Ford eNews - March 23, 2011

Lincoln earns highest honors in J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study

Chalk up another accolade for Lincoln, the luxury brand received the highest score for long-term durability among all vehicle brands in the annual J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Vehicle Dependability Study. The study asks owners about problems they've experienced in the past 12 months with their three-year-old vehicles. In total, Ford Motor Company received honors for nine vehicles: Ford Fusion, Mustang, Edge, Explorer Sport Trac, Taurus, F-150 and Ranger, and Lincoln MKZ and Navigator.

Ford celebrates production of all-new Focus in revamped Michigan Assembly Plant

Production of the all-new global Ford Focus built for North American customers in a completely transformed Michigan Assembly Plant is under way. Following a $550 million investment, the plant features an environmentally friendly workplace with flexible manufacturing capability and a specially trained staff motivated to deliver the fuel-efficient vehicle to the marketplace. Focus is designed to set a new standard in the small car segment, offering more technology and features than more expensive European cars. And it couldn't arrive at a better time: Focus delivers fuel-sipping economy of up to 40 mpg with an automatic transmission.

All-new Ford Police Interceptor can save municipalities millions

Ford's all-new Police Interceptor sedan and utility vehicle can save America's law enforcement agencies millions of dollars a year in fuel costs. With three powerful, fuel-efficient V6 engines, the new police vehicle lineup is expected to deliver average fuel economy gains of between 20 and 25 percent over the Crown Victoria police car, which is ending production later this year. The improved efficiency of the new Interceptors is part of Ford's corporate goal to lead or be among the leaders in fuel economy in every segment in which the company competes and that includes not just vehicles consumers buy, but those that fleets such as law enforcement agencies buy as well. �

Focus Rally: America, Ford's 6,000-mile interactive road trip wraps up

Focus Rally: America, the live interactive road rally, has come to a close with the gray team walking away as the winners. Six teams of two traveled the country in the all-new Ford Focus, covering more than 6,000 miles and 10 states. More than 30,000 followers at home joined in Focus Rally by supporting and assisting teams to complete tasks and challenges along the way. Followers were rewarded throughout the game with trips to challenges and eight all-new Ford Focus vehicles. Virtual team members were deeply engaged in the program, viewing more than 8.1 million minutes of live-streaming video, which amounts to 5,625 days worth of footage.

2012 Ford Fiesta lets customers personalize with new packages

The small car style Ford Fiesta delivers is expanding for 2012 with three new packages to give customers even more options for personalizing. The new packages build on the success of the personalization choices Fiesta customers enjoy today, with nearly 40 percent purchasing at least one accessory. The new interior package delivers a custom look with two-tone seating surfaces, door trim inserts, steering wheel and interior components, and is available in both Race Red and Oxford White. Inspired by the European Ford Focus RS, a premium sport appearance package offers customers several blacked-out components, along with a performance improvement when ordered with a manual transmission.