Ford Expands Environmentally Friendly 3-Wet Paint

Ford Expands Environmentally Friendly 3-Wet Paint Capacity by 50 Percent Globally in 2013

• Ford is adding four more plants to its network of manufacturing operations that use its industry-leading 3-Wet paint process; the process will be added to two facilities in the United States, as well as one in China and one in Spain

• Ford, which was the first automaker to implement the high-solids solvent-borne 3-Wet technology in 2007, currently has eight plants in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe that use the process

• The 3-Wet process has helped Ford reduce CO₂ emissions by 15-25 percent and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by 10 percent at those facilities where the process is used; similar reductions are expected at new 3-Wet facilities

Click to download image.

DEARBORN, Mich., April 3, 2013 – Ford Motor Company is expanding its industry-leading 3-Wet paint capacity by 50 percent this year, adding the environmentally friendly process to four more plants on three continents. The actions will reduce CO₂ emissions by an estimated 15-25 percent at those facilities.

Ford was the first automaker to implement the 3-Wet high-solids solvent-borne technology in 2007; it now has eight plants in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe equipped to use the process to paint vehicles. High-solids solvent-borne technology refers to a paint formulated to minimize solvents, resulting in a concentrated pigment and resin mixture with fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released. The technology will be in place in 12 plants in 2013 then expand to additional facilities worldwide over the next four years.

“The 3-Wet paint process is significantly more advanced than conventional technologies in applying durable paints in a high-quality, environmentally sound and cost-efficient manner,” said Bruce Hettle, director of manufacturing engineering.

The 3-Wet process derives its name from three layers of paint applied one after the other prior to earlier coats having cured. The process eliminates stand-alone primer application and a dedicated oven required in the conventional process that was used before. Advanced chemical composition of 3-Wet paint materials allows for the three layers of paint – primer, base coat and clear coat – to be applied while each layer is still wet.

The 3-Wet technology process means Ford can maintain the top quality characteristics its customers demand, including long-term durability and chip and scratch resistance.

How it works

Enabling the 3-Wet high-solids solvent-borne paint formulation technology is a combination of process and product developed by Ford and its suppliers. Together, they have created a superior system that saves 20-25 percent of process time. Due to the eliminated stand-alone primer application and dedicated oven – both reducing the paint booth size – Ford saves electricity from the blowers that circulate massive volumes of air through paint booths, and reduces its use of natural gas needed to heat the air and ovens. This results in significant reductions of CO₂ emissions, as well as reductions in VOC compared to current medium-solids and solvent-borne paints.

Since the pilot launch at Ohio Assembly Plant five years ago, Ford’s global 3-Wet paint process has reduced CO₂ emissions by 15-25 percent and VOC emissions by 10 percent compared to either conventional high-solids solvent-borne or waterborne systems.

Locations where Ford is installing the 3-Wet process in 2013:

• Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Flat Rock, Mich.
• Kansas City Assembly Plant, Claycomo, Mo.
• Jiangling Motors Co. Ltd., Jiangxi/Nanchang, China
• Valencia Assembly Plant, Valencia, Spain

Locations with 3-Wet capability in North America:

• Ohio Assembly Plant, Avon Lake, Ohio
• Cuautitlán Assembly Plant, Cuautitlán, Mexico
• Michigan Assembly Plant, Wayne, Mich.
• Louisville Assembly Plant, Louisville, Ky.

Locations with 3-Wet capability in Asia Pacific:

• Chennai Assembly, Tamil Nadu, India
• CAF 2, Chongqing, China
• Ford Thailand Manufacturing, Rayong, Thailand

Location with 3-Wet capability in Europe:

• Craiova Assembly Plant, Craiova, Romania

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About Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Mobile Growth Reshaping Post-Recession U.S. Auto Industry

Farley: Demographic Shifts, Consumer Fuel Economy Focus, Mobile Growth Reshaping Post-Recession U.S. Auto Industry

• Post-recession consumer and demographic shifts are reshaping the U.S. auto industry, as much if not more than the recent economic crisis

• Google and Facebook provide optimistic vision of “automobility” and mobile platforms

• Ford announces Personalized Fuel Efficiency App Challenge to bring new ways for consumers to learn more and further improve real-world fuel economy

NEW YORK, March 27, 2013 – While the great recession has fundamentally reshaped the automotive industry over the past few years, the real game changer may come from a new post-recession consumer mindset, demographic shifts and how automakers respond.

