra, Lyle Watters expands his role as President of South America & International Markets Group, while Mark Ovenden continues in his role as President of International Markets Group.

On Its 56th Birthday, the Ford Mustang Celebrates Two Global Sales Crowns

On its nameplate’s 56th birthday, Ford is celebrating two global sales crowns—the world’s best-selling sportscar and its fifth straight best-selling sports coupe title. This is on top of being America’s best-selling sportscar of the last 50 years.

“We’re proud of our growing Mustang stable and performance variants,” said Jim Farley, chief operating officer, Ford Motor Company. “From Sweden to Shanghai, more and more driving enthusiasts are enjoying the feeling of freedom and the American open road in these new Mustangs. We are honored to serve our owners, enthusiasts and fans for 56 years and counting.”

The Ford Mustang sold 102,090 units, according to the most recent new vehicle registration data from IHS Markit, making it the best-selling sports car in the world in 2019. During this period, Mustang sales in Germany increased 33 percent, in Poland sales rose by nearly 50 percent, and in France, they nearly doubled.

Last year also marks the fifth consecutive year that Mustang was the best-selling sports coupe in the world. Sports coupes, as defined by IHS Markit, include two-door and convertible models. IHS Markit global vehicle registrations are compiled from government and other sources, and capture 95 percent of global new vehicle volumes in more than 80 countries.

The Mustang was first introduced to the world on April 17, 1964 at the New York World’s Fair. Since then, it’s been in continuous production with six generations, the most recent one of which was introduced in 2015 (refreshed in 2018).

Ford Will Produce Reusable PPE Gowns Using Airbags

Last time, Ford was looking at using car parts in the production of much-needed respirators in the fight against COVID-19. Now, they’re expanding that by using airbags to produce Personal Protective Equipment or PPE gowns.

Teaming up with airbag supplier Joyson Safety Systems, Ford will quickly ramp up production and produce up to 75,000 gowns by April 19. After that, it will scale it up to 100,000 per week. All in all, Ford and Joyson will produce 1.3 million gowns, the design of which is tested by the U.S. government and is reusable up to 50 times.

Ford fast tracked the development of these reusable PPE gowns.

Aside from these airbag-based PPE gowns, Ford is currently producing 3 million face shields and will also start production of its Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) using Ford F-150 ventilated seat parts in the coming weeks.

Ford has also started ramping up production on much-needed PPEs in its other plants around the world. Face shield production has now started at Ford facilities in Canada, India, and Thailand as well.

Ford to Produce 50,000 Ventilators in Next 100 Days

Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, says they will be able to produce 50,000 ventilators within 100 days, and up to 30,000 a month thereafter as needed.

The American carmaker will provide its manufacturing capabilities to quickly scale production, and GE Healthcare will provide its clinical expertise and will license the current ventilator design from Airon Corp., a small, privately held company specializing in high-tech pneumatic life support products. GE Healthcare brought the Airon Corp. design to Ford’s attention as part of the companies’ efforts to scale production of ventilators quickly to help clinicians treat COVID-19 patients.

The GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator uses a design that operates on air pressure without the need for electricity, addressing the needs of most COVID-19 patients. Its production can be quickly scaled to help meet growing demand. This is different from a Ford proposal with 3M that uses existing off-the-shelf car parts.

Ford expects to produce 1,500 by the end of April, 12,000 by the end of May and 50,000 by July 4; helping the U.S. government meet its goal of producing 100,000 ventilators in 100 days.

These ventilators are destined for a deployment in the U.S.; there are currently no plans to export it to other countries.

Ford PH Lends Out Transit Vans as Healthcare Front Liner Shuttles

Ford Philippines is deploying its Ford Transit vans to help transport medical and healthcare front liners amid the Enhanced Community Quarantine that saw the suspension of public transportation in Luzon.

“We are one with the nation in recognizing the important contributions of medical front liners, our modern-day heroes, whose roles are very critical during this COVID-19 pandemic,” shares PK Umashankar, managing director, Ford Philippines. “With the Ford Transit, we are able to assist in their mobility needs so they can provide the much-needed medical care as soon as possible.”

Ford partnered with Lifeline for a lend out of the Ford Transit for the entire duration of the quarantine period to transport medical front liners to Lifeline's various points of dispatch (LIFEPODS). Points of dispatch are standalone ambulance stations spread across Metro Manila that house the ambulance, equipment, and crew.

