DEARBORN, April 14 – The best-selling compact pickup for the past 16 years is building on its Built Ford Tough heritage with all-new seats, audio system and aggressive exterior styling for the 2004 model year.

Ranger, which appeals to young and active customers, is known for its packaging variety and easy customization. “Ranger has always offered special packages tailored to changing customer needs,” said Matt O’Leary, Ranger chief engineer. “It is an affordable, reliable and fun-to-drive product that meets the demands of a very diverse customer base.” Calendar sales of Ranger totaled over 226,000 units in 2002.

By offering five trim levels (XL, Edge, XLT, Tremor and FX4), Ranger stays a step ahead of its competition. “Ranger has captured the Polk Automotive Loyalty Award for compact pickups since 2000,” said Shawn McDermott, Ranger marketing manager. “We have been able to retain our customers because of our unique and diverse package offerings.”

Exterior
The 2004 Ranger improves on its already sharp exterior styling, featuring design cues of the all-new 2004 F-150. An all-new front fascia with power dome hood and nostril grille highlight Ranger’s aggressive stance in three new Clearcoat Metallic colors: Dark Shadow Grey, Dark Green Satin and Silver.

Interior
Inside, Ranger boasts all-new seats with optional all-new leather-trimmed seat surfaces with late availability in both split bench and sport bucket seat configurations. “We did extensive market and internal research to develop a seat that feels great when you first sit in it as well as after you’ve been in it for hours,” said O’Leary. “We have also met future safety regulations to provide our customers a seat that is comfortable, safe and attractive.”

Sculpted bolsters and adjustable options hold you in place off-roading. Rally-style gauge clusters are added for 2004. FX4 offers black-face clusters and brushed aluminum gauges, while Edge and Tremor sport a white-faced display.

XLT
In 2001, Ranger became the first vehicle in its segment to introduce an AM/FM CD/MP3 player. It continues to lead in audio options for 2004. Brace yourself for thumping bass and excellent sound quality thanks to an all-new Pioneer® Stereo System delivering 290-peak watts of power through nine speakers. The system also features an integrated power subwoofer unique to its segment. Your music can go from online to on-road with the standard AM/FM in-dash 6-disc MP3 player.

Tremor
Also from Pioneer®, Tremor continues to knock sound quality out of the park with a built-in subwoofer delivering 510-watts of power through a new in-dash CD/MP3 player. New for 2004, Tremor will be offered with a 4x4 drivetrain, in addition to the 4x2 offered in previous years. “The Tremor audio system delivers great sound quality and is very popular with our customers,” said McDermott. “The addition of a 4x4 drivetrain will allow us to expand into many new markets.”

FX4
New for 2004, FX4 will have an optional manual transmission with late availability.

Ride and Handling
Off-roading poses no challenge for Ranger. Its suspension is revised with improved bushings, springs and tires. Retuned shocks are optimized for improved ride without sacrificing handling. Ranger’s two off-road packages feature proven heavy-duty equipment. “Ranger is true to the Built Ford Tough legacy. Its strong 4x4 stance and off-road capability is outstanding,” said Matt O’Leary, Ranger chief engineer. “I receive many letters from satisfied customers who have well over 100,000 miles on their Rangers and they’re still going strong.”

The FX4/Level II is fitted with retuned Bilstein shocks that improve control, handling and performance. BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A Tires and Alcoa forged aluminum wheels round out Ranger’s rugged profile. Tremor and Edge models feature improved shock tuning and 16-inch aluminum wheels and tires.

Power
Under the hood, the 2004 Ranger offers three engines, including a recently introduced 2.3-liter I-4 and two V-6 engines. The 2.3-liter I-4 produces 143 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and 154 foot-pounds of torque at 3,750 rpm, thanks to new intake and exhaust camshafts, throttle body, exhaust manifold and engine calibration.

Ranger's 3.0-liter V-6 engine produces 154 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 180 foot-pounds of torque at 3900 rpm. The torque profile of the 3.0-liter was modified in 2002 to provide better drivability and improved fuel economy and towing capability. This engine is standard on all 4x2 SuperCab models equipped with the five-speed automatic transmission.