“Just as everyone is breathing a huge sigh of relief about getting back to something resembling normal sales levels, the real news is that the great recession has dealt a fundamental change to the consumer’s mindset,” said Jim Farley, executive vice president of Global Marketing, Sales and Service and Lincoln. “The question of whether consumers are returning to the market is settled. Now the question is, ‘What do they want and expect from us, and are we really ready to respond to what has just taken place?’”

Delivering the keynote address at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, Farley said the recession has profoundly influenced how consumers weigh purchase decisions and what they value in automobiles. He highlighted several key post-recession trends that will drive industry change – shifting expectations around luxury, the rise of women and Hispanics, a renewed focus on fuel economy, and the rapid proliferation of mobile platforms.

New luxury expectations

Luxury is no longer defined by price, size and exclusivity. “Now, people are breaking the association of luxury with a high price tag,” Farley said. “They are looking for luxury-level quality, performance and features in smaller sizes and at more reasonable price levels.”

He noted that a recent Luxury Institute survey found 60 percent of respondents expect a fully equipped luxury vehicle to cost less than $60,000 – significantly less than the former $100,000 price tag standard on many luxury models.

Another luxury trend: Small utilities are outpacing all other luxury vehicle segments for growth, with nearly a 60 percent jump in 2012 and a more than 200 percent increase in the past four years.

Women, Hispanics transforming the market

While baby boomers will continue to wield the greatest influence on the market for years to come, Farley pointed to shifts among women, Hispanics and millennials that are reshaping the entire consumer market.

Perhaps the most powerful trend is the rising consumer power of women globally. “More than 1 billion women will enter the middle class globally by 2020, and many will be buying vehicles for the first time,” Farley said.

Rapid urbanization is drawing women to cities all over the world, where they are trading agricultural work for careers in business and other professions. Women buyers are outpacing men for the first time ever in the United States.

Meanwhile, Hispanic households are becoming increasingly affluent with a 126 percent increase in U.S. Hispanic households making more than $100,000 a year. Hispanic households have a total net worth of more than $500 billion.

“As Hispanics buy luxury vehicles at a faster rate than the overall market, our brands must become more compelling, interesting and relevant than ever,” Farley said. “Millennials are also a significant opportunity, as they will start entering the family stage in record numbers during the next several years.”

The power of mobile platforms: Facebook and Google

Mobile devices are significantly reshaping every part of the automotive landscape – from marketing and shopping to the in-vehicle experience. “We need to learn to think the way our customers already do – they come first, they are in control,” Farley said. “Most of us recognize that mobile is a power enabler for customers, putting them in control of the shopping process and changing their expectations around connectivity.”

OpenXC Kit

As nearly one in seven people worldwide now uses a smartphone, this has significant influence on the auto industry.

Doug Frisbie, Facebook head of Automotive Vertical Marketing, joined the keynote, explaining that successful businesses in every industry – from automakers to software companies – put people at the center.

“Cars were a step change in giving society the ability to stay connected and engaged with the people they cared about,” he said. “The opportunity at hand today is not about phones or social software in cars – but about remembering that no matter the device, it’s the ability to connect that matters.”

Brendon Kraham, Google director of Global Mobile Sales and Product Strategy, joined the discussion as well, adding that the in-car mobile experience will soon be integrated into all the devices that connect a consumer’s life.

“Automobiles will soon become a seamless part of the consumer mobile experience,” he said. “Actually it will enhancethe experience. When your dash becomes a seamlessly connected screen, it truly becomes a more important, integrated part of your life.”

