* Ford Focus, “Highest Initial Quality among Compact Cars.”
* Ford Mustang, “Highest Initial Quality among Mid-size Sporty Cars.”
* Ford Taurus, “Highest Initial Quality among Large Cars.”

Every year, thousands of new vehicle owners respond to J.D. Powers and Associates surveys that gather information on mechanical and design quality issues over the first three months of ownership. Study results are tabulated using a “problems per 100 vehicles” standard. The lower the number reported, the higher the quality rating.

For more information on J.D. Power and Associates and the Initial Quality Study, go to jdpower.com.

*The Ford Focus, Ford Mustang and Ford Taurus each received the lowest number of problems per 100 vehicles among compact, midsize sporty and large cars, respectively, in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Initial Quality Study℠. Study based on responses from 82,095 new-vehicle owners, measuring 236 models and measures opinions after 90 days of ownership. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of owners surveyed in February-May 2010. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

Ford has without a doubt been active in the social media scene lately.  The Ford Explorer Reveal on Facebook and the Ford Fiesta Movement are clear indications that this is the direction Ford is choosing to connect with their audience.

Facebook Reveal – First Ever To Reveal Online

Ford was the first car maker to reveal to the public the first glimpse of a new vehicle to an online audience.  They utilized Facebook, the largest social networking site which has grown to over 500 Million users, to debut their 2011 Ford Explorer.

The purpose for utilizing sites like Facebook are to encourage a dialogue and give people a good platform to discuss and evangelize what they see being attractive about their cars.

People having a live discussion is an extremely valuable opportunity to spark curiosity and build excitement around certain topics.  Not only is Ford able to have a great discussion with some of their most popular fans, they also gain feedback and gather product suggestions that they may have not been able to gain otherwise.

2011 Ford Fiesta Movement – Designed and Developed For Customers

“Fiesta was developed with customers, not just for them,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president for global product development. “Fuel economy, spirited performance and efficient use of space are universal desires, across global markets – and Fiesta delivers.”

The anticipated new Ford Fiesta arrives in North America with strong consumer awareness, thanks to the Fiesta Movement program. With 100 social media mavens chronicling their experiences of driving European market Fiestas on American roads, Fiesta has generated more than 675,000 Flickr views and more than 5.5 million YouTube video views.

The Ford Fiesta Movement recruited agents who were given a Ford Fiesta to drive for 6 months.  This took place months before the Fiesta would be made available to the public.

Ford pays for the gas, creates the contests where the top prize is a Ford Fiesta.  They are now letting the agents create their own forms of advertisement to promote the vehicle, and may select some of the ideas to incorporate into Ford’s actual marketing initiatives.

Social media is changing how people learn about new technology.  They listen for ways other people react to products, and use this in their decision making process.  By allowing social media influencers, or agents get their hands on the product, a more realistic review of how these vehicles suit their lives will be the result.

The original Taurus SHO had the definitive look of sporty nailed. It had the ground effects package that gave it that low to the ground race type theme. On the inside, the manual transmission made it even more of a thrill as one climbed through the gears. The car felt heavy, but very competent and able to perform as one might expect from the letters that stand for Super High Output (SHO).

The attraction then was carried on to this new version, the 2nd generation Taurus SHO and Ford once again made the SHO a success. It has the same comforting features, speed characteristics, and agile handling that one would expect from a sports car.

This new version however, is a bit more stealthy than the older models. It has more of a sleeper effect, with less prominent ground effects or body modifications that would indicate it to be as powerful as it is.

The Ford Taurus SHO has made an impact on the enthusiast community and aftermarket industry, with a significant support infrastructure where owners can meet other owners and share information about the vehicle. These forums originating online have led to tech sessions and other events, all contributing to the passion behind the SHO.

Perhaps the most famous owner of an SHO being Conan O’Brien who often spoke of his awesome Ford Taurus and swore that he’d never own anything better. This personal relationship is what all Ford Taurus SHO owners should be able to expect and appreciate.

The popularity of phones that have Google Maps on them makes this an attractive offer from Ford. In addition, the directions and route information will be converted to audio, which will provide turn-by-turn instructions. As people become more dependant on their cell phones for information a risk of using the phone while driving presents substantial danger, so this was a necessary technology and a timely one.

This ‘send to SYNC’ will be initiated later this month and will be accessible for existing models, supplied with the SYNC TDI without any extra cost as well as without any additional software and hardware updates. A new facility to Ford Service Delivery Network, this ‘send to SYNC’ will provide voice triggered services available through a customer’s cell phone. Director of Ford Connected Services said that printed paper information from a site is a historical object in this digital era and with this send to SYNC option, you can plot a destination, wherever you have connectivity, and hence when you are in your car, it already knows your destination.

The SYNC TDI function powers a customer’s cell phone voice function and the vehicles incorporated a GPS receiver to convey locality-based services. These services will enable drivers to spend less time searching for businesses and destinations. Whenever the user visits Google Maps on the website in search of destinations, an option to send a selected destination to their Ford via a send menu will be available.

