Ford Adds Jobs, Invests $155 Million

Ford Invests $155 Million in Fuel-Efficient Engines; Adds Jobs

CLEVELAND -- Ford Motor Company is investing $155 million and adding 60 jobs at its Cleveland operations to build a new fuel-efficient V-6 engine for the 2011 Mustang, which has expected class-leading highway fuel efficiency of 30 miles per gallon on the highway and 305 horsepower.

The investment and jobs at Ford’s Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 brings the company’s investment in powertrain engineering and facility upgrades in North America to $1.8 billion to support its 2011 vehicle launches – with more to come. The total number of jobs being added as part of these investments is 1,260. The new Mustang engine is one of nine new or upgraded engines or transmissions for 2011 model Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.

“Ford is absolutely committed to delivering class-leading fuel efficiency with every new vehicle we introduce, and this investment in Cleveland provides further proof,” said Bill Russo, director of manufacturing for Ford’s powertrain operations.

On sale this spring, the 2011 Ford Mustang delivers 305 high-performance horses for V-6 coupe buyers. The all-aluminum dual-overhead cam (DOHC), 3.7-liter Duratec 24-valve V-6 engine delivers a projected 30 mpg on the highway with a six-speed automatic transmission and fun for drivers on nearly every road.

“Mustang is completely transformed with this new engine,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. “Everything people love about the car is still there and now under the hood is a V-6 engine that uses premium technology to deliver the power, the feel, the fuel efficiency, even the sound of the best sports coupes in the world.”

Also available for the 2011-model year are the Mustang GT – with an all-new 5.0-liter V-8 delivering 412 horsepower and projected unsurpassed highway mileage of 25 mpg – and a no-compromises Shelby GT500 powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 and 550 horsepower.

The new 3.7-liter V-6 is built at Ford’s Cleveland Engine Plant 1. The 5.0-liter V-8 engine is built at Ford’s Essex Engine Plant in Windsor, Ontario. The 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 is built at Ford’s Romeo, Mich., Engine Plant.

Zumbrota Ford is your Local Minnesota Ford Dealer. Less than an hour from the Twin Cities, 15 minutes north of Rochester, 40 minutes west of Lake City, and only 30 minutes from Red Wing or Cannon Falls, MN! Click here for a map and directions.

To view our used vehicle inventory click here. Call us at 866-530-5809 or 507-732-5127, or view our website at ZumbrotaFord.com

Ford Mustang Police Chase Video

Ford Mustang - Too Fun To Resist!

With the power, handling and performance that is the Ford Mustang, who can resist to take one for a spin? Check out this quick little commercial and you will see that the Ford Mustang proves to be a bit too tempting for some of the local law enforcement!

Zumbrota Ford is your Local Minnesota Ford Dealer. Less than an hour from the Twin Cities, 15 minutes north of Rochester, 40 minutes west of Lake City, and only 30 minutes from Red Wing or Cannon Falls, MN! Click here for a map and directions.

To view our used vehicle inventory click here. Call us at 866-530-5809 or 507-732-5127, or view our website at ZumbrotaFord.com

Like That Song? You Can Tag It!

First Ever iTunes® Tagging - Only From Ford

The 2011 Ford Edge is the world’s first use of iTunes® Tagging in an available factory-installed HD Radio™ receiver. iTunes Tagging provides customers with the ability to “capture” a song they hear on the HD Radio receiver for later purchase from iTunes. With a simple push of a “TAG” button on the MyFord touch-screen display, the song information will be stored in the radio’s memory.

Once a song is tagged and customers dock their iPod to the SYNC system, the tagged song information will transfer to that iPod. Up to 100 tags on SYNC can be stored until the iPod is connected. When the iPod is then synced to iTunes, a playlist of tagged songs will appear. Customers then can preview, and if they desire, purchase and download tagged songs from the iTunes Store.

One significant benefit of HD Radio technology is that the sound quality of the broadcast is dramatically better because of the digital transmission – FM sounds like a CD and AM sounds like today’s FM broadcasts. Unlike analog broadcasts, digital broadcasts aren’t susceptible to interference, fadeout and other issues.

Zumbrota Ford is your Local Minnesota Ford Dealer. Less than an hour from the Twin Cities, 15 minutes north of Rochester, 40 minutes west of Lake City, and only 30 minutes from Red Wing or Cannon Falls, MN! Click here for a map and directions.

