1/30/16

GMC Announces Sierra All Terrain X



GMC today announced the 2016 Sierra All Terrain X – a special edition of the All Terrain model, featuring exclusive premium content that enhances off-road capability and an aggressive, monochromatic appearance.

The All Terrain X’s powerful attitude reflects a popular personalization trend among off-road enthusiasts, executed with the top-range refinement GMC has cultivated for years with models such as the Sierra Denali. Its premium package of monochromatic exterior trim and special equipment offers a customized appearance in a limited-edition model, complemented with GMC’s latest technologies.

The Sierra All Terrain package blends capability with unique style to make a statement on or off road. Highlights include: 
•    4WD with Eaton locking rear differential
•    Z71 Off-Road suspension package with Rancho monotube shocks, high-capacity air cleaner, Hill Descent Control and underbody transfer case shield
•    Rear Park Assist
•    Unique grille with body-color surround and tinted chrome accents; body-color front and rear bumpers (rear bumper with corner steps)
•    Spray-on bedliner
•    All-Terrain-logo instrument cluster
•    Inclinometer in the driver information center.

Product Details
The new Sierra All Terrain X is offered on the 2016 Sierra 1500 4WD crew cab/short box models with SLT trim. In addition to the standard All Terrain content, the “X” package includes:
•    265/65R18SL Mud-Terrain-rated Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac MT tires, designed for off-road competence in dirt, gravel and mud, with on-road composure in dry, wet and wintry conditions
•    18 x 8.5-inch black aluminum wheels
•    Sport side steps (black)
•    Bed-mounted sport bar (black) designed to support the accessory off-road LED lighting package
•    High-performance LED headlamps
•    Performance exhaust system, which bumps output of the 5.3L V-8 engine to 365 horsepower and adds an aggressive note
•    Body-color door handles and body-side moldings
•    Black exterior mirrors, belt moldings and B-pillars
•    Interior floor liners
•    Available colors: Onyx Black, Summit White, Stone Blue Metallic, Iridium Metallic, Crimson Red Tintcoat, Light Steel Gray Metallic.

On Sale
Spring 2016

Quote
“Styling is the biggest influence on Sierra customers and the new Sierra All Terrain X builds on that with a more aggressive, personalized appearance that complements its exceptional capability,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC Sales and Marketing. “It joins other models such as the new Sierra Elevation and premium Sierra Denali to offers more choices for finding the premium truck that matches customers’ style and capability needs.”

About the 2016 Sierra 1500
GMC’s best-selling truck rolls into 2016 with a fresh appearance that takes its signature premium styling to a higher level – and offers new, advanced engineering features designed to complement its crafted interior.

The new look for the Sierra 1500 offers greater visual distinction among the models and includes new headlamps with GMC signature LED lighting on all models, as well as a new grille design. New technologies include phone integration via GMC IntelliLink, which enhances connectivity and promotes safer driving. It allows smartphone users to connect with applications such as navigation, hands-free messaging and more through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Android Auto is standard on a new 7-inch radio and is coming to available 8-inch radios this spring.

Fast Fact
Sierra’s 224,139 deliveries in 2015 were up 5.8 percent for the year.

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, with innovation and engineering excellence built into all GMC vehicles. The brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. GMC’s highest-volume vehicle, the Sierra pickup, is the most powerful light-duty pickup on the market, and the first full-size pickup to receive the highest-possible five-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration changed its New Car Assessment Program for the 2011 model year. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc.

1/28/16

Ford Gas-Saving Auto Start-Stop Technology to Be Standard Across Entire 2017 EcoBoost-Equipped F-150 Lineup


  •      Auto Start-Stop to be standard across 100 percent of EcoBoost®-equipped 2017 Ford F-150 lineup, including all-new F-150 Raptor; technology could represent more than 60 percent of truck’s sales
  •     F-150 Auto Start-Stop technology is specially tuned for truck customers, shutting off the engine when the vehicle is at a stop – except when towing or in four-wheel-drive mode
  •     With best-in-class towing, payload and EPA-estimated gas mileage for 2016, F-150 continues to change the game in capability and fuel efficiency
DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 21, 2016 – Ford, America’s truck leader, continues to set the pace of innovation among full-size trucks with the expansion of Auto Start-Stop technology across the entire lineup of EcoBoost®-equipped 2017 F-150 pickups.