Fuel economy reigns

Perhaps the greatest cross-demographic shift since the recession is the growing consumer focus on fuel economy. Now the top consideration for vehicle purchases, fuel economy interest has resulted in a flood of claims and data that are starting to overwhelm the market.

“We now have a torrent of ‘best-in-class’ claims hitting consumers from all sides, and it’s starting to become noise,” Farley said. “We are seeing more and more confusion as consumers try to make informed decisions. Given the connectivity in our cars and the proliferation of mobile devices, we have the opportunity to give consumers better and more relevant data to understand what they can expect in on-the-road fuel economy performance.”

Harnessing the power of mobile platforms, Farley announced developers will have access to Ford’s OpenXC connectivity research platform as a sandbox to create and test innovative ideas in the newly announced $50,000 Personalized Fuel Efficiency App Challenge.

Many elements factor into personalized fuel efficiency including temperature, terrain, traffic conditions and individual driving styles. The goal of the challenge is to enable drivers to optimize their efficiency on the road and then share that information with others.

“We need to help customers understand the concept of personal fuel economy – based on their own individualized experiences – and give them tools to see, learn and act upon all the information available to know what to expect, how to improve, and even offer guidance in their shopping process,” Farley added.

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About Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Fusion, Escape Achieve All-Time Record Sales

Fusion, Escape Achieve All-Time Record Sales; Ford Motor Company U.S. Sales Up 6 Percent in March

• Fusion delivers its best-ever sales month and quarter ever, with March sales passing 30,000 and quarterly sales passing the 80,000 mark for the first time in its history
• Escape posts its best-ever sales month and quarterly sales
• Explorer sales up 33 percent – best monthly sales since the current model debuted in 2010
• America’s best-selling pickup for 36 years, F-Series posts 16 percent increase as full-size pickup segmentation continues to improve versus year ago – best first quarter sales since 2007
• Ford Motor Company March U.S. sales up 6 percent – best sales results since May 2007, with cars even with year ago, utilities up 14 percent and trucks up 6 percent

Download Full Sales Release (With Tables)
DEARBORN, Mich., April 2, 2013 – Ford’s newest vehicles – Fusion and Escape – set all-time monthly sales records in March, driving Ford Motor Company’s best U.S. sales results since May 2007.
“Customers are buying our all-new Fusion and Escape in record numbers, and we are working harder than ever to keep pace with demand for these fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “Full-size pickup demand continues gaining momentum, outperforming the industry for the third consecutive month.”
Ford Fusion posted an all-time record monthly and quarterly sales volume in March with 30,284 vehicles sold for the month and 80,558 during the first quarter – crossing the 30,000 monthly and 80,000 quarterly vehicle sale thresholds for the first time ever in Fusion sales history.
Escape had its best sales month ever with 28,934 vehicles sold. This 28 percent increase versus year-ago results marks the best sales performance since Escape’s launch 13 years ago. Escape also posted record quarter sales of 72,983 vehicles, surpassing record third quarter 2012 sales of 72,908 vehicles.
Explorer’s March sales totaled 17,509, representing a 33 percent increase over last year and its best monthly sales performance since the current model was introduced in 2010. Explorer retail sales were up 42 percent over last year, providing it best March retail sales performance since 2005.
With the industry’s March full-size pickup segment estimated to be up 15 percent over last year, America’s best-selling pickup, the Ford F-Series sales increased 16 percent to 67,513 pickups in March. This was F-Series 20th straight month of monthly sales increases and represented F-Series’ best March and first quarter sales performance since 2007.
The company’s overall sales in March were up 6 percent with 236,160 vehicles sold. Cars were even with a year ago, utilities up 14 percent and trucks up 6 percent.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding the company and Ford products, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Agent of Change: Ford Empowers Women and Saves Lives

Agent of Change: Ford Empowers Women and Saves Lives in Rural India through New Technology, SUV Capabilities

• Ford worked with public and private organizations on a pilot program designed to bring the right healthcare to the women and children living in an inaccessible part of rural India