Lifeline is the largest private ambulance and pre-hospital provider in Metro Manila that offers 24/7 emergency quick response ambulances, doctors on call, and patient transfer services.

Ford has also lent another Ford Transit van to Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa City for the duration of the quarantine period to shuttle medical workers from various pick-up points in the city to the hospital and then back to designed drop-off points. The lend out will allow the medical front liners to get to Asian Hospital faster and more conveniently to facilitate medical service delivery.

The automotive company is also looking to lend its Ford Ranger pickup trucks to partner-organizations to help transport food, supplies, equipment, and other essential goods.

Ford is Now Making COVID-19 Medical Equipment Using Car Parts

There are COVID-19 marketing gimmicks, and then there are true signs of ingenuity. At a time when American carmakers were getting beat when it comes to car tech, they’ve shown that in a time of a crisis, they still have the engineering mojo to come up with all sorts of practical solutions.

Ford, joining forces with firms including 3M and GE Healthcare, is lending its manufacturing and engineering expertise to quickly expand production of urgently-needed medical equipment and supplies for healthcare workers, first responders, and patients fighting the coronavirus.

Ford has come up with unique solutions that use off-the-shelf parts. To create portable respirators, they’ve used off-the-shelf parts like fans from the Ford F-150’s cooled seats and paired it with 3M HEPA air filters. A portable battery pack means these respirators can run for eight hours.

In addition, Ford and GE Healthcare are working together to expand production of a simplified version of GE Healthcare’s existing ventilator design to support patients with respiratory failure or difficulty breathing caused by COVID-19.

Both the F-150-based respirator and ventilators could be produced at a Ford manufacturing site.

Meanwhile, Ford’s U.S. design team also is quickly creating and starting to test transparent full-face shields for medical workers and first responders. The face shields fully block the face and eyes from accidental contact with liquids and when paired with N95 respirators can be a more effective way to limit potential exposure to coronavirus than N95 respirators alone.

The first 1,000 face shields will be tested this week. Roughly 75,000 of these shields are expected to be finished this week, and more than 100,000 face shields per week will be produced after that.

Ford is also re-acquiring 165,000 N95 respirators from China that were originally sent by Ford to China earlier this year to help combat coronavirus.

Ford’s taking the right, concrete steps when the world needs American ingenuity and engineering the most. And yes, because of this, we’re forgiving them for the Mustang Mach-E and its shrimp cocktail carrying “frunk.”

Ford to Suspend Production of PH Market Ranger, Everest

Ford has opted to suspend the vehicle and engine production at its International Markets Group (IMG) manufacturing sites including Thailand which makes vehicles such as the Ranger and Everest.

The decision to halt production is due to several factors including to curb the spread of COVID-19, parts restrictions, supplier constraints, and dealer stock requirements. The production suspension is expected to last “for several weeks.”

While Ford will continue to monitor the situation, the company is adjusting its original production schedule and will temporarily suspend production market-by-market. The last working day per market is as follows:

• March 21: India: Chennai Vehicle Assembly Plant, Sanand Vehicle Assembly Plant, Sanand Engine Plant and Chennai Engine Plant.
• March 26: Vietnam: Ford Vietnam Limited Haiduong Assembly Plant.
• March 27: Thailand: Ford Motor Company (Thailand) Limited.
• March 27: South Africa: Silverton Assembly Plant (Pretoria) and Struandale Engine Plant (Port Elizabeth).

The measures announced follow actions previously announced by Ford, including the temporary suspension of vehicle and engine production in North America, Europe, and South America.

Ford also is requiring employees to work remotely unless they are performing a business-critical job that requires being onsite. The company’s working remotely policy will continue until further notice in a continued effort to help contain the virus. Precautionary measures are being taken to protect the safety of the small number of employees who are unable to work from home.

Ford PH, Toyota PH Extend Warranties, Offers PMS Grace Period During Enhanced Community Quarantine

Following Honda Cars Philippines’s lead, two other automakers have announced extensions to either their warranties and/or an additional grace period for those with scheduled Periodic Maintenance Service.

For Ford owners, the American carmaker is extending the warranty of vehicles that will expire during the Enhanced Community Quarantine up to one month after the quarantine is lifted. This is likewise extended to customers who have availed of their Premium Extended Warranty.