Ford is presently the sole automaker working with Google to send directions to your car with SYNC free of cost. The director of Ford services said that the reason why Ford is a leader with SYNC is that Ford is constantly working to deliver improvements to their customers and that they are proud to be associating with Google in this respect.

Five more 2010 Ford Motor Company vehicles – Ford Flex, Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ,
Lincoln MKT and Mercury Milan – have earned Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS). The rating also applies to the Fusion Hybrid and Milan Hybrid.

Flex, Fusion, MKZ, MKT and Milan previously earned top possible scores for occupant protection in
IIHS’s front, side and rear tests, but had to pass IIHS’s new roof strength test to maintain the rating.
Vehicles also must offer electronic stability control to be eligible for a Top Safety Pick.

With each new model year, Ford keeps raising the bar on vehicle safety!

An owner’s ability to rock out, chill out, or even lull the baby to sleep with their individual choice of music can be safely achieved with SYNC system voice commands. An owner’s digital media player, i.e., iPod or iPhone, when plugged into the USB port and SYNC makes an index for the owner’s music library which gives an efficient way to have all songs within a simple voice command. All you have to do is ask what you want to know. Can’t remember the name of the song currently playing? Just ask. Want to hear Led Zeppelin play the most requested song ever, “Stairway to Heaven”? If you have it in your media library, it is a voice command away.

MP3 compatibility is possible on some Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicle sound systems. This is possible with an ‘audio input jack’. Ford tutors owners to “plug in their MP3 player using a standard 3.5 millimeter male-to-male audio cable and enjoy personalized music through the vehicle’s audio system.”

Your vehicle may be built Ford Tough but even tough guys can bend and Ford vehicles accommodate any music genre your heart desires. Classical to Metal; Blues to Lullabies; Hip Hop to Holiday no matter the genre of genres of your digital music Ford makes hearing your favorites as easy as asking.

This weekend in Purcell, Marc Heitz hosted a Used Car Clearance Event bringing thousands of vehicles in to one place from all three dealerships. 93.3 Jake FM was there hosting a remote where some lucky shoppers won some pretty incredible prizes! A car a day was given away by the Marc Heitz Auto Family as well as tickets to see Carrie Underwood live in concert!

Congrats to all of our winners from this weekend!

Going to see Carrie Underwood in concert!

Won a car from the Marc Heitz Auto Family!

The 2011 Edge has a base price of $27,350 and the sporty utility vehicle now offers three powertrain choices: The 3.5 that offers 285 horses and 253 lb. ft. of torque is now joined by Ford’s new EcoBoost which is a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder turbo, and the third choice is a 3.7-liter Ti-VCT V-6 which grants the Edge Sport 305 horses and 280 lb ft of torque.

The Compact is great for families or individuals who want to carry groceries or gear and do not prefer the open bed of a truck. Fuel economy which seems to be the buzz phrase today in the auto industry continues to improve in compacts. The new Edge with EcoBoost is predicted to get approximately 30% better gas mileage than last year’s model.

Safety features on compacts are also provided with parents in mind. Ford Edge provides a reinforced steel cage, six standard air bags, Personal Safety System™, and AdvanceTrac® with Roll Stability Control™. It is good to remember that this is a crossover which handles well for its size but will still be a little top heavy when compared to a car. The 2011 Ford Edge has made some adjustments in handling using new subframe mounts which should also minimize noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).

The 2011 Ford Edge and Edge Sport also show an updated exterior and interior. The modern look of this compact attracts and the freshening gives Edge Sport an even more modernistic stance with a blacked out grille, smoked headlights and taillights, chrome exhaust, and those 22 inch wheels. Interiors offer MyFord Touch, a newly designed center stack, and many available options.

Another good reason to buy a compact is the versatility of space. Edge offers 68.9 cubic feet of cargo space and fold flat front passenger seat. On top of all the duties the compact takes on that a typical car could emulate, the Ford Edge can tow up to 3500 lbs with an add on of the Class II Trailer Tow Package.

All in all the newly designed compact Ford Edge and Edge Sport are two good reasons to get the crew together and head out on the highway.

Ford has long been America’s pickup truck innovator, so it’s no surprise that you’ll find four distinct high-end models in the nine-model F-150 line for 2010: SVT Raptor, King Ranch, Platinum and Harley-Davidson editions. The F-150 SVT Raptor is based on the SuperCab body; the others are all based on the four-door SuperCrew.