Ranger also is available with a 4.0-liter SOHC V-6 that produces 207 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and 238 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm. All three engines are available with a five-speed automatic transmission or a heavy-duty, five-speed manual transmission.

While Ranger hardly shies at tearing up dirt roads, it stands as the segment leader in fuel economy and emissions for the standard pick-up truck according to the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Classified as a Low Emissions Vehicle, the 2.3-liter I-4 engine has even lower emissions for 2004 than in previous years.

Ranger is built at Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minn. and Edison Assembly Plant in Edison, N.J.

3-Valve Technology Improves Modular V-8 Engine Efficiency, Performance

WINDSOR, Ont., April 29, 2003 - The new 5.4-liter Triton™ V-8 engine that will power Ford’s next-generation F-150 is designed with three valves per cylinder, variable-cam timing and a host of other features that provide increased power along with improved refinement and fuel efficiency.

The net result is an engine that delivers 300 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 365 ft-lb of torque at 3,750 rpm. The all-new, aluminum cylinder head — with two intake valves and one exhaust valve per cylinder for 24 valves in total — and a new cast-iron block balance this impressive power with better fuel efficiency and quieter operation.

Key features of the new 3-valve, 5.4-liter Triton V-8 include:

This new technology builds on Ford’s award-winning modular V-8 engine platform, while taking advantage of the capabilities offered by modern electronic controls.

The modular V-8 engine family is one of the most important products in Ford’s powertrain lineup. Ford produced more than 1.2 million of these engines in the 2002 calendar year.

Multiple Valves and Variable Cam Timing Improve Power

The new 24-valve engine will be Ford’s first modular V-8 to use variable-cam timing (VCT). The VCT design allows Ford engineers to optimize intake- and exhaust-valve actuation across the rev range. It represents the industry’s first mass application of dual-equal variable-cam timing that shifts the intake and exhaust valve timing together.

Variable-cam timing allows the valves to be operated at different points in the combustion cycle and provide performance that is precisely tailored to the engine’s specific speed and load at that moment. If conditions require earlier valve opening and closing, for example, to achieve more low speed torque, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) commands solenoids to alter oil flow within the hydraulic cam timing mechanism, which rotates the camshafts slightly. If the valves should open later, to generate more high-speed power, the mechanism retards the cams.

The use of two intake valves enhances fuel-air mixing prior to combustion. Multiple valves also enhance the engine’s ability to "breathe" - that is, to move large volumes of air in and out of the cylinders - which is a key to generating maximum horsepower.

With an all-aluminum head, single camshaft, magnesium cam covers and a clean-sheet design approach, Ford’s engineers could develop a three-valve head that has virtually no weight penalty over the two-valve V-8 engines. The three-valve head is actually dimensionally smaller and somewhat lighter than the two-valve design for the 5.4-liter engine, while offering more rigidity and strength. It also is easier to manufacture, with simpler drilling angles and straight-machined surfaces.

Electronics Improve Response, Efficiency
The new 3-valve, 5.4-liter Triton engine uses sophisticated electronic powertrain controls and Ford’s first V-8 application of electronic throttle control to optimize performance.

At lower speeds and lighter loads, the new three-valve engine uses an electronically controlled metal flap at the end of each intake runner. These Charge Motion Control Valves were specially shaped, through CAD modeling and testing, to speed up the intake charge and induce a tumble effect in the combustion cylinder. This causes the fuel to mix more thoroughly -- and to burn quickly and efficiently -- with reduced emissions, particularly at idle.

At higher RPM, they do not affect the intake charge at all. This allows undisturbed maximum flow into the combustion chambers at wide-open throttle. The CMCV motor is sound-insulated, so its operation remains transparent to vehicle occupants.

Like the improvements in overall engine performance, improvements in the new three-valve engine’s refinement result from a host of design features rather than a single breakthrough. For example, the same intake and exhaust manifolds that produce better airflow and improved efficiency also are designed to offer quieter operation.

Ford’s noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) engineers used computer modeling to design vibration-resistant ribbing and reinforcement into the composite intake manifold.

The intake manifold alone represents a host of refinements to previous models. For the first time, the manifold arrives at the assembly plant with the fuel rail, air cleaner, throttle body and PCV unit in place. This makes assembly much faster and reduces complexity. The main portion of the manifold is friction-welded together for durability. Even the air filter assembly is innovative, with a slide-out drawer offering customers quick access to the cleaner element.

