Ford‘s advanced MyFord Touch infotainment systems are the focus of a new class-action lawsuit that’s been filed, noting that they’re defective and don’t work as advertised. The lawsuit also states that Ford knew that the infotainment system had issues, but sent them out to the public anyway without telling customers.
The MyFord Touch dashboard infotainment system was introduced in Ford and Lincoln vehicles a couple of years ago, and many drivers have reported dealing with glitches and freezing menus. Ford has issued several firmware updates to the system in the past and are even bringing back physical controls due to driver demand, but it seems that isn’t stopping a particular group.
The group behind the lawsuit is Center for Defensive Driving, which is a non-profit organization that offers free educational presentations on defensive driving to the public (and they also happen to be partially funded by Ford, which is a little ironic). It seems that they’re fed up with Ford’s infotainment offerings, despite the company’s attempts at fixing it.
Of course, Ford is well aware of these issues. Last year, the car maker reported that for every 1,000 vehicles, approximately 400 of them experienced issues with the MyFord Touch system — a rather disappointing ratio that isn’t quite the majority of their vehicles, but makes up almost half of them.
We’ve spoken with Ford on the matter, but they said that the company does “not comment on pending litigation.” As for what the Center for Defensive Driving hopes to get out of the lawsuit, a monetary reward will most likely take place, but no figure has been estimated yet. However, CDD President Chris Knox said that Ford should discontinue the MyFord Touch system instead of trying to improve it.
Ford will patch its 2013 hybrids with a software fix to address fuel economy, addressing EPA concerns late last year that cars like the Fusion and C-Max weren’t seeing anything like their quoted mileage ratings when in the real world. The EPA opted to investigate the two cars in December 2012, after third-party testing indicated they were missing the suggested 47 mpg rating by as much as 10 mpg. The fixes are “calibration updates” the car company says, and will be offered to drivers of three of the company’s 2013 hybrids.
The EPA’s suspicion was that Ford had designed its engine mapping and other systems specifically to suit the agency’s testing practices, rather than what might necessarily be the best settings for real-world use. That given, when owners took the wheel, they discovered the hybrids were not as frugal as they had been led to believe by the advertising.
Ford’s new software addresses several areas. The cars will now be able to drive in fully-electric mode at up to 85mph, rather than it being limited to 62mph as it is today, as well as making use of the electric-only system more rapidly by shortening the engine warm-up time by as much as half.
Meanwhile, the Active Grille Shutters will become more intelligent, cutting drag during cold weather, during use of the air conditioner, and when engine coolant temperature is higher. The air-con system will also be optimized to reduce use of the compressor, plus how much energy it uses when conditions are cold. Even the engine’s electric fan speed will be cut as coolant temperature drops.
“Customers should see the most improvement at highway speeds, during air conditioner use and operation in colder climates” Raj Nair, group vice president of Global Product Development at Ford, said of the changes.
Ford has been attempting several different ways to address economy and encourage drivers to use their cars in more efficient ways. The Ford Fusion Energi, for instance, has a “gamification” system which challenges owners to beat a numerical high-score by optimizing their driving style.
Ford efficiency “gamification” demo:
Ford will be contacting owners of the 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid, 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and 2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to alert them to the update, installation of which will be optional.
Apparently the window stickers of Ford’s hybrid line didn’t tell the whole story when it came to gas mileage. After a series of class-action lawsuits regarding fuel usage estimates and Consumer Reports noticing the vast disparity between what was advertised and what was possible, the blue oval company is finally paying the piper. To make it right, the Dearborn automaker is offering a free software update for C-MAX, Fusion and Lincoln MKZ models starting this August. There are a slew of fixes beyond supposedly better fuel efficiency, but perhaps the most dramatic is an increase in electric-only top speed. After the patch, the gas motor kicks in when the power plant reaches 85MPH, instead of the previous 62MPH threshold. No, your 88MPH joke won’t work here, so don’t even try it.
Ford is dropping the price of their new 2014 Ford Focus Electric by a whopping 10%. In what appears to be an effort to stay competitive in the electric vehicle market, Ford dropped the price of its 2014 Focus EV down to $35,200. The car previously had a sticker price of $39,200, making that a $4,000 drop in price.
In a statement from Ford, the company said that “the new starting MSRP of $35,200 keeps us competitive in the marketplace and is an important part of our commitment to provide customers with a range of electrified vehicles to choose from.” Affordability is a huge factor when it comes to buying any new car, and electric vehicles certainly can’t be a part of the exception if companies want them to fly off dealer lots, but Ford says they’re “really committed” to electric vehicles, and making lower-cost EVs is a big goal of theirs.