The 2016 F-150 with 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine comes standard with Auto Start-Stop. That offering continues for 2017, with the addition of the technology as standard equipment for all 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines including the all-new high-output version for F-150 Raptor.

At the rate EcoBoost is growing, fuel-saving Auto Start-Stop could represent more than 60 percent of the truck lineup – giving F-150 the highest number of Ford nameplates offering standard Auto Start-Stop technology.

“EcoBoost already powers F-150’s best-in-class towing,” said Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager. “Now, with every EcoBoost-equipped F-150 mildly electrified with standard Auto Start-Stop technology, customers’ fuel efficiency is expected to improve as well.”

Specially tuned for truck customers, Auto Start-Stop shuts off the engine when the vehicle is at a stop – except when towing or in four-wheel-drive mode – to give drivers power on demand when they need it most. When the brake is released, the engine restarts quickly.

Auto Start-Stop for F-150 benefits from Ford’s hybrid electric vehicle expertise, helping ensure smooth and refined engine restarts.

Actual fuel savings vary depending on driving patterns. The technology also contributes to a reduction in CO2 emissions due to decreased idle times.

The following Ford vehicles are available with Auto Start-Stop:
  •     Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost
  •     Fusion 1.5-liter EcoBoost
  •     Edge 2.0-liter twin-scroll EcoBoost
  •     2017 Escape 1.5-liter EcoBoost, 2.0-liter twin-scroll EcoBoost
  •     F-150 2.7-liter EcoBoost; 2017 F-150 2.7-liter EcoBoost, 3.5-liter EcoBoost, high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost
About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com

1/26/16

Isuzu N-Series: Gas Trucks


NPR (Gas)

GVWR/GCWR: 12,000/18,000 lbs.

Class: 3

Body/Payload Allowance: 6,189-6,244 lbs.

Engine: 6.0-liter V8

Cab: Crew cab

Body Application: Up to 16 ft




For more info go to:  http://www.isuzucv.com/pdfs/npr_gas_specs.pdf

1/24/16

Harbor Contractor II Body - Plenty of Storage!



Jordan Lewis, Commercial Truck Manager at Dow Lewis GMC in Yuba City CA shows off a great solution for many contractors who want storage, but also want the benefits of a flatbed truck. This body, mounted on a GMC 1-ton Dually chassis is a Harbor Contractor II Body. The twist with the Contractor II Body is the tall and deep compartment at the front of the body. The open lid typical upper box is retained, but the real value of this body is the combination of the two types of boxes.

You can see how much more storage capacity there is in the Contractor II arrangement. The shelves are moveable or removable and the compartment is deep enough to carry a wide variety of items, including tall items.

This unit also has a removable forklift loadable rack, fold-down contractor style gates in the rear, and a class IV receiver, and 7-pin trailer connector. It also has a great full-length step for easy rear access.

See more at http://DowLewisTrucks.com

   

1/22/16

SpaceKap - Fiberglass Transferable Service Bodies



SpaceKap is the innovative result of over 40 years in the service truck industry. SpaceKap's universal slip-in design makes it the perfect fit for plumbers, electricians, contractors, first responders and more.

Saving with SpaceKap
The SpaceKap was built to be transferred from one pickup to another. This unique design allows users to reuse the equipment inside the SpaceKap while keeping their truck or fleet newer and younger.

Your SpaceKap will fit all full size trucks with the same bed length (6.5' or 8')

So whether you are transferring your SpaceKap within your fleet or the time has come to replace your current pickup, you will not be limited to a particular make or model.

Unmatched Versatility
SpaceKap has been engineered to be the most versatile service truck solution on the market. Its universal fit transforms you favorite pickup into the ultimate workshop on wheels.

Maximized Efficiency
Organize and secure your tools and workspace by outfitting your SpaceKap with one of the Quick Ship Packages. This means you spend more time getting things done and less time searching for your tools.


1/20/16

Ford Debuts All-New Display for Engaging Visitor Experience at 2016 North American International Auto Show

  • Fusion, F-150 Raptor SuperCrew, FordPass and other Ford products and technologies are being introduced to the public through a completely redesigned Ford exhibit at the 2016 North American International Auto Show
  • Visitors to the show are invited to experience how Ford makes lives better through vehicle and technology innovations
  • Free build-it-yourself Ford GT snap kits are available for children, while adults can get photos and videos of their visit using Ford’s souvenir tag
DETROIT, Jan. 14, 2016 – The latest Ford products and technologies – including Ford Fusion, F-150 Raptor SuperCrew, FordPass and more – are being introduced to the public through an all-new Ford display at the 2016 North American International Auto Show.