The new engine’s pistons have longer side skirts than in the past, which helps to control piston movement and minimize piston noise.

At the top of the engine, new magnesium cam covers offer the vibration-resistance of aluminum at reduced weight. They are further isolated from vibration via rubber mounts. Reinforcing ribs cast into the cam covers, as well as a reinforcing plate in the underside of the covers, were both computer-designed to minimize audible vibrations.

The engine block itself is stiffer than in the past through addition of computer-designed reinforcements cast into the block sidewalls and thicker metal along the gasket surfaces. This, in combination with a new style oil pan made of a sandwich of metal around a plastic core, helps to minimize sound transmission through the bottom of the engine.

These designs were all validated through extensive measurement in Ford’s Advanced Engineering Center dynamometer cells - acoustic rooms in which developmental engines are run while surrounded by sensitive microphones.

Production
The new three-valve cylinder head will be manufactured at the Windsor (Ontario) Engine Plant beginning next year with the full engine assembled at the Essex (Ontario) Engine Plant, also in Windsor. The two plants - both past winners of the prestigious Shingo Award for Excellence in Manufacturing - combined to produce 1.1 million V-6, V-8 and V-10 engines in 2001.

Production of the new 5.4-liter, 3-valve Triton V-8 began in August 2002 for the new Ford Falcon, sold in Australia.

Ford converted its Rouge assembly plan to build 50,000 aircraft engines in WWII. April 12, 1945: Ford WWII Engines Hit 100 Million HP

On April 12, 1945, the total output of aircraft engines built by Ford Motor Company for the war effort reached one hundred million horsepower, more than any other single manufacturer of engines rated at 2,000 hp or more. With its manufacturing expertise, Ford pared 30 percent from the government’s cost for the 2,000 hp, 18-cylinder Pratt & Witney engines. The 50,000 engines built by Ford powered the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, the Douglas A-26 attack bomber, Vega Ventura medium bomber, the Martin Marauder and Curtiss Commando transport, contributing to Allied air supremacy in both theaters of war.

Ford reached the milestone when its Rouge manufacturing complex churned out its 50,000 copy of the Pratt & Whitney’s 18-cylinder 2,000 horsepower engine – more than any other single manufacturer of large aircraft engines.

Since the plant’s conversion to defense work in 1941, Ford manufacturing expertise had pared the government cost per engine by 30 percent, releasing several thousand employees for other war work.

The Ford-built engines were used in many different aircraft—including P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, Martin Marauders, Douglas A-26 attack bombers, Vega Ventura medium-range bombers and Curtiss Commando transports—that contributed to Allied air supremacy in both theaters of war.

At Ford Motor Company, providing customers with high quality, dependable vehicles has been a top priority for 100 years. In order to maintain these standards, the company is offering no-charge Customer Satisfaction Programs to owners of certain 2003 MY F-Superduty (250-550) and Excursion models with 6.0L diesel engines.

A number of these vehicles may exhibit reduced engine performance and rough idle due to a faulty Injection Control Pressure (ICP) sensor. Additional vehicles may exhibit the same symptoms in cold weather conditions due to a mismatch in the Fuel Injection Control Module (FICM) and the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). Two Customer Satisfaction Programs are underway to repair these concerns.

Customer notification letters were mailed out in mid-April (Customer Satisfaction Programs 03B05 and 03B06) to owners of approximately 47,000 2003 model year Ford F-Series Superduty (250/350/450/550) and Excursion vehicles equipped with 6.0 liter diesel engines built from Job #1, June 2002, through February 3, 2003.

These vehicles may exhibit reduced engine performance and rough idle due to powertrain calibration and Injection Control Pressure sensor (ICP) concerns. Dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module and replace the ICP sensor at no charge.

An additional 19,482 trucks built from Job #1, June 2002, through February 23, 2003 are covered in Customer Satisfaction Program 03B06 for reprogramming of the Powertrain Control Module only. (Note: After February 3, 2003, a redesigned ICP sensor was installed in production. Replacement of this part is not required for vehicles in program 030B06.)