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Philippines has announced that vehicles whose warranty is or will expire during the period of the Enhanced Community Quarantine will be given a 30-day extension. Moreover, for vehicles with scheduled PMS, they will be given a 30-day grace period as well.

Mazda Philippines has also opted to do the same with their Yojin-3 program which also offered a 30-day grace period during the period of Enhanced Community Quarantine.

U.S. Auto Manufacturing Grinds to a Halt

The U.S. “Big Three” will now idle their manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico at least until the end of the month due to COVID-19.

General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles issued statements separately regarding their decision to idle production—marking a costly and dramatic step to battle the pandemic that automakers had hoped to avoid.

Before the complete shutdown, the three automakers initially wanted to just slow down its manufacturing opting to put enhanced safety measures in place. That all changed though when a Ford worker at its Michigan assembly plant tested positive, while the Illinois plant that makes the Explorer suspended operations after its supplier closed after a worker there got the virus.

For FCA, two COVID-19 cases were detected among its workers, and this prompted them to close down their manufacturing through the end of March. And while General Motors hasn’t said if any of its workers contracted the virus, they are doing the same to “keep their plant environments safe” and because “it’s the right thing to do now.” A person did test positive, but at the GM Technical Center.

While not part of the U.S. Big Three, American Honda will also halt production at its five assembly plants and three powertrain plants in North America as will Hyundai at its assembly plant in Alabama and Nissan in Tennessee.

Ford, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Ducati Halts European Production

As Europe becomes the newest hotspot for COVID-19, several automakers are now shutting down either due to supply chain constraints or as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the disease. After Lamborghini and Ferrari (as well as Pirelli and Brembo) announced production suspensions, Volkswagen, Ford, and Ducati are now doing the same.

For Volkswagen, it entails a two-week suspension starting today. Initially, production facilities in Wolfsburg, Emden, Dresden, Osnabrück, Zwickau, Bratislava (Slovakia), Pamplona (Spain), and Palmela (Portugal) are affected, as well as the Components plants at Brunswick, Chemnitz, Hanover, Kassel, Salzgitter and SITECH.

Ford is also doing the same for its facilities across Europe. The Ford vehicle manufacturing sites in Cologne and Saarlouis in Germany, together with the Craiova facility in Romania, will temporarily halt production from Thursday, March 19. Ford’s Valencia assembly and engine facility in Spain already temporarily halted production from Monday, March 16, after three workers were confirmed with coronavirus over the past weekend.

Meanwhile, Groupe PSA has decided to close its vehicle production sites at least until the end of next week. The parent company of Peugeot will shutter its entire European manufacturing footprint with plants in France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Slovakia all affected.

Finally, Ducati is also shutting down production until next week at its plant in Borgo Panigale in full compliance to the Italian government’s guidelines against the spread of COVID-19.

Ford Developing Tech to Stop Cyclists Getting Hit by Car Doors

Every year thousands of accidents are caused by drivers or passengers opening a door into the path of a cyclist. “Car dooring” results in 60 cyclists being seriously injured or killed each year in the U.K. alone, while in Germany it was the cause of around 3,500 accidents during 2018. This problem is expected to get worse as more people choose to cycle and ride e‑scooters in cities.

Now Ford has developed a technology that could one day make it easier to avoid dooring accidents with vulnerable road-users that also include motorcyclists.

Exit Warning provides visual and audible alerts to road users and vehicle occupants when it detects that opening the door of a parked car might cause a collision; it could also prevent a vehicle door from opening into someone’s path.

Ford vehicles already feature sensors and technology that can automatically detect and brake for cyclists, and help drivers to know when other road users are passing by their blind spots.

Using these existing sensors, Exit Warning analyses and understands the movements of approaching road users—whether they’re riding a bicycle or an e-scooter—on both the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle.

If the system detects that opening the vehicle door could cause a collision, an alarm sounds to warn the driver or passenger of the danger. Bright red LEDs on the wing mirror begin to flash as a visual warning for cyclists and a strip of red LEDs along the inner trim of the door, that becomes visible when the door is opened, provides further warning for passing road users.

Engineers are also testing a new mechanism for the car door that momentarily prevents it from fully opening until the Exit Warning system determines the passing road user is safely clear of the vehicle. The vehicle occupant will be able to manually override this feature in an emergency.

