Ford Motor Co. is delaying the launch of Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers by two weeks. This is done to iron out last-minute supply and manufacturing problems. The derailment is announced by the automaker last Wednesday. Moreover, the crossovers are expected to be delivered to dealers in the early part of December.

According to Joe Hinrichs, vice president of North American manufacturing for Ford, “Dealers were expecting the new crossover utility vehicles in showrooms by the end of the month. Now, they will have to wait until early December. We’re going to give ourselves a couple more weeks to make sure we have everything right with the manufacturing processes and the supply base.” Hinrichs added, “The last thing we want to have is this great vehicle come to market and have any problems.”

Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers are significant vehicles of the automaker. The latter needs them in the struggle to recover. In fact, Ford desperately needs hot sellers and according to some analysts, Edge has the potentials to bag a home run. Nonetheless, it can only do so after establishing quality, functionality, performance and reliability. Moreover, Ford is ensuring the quality of the crossovers down to minutest auto parts.

“If they fix the problems, no one will remember it even happened. If it’s not up to standard, people will remember it forever,” Jim Sanfilippo of AMCI said. “The standard at Ford these days is zero-tolerance. If it’s a two-week delay, that’s fairly mild.”

Sanfilippo added that such delays are not uncommon in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace. Toyota, for one, delayed the launch of Tundra to make sure that all issues are addressed before it arrives in showrooms.

“It’s most important that they take the time to make sure everything is perfect. You don’t want anything to go wrong with these vehicles. It’s much more important for them to make sure the initial quality is right.” Chris Lemley, owner of Sentry Auto Group in Medford, Mass. said. “This was always going to be a slow ramp up.”

It can be recalled that Ford had similar delays in the past. Said delay is in connection with Fusion, which was eventually rated by Consumer Reports magazine as one of the 2006 outstanding new vehicles, quality-wise. Escape Ford parts were in fact subjected to said meticulous quality control. “Ford is really determined to get it right the first time, and that’s wonderful news for the consumer,” Sanfilippo concluded.

Ford enthusiasts are happy to know that their much-awaited Edge crossover is now available. The brand new crossovers from the automaker have begun arriving at dealerships across the country in the last few days.

Among the first customers to take the first delivery of Edge is Mike Stone, a Detroit radio talk-show host, who ordered his Edge SEL nearly three months ago. Stone replaced his 2004 Cadillac CTS in favor of a brand new Ford Edge. “I wanted something new, something American and most important, something that was going to take on this Michigan snow.” said Stone.

After driving the newly purchased crossover, Stone noted, “I like it a lot. It’s got better pick up than I thought. It actually handles the road and hugs those curves pretty well. I like its SUV-like roominess and car-like ride.”

Ford Edge is based on the CD3 platform of the automaker. The crossover has debuted as a 2007 model at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in January. It is built at Ford’s Oakville Assembly Complex in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Edge combines advanced auto parts Ford Explorer with those of the Freestar to create a fascinating new crossover. It is engineered to compete with Hyundai Santa Fe and Chevrolet Equinox. Edge is also a finalist for the North American Truck of the Year award which is the highlight of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

One of the many reasons that are driving aficionados closer to Edge is the latter’s thrilling design. Edge boasts its chrome accents, leather seats, and the 18-inch aluminum wheels Ford. According to sales associate Brian Burke of Tom Holzer Ford, who sold the vehicle to Stone. Burke added that over 2 dozen pre-orders have been placed for the Edge at his dealership even though there were no Edge vehicles on-site to test drive. “I can’t think of another vehicle that has generated more excitement,” Burke said. “This reminds me of the 1986 Taurus, when Ford came out with something that was totally different in style. And like the Taurus, the Edge takes on different (and unique) styling.”

George Pipas, Ford sales analyst said that crossovers will outsell SUVs for the first time in 2006 with 2.4 million units sold compared to 2.1 million SUVs. He added that by 2010, crossover sales should reach about 3 million, while SUV sales slide to approximately 1.75 million.

As the name states, Edge can give your diesel and extra edge over competition on the highway, in the streets and on your block. Extra horsepower, torque and mileage have been the driving force for the Edge brand since they started business, where outdoing the other guys making diesel performance parts is a top priority.