A creation of Ford’s Special Vehicle Team, the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor (MSRP $38,020) is a high-performance off-road truck inspired by Baja desert racers. The Raptor not only looks the part of a tough race truck, it has the performance and chassis to back up its menacing looks. The standard engine is a 310-hp Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) 5.4-liter FlexFuel (FFV) V8. Long-travel suspension with special shock absorbers enables the Raptor to comparatively glide over off-road obstacles – and the harsh pavement of an urban streetscape. A plethora of advanced chassis control technologies, including Hill Descent Control, Electronic Locking Differential and Trailer Sway Control, equip the Raptor to handle the rigors of any road or trail.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ford offers its top F-150 for 2010, the Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson (MSRP $42,690). No, it doesn’t come with a Harley in the bed! But it does celebrate the long heritage of both Ford and Harley-Davidson with special styling and paint. Its interior recalls the amazing attention to detail found on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, particularly the high-end touring bikes.

Up front, the Harley-Davidson F-150 makes a bold, powerful statement with a unique bumper cover and six-bar billet-style grille. Special handmade forged aluminum and chrome Harley-Davidson badges leave no doubt that this pickup is a worthy companion to the Harley in your garage. The fully integrated, automatically deploying running boards give this very special F-150 a lower appearance. Inside, Ford used authentic materials from Harley-Davidson apparel for the seats, resulting in a look that mimics a genuine Harley biker jacket.

Harleys are known for their often-imitated, never-duplicated guttural sound, and the 2010 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson joins in. Its 5.4-liter EFI FFV V8 engine exhales through a sport-tuned exhaust for a muscular sound. There’s real muscle, too – 310 hp and 390 lb/ft of torque.

A smooth six-speed automatic transmission makes the most of the power and ensures optimal fuel efficiency, too. This special F-150 is available with an optional all-wheel drive system, which features 4×2, AWD and 4×4 high settings – unique to the Harley-Davidson edition.

The paint selection is pure Harley, too – Tuxedo Black and the first Ford application of Lava, a deep maroon with three-color metal flake. Providing the final custom touch, the 22-inch forged alloy wheels are the largest in the F-150 lineup.

If the off-road look is not your cup of java, and you’re not necessarily a Harley enthusiast, Ford offers two other high-end F-150 models that show just how luxurious a pickup can get while delivering the capability and function of a Ford SuperCrew model.

Both the F-150 King Ranch® ($40,200) and F-150 Platinum ($42,075) start with the 5.4-liter V8 and add comfort, convenience and unique styling. Both models offer a choice between the 5-1/2 foot- and 6-1/2-foot beds, and both feature a standard rear power-sliding window with defroster.

Named for the largest ranch in the United States, the King Ranch edition has been a staple of the Ford Super Duty line since 1997, and was later added to the F-150 line. (It’s still available in the Super Duty F-250, F-350 and F-450 models.)

The King Ranch Chaparral leather-trimmed front seats are unique to this model, and luxuries include heated seats, a 700-watt Sony six-disc in-dash CD changer, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Ford’s SYNC® voice-command technology, dual-zone automatic temperature control and a rearview camera. The 18-inch, seven-spoke alloy wheels feature King Ranch painted accents.

The F-150 Platinum earns its name with leather-trimmed, 10-way power front seats and all the luxuries of the King Ranch model. Plus, it adds 20-inch wheels.

From racing to ranching, the motorcycle culture to nights out on the town, nobody does high-end pickups like Ford. Come in and test-drive the one that matches your lifestyle.
Source: IMN

Powered by a 2.0-liter I-4 engine with a four-speed automatic overdrive transmission, the
Transit Connect offers double the fuel economy of full-size vans, delivering an EPA-estimated 22 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.

The Transit Connect also has more than double the cargo-carrying capacity of the Chevrolet HHR Panel, making it suitable for a broader range of commercial-use applications. And it offers commercial users a cargo payload of up to 1,600 pounds – a larger payload than the full-size Dodge Ram 1500 standard-cab short-box pickup truck.

The Transit Connect also is available with the industry-exclusive Ford Work Solutions™, a suite of affordable technologies that provides customers with connectivity, flexibility, visibility and security to better run key aspects of their business.

On Transit Connect, Ford Work Solutions delivers three innovative features:

• A wireless in-dash computer that provides full high-speed Internet access, Bluetooth-enabled hands-free calling and navigation. The system also allows customers to print invoices, check inventories and access documents stored on their home or office computer networks right on the job site.
• Tool Link™, a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) asset tracking system that enables customers to maintain detailed real-time inventory of the tools or equipment.
• Crew Chief™, a fleet tracking, telematics and diagnostics system that provides dynamic location and performance data fleet owners need to more efficiently manage their vehicles, quickly dispatch workers to job sites, monitor driver performance for safety and economy, and keep detailed vehicle maintenance records.

Awards and accolades for the 2010 Ford Transit Connect include:

• 2010 Editors Choice for Vans by CAR and DRIVER Magazine
• Detroit Free Press 2010 Truck of the Year
• The Detroit News 2010 Truck of the Year
• 2010 Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Award for Best Workhorse Vehicle
• A Great Car for the Small Business Delivery/Utility Worker by Kelley Blue Book kbb.com