DETROIT (Reuters) — Ford Motor Co’s sale of its Volvo unit will leave the No. 2 U.S. automaker with no luxury brand outside North America.

But does Ford even need one?

At least for now, analysts say no. They may bemoan a lost opportunity to integrate the Swedish brand Volvo into Ford, but they see an even sharper focus on the “Blue Oval” Ford brand as key to sustaining the company’s turnaround. Continue reading Ford subtracts Volvo, makes Blue Oval main focus

Today, Ford issued its largest recall ever with 4.5 million vehicles with a possible fire hazard from a faulty switch.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued its eighth recall that involves 16 million Ford Motor vehicles, with concerns about the cruise control deactivation switch manufactured by Texas Instruments. The faulty switch can leak hydraulic fluid, overheat, smoke, then burn, and risks causing a fire even when the ignition is turned off, parked and unattended, the NHTSA said.

The risk is higher for 1.1 million Ford Windstars that were subject to a government investigation. Continue reading Ford recall hits large amount vehicles

Ford Motors is not only creating the most modern hybrid vehicles but they are also working on the best in safety features for those vehicles. There is a new array of “active” crash-avoidance technologies that will be introduced into this year by driving prototypes into large, car-shaped balloons to help customers avoid real accidents. Engineers at the Dearborn Development Center use these balloons to test the company’s new adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support technology. The consumer is demanding that some technology be created that can help avoid sudden unexpected hazards due to cruise control failure or brake support failures. This is just a couple of the many new safety features that are being checked and corrected for the consumers. Continue reading The New Ford Technology