Hailing from the diesel truck haven of Ogden, Utah, Edge?s beehive of performance churns out some of the latest and greatest parts on a daily basis. From steady modules like the EZ to advanced monitors like the A2 with integrated GPS, Edge has been changing diesel trucks one product at a time. Team an Edge performance module with one of their high-tech monitors, and you get very real power gains that you can see and feel.

Edge makes sure that your truck not only gets thundering horsepower, grunting torque and relieving fuel economy gains, but that your ride quality is never sacrificed. Smooth fuel curves and shift points are a part of every Edge product. EGTs stay tame, boost pressure is optimized and timing is always in-step when you give your truck an Edge.

And the best place to get that Edge is by shopping online at the various performance part and accessories online shops that carry Edge. Many online sites stock the full lineup of Edge performance-boosting parts for your rig, and some offer them at already discounted prices that brick and mortar shops can’t offer.

I Found a few User Reviews about Edge Performance Chips and Control Modules:

“Brought the Edge Attitude Monitor to complete my addition of a controller after my installation of a Juice module. Originally intended to purchase the Edge Attitude A2 Monitor with GPS and backup camera, but decided that an independent GPS unit with an extra wiring harness and receiver would allow me the GPS utility in two vehicles. Love the easy of changing power levels as needed to meet my driving and towing needs. Really like the automatic defuelling as the EGT raises to the set point, because I was continually looking at my EGT temperature guage and speeding up and slowing down as needed to keep the EGT in a safe range. Really impressed with all of the extra other features available to me also.”

“I had the Edge Juice for about 3 months and adding the attitude makes it so easy make adjustments and the engine monitoring display gives me more comfort in letting me know the motor isn’t being over stressed.”

“If all the products advertised on E Bay worked as well as this one does, it would truly make shopping fun.I installed the product on my 2001 Dodge Deisel and was truly amazed at the difference it made. I felt as though I had a new truck, it pulls so much better, fuel mileage has increased, and again I say, it’s great.”

“I ordered the Edge Performance Chips for my 02 Ford F250. It was delivered promptly. The instructions were a little confusing. I called Edge Tech. Support and they were very helpful. In 5 minutes, it was installed. I have only used it on the default setting, and it added more power. I was hoping for a little better fuel savings. It did help save on fuel around town, but freeway driving did not seem to make much difference. I noticed my check engine light came on a couple of times when I accellerated quickly passing another vehicle. I don’t know why it came on, it had not done that before, but it went back off in a couple of minutes. I don’t know if it was related to the performance module or not. Overall, I liked the Edge product and wish I would have ordered on sooner.”

Ford Motor Co. is counting on its teardrop-shaped crossover to alleviate its sales standing in the automotive market. Executives of Ford have expressed their high hopes for the latest version of Edge. They are hoping that Edge will be a strong player in Ford’s bid to reverse the decline in sales.

Ford’s executives say that the new Edge is essential to the ongoing restructuring plan of the company. Ford experienced a sales slide from approximately 26 percent in the year 1995 to about 17 percent so far this year. As a fact, the company’s sales plunged by 8.6 percent through September compared to the first three quarters of last year. Moreover, Ford lost $1.4 billion in the first two quarters this year.

Edge is a midsize crossover which was based on the Ford CD3 platform. Edge is using one of the best among Ford engines the Duratec 35 V6, which produces 65 horsepower and 250 ft-lb. It was mated to 6F six-speed automatic transmission which was created through the cooperation of General Motors. Edge is an epitome of a desirable crossover that uses fascinating Ford accessories and features of a sport utility vehicle. Moreover, it is built on car underpinnings rather than truck. This is designed by the company engineers to pave way for a lighter, nimble and fuel efficient vehicle.

The 2007 version of the car is made more sleek and captivating. “Edge underscores the bold, American design direction for all Ford vehicles going forward,” says Mark Fields, president, The Americas, Ford Motor Company. “Edge also is packed with Ford innovation from its panoramic glass roof and laptop-friendly center console to fuel-saving engine and advanced safety features. We expect Edge to make waves in the hot crossover market this year just like the Fusion did for midsize cars last year.”

Fields also predicted that Edge would become a crossover hit albeit the presence of Toyota Highlander, Chrysler Pacifica and Chevrolet Equinox. However, he admits that Edge alone cannot save the company. “This is not the silver bullet that the company is looking for because in this day and age, you need to have lots of products,” Fields noted.