• Sustainable Urban Mobility with Uncompromised Rural Reach, known as SUMURR, enabled childbirth for 41 women with high-risk mothers pregnancies, visited 54 villages, and reached more than 3,100 people to facilitate community awareness programs focused on maternal and child healthcare

• One key element of the SUMURR program was the Ford Endeavour, an SUV designed to handle the rough terrain of the region and powered by some of Ford’s most advanced technologies, which extended the physical reach of the healthcare services

• Ford researchers are applying what was learned from SUMURR and the use of OpenXC, an open-source technology, to create customized user experiences and accelerate the creation of apps for mobile health

 

CHENNAI/DELHI/DEARBORN, Mich., March 7, 2013 – Henry Ford believed vehicles like his Model T would improve lives through greater mobility. More than 100 years later on the other side of the world, a young Indian mother named Mageswari connects that vision with the birth of her healthy baby boy.

 

Mageswari, 19, lives in Kodamaathi, a tiny village in rural India where Ford Motor Company just concluded a nine-month pilot program that entailed helping pregnant women overcome geographical and technological barriers that prevented them from receiving adequate healthcare.

 

Called Sustainable Urban Mobility with Uncompromised Rural Reach (SUMURR), the program made use of a Ford Endeavour SUV that was designed to handle the most difficult of terrains and traverse areas previously unreachable by four-wheeled vehicles. After arriving in rural areas, health professionals used laptops and cell phones to connect with doctors and medical help in ways they never have before.

 

As a result, SUMURR made safe childbirth possible for 41 pregnant women; women like Mageswari, who – with the help of the Ford Endeavour – was able to make it to the hospital in just enough time to give birth.

 

“If not for Ford Endeavour, I might have tried to reach the hospital in a two-wheeler,” she says. “I do not know what might have happened.”

 

The intervention area of Kalvarayan Hills has a higher infant and maternity mortality rate compared with most other pockets of Tamil Nadu – a key indicator of the need for prenatal care in the region.

 

Mageswari’s situation illustrates the kind of need that was addressed by SUMURR, and that’s where Ford comes in, according to David Berdish, manager of Social Sustainability.

 

Berdish says Ford is acting as an agent of change for a better world by forging innovative public-private partnerships with government, academic institutions, nonprofit stakeholders and company resources to support positive social advancement.

 

SUMURR represents the overall direction of such efforts. In fact, Berdish says similar projects are already being considered for other regions around the globe, including other parts of rural India, one in the state of Gujarat, India – where Ford has a manufacturing plant – and also in China and Brazil.

 

“Ford Motor Company is not in the business of telemedicine, but between the vehicle and the technology we provide, we can make it better,” says Berdish.

 

Nine months of success

The pilot program began in June 2012 and concluded in February 2013. In addition to facilitating safe childbirth for the women with high-risk pregnancies, the program led to 27 temporary pediatric and gynecology camps being set up in remote villages. Such visits enabled about 1,600 women and children to receive much needed healthcare, including screenings for basic illnesses and immunization coverage.

 

SUMURR reached another 3,100 people with its partners as the program traveled to 54 villages to facilitate community awareness programs on maternal and child health issues.

 

“Leveraging our strengths in building vehicles and in democratizing technology, we have pioneered a unique effort to remove all hurdles to mobility for these women and have made safe childbirths possible for them,” said Joginder Singh, president and managing director, Ford of India. “SUMURR truly embodies Ford’s DNA of utilizing smart technologies for a better world.”