Car companies are getting desperate and want to sell their electric vehicles before they end up making too many and have tons of inventory on the back burner. General Motors announced plans back in May to cut the price of the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid by as much as $10,000. This is despite the fact that GM is actually losing money on every Volt that it sells.
Nissan also dropped the cost of its 2013 Leaf by a cool $6,000, bringing its price below the $30,000 price point, which Nissan says is the lowest-priced five-passenger electric vehicle sold in the US. It doesn’t take much convincing for drivers to pick electric vehicles over gas-guzzling ones, but the price is still a huge concern for most people.
Of course, Tesla Motors is doing a decent jobs at spreading awareness of electric vehicles. The Model S definitely isn’t a cheap car, but it has convinced drivers that electric vehicles don’t have to be tiny compact cars, but also mid-sized four-door sedans that can fit the entire family.
We’ve seen many great cars come out of Saleen’s factory in Corona, California, but none may be better than the car company’s most recent project. The 2014 Saleen 351, which was announced back in December at the LA Auto Show, is finally entering production, and it’s the rebirth of the 351 that was last seen in 1999.
What makes this newest car so unique? Well, the 2014 Saleen 351 is Saleen’s most powerful Mustang to date, and it features a 5.75-liter (351-cubic inch) V-8 motor that has a supercharger capable of cranking out 700 horsepower and 655 pound-feet of torque, which should get the job done on any race track we think.
The new 351 comes standard with a six-speed manual with a final gear ratio of 3.73:1. To keep things cool under pressure, the 351 is also fitted with an intercooler and high-flow fuel injectors to keep things running smoothly at high RPMs. The car also has 14-inch brakes with four-piston calipers to control the large 20-inch wheels.
However, it’s not just the exterior’s good looks and the engine that gives the Saleen 351 it’s uniqueness. The interior has two-tone leather and Alcantara trim, as well as a special dash plaque that comes with the car’s serial number, that way you’re getting a true Saleen car. The 351 will cost a reasonable $82,634, with a 3 year/36,000-mile limited warranty.
Electric vehicles are becoming all the rage these days, and Ford is looking to make a dent in the market with their own offerings. They have a small variety of hybrid vehicles, but I ended up checking out the 2013 Fusion Energi and giving it a brief test ride around one of Ford’s test tracks at their headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. One of the big features that the company is touting is the inclusion of gamification, which aims to encourage drivers to drive more efficiently on the road by providing a drive score.
This was my first time behind the wheel of any kind of electric vehicle, so I was a bit nervous at the start, which is odd since there was nothing to really be nervous about. It mostly came down to the fact that I wasn’t sure what to expect out of an electric vehicle, but I came to find out the car handled almost exactly like a normal car does.
However, one of the most obvious differences is that the Fusion Energi can run off of a battery, so when you start the car up, there’s no cranking of the engine or the all-too-familar whirring noise of an idling vehicle. Instead, when you start it up, you’re treated with absolute silence, making you wonder if the car even turned on. Indeed, it did, and off I went.
Handling of the Fusion Energi wasn’t all too different from a traditional gas-guzzling vehicle, although the brakes were extremely touchy – something that I find to be the case for a lot of newer cars, especially from Ford. In this case, it’s partially down to the regenerative braking in the Fusion Energi, meaning that the kinectic energy caused by braking is converted and used to power other portions of the vehicle.
As for acceleration, it was pretty superb, and the lightest touch of the gas pedal sprung me forward a few miles-per-hour for every time I applied more pressure to the gas pedal. I didn’t get it up quite to highway speeds during my drive, but I felt that the Fusion Energi would be more than a good option for daily commutes at the least.
On the inside, you have a comfy interior, and the center console includes your usual set of controls, and the touch screen up top allows you to adjust a number of settings with the tap of a finger, as well as get turn-by-turn directions and all sorts of media options. The instrument panel also includes some digital displays as well, with one that shows you how much battery you have left, as well as your mileage.
This display also gives you your drive score and brake score during your drive. You have a brake score that gives you a score out of 100% that’s based on how efficient your braking was. For instance, taking your foot off the gas, coasting, and then slowly applying the brake until you come to a gentle stop will most likely score you in the high 90% range, while stopping suddenly and creating a whiplash effect will give you a very low brake score.
