Ford Motor Co. is experiencing a bumpy ride. Recently, it has announced a $1.4 billion loss within half a year. This information was divulged by the automaker in its new multimedia site. Another revelation that was made by Ford in said site involves Ford Reflex diesel-electric hatchback, the newest concept car from the company.

The site www.ford.com/innovation is especially made advertise the latest design, fuel, safety and other technologies that the automaker is venturing or is about to venture. The website will be endorsed through broad Internet advertising. Said website can publicize or inform visitors using cartoons, video games and other media. Said site also features information regarding the latest from the automaker. In addition, interviews with Ford’s top designers can also be had. The featured interviews delve on the company’s design processes and technologies.

The website will be also be used by Ford for its national ad campaign called Driving American Innovation, which was launched last fall. It is will be putting emphasis on forward-thinking technology over power for its own benefit. Though it can be used by Ford to bring back its status in car sales, the automaker noted that said website will be primarily used to instill wisdom and awareness and not to lift its slumping sales figures. It can be recalled that Ford’s vehicle sales this year were off 9.9% through August. This slide was due to the 17% decline in less fuel-efficient trucks.

Ford’s website will also be used to pay homage to the Reflex concept car, which was unveiled by the company during the Detroit auto show last January. It was named as the most significant concept car at the Ward’s Auto Interiors Show at Detroit’s Cobo Center last June. It was the first concept in the award’s 5-year history to win points unanimously from the automotive journalists who voted.

Said car is designed to deliver up to 65 miles per gallon. Its parts are similar to Ford Fiesta parts. Critics are expecting that this concept car will come into existence this coming 2009. They also predict that said car will encourage the younger market to move towards Ford.

Ford Motor Co. has recently unleashed its revised recovery plan. Said plan covers the release of additional models and the slashing of tired warhorses in the lineup. The automaker is also planning to create a more appealing and relevant showroom.

Expected additions include inexpensive high-fuel economy subcompacts. Said additions are expected to expand the market of the automaker. This time around, Ford will also be dealing with younger generation market unlike before. Ford Fiesta parts will also be enhanced to improve performance, style and driving feel.

Since small cars are also in the hype, Ford will also compete with the fast-growing market. Bestsellers in the small car segment include Chevrolet Aveo, Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit. Hence, Ford is also planning to produce a midget from to compete with these bestsellers. Ford Escape parts will also be improved to create a smaller version of compact SUV. These new additions are anticipated to go on sale in the year 2009.

The introduction of S-Max microvan to the automotive market is also anticipated in 2009. This new car is inspired by Focus compact car. However, it will be shorter than Fusion sedan and smaller than Honda Civic coupe. It will feature seven seats. A sporty compact coupe is also contemplated upon. The latter will be designed to slash the cost of fuel. It will be using diesel power.

Ford Fairlane is also expected to wow customers and make them acknowledge the new concept of the American family hauler. This concept will is a combination of practicality and style. According to Ford, “Nobody has come up with the defining model for this new segment yet. We think we have a chance to do that with the Fairlane.” The sale of Fairlane is expected to start on 2008.

Among the line of those models which will be discontinued are Ford Taurus and Ford Freestar. The former is a midsize sedan, which was once considered America’s favorite car. Freestar, on the other hand, was the formerly called Windstar minivan. Before, said vehicle but along with its change of name is a major drop in sales. The production of both vehicles is expected to end next year.

Ford Motor Co. will be offering buyouts or early retirement packages to its 75,000 hourly-paid employees. The offer will be available to said employees starting Oct. 16. Moreover, salaried workers are given more than one chance to accept a buyout. However, employees who are represented by the United Auto Workers union must have decided before Nov. 27. After said date, they can no longer claim the option to choose either one of eight buyout programs or stay on with Ford.

The programs to be offered by Ford comprise lump-sum payments of up to $140,000 as well as reimbursement of tuition besides the traditional early-retirement packages. The Dearborn-based automaker, which is famous for its best-selling Ford F-Series pickup parts and trucks, have started its educational workshops and career fairs. This is done to lend a hand to blue-collar workers in weighing available career options.

“We’ve put what we think is a very generous offer on the table,” Martin Mulloy, Ford’s vice president of labor relations, said Monday. “We want to make sure each employee has the best information available to make that decision.”

Ford has earlier publicized its intention to cut approximately 30,000 hourly jobs and 14,000 salaried jobs by the end of 2008. Said cut will trim down Ford’s total North American work force by 29 percent. From about 130,000, current work force, it will be reduced to about 92,000.