 

Coordinating with Ford on SUMURR were:

 

• Department of Health (DPH) of the Government of Tamil Nadu: Provided guidance and detailed statistics on maternal health and infant mortality; posed a challenge to Ford to pilot the program in Kalvarayan Hills, a region that is remote and hard to access
• U.S. Department of State: Provided guidance on program design and emphasized the need and role of healthcare for women
• George Washington University: Helped manage and track SUMURR
• IIT Madras Rural Technology and Business Incubator (RTBI): A nonprofit organization fostering entrepreneurship and focusing on technologies for rural India; developed and customized the mobile health applications used in SUMURR
• Reliance IIT Center of Excellence (RITCOE): Focuses on providing excellence in the areas of telecom infrastructure and energy; RITCOE was involved in developing solutions for SUMURR around OpenXC platform
• Indian Institute of Technology Madras: A premier academic institute that provides world-class education and research facilities in engineering and technology. It is officially recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the government of India and provides guidance to RTBI and RITCOE
• Hand in Hand India: A nonprofit organization with an overall mission to reduce poverty in India; Hand in Hand was the implementation partner helping to take the initiative to the community including training the government health workers with funding from Ford Motor Company Fund
• University of Michigan: Helped determine the viability of SUMURR prior to program launch

“SUMURR is an initiative to harness the potential of affordable technologies with innovations that address local contexts for sustainable growth,” says Ashok Jhunjhunwala, founder and co-chairman, RTBI and a professor of electrical engineering, IITM. “From voice-based local language interfaces to a portable system architecture that covers significant aspects of women and child healthcare, it is heartening to note that this program has not only democratized technology but is also finding acceptance and adoption of the technology with the rural mothers and healthcare personnel.”

 

Berdish says SUMURR represents how Ford continues to evolve and take on more responsibility when it comes to sustainable issues around the world.

 

Ford’s Code of Human Rights, Basic Working Conditions and Corporate Responsibility, for example, emphasizes the importance of providing proper working conditions and overall human rights for Ford, its suppliers and the communities in which it does business.

 

Ford continues to increase its presence in India, where it operates a vehicle and engine manufacturing facility in Chennai, has invested $1 billion for its second integrated manufacturing facility at Sanand, and is committed to bringing the best of global products and services to the country. Ford also plans to expand its sales and service operations to 500 locations across India by mid-decade, with a focus and commitment to empower communities across its existing and proposed facilities.

 

“Ford views accessibility to a better life as a fundamental human right, so being able to successfully help women and children in parts of rural India obtain healthcare is a perfect fit for what we’re trying to do as a company from an overall sustainable approach,” says Berdish.

 

“SUMURR exemplifies the power of partnerships; through this effort, we are leveraging the best of public and private sector resources to support enhanced healthcare in areas that are hard to reach,” says Gloria Cabe, senior advisor, U.S. Department of State. “Collaborative efforts such as this are game changers, helping to promote innovative solutions to enduring challenges.”

 

Rural India today, Detroit tomorrow

K. Venkatesh Prasad, senior technical leader for Open Innovation at Ford, framed the initial vision for SUMURR, working with Berdish, and oversaw its technology development.

 

Prasad is based at Ford’s Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, Mich., where many of the company’s most talented researchers and scientists have helped develop revolutionary technologies such as Ford SYNC^® and EcoBoost^®. He says the mass-market applications of the kind of technology used in SUMURR are another benefit of Ford’s involvement.

 

For example, in some of the remote hilly villages where the Ford Endeavour was used, cellular phone signals were extremely weak or nonexistent.

 

As a result, researchers are developing a way to use the recently launched open-source platform OpenXC to create a local cloud housed in the Ford Endeavour. This enables nurses in the village to record and store crucial information about patients and transmit it when connectivity is available at a later time. Another new app could help in the timely communication of vital health parameters of the mother and enable hospital readiness while she is en route.

 

Prasad says that what Ford is learning about the technologies it developed for SUMURR, especially their performance under extremely demanding environmental conditions, is invaluable, and can potentially be applied to any Ford global technology development.

 

“SUMURR exemplifies how Ford is using its global reach to address regional issues and causes around the world and at the same time identify local social and technology entrepreneurs who we can partner with to further develop the kind of solutions that will shape our future,” says Prasad. “The fundamental aspects of what we did in rural India could very much wind up in the driveways of Detroit.”

 

A video about SUMURR can be viewed here.

 

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About Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visithttp://corporate.ford.com.