To view our used vehicle inventory click here. Call us at 866-530-5809 or 507-732-5127, or view our website at ZumbrotaFord.com

2011 Ford Edge Sport

2011 Edge Sport adds more power, distinctive look

The 2011 Edge Sport is powered by a 3.7-liter Ti-VCT V-6 engine that produces 305 horsepower and is similar to the one added to the 2011 Ford Mustang. The 2011 Edge Sport includes all of the content found on Edge SEL as well as a specially tuned suspension, paddle shift transmission and its own unique style.

The Edge Sport’s class-exclusive 22-inch polished aluminum wheels have distinctive Tuxedo Black spoke accents. Other unique styling cues include a Tuxedo Black grille, smoked headlamp and taillamp treatment, body-color rocker moldings, oval chrome exhaust tips, body-color door cladding and revised body-color lower front and rear fascias.

Key interior differentiators are liquid silver smoke appliqués that are echoed in the silver smoke metallic leather seat inserts, aluminum pedals and class-exclusive paddle shifters, which activate the six-speed SelectShift Automatic transmission to give customers the option of a fun-to-shift manual experience.

In SelectShift mode, the transmission doesn’t second-guess the driver, offering total control over gear selection and performance feel. Upshifts, for instance, are not commanded at redline, and downshifts are allowed at the lowest gear possible as defined by the engine speed.

When the system is in manual mode, engine speed matching provides faster and smoother downshifts, and customers get the gear they request within the limits of the rev limiter.

When a lower gear is selected while descending a long downhill grade, the 2011 Ford Edge Sport in SelectShift mode will hold that gear until the driver manually upshifts or returns to the fully automatic setting. To ensure safe shifting, the transmission will downshift to the lowest acceptable gear, based on a calculated maximum speed. That means if a vehicle were traveling at highway speeds, the driver could not downshift to first gear in SelectShift mode.

“The 2011 Ford Edge Sport, with its exceptional powertrain, specially tuned suspension and unique style, offers a driving experience not seen in other crossovers, and really appeals to the driving enthusiast,” said Bannon. “Like the rest of the 2011 Ford Edge lineup, it perfectly blends technology and style.”

Zumbrota Ford is your Local Minnesota Ford Dealer. Less than an hour from the Twin Cities, 15 minutes north of Rochester, 40 minutes west of Lake City, and only 30 minutes from Red Wing or Cannon Falls, MN! Click here for a map and directions.

To view our used vehicle inventory click here. Call us at 866-530-5809 or 507-732-5127, or view our website at ZumbrotaFord.com

2011 Ford Edge Revealed

Style and technology – the hallmarks of Ford Edge since it took the midsize crossover segment by storm starting in 2006 – come together in an all-new way, offering customers even more of what they love for the 2011 model year.

“Customers told us how much they like Edge’s design and dynamic driving quality,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. “We listened and made sure the new 2011 Edge delivers that and more – including fuel economy leadership, unexpected levels of quietness, a strong new design with quality materials, and MyFord Touch driver connect technology that will change how people experience their vehicles.”

Customers made the Ford Edge the No. 1-selling vehicle in its segment in its first full year on the market, and more than 330,000 have been sold since its launch in late 2006. The 2011 Ford Edge now aims to redefine the segment with a wide-ranging scope of improvements.

“The new Edge demonstrates how a refresh at Ford has become more than just a few design and interior tweaks,” explains Elaine Bannon, chief engineer. “We have taken every element of the Edge and completely reworked it, including three new powertrains, two new transmissions, a bold new exterior design and a completely new interior. If you add in our industry-exclusive MyFord Touch system, you have a vehicle that will continue to stand out above all the competition on the road.”

Improved power; expected to be a fuel economy leader at 27 MPG

In addition to delivering customer-focused technology, the new Edge also showcases Ford’s impressive drive to bring new powertrain options to the customer. Both the Edge 3.5-liter V-6 and Edge Sport 3.7-liter V-6 use advanced engine valvetrain technology (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing, or Ti-VCT) and clever control strategies to increase horsepower and torque to best-in-class levels. This beats competitors such as the BMW X5, Lexus RX350 and Audi Q5, all while delivering unsurpassed fuel economy of 27 mpg (3.5-liter V-6 highway).

The 3.5-liter V-6 produces 285 horsepower and 253 ft.-lb. of torque while the 3.7-liter V-6 delivers 305 horsepower and 280 ft.-lb. of torque – all on regular fuel. Edge’s unsurpassed fuel economy is not at the expense of power and performance. For example, the 3.5-liter V-6 with Ti-VCT technology delivers highway fuel economy that is 15 percent better than the Nissan Murano but produces 20 horsepower more.

Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The SelectShift Automatic™ transmission is standard on the 2011 Edge SEL and Limited series, with class-exclusive paddle activation of the SelectShift standard on the 2011 Edge Sport.

A more connected driving experience

New 18-inch tires, standard on the Edge SEL and Edge Limited, and new wheels that are one-half inch wider than the outgoing product provide a more engaging steering feel. Twenty-inch tires with new wider wheels are optional on the Edge Limited while the Edge Sport has class-exclusive 22-inch wheels standard.

Complementing the new tire and wheel lineup is a retuned suspension. Shocks, springs and stabilizer bars were adjusted to tighten handling. The shocks now feature a high-flow piston, which allows engineers to tune for both road loads and driving dynamics, without compromising ride for handling or vice versa. The result is a flatter response through turns and over hills while still providing a comfortable ride.

New subframe mounts enhance drivability, help reduce road noise

The original Edge set numerous benchmarks in overall quietness, and that tradition continues as the 2011 Ford Edge has better wind noise than many premium vehicles such as the Lexus RX350, Audi Q5 and Acura MDX. Both the front and rear subframe mounts have been upgraded, adding to the increased tunability of the suspension and improving NVH (noise, vibration, harshness). The larger rear subframe bushing’s rubber volume was increased by more than 500 percent compared with the outgoing bushings, improving the isolation between the subframe and the body, which in turn helps decrease road noise.

Zumbrota Ford is your Local Minnesota Ford Dealer. Less than an hour from the Twin Cities, 15 minutes north of Rochester, 40 minutes west of Lake City, and only 30 minutes from Red Wing or Cannon Falls, MN! Click here for a map and directions.

To view our used vehicle inventory click here. Call us at 866-530-5809 or 507-732-5127, or view our website at ZumbrotaFord.com

Ford Fusion Hybrid Regenerative Brake System Update

Update on the Customer Satisfaction Program announced by Ford to update the software of the regenerative brake system of some 2010-model Ford Fusion Hybrids and Mercury Milan Hybrids

Notes:

• While the vehicles maintain full braking, capability, we have received reports that some drivers have experienced a different brake feel when the hybrid’s unique regenerative brakes switch to conventional hydraulic braking. While the vehicle maintains full braking capability, they may initially perceive the condition as loss of brakes.
• To be clear, the Fusion and Milan Hybrids’ brake system maintains full conventional brakes and full ABS function even as the customer sees visual indicator and hears a chime. The software threshold to transition from regenerative brakes to conventional brakes can cause the system to transition to conventional brakes unnecessarily.
• This software upgrade will reduce unnecessary occurrences of the vehicle switching from regenerative braking to conventional hydraulic brakes. Customers with affected vehicles will receive a notice in the mail. We are asking owners of affected vehicles to have vehicle software reprogrammed at dealers at no charge.
• There have been no injuries related to this condition.

Q- Is this the same issue as the Toyota Prius that is in the news?
A- No. Ford uses a different regenerative braking system, based on conventional braking technology with different suppliers from Toyota.

Q- Should customers stop driving their vehicles?
A- No. The vehicle has full braking capability. What is happening is that drivers are sometimes experiencing a different brake pedal feel than they are used to when a hybrid’s unique regenerative brakes switch to conventional hydraulic braking, which initially may be perceived as loss of brakes.

Q- How did we learn of this condition?
A- We identified this condition through our monitoring of warranty and we saw a trend of reports.

Q- Does the Escape Hybrid have the same system and issues?
A- We have not seen this same issue with Escape Hybrid vehicle.

Q- When can customers bring their vehicles in for repair? Do they need to wait for a letter or when they experience this condition?
A- Customers can contact their Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealers right now to arrange updates. It involves a reprogramming of the hybrid’s control software. The upgrade should take less than 30 minutes.

Q- Which hybrid models does this program cover?
A- The 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids built on or before Oct. 17, 2009. Approximately 17,600 units are affected.

Zumbrota Ford is your Local Minnesota Ford Dealer. Less than an hour from the Twin Cities, 15 minutes north of Rochester, 40 minutes west of Lake City, and only 30 minutes from Red Wing or Cannon Falls, MN! Click here for a map and directions.

To view our used vehicle inventory click here. Call us at 866-530-5809 or 507-732-5127, or view our website at ZumbrotaFord.com