Mulloy refused to divulge the number of workers who are expected to take a buyout package. However, he said that the buyouts will take effect next year. Ford will begin with the briefing with employees on Tuesday. The briefing will be about their eligibility for a range of early retirement incentives. Mulloy also noted, “Most people will start leaving after the first of the year.”

Those employees who will accept buyouts are expected to leave Ford by the end of September next year. This fact was announced to the media by Marcey Evans, spokeswoman of the automaker.

Ford Motor Co. will recall 6,164 Escape hybrid sport utility vehicles built at Claycomo plant. According to the U.S. traffic agency, said units need to be inspected due to the reported possibility of drivetrain shaft fracture. Said fracture is attributed to the improper installation of the shaft.

The recall will include all front-wheel drive version of the gasoline-electric 2006 Ford Escape hybrid SUVs which are manufactured from July 28, 2005, through April 21, 2006. The recall of said vehicles is scheduled on or before Oct. 23.

According to Kristen Kinley, Ford spokesperson, Ford built about 20,000 Escape Hybrids in the 2006 model year. However, only 6,164 of it will be inspected Ford. The information was given by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Said inspection is triggered by a handful of reports that have swarmed Ford. The company has in fact identified 14 reports of the problem through its internal database. Kinley further added, “There have been no reports of injuries or accidents.”

The failure of drivetrain shafts to function is attributed to the wrong installation and improper heat treatment. Moreover, according to the agency the fracture may have resulted in the SUV rolling after the gearshift is placed in ‘park’.

During the recall, Ford will replace fractured or damaged drivetrain shafts. This was statement was made public by NHTSA last Monday in Washington. Aside from the drivetrain shafts, no other Ford Escape hybrid parts were reported to have discrepancies.

Ford said that the dealers will inspect the affected Escape hybrids and repair them if necessary at no cost. Moreover, the owners of the affected vehicles can contact the Ford at (800) 392-3673.

The recall will only include a slice of 2006 Ford Escape hybrid production and will not affect its sister vehicle – Mercury Mariner. The latter was also manufactured at Claycomo plant and was produced only as all-wheel-drive vehicles.

Ford Motor Co. announced earlier that it will be purchasing as much as $3 billion worth of China-made components to boost its aim to cut production costs. The purchase transaction is anticipated to take place this year.

“Ford will buy between $2.5 billion and $3 billion in auto parts in China,” said William Ford Jr., chairman of the Dearborn, Michigan-based carmaker. Bill Ford explained, “We are only scratching the surface in China. China is very key to our global sourcing strategy particularly as the quality of the local suppliers’ ramps up.”

Analysts in the auto industry explained that the reason behind the purchase is the automaker’s need for cheaper auto parts to satisfy its goal to cut costs up to $6 billion by 2010. It can be recalled that Ford experienced a slumped sales in the United States. Said plight resulted to third quarter loss amounting to $5.8 billion.

Among the 3 largest American automakers, Ford was the last to produce vehicles in China. Production took place in Chongqing city in the year 2003. Ford Fiesta parts and those of Mondeo where assembled in the territory. In that specific endeavor, the automaker invested $1.5 billion.

In 2004, Ford agreed to put up a third factory in Nanjing city, China to assemble its 8 new models. The building of the plant is done in cooperation with Mazda Motor Corp, its affiliate. That particular investment proved to be beneficial because Ford China sales more than doubled in the first three quarters of 2006. The automaker sold 114,685 vehicles via direct sales. It was approximately 2.2 percent of the 5.28 million vehicles sold in the particular period in China.

Ford shares the biggest slice of China sales with American auto giants – General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group. General motors divulged that its 3 quarters China sales increased by 37 percent to 645,680 units. DaimlerChrysler AG, on one hand, reported perfected sale of 16,400 Mercedes-Benz luxury cars in China and Hong Kong within same period.

Experts are saying that the recovery plan of Ford has substantially contributed to the surged in sales. Nonetheless, some of the analysts noted that the automaker is moving too slow while its rivals are taking swift yet precise steps.

Ford is proud to unleash its redesigned version of Mustang. Said vehicle is a revived version of the automaker’s classic muscle car. Ford rivals in said segment are active in the competition. In fact, there is a great possibility that an all out pony car war among automakers will take effect.

“We embrace the Pony wars,” says James Owens, Mustang marketing manager. “Mustang is the authentic American muscle car. In fact, Mustang is the only one of the original pony cars from the 1960s to live on into the 21st century with no interruption in production.”