New Ford Fusion Minimizes Pollen and ‘Touch’ Allergens

• Ford has begun requiring that more than 100 materials and components meet stringent standards to minimize potential allergy issues on the new Fusion and other Ford vehicles

• Engineers avoid materials such as latex, chrome and nickel – a metal 10 percent of Americans are allergic to – that can cause allergic reactions

• Similar to a furnace filter in a house, cabin air filters in the 2013 Fusion and other new Ford vehicles prevent airborne particles such as dust, spores, fungus and pollen from entering the vehicle

• More than half of all Americans test positive to one or more allergens

 

DEARBORN, Mich., March 19, 2013 – As spring arrives and more Americans prepare to face allergies, the new 2013 Ford Fusion can help combat common airborne and touch-based allergens, while monitoring possible irritants in areas where customers are driving or planning to visit.

 

Ford engineers tested more than 100 materials and components on the new Fusion and other Ford vehicles for allergy issues. Engineers avoid – or minimize – materials such as natural latex, hexavalent chromium and nickel, which can produce an allergic reaction in some people.

 

Components requiring allergen testing include common high-touch areas such as the seats, steering wheel, armrests, door handles and shifters.

 

 

“Allergies affect large numbers of people, so anything we can do to reduce potential allergens inside Ford vehicles we do through rigorous, controlled testing,” said Linda Schmalz, supervisor of Core Material Engineering for Ford.

 

WebMD says more than half of all Americans test positive to one or more allergens. Allergies have been increasing for the past three decades across all age, gender and racial groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Ford seeks to reduce the irritation of allergens – associated with seasonal weather and possibly rash-inducing materials – by rigorously testing its vehicles and installing cabin air filters that prevent airborne particles such as dust, spores, fungus and pollen from entering the vehicle.

 

From dust to hexavalent chromium (a chemical sometimes found in dyes, paints and plastics), natural latex to pollen, almost any material or substance can be a potential allergen. Ford testers make sure dyes and formaldehyde are strictly limited to levels that are acceptable even for clothing.

 

Cleanest possible cabin airCabin air filters improve driving comfort by reducing particle concentration, improve cleanliness and protect climate control components from particle deposits. These filters also capture soot, smog and tobacco smoke.

 

Because of the seamless way it works, many customers may not realize they have a cabin air filter. In most cases, the filter is accessed through the glove box. Ford dealers change the filters as part of the recommended maintenance for all vehicles.

 

Health and wellness researchIn 2011 Ford kicked off a series of research projects for in-car health and wellness-connected services such as medical device connectivity, cloud-based health management services and mobile app integration.

 

In just more than a year, Ford delivered on the initial research with launch of the SYNC AppLink-compatible Allergy Alert app – available on the 2013 Fusion and other new Ford vehicles – and as one of the first steps toward helping drivers take care of themselves and their passengers.

 

With SYNC^® AppLink^™, drivers can quickly access allergy information through the Allergy Alert app. Through the app’s pollen index rating, drivers can request to hear the types of allergen conditions they are likely to encounter that may cause a flare-up in personal allergy symptoms. The app also provides a risk index for asthma, flu/cough/cold and ultraviolet rays.

 

Drivers can access Allergy Alert app information simply by connecting smartphones or tablets to their cars using simple voice commands, while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

 

The SYNC AppLink-enabled version of Allergy Alert is available for iOS devices and is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store.

 

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About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visithttp://corporate.ford.com.

Teen Driving Deaths on the Rise; Parents Can Help Reverse Trend

• Parents play a key role in teens’ decisions on safe driving. Research for Ford’s Driving Skills for Life program (DSFL) shows teens tend to emulate how their parents drive.

• Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death for American teens. There were more than 3,000 teen fatalities in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

• In 2013, Ford Driving Skills for Life will reach about 200 high schools with its safe driving materials, thanks to Ford Motor Company Fund and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).

Click to download images.

DEARBORN, Mich., March 18, 2013 – Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death for American teens. In recent weeks, a number of crashes involving teen drivers have led to more than a dozen teenagers tragically losing their lives. And a recent report by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) shows that teen driver fatalities are on the rise among 16-17-year-old drivers.