As a show of appreciation to our customers, Ford is offering one free Motorcraft oil and filter change at authorized dealers. This offer is for affected vehicles only and will expire December 31, 2003. The voluntary Customer Satisfaction Programs will be in effect through December 31, 2005, regardless of mileage.

DEARBORN, Mich., April 24, 2003 - Ford Motor Company's North American vehicle production for the week ending April 19 is summarized below:

The following U.S. and Canadian assembly plants are working overtime this week: Edison (Ford Ranger), Kansas City SUV (Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute), Kansas City Truck (Ford F-Series), Lorain (Ford Econoline), Michigan Truck (Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator), Norfolk (F-Series), Ontario (Ford F-Series), St. Louis (Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer, and Lincoln Aviator), Twin Cities (Ford Ranger), and Wixom (Lincoln Town Car and LS). In addition, Saturday overtime is scheduled at Lorain and Wixom on April 26.

Next week (April 28), all North American assembly plants will be operating except Dearborn (Ford Mustang) where production will be suspended for two weeks to adjust inventories. This action was included in the company's previously-announced second quarter production plan.

Today's Lean Manufacturing Goes Back to Henry Ford's 1926 Book

DEARBORN, Mich., April 24, 2003 – Lean. It's the requisite buzzword in today's manufacturing world, and it's among the aspirations of those striving to become the best. It's cost efficient, it's smart – it's not new. It was Henry Ford's passion, and he wrote about it extensively in his 1926 book, Today and Tomorrow.

Just reprinted by Productivity Press to commemorate Ford Motor Company's Centennial, Today and Tomorrow continues to be a must-read for manufacturing practitioners and managers. It is the basis of the Ford Production System, the backbone of Toyota's production system and is emulated by automotive competitors and other manufacturers worldwide.

While the book illustrates manufacturing in 1920s terms and examples, the basic tenets of Henry Ford's philosophy shine through timelessly. He talks about eliminating waste – which is the basis for lean manufacturing – and cites things like minimizing, salvaging and recycling scrap materials, and reclaiming 'lost motion' in everything from shipping and distribution networks to various assembly processes.

"Picking up and reclaiming the scrap left over after production is a public service, but planning so that there will be no scrap is a higher public service," he writes. He also considers the value of time in the waste equation, noting that the "easiest of all wastes, and the hardest to correct is this waste of time…because it does not litter the floor like wasted material."

James Padilla, executive vice president and president for Ford North America, wrote the reprinted book's introduction. "To think that today's key manufacturing concepts of lean, just-in-time parts inventories and even workplace ergonomics were first discussed and published by Henry Ford more than 75 years ago, is truly phenomenal. It speaks volumes of the man and Ford Motor Company," he said. In Today and Tomorrow, Henry Ford also shares a broader workplace philosophy. He devotes a fair amount of discussion to defending big business, yet keenly asserts its need to be a conscientious corporate citizen and generous employer. He says, a business that increases prices while decreasing wages, "constantly narrows its markets and eventually strangles itself." He also writes, that a business run solely for profit, "and thinks not at all of the service to the community, (will) die, for it no longer has a reason for existence."

"Those tenets are as true today at Ford Motor Company as they were then," Padilla added.

The book explores various technical aspects of Ford manufacturing at the time, and it is consistently peppered with nuggets of wisdom. Mr. Ford's views on standardization, and "standardizing upward," link strongly to today's emphasis on quality, and he fosters the concept of continuous improvement. He touches on the debate between utility and design, and suggests, as modern consumers know, there should be a balance between the two, providing 'art' doesn't interfere with functionality.

Social scholars may see as most progressive Henry Ford's linkage between education and industry and his articulation of work/life balance. In Today and Tomorrow, he wrote that "part of our industrial duty (is) to help people help themselves." He started the Henry Ford Trade School in 1916, admitting orphans, widows' sons and others who lacked the resources to further their education, and provided scholarships as well as spending money and lunch to those enrolled. Upon graduation, he wrote, the student "is master of a highly paid trade (and) may continue his education" or "command a good job anywhere, though he is first offered a position with the Ford Motor Company."