Owens added, “Mustang has two kinds of buyers. People under 40 and people over 40. That sounds like a joke but its true. Our target customer “Drew” is a younger person who likes the Mustang because its basically cool. But our consumption customer is the baby boomer. These are people who no longer need the mini van or SUV and who fondly remember the Mustang of their youth.”

Ford noted that Mustang production streak is destined to continue. This is because the sales proved to be soaring. In fact, in September this year, Ford yielded more than 30 percent increase in sales. Mark Fields, executive vice president and president, the Americas, confirmed that a new Mustang variation will be introduced annually.

Upgraded Ford Mustang parts accessories deliver the new appeal of the new car. This is designed by Ford to prove that Mustang is growing up to evolve with the auto industry’s metamorphosis. Ford Mustang auto parts also evolve with every model. Now that Ford is aimed at introducing fresh Mustangs every year, then it is to be anticipated that auto parts will be enhanced and upgraded accordingly. This is for the purpose of adjusting with the expanded market and the innovations in the auto industry.

Young and old alike can choose from 4 basic Mustang variations – Coupe or Convertible, available in Deluxe or Premium Arrays, in both GT and V6. Also available is the V-6 Pony Package which includes a distinctive Pony grille, stripes, fog lights, 17-inch wheels and rear spoiler.

The editors of Edmunds.com expressed their appreciation to the redesigned Mustang, “Whether you choose a V6 or V8, a coupe or convertible, this is one of the best values on the market for consumers seeking traditional rear-wheel-drive performance.”

Certainly, Mustang is determined to defend its standing as the leading pony in the corral called automotive world.

Ford Motor Co. is expected to build fewer vehicles in its 2007 lineup. This is due to its reduction of sales to rental companies. Further, analysts in the automotive industry are anticipating that Ford fanatics will be making fewer orders in the coming years.

According to the automaker, it will slash its production of new vehicles in North America. As announced, Ford’s car and truck production will be reduced by 8 to 12 percent. These sweeping reductions will take effect in the first half of 2007. Nonetheless, Ford will increase its production by 5 to 10 percent in the 2nd half of said year.

This year, Ford made a striking 21 percent cut on production in the first quarter. The reduction eventually triggered temporary plant layoffs in several Ford plants. The automaker’s spokesman did not release any additional forecasts about the matter. Suris stated that Ford is not making an official announcement of its production forecast. The latter can be used to track down sales

Nevertheless, analysts are saying that the rebound production on the second half of 2007 might be deceiving. David Healy, an automotive analyst with Burnham Securities, predicts that the automaker will cut its North America production by 9% in 2007. He also noted that the rebound anticipated on the second half of the year is “a misleading improvement” because of the ongoing production cuts this year.

Healy also anticipates that a huge slice of production cut would be for models like Taurus and Freestyle. These vehicles are significantly sold to rental car companies. Healy also added that it is necessary for Ford to make timely production cut due to the chaos in the retail market. This includes sales at dealership and not to discounted fleet sales to rental companies and government as well.

Taurus is a midsize front wheel drive car introduced in December 1985 as the replacement of Fairmont-based rear wheel drive LTD model. The excellence of Ford Taurus car parts has astounded the industry for several decades now. As a fact, in over 20 years of production, Ford has sold about 7 million Taurus units. Ford Freestyle, on one hand, is a crossover SUV or station wagon that was introduced for the 2005 lineup. It is designed to compete with midsize vehicles like Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Mitsubishi Endeavor and Nissan Murano.

“The company is bottoming out now and will continue at a low market share for the full year,” Healy concluded.

Ford is on the verge of moving forward or staying behind the competition. Hence, it is still putting its best foot forward by making accelerated steps toward recuperation. As a fact, its bread-and-butter vehicles are now being used to hasten recovery.

Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX are set by the automaker to join the flaming hot auto market. As a fact, this is a time in the industry when the trend is all about crossovers, which are outselling sport utility vehicles.

According to Paul Mascarenas, vice president for Product Engineering, The Americas, Edge is “another consumer-driven product that’s right for today’s market. We believe Edge has what it takes to follow in the Fusion’s footsteps – it will be a success.”

The automaker is giving Edge high hopes. It is anticipating big things from said model. To boot, it is expecting up to 45 percent new customers of Edge. “We positioned Edge to be the best customer value among modern-styled crossover utility vehicles,” said Barry Redler, Ford’s SUV and Crossover brand manager. He further noted that Edge will be the only domestic alternative in the segment.