Parents can help reverse that trend. Research done for Ford’s Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program shows teens tend to emulate how their parents drive. In fact, more than three quarters of teens and tweens surveyed say they rely heavily on their parents’ advice when they start to drive.

“By setting a good example behind the wheel, parents can increase the chances their children will adopt safe driving practices,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “While state laws and educational programs are critical, ultimately, parents are the most critical component to keep their teen drivers safe.”

Tips for parents

Experts from Ford Driving Skills for Life have tips on what parents can do to help their teens be better drivers:

• Engage in the driving process – As teens get closer to earning/acquiring their learner’s permit, parents should actively engage with them about driving. Talk about safe driving behaviors, practice with them, seek educational opportunities, and be clear that unsafe actions won’t be tolerated.
• Buckle up – It’s the law, and if parents don’t wear their seat belts, their teen is more likely to do the same. In a crash, a person not buckled up is much more likely to be injured or killed than someone wearing a seat belt.
• Never speed – Research done for Ford Driving Skills for Life shows that if parents speed, their teens are more likely to do the same. Excessive speed continues to be a factor in about one third of all traffic deaths nationally.
• Don’t drive distracted – By setting a tough “no distractions” rule for their teens and modeling this same behavior, parents send the message that distracted driving will not be tolerated.
• Don’t follow too closely – Parents should keep the proper distance from the car in front of them. Rear end collisions are common and preventable.
• Always scan ahead for hazards– Parents should remind their teens to be aware of what is going on around them by scanning to the right and left as they drive
• Limit the number of passengers – Research shows young drivers can easily be distracted by just one additional passenger – increasing the risk of a crash exponentially. Many graduated driver’s license programs restrict the number of passengers as a condition of issuing an early license or permit; parents should enforce those restrictions.
• Never drink and drive – Parents should remind teens that drinking and driving will not be tolerated.

Ford Driving Skills for Life

In 2013, Ford DSFL is doubling the number of students it reaches with its hands on driving programs to 40,000. This includes visits to at least 40 high schools in Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia with an array of activities focused on common driving challenges faced by teen drivers. Teens will be able to experience real-world driving situations in a controlled environment using specially equipped vehicles. The hands-on clinics offer professional drivers and activities that build skills in five key areas: driver distraction, speed management, space management, vehicle handling and hazard recognition.

In addition to the hands-on clinics, Ford Driving Skills for Life will reach an additional 150 high schools with its safe driving materials, Web-based learning, partnerships with state highway safety agencies, fun contests and free educational materials for parents and teachers.

You can find more information online at DrivingSkillsForLife.com.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visithttp://corporate.ford.com.

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services

Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and community life. For more than 60 years, Ford Motor Company Fund has operated with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. The award-winning Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged through national programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than 25,000 Ford employees and dealers work on projects each year that better their communities in more than 20 countries. For more information, visitwww.community.ford.com.

Ford and PlugShare Team Up

Ford and PlugShare Team Up to Help Ford C-MAX Energi and Fusion Energi Drivers Find Plugs with MyFord Mobile

• Ford is teaming up with PlugShare^®, an industry-leading aggregator of public charge stations, to provide real-time charge station information to drivers of Ford’s all-new plug-in hybrid vehicles – C-MAX Energi and Fusion Energi

• Ford is the only manufacturer to offer real-time charging station location information through its smartphone app, MyFord^® Mobile

• The collaboration will provide Ford customers comprehensive access to the quickly growing number of public charge stations in the U.S. and Canada

• Ford also announced its commitment to the Workplace Charging Challenge with the Department of Energy, which aims to increase the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging by tenfold in the next five years

• PlugShare.com offers a unique advantage by aggregating publicly available and crowd-sourced information on charging station locations along with photos, reviews and check-ins

Click to download images.

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 7, 2013 – Ford’s award-winning MyFord Mobile smartphone app and Web portal now features a charging station finder powered by PlugShare.com and will be compatible with the new Ford Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid vehicles.