The drive score is an overall score based on your driving habits. It accounts for braking, acceleration, top speed, and even interior features that use up energy, such as the air conditioning. Drivers are more likely to earn a high score for accelerating and braking gently, as well as keeping their top speed at the speed limit. However, the overall drive score is much harder than getting a good brake score. I was able to earn the best brake score out of all the other test drivers that day, but I found that getting a good overall drive score was a lot harder than I anticipated.
Essentially, Ford is encouraging drivers to drive more efficiently on the road using this clever gamification system. It’s proven that human beings love statistics and having the best score, whether that’d be through video games are other forms of activities. Adding a video game-like experience to everyday tasks makes them not only more enjoyable and engaging, but it can also make you better at these activities by attempting to do the best job you can in order to score points and level up, so to speak.
Ford says that their new Fusion Energi can go up to 620 miles on a full charge and on a full tank of gas, with a rated fuel mileage of 100 MPGe. The price is where reality sinks in, however. The Fusion Energi starts just short of $39,000, but it’s on par with its competition, with the Chevy Volt also priced in the $39,000 range. Then again, the only question you need to ask yourself is if the higher cost is worth the investment, seeing as you won’t need to fill up the gas tank as often.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, and got a behind the scenes tour of their 3D printing and digital prototyping studio. What they’re doing with these technologies is truly impressive. But one thing they didn’t have ready to show me was their newly announced Freeform Fabrication Technology (F3T).
This advanced manufacturing process allows Ford to produce mockups and prototypes of actual sheet metal forms in a fraction of the time of traditional techniques. F3T uses a robotic forming tool that uses a pair of stylus-type tools to work a flat piece of sheet metal back and forth to give it form. The system is loaded with CAD data for the part that’s required, and then cranks out actual metal components in a matter of hours.
Here’s a brief video overview of the process:
Ford claims this process will allow them to produce prototype pieces from start-to-finish in just a couple of days or less, whereas the current process of creating custom dies could take two to six months. In addition, the F3T process eliminates the costs of producing expensive prototype dies.
At this point, F3T is still in the development stages, but Ford hopes to refine the process and put it into regular use in the not-too-distant future. While the technology is currently ideal for low-volume production, it’s possible it could lead to advancements in production applications down the road – perhaps even in the form of end-user vehicle customization.
A modern assembly line can churn out a new vehicle every few minutes, but when carmakers want to build and test a prototype, it takes weeks to produce the dies and moulds needed to stamp out a custom one-off part. So Ford has developed a fantastic new prototyping machine that functions kind of like a 3D printer in that it can produce a custom part in mere hours. Except that instead of plastic, it works its magic on sheet metal.
Fans of the odd and the unique at auto shows and conceptual deliveries galore will be glad to hear Ford will be unveiling a new bit of advanced technology that’s said to “revolutionize” such deliverables. With a new process for prototyping, personalization, and low-volume production, Ford suggests that they’ll be able to create concept vehicles as never before.
The Ford engineering team has created a new patented technology the brings on the rapid formation of sheet metal parts for low-volume production projects. Using Ford Freeform Fabrication Technology, the brand will now be able to bring lower costs and “ultrafast” delivery in prototypes of all kinds (take the Ford Atlas Concept, for example – knock a few of these out a month and you’ve got a real innovation process on your hands!)
This F3T technology is said by Ford to be able to knock prototype creation times down by a rather astounding amount. Where before this technology appears, conventional methods take between two to six months to make a prototype vehicle, here Ford says they can do it in three business days.
Testing of this technology can be seen in the presentation video sent out by Ford this week – and take note: F3T may be used in many industries in the future: aerospace, defense, transportation, and appliances notwithstanding.
With this process as its goal, researchers working for Ford with a $7.04 million U.S. Department of Energy grant have been hard at work for several years. Collaborators include The Boeing Company, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and Penn State Erie, and a total of five manufacturing projects such as this were given awards in the same vein.
It was five projects and $23.5 million sent by the Department of Energy in March (of this year) that got this all started. The DOE’s prizes were aimed at advancing the clean manufacturing of parts and helping U.S. companies specifically increase competitiveness with the rest of the world.
Using this method, Ford will aim to improve the research and development process of vehicles across the board – knocking out the current prototype die phase entirely. No longer will 6-to-8 weeks be the minimum – F3T is said to be able to produce sheet metal parts ready for prototype applications “in just days for essentially no cost.”
During Ford’s Trend Conference at the company’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak sat in during a panel about driving distractions in vehicles and what solutions we could see in the future to limit these distractions in the car. Are touchscreens in the dashboard really the way to go? Do wearables like Google
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
