Inflatable seatbelts coming to Ford Explorers | detnews.com | The Detroit News
--For Srini Sundararajan, the new inflatable seat belt system that Ford Motor Co. debuted Thursday represents the culmination of a decade of work and the realization of his dream to make automobile transportation safer. The 47-year-old biomedical engineer has spent nearly half of his 21-year career at Ford working on the first-ever system, which will debut on the new Ford Explorer next year and promises to provide unprecedented protection for back seat passengers -- particularly for children and the...

Sterling Heights Ford UAW local may ask for revote | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Ford Motor Co. could shift work promised to its Sterling Heights axle factory as part of a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers to a German supplier after the local union voted overwhelmingly against the deal, according to a union source. Now, some workers there are organizing a petition urging UAW President Ron Gettelfinger to call for a revote. Spurred on by union dissidents who say the time for concessions is over, rank-and-file members at plants across the country have cast their ballots...

Local UAW approves Ford deal | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Members of United Auto Workers Local 900, which represents workers at Ford Motor Co.'s Wayne Assembly and Michigan Assembly plants, have narrowly approved a deal reached between the union and the Dearborn automaker last week. UAW sources told The Detroit News that 51 percent of workers voted to ratify the agreement Thursday. However, some workers questioned the results. "Most everyone I talked to voted no," said one worker, who asked not to be identified. "I voted no, too. My main concern was the...

Sneak Peek: Ford Fiesta | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Ford recently launched its new Fiesta Sedan in China, but we caught the U.S. spec version out testing, and new details are visible. Although the new Fiesta profile is unmistakable, the U.S. version -- as seen here -- has a new front fascia, including a small 3-bar grille and new front and rear bumpers. Very sleek headlights can be seen in front, as well as jeweled taillights in back. There almost certainly will be changes to the interior; the interior on this particular prototype is shrouded in a black...

Ford Presents Figo in India
On Wednesday Ford has revealed new hatchback for Indian customers, Figo. It is a brand-new nameplate which comes from Italian “cool”. In fact, Figo is a close sibling to the European Fiesta. The hatchback has all-aluminum 1.2-liter gasoline engine which is a derivative of 1.4 Sigma engine for Fiesta. It outputs between 70 and 75 horsepower. The car will be offered with diesel motor too: 1.4-liter Duratorq with 68 hp. The front of the hatchback is ordinary for this kind of Ford vehicles: it has slim...

Ford Flex is for those needing a bigger people-hauler | detnews.com | The Detroit News
There's something about the 2010 Ford Flex. Entering its second model year, the Flex is Ford's answer to people who need a big people hauler. It stretches more than 200 inches and can carry up to seven people, depending upon how it's configured. Though I would suggest selecting the captain's chairs for the second row because they are so comfortable. For the vehicles it replaces -- the minivan and Taurus X the crossover formerly known as the Freestyle -- the Flex offers a much more stylish solution. But...

Tire tariff jolts Ford supplier | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Few things scream "American" louder than Ford Motor Co.'s F-series pickup, but some models of the best-selling vehicle in the United States sport tires made in China. And that means Chinese tire makers are not the only ones scrambling in the wake of President Barack Obama's new tariffs. Hankook Tire supplies the base tires for the Ford F-150. It is not a Chinese company, but a Korean manufacturer with factories in China. That still means that tires produced at those facilities, including those for the...

Ford vies for Sync patents | detnews.com | The Detroit News
--A man that Ford Motor Co. once called "a lead architect" of Sync has left the company, raising serious questions about who owns intellectual property vital to the popular voice-controlled infotainment system it developed in conjunction with Microsoft Corp. Now, rival automakers are lining up to talk to Joseph Berry. So is Ford, which tried to get the telematics expert to sign off on several patents -- after he was terminated in late July. Berry says he is "happy to license" the technology to Ford, but...

Ford alters stock option to protect tax benefits | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Ford Motor Co. on Friday announced new steps aimed at protecting $19 billion in company tax benefits. U.S. tax laws allow companies to defer the tax benefits of operating losses, capital losses and tax credits to offset future profits. However, those benefits go away if there is a substantial change in a company's ownership. The move does not affect most shareholders. The rules were established to keep profitable companies from buying out unprofitable firms solely to take advantage of their tax...

Ford endorses bill to ban hand-held text messaging while driving | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- Ford Motor Co. endorsed a bill in Congress Thursday to ban hand-held text messaging while driving. A Senate version, sponsored by Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., would withhold highway funding to states that didn't adopt a ban. Peter Lawson, Ford's vice president for government relations, said in an interview the Dearborn automaker was endorsing the Schumer bill that he called a "common-sense measure." The bill would not prohibit people from using Ford's Sync system or other systems to send hands-free...