PlugShare^® brings a powerful new component to MyFord^® Mobile with its live database of charging stations across North America. In addition to aggregating publicly available lists of stations from a variety of sources, PlugShare incorporates crowd-sourced information from users to provide the most comprehensive dataset available.

“When we launched the MyFord Mobile app and portal for the Focus Electric last year, it was the most advanced remote management app of its kind in the industry,” said Bill Frykman, business and product development manager. “We’re now expanding availability of the system to drivers of our new plug-in hybrids and offering some unique features specifically tailored to these long-range vehicles.”

“It is a little known fact that the majority of charging stations are currently free to use. By giving drivers a clear view of the reality of charging, PlugShare and Ford are showing more and more drivers that now is a great time to start driving on electricity,” said Forrest North, CEO of Xatori, maker of PlugShare. “With our real-time, crowd-sourcing features that include photos, reviews and check-ins, PlugShare has quickly become one of the largest and most popular charging station locators in North America. We are thrilled an established industry leader such as Ford has chosen PlugShare for MyFord Mobile.”

In addition to an EPA-estimated rating of 21 miles of pure electric driving range per charge, both C-MAX Energi and Fusion Energi have an EPA-estimated range of 620 miles on one tank of gas and one charge.

Owners of the first-ever Ford plug-in hybrid vehicles can now use their smartphones from almost anywhere to monitor and manage the battery charging process, find charging stations, check energy efficiency and earn achievements for efficient driving.

The station finder component of the MyFord Mobile app now blends point-of-interest search with charging station information from PlugShare.com to let drivers take advantage of opportunistic charging wherever their destination might be. Users can search for terms such as “pizza” or “Mexican food” near a location and MyFord Mobile will display the results along with the nearest available charge for each entry. Drivers can select a destination based on proximity to a plug.

“Access to public charging allows our C-MAX Energi and Fusion Energi customers to drive more electric miles – helping improve our environmental footprint and improve energy security,” said Mike Tinskey, director, Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure. “We’ve seen impressive growth in the number of installed public charge stations – growing from fewer than 3,000 units in 2010 to more than 11,500 installed units in the U.S. today.

“This collaboration allows for Ford customers to access all the currently installed stations, as well as gain immediate access to new charge stations as they are installed,” Tinskey added.

MyFord Mobile’s trip and charge log has also been updated to provide drivers with information about how efficiently they are using their plug-in hybrid vehicle in both electric and hybrid mode. By taking advantage of available data on electricity use, hybrid gas mileage and regenerative braking, the app coaches drivers to adjust their driving style to be more efficient.

MyFord Mobile still lets plug-in hybrid owners check the state of charge of the battery, get alerts if they forgot to plug the car in or if charging stops, and take advantage of value charging for the lowest electricity rates during off-peak hours. Drivers can also precondition the cabin temperature while the car is plugged in to reduce the load on the drivetrain for enhanced efficiency.

“We designed MyFord Mobile to provide owners of Ford plug-in vehicles with a convenient way to monitor and manage their total energy usage, and we’re continually working to make the experience better,” added Frykman.

MyFord Mobile is available in the Apple iOS App Store for iPhones and the Google Play Store for Android phones. The MyFord Mobile Web portal is at http://www.myfordmobile.com. Some features of the MyFord Mobile app including point-of-interest search, trip and charge log, and achievements will become available after the initial launch.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

About Xatori Inc.

Xatori is a Palo Alto-based software company founded in 2010 that builds innovative software for plug-in electric vehicles. Xatori’s first product PlugShare is the most popular and widely used charging station finder showing more than 15,000 charging stations in North America. The information is crowd-sourced and freely available through Android, iOS and the Web.The company's GreenCharge and Charge Manager apps, (http://www.greenchargeapp.com/, www.chargemanager.com) allows users and fleets to view real-time battery data and to share the environmental and monetary benefits of owning an electric vehicle. More on the company at: http://www.xatori.com/.