The redesigned stand immerses visitors in Ford innovations that make life better – everything from new customer experiences to driver-assist technologies and advanced lightweight materials.

“We want the Ford visitor experience at the North American International Auto Show to be just as innovative as our products and technologies,” said Darrell Bryja, Ford global auto shows manager. “The new Ford display brings our biggest news to life, and the interactive elements enable families to become part of the action.”

Ford expects 70 percent of show visitors to enter through its newly Ford-branded Cobo Hall entrance at the corner of Washington Boulevard and West Congress. The concourse display includes historic and present-day Ford Performance and racing vehicles.

The new Ford exhibit inside the convention hall is encircled by an oval made of aluminum, encasing a 360-degree LED video ribbon. More than 114 million individual LEDs play vibrant high-definition video and spotlight visitors’ social media posts that use #FordNAIAS.

Two 36x19-foot LED video walls glide open and shut. Rather than riding on rails, the walls move using the same laser-guided, magnetically driven technology that moves F-150 parts through the Dearborn Truck Plant. Sensors built into the LED video walls detect buried wire, which controls the walls’ nearly silent opening and closing.

Vehicles are showcased on a 78-foot-diameter revolving turntable in the center of the stand, with three smaller turntables on it.

Show-goers are invited to learn more about Ford Smart Mobility, which is Ford’s plan to use innovation to take Ford to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, data and analytics and the customer experience. This area focuses on innovations, ongoing research and pilots that make up Ford Smart Mobility. Guests can share their opinions on Ford Smart Mobility and their feedback will be directed back to the engineers and researchers leading various projects.

Consumers can see how Ford has made backing a trailer convenient with Pro Trailer Backup Assist. An F-150 rises almost two stories above the show floor, in line with an immersive video screen where a virtual trailer responds to a driver simply twisting a knob to back up the truck.

Visitors can take a virtual ride in Explorer One – an Explorer Platinum also lifts off the show floor to relive its 2015 Platinum Adventure Tour through some of the most scenic places in North America.

Truck fans can sit in a testing simulator to experience how the all-new Super Duty was tested to be Built Ford Tough. The simulator mimics grueling tests that condense the hard work Super Duty customers expect of their truck.

The full Ford Performance lineup makes its first appearance on the all-new upper level of the display – featuring Ford GT, F-150 Raptor SuperCrew, Focus RS and Shelby® GT350 Mustang.

A shopping area on the lower level offers an array of Ford vehicles with accessories, personalization enhancements and Ford licensed merchandise.

Kids ages 11 and younger can get a free build-it-yourself Ford GT snap kit while supplies last, and adults can take home photos and video of their experience using a Ford souvenir tag. Visitors simply scan barcodes on the stand and provide an email address where the photos and video are to be sent. Guests can preregister at fordautoshows.com.

For those unable to attend the show in person, roving camera crews will capture product narrations and other stories from the Ford stand and webcast them on fordautoshows.com.



About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

1/18/16

ISUZU CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING 2015



Sales of N-Series trucks and Isuzu Parts Reach All-Time Highs



ANAHEIM, Calif.—Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc, distributor of America’s best-selling low cab forward trucks, announced today that it shattered two long-standing sales records in 2015—for the highest parts sales and for sales of Isuzu  commercial trucks.

Isuzu dealers retailed 20,725 Isuzu trucks to customers in 2015—a record for Isuzu trucks in the United States. This record included a whopping 10.5 percent gain in Isuzu N-Series sales versus 2014.
This outpaced Isuzu’s competitive set in Class 3 through 5 commercial vehicles. Calendar-year registrations of Class 3 through 5 vehicles through October 2015, the latest month for which figures are available, were up only 5 percent, less than half the N-Series pace.

Meanwhile, Isuzu sold 5.5 percent more parts in the U.S. than it did in 2014, representing the most parts ever sold. “After celebrating the 30th anniversary of Isuzu trucks here in 2014, what better way to start our fourth decade in the United States market than with record-breaking sales?” asked Shaun C. Skinner, executive vice president and general manager of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America.
“Thanks to the strength of our product, the loyalty of our customers and the dedication of our dealers, we expect to be setting more records for many years to come,” Skinner said.