Ford Edge, which is based on CD3 platform, was launched in November this year. However, it made its public debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The hype continues as Ford announces that more than 930,000 consumers have visited its Edge’s page in its website. Moreover, the traffic on site surged by 125 percent since the month of June.

Ford dealers are saying they can’t wait to have the Edge. “If it’s half the car the Ford Fusion is, the Edge will do great,” said Russ Milne, of Russ Milne Ford in Mount Clemens, Mich. “It’s going to draw in a lot of young mothers who don’t want to be minivan people and the empty nesters, too.”

Analysts are also positive about Edge, “When you look at the Edge, you’ve got this nice, strong, sporty exterior that looks like there is a level of capability in that vehicle. And in the interior, there are a number of nice points, too,” said Alex Edwards, the president of Strategic Vision in San Diego.

Aside from Edge, Ford is also counting on its mighty F-Series where F-350 pickup belongs. For the 2008 lineup, Ford F350 Super Duty pickup parts will introduce new 6.4 twin-turbo Power Stroke Diesel V8 to replace the current V8 engine. This is done to produce a more powerful Super Duty truck that will tickle truck fanatics’ fancy.

Ford Motor Co. will delay the scheduled delivery of the new Edge. According to Ford officials, it intends to iron out manufacturing problem in its Oakville plant, where said model together with the Lincoln MKX crossover is assembled.

It can be recollected that Ford announced the delivery of Edge to dealerships this month. Since the derailment occurred, it is now expected to be delivered in the month of December this year. “Several thousand of the vehicles have been built and all meet Ford’s quality standards, but Ford wants to make sure all of its manufacturing processes are working correctly before delivering the vehicles,” said Joseph R. Hinrichs, vice president of North American manufacturing.

Hinrichs added, “The product’s ready. We want to make sure that our process is equally ready to deliver, on a consistent basis, the quality and the timeliness of the deliveries that our dealers and our customers expect.”

According to Hinrichs, Ford has to do some critical check points on the assembly line work stations to ensure the quality of Ford car parts used in Edge. “We’re not yet to the level where the consistency is where we want it to be to launch the vehicles,” he added.

It was also divulged that the automaker experienced inventory shortages from auto parts supplying companies. Ford’s decision in delaying delivery was supported by auto analysts. “The delay is the correct decision for Ford because quality is so important in today’s competitive auto market,” said Kevin Reale, research director for Boston-based AMR Research.

“For them to be able to detect this is good. If there’s quality issues associated with either their current assembly process or parts, it’s better for them to have the detection in the manufacturing process than have the detection occur out in the field,” Reale further noted.

Catherine Madden, auto industry analyst at the consulting company Global Insight Inc. said, “Ford clearly has a quality problem at the plant; fixing it has to be balanced against getting the product to dealers when every sales day counts. I think it is prudent to meet those quality standards. Ford is under such a microscope now.”

Ford Motor Co. is taking nearly 25,000 employees and retirees to what is called “Showroom of the Future.” The latter will showcase concept cars and upgraded versions of Ford vehicles that will be rolled out by 2010. This is Ford’s way of convincing its employees that there is light at the end of the dark tunnel.

Showroom of the Future is scheduled to happen at Detroit’s Cobo Arena on the 27th and 28th day of this Month. Said event will present videos, images and actual vehicles of upcoming Ford models and technologies.

“Through our North America ‘Way Forward’ plan, we’ve spoken a lot about reducing our uncompetitive cost structure, but we have not yet fully explained our accelerated product plans,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas. “It’s time to change that — and to show our full team of employees and retirees how this transformation truly is product-led.”

The event is primarily aimed at boosting confidence in Ford’s product lineup. Sara Tatchio, Ford’s spokeswoman added, “The move is part of a broader effort to communicate with employees and keep them informed as the company pursues a painful restructuring of its North American automobile business.”

Tatchio says the message is straightforward. “It’s ‘keep the faith,’ but it’s also about helping them understand why they should have faith,” she said.

Cecil Crider, a retired designer of Ford received an invitation. Crider’s last design was for 1994 Ford Mustang parts accessories. “Years ago, Design Center used to be run by designers,” Crider said. “Then they put the bean-counters in charge and let them make the decisions. You need bean-counters because this is a business and you have to be profitable. But you need to have people who know how to design designing.”

Ford is expecting to host thousands of employees to thrust confidence in them. “We’ve spent a lot of time during the past year talking about our new customer-focus,” Susan Turner, Ford’s human resources communications manager, said in the invitation. “Now, employees and retirees will not only see how that results in the new sheet metal, but they should walk away with a better understanding of how the business plan, brand plan and product development plan all come together.”