Following testing with drivers and cyclists from within Ford, engineers will be conducting customer clinics in the coming months. Part of the testing will be to ensure that the technology accommodates road users in different markets, taking into account right- and left-hand drive vehicles as well as different road and lane layouts.

Ford PH's Customer Relationship Center Expands Operating Hours

Ford Philippines is extending the operating hours of its Customer Relationship Center (CRC) as part of its efforts to enhance the customer experience.

Starting March 1, 2020, the Ford CRC will also be open every Saturday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM to assist customers on after-sales and service transactions beyond its usual operating hours during weekdays.

“We recognize that our customers have varying lifestyles and work schedules so extending the operating hours of the Ford CRC to Saturday is a great initiative to improve the Ford ownership experience,” shares PK Umashankar, managing director, Ford Philippines. “We look forward to serving and assisting our customers on the CRC which is now available to take calls six days a week.”

The Ford CRC can be reached at +63-2-8866-9408 or 1-800-10-736-3673 on Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Alternatively, customers can send an e-mail to emailus [at] ford.com for concerns about their Ford vehicles.

Ford's New Chief Operating Officer Wants to Make Sure the Carmaker Builds Their Cars Right

Former Toyota man and now incoming Ford Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley laid down his plan to turn around the American carmaker. With the surprise retirement of Joe Hinrichs, Farley will become the front man starting March 1.

A marketing man by trade, Farley moved to Ford from Toyota in 2007 and held positions including President for Global Markets, and President of New Businesses, Technology, and Strategy. Now as COO, he’s tasked to accelerate Ford CEO Jim Hackett’s USD 11 billion turnaround plan.

Farley’s first order of business is to make sure that key vehicles such as the Bronco SUV and Mustang Mach-E will go smoothly.

Last year, Ford pretty much botched the launch of its all-new 2020 Explorer which suffered from build quality and assembly issues. It was so dire that dealers ended up doing required repair work even before these SUVs could be sold to customers.

Aside from smoothening out product launches, Farley wants Ford to spend less on warranty repairs. Currently, the company spends USD 5 billion annually, but he believes that with the power of big data, it will help them head off potential problems.

Farley’s appointment as COO comes at a very difficult time for Ford. In fact, he sees this as a repeat of 2008 when Ford almost ended up in bankruptcy. However, he believes that Ford does its best during these trialing situations. He said, “When I see Ford at its best was in ’08, coronavirus, Thai floods, earthquake in Japan…When there was a threat, the team comes together, decisions get made quickly at the right level. It’s very natural.”

Source: Bloomberg

Ford is Discounting the EcoSport by as Much as P 130k, Ranger by P 100k

Ford Philippines is offering cash discounts on pretty much their entire line-up sans the Ranger Raptor and Mustang from now until March 31, 2020. This gives customers more deals for a longer period of time.

Get as much as P 100,000 cash discount on the Ranger 2.0L Bi-Turbo Wildtrak 4x4. Customers who prefer to avail of this variant on a financing promo can also take advantage of the 0 percent interest offer for up to 18 months. Meanwhile, the Ranger 2.0L Wildtrak 4x2 variants come with a cash discount of P 70,000 or with a financing promo of 0 percent interest offer for up to 12 months.

As part of its efforts to expand ownership of the Ford Ranger, Ford Philippines continues to offer the Ranger 2.2L XLS at a starting retail price of P 943,000.

For those eyeing Ford’s SUV line-up, the EcoSport 1.5L Trend MT comes with a cash discount of P 130,000, bringing its starting retail price to just P 840,000 while the EcoSport 1.5L Trend AT also comes with a hefty P 130,000 cash discount, bringing its starting retail price to P 900,000. Even the  EcoSport 1.0L Titanium and 1.5L Titanium variants now come with a P 65,000 cash discount.

Meanwhile, the Ford Explorer 3.5L Sport AT and Ford Expedition 4x4 Limited EL both come with a P 200,000 cash discount.

Even the Everest 2.0L Bi-Turbo Titanium+ 4x4 AT and Everest 2.0L Turbo Titanium 4x2 AT both come with a P 50,000 discount, while the recently-launched Transit van comes with a P 100,000 cash discount (until February 28, 2020 only).