With regard to work/life balance, Henry Ford wrote that the eight-hour day, five days a week "gives all the production that is necessary to ask for on the (per) man basis" and that leisure was among the benefits of modern industry. "Working all the while muddles the brain. Playing all the time muddles the brain. We have to find some kind of balance," he wrote. Furthermore, he described how one of his new Dearborn laboratories included a portioned off ballroom, big enough for 70 dancing couples. "One never gets too old to dance," he said.

NEW YORK, April 16, 2003 – Ford Motor Company is highlighting its commitment to hybrid vehicles at this week’s New York International Auto Show. The company is showing the Escape Hybrid SUV – which will begin low-volume fleet production at year’s end and retail production in the second half of 2004 – as well as announcing that the all-new 2006 Ford Futura mid-size car will be the company’s next hybrid vehicle.

As the first true no-compromise hybrid SUV, it combines the cargo capacity and go-anywhere capability of the Ford Escape sport-utility vehicle with the fuel economy and emissions benefits of a "full" hybrid system.

"The Escape Hybrid is just one way we’re delivering on our ‘better world’ promise," said Ford Division president Steve Lyons, referencing Ford Motor Company’s vision of great products, a stronger business and a better world. "And that’s just the beginning," Lyons said. "Adding a Ford Futura hybrid down the road will allow us to reach many more customers with this technology."

The Ford Escape Hybrid will be among the most advanced hybrid vehicles on the road when it debuts. The hybrid system has been uniquely engineered by Ford for the Escape.

Among the breakthrough technologies on the vehicle is an advanced thermal management system that will result in longer battery life.

Other benefits will include better acceleration performance when the vehicle is in pure electric mode and more efficient powertrain operation during highway driving.

"The Ford Escape Hybrid significantly improves the power density of the hybrid drive system to meet the power demands of an SUV in available space," according to Ford Hybrid Technology Chief Engineer Prabhakar Patil. "Applying hybrid technology to an SUV clearly presents a challenge. You simply have to get more out of the same type of powertrain package that to this point has only been asked to propel a smaller car."

As the first true "no-compromise" SUV, the Escape Hybrid will offer:

A "full" hybrid system, including a 300-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery, allowing the vehicle to run on either the gasoline engine or battery power alone
35-40 miles per gallon fuel economy in the city driving cycle
Extraordinarily low emissions under the California SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) and PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) standards, with 97 percent fewer hydrocarbon emissions than permitted by the national Tier 1 standard and virtually zero evaporative emissions
Nearly a 50 percent reduction in CO2 emissions in city driving
Significantly extended driving range between fuel stops
Acceleration performance comparable to the 201 horsepower Escape V-6 engine
Cargo capacity and off-road capability equal to the base Escape, with optional 4WD
At the heart of the Escape Hybrid is a compact hybrid transaxle linking Ford’s efficient 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, 65-kW electric motor, 28-kW generator and the drive wheels.

This hybrid system, co-developed by Ford, Volvo and Aisin AW, gives "full" hybrid benefits, including:

Engine stop/start (automatically stops engine while idling and instantly restarts as necessary)
Electric assist (supplements the 2.3-liter gasoline engine when accelerating/passing)
Regenerative braking (recovers energy typically lost as heat through braking friction, storing it for the next acceleration)
Electric drive (in city driving, the gasoline engine may be off as much as 40 percent of the time)
This "full" hybrid functionality is packaged neatly in place of the standard transaxle and is powered by a 300-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack located beneath the rear load floor. Since the battery is charged while braking and cruising, the Escape Hybrid does not need to be "plugged in" like battery-electric vehicles.

Ford Escape, A Top-Selling Compact SUV

Introduced as a 2001 model, the Ford Escape provides fun and responsive ride and handling, an outstanding interior package, fuel economy and low emissions in a small, rugged SUV. Available in front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations, the Escape is designed to appeal to customers who want sporty and durable transportation.

The Escape is designed for maximum comfort, convenience, passenger roominess and cargo flexibility. Escape has four doors and a rear lift gate with flip-up glass for access to the cargo area. The cargo area, with the seats down, offers a maximum cargo capacity of 69.2 cubic feet.

Escape has room to carry five adults and their cargo comfortably. Its low step-in height and wide door openings allow good access, while its unibody design provides outstanding handling and ride comfort.

Ford@Off-Road.com