About Isuzu Trucks:

Isuzu commercial trucks have been the best-selling low cab forward trucks in America every year since 1986.  Headquartered in Anaheim, California, Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc., is the distributor of Isuzu commercial vehicles in the United States. Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc. is a subsidiary of Isuzu Motors Limited, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

For more information, call (866) 441-9638 or visit www.isuzucv.com.

1/16/16

Meet the National Truck Equipment Association



Ever try to explain the work truck industry? Us, too. This video will help. Meet the work truck, the people and companies behind the wheel of this multi-billion dollar industry. To learn more, visit NTEA at http://www.ntea.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NTEA.TheAsso....

1/14/16

SYNC & Amazon Echo Feature




Ford is developing ways to pair millions of SYNC®-equipped vehicles globally with home automation devices or smart home products.

Ford is exploring linking smart devices like Amazon Echo to its vehicles to allow consumers to control lights, thermostats, security systems and other features of their homes from their car, and to stop, start, lock, unlock and check their vehicle’s fuel range from the comforts of their couch.

1/12/16

GMC Double Cab HD2500 with a Harbor SRW WorkMaster Body



The WorkMaster by Harbor is often called a plumber style body. This one is mounted on a single rear wheel GMC Double Cab. This 8' WorkMaster has standard WorkMaster features including the Master Lock System, Rear Access door for sliding in pipe and matches up with the interior shelf, Tall barn style doors in the back give easy access to the interior with two shelves on each side. This one also has a removable stainless steel vise bracket and on the other side, a water jug holder. All this on a 2500HD GMC Double Cab makes for a sweet package.

See more offerings from Harbor Truck Bodies at www.htbi.net

1/10/16

Defog your windows TWICE as fast using SCIENCE- 4 easy steps



Here are 4 steps to defog your windshield twice as fast in the morning and the science behind why it works. Thanks for watching from the bottom of my nerdy heart.

1/08/16

Ford Targets Drone-to-Vehicle Technology to Improve Emergency Services, Commercial Business Efficiency


Ford Targets Drone-to-Vehicle Technology to Improve Emergency Services, Commercial Business Efficiency
  •     Ford and drone-maker DJI drive innovation in smart drone-to-vehicle software with DJI Developer Challenge
  •     DJI Developer Challenge designed to create a rapidly deployable surveying system for use by the United Nations in emergency zones; future applications could include agriculture, forestry, construction, bridge inspection and other work
  •     These types of mobility innovations are part of Ford Smart Mobility, the plan to take Ford to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics
Las Vegas, Jan. 5, 2016 – Ford and DJI are imagining a world in which vehicles and drones become more capable and efficient working together, and are announcing a challenge to develop the software to make that possible.

Working with DJI, the world leader in professional-grade drone systems and software, Ford invites innovators to participate in the DJI Developer Challenge to create drone-to-vehicle communications using Ford SYNC® AppLink or OpenXC. The goal is a surveying system for the United Nations Development Program to inspect emergency zones inaccessible to even the most versatile vehicles.

The technology could allow United Nations first responders to earthquakes or tsunamis to quickly deploy drones able to survey and map hardest-hit areas – all from the cab of an F-150.

“At Ford, we are driving innovation in every part of our business to help make people’s lives better,” said Ken Washington, Ford vice president, Research and Advanced Engineering. “Working with DJI and the United Nations, there is an opportunity to make a big difference with vehicles and drones working together for a common good.”

Applicants to the surveying system challenge can visit http://developer.dji.com/challenge2016. The challenge winner receives $100,000.

The mobility challenge is part of Ford Smart Mobility, the plan to take the company to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics.

Ford F-150 serves as drone base station
Developers are tasked with creating software that would allow an F-150 and a drone to communicate in real time. The United Nations’ rapidly deployable surveying system ideally would work like this:

In a disaster, an emergency response team would drive an F-150 as far as possible into an emergency zone caused by an earthquake or tsunami.

Using the Ford SYNC® 3 touch screen, the driver could identify a target area and launch a drone by accessing an app projected through Ford SYNC AppLink. The drone would follow a flight path over the zone, capturing video and creating a map of survivors with associated close-up pictures of each.

Using the driver’s smartphone, the F-150 would establish a real-time link between the drone, the truck and the cloud, so vehicle data can be shared. Data will be relayed to the drone so the driver can continue to a new destination, and the drone will catch up and dock with the truck.

Developers will be able to use vehicle data available through SYNC AppLink or the OpenXC platform to create a seamless drone-to-vehicle communications experience.

Though this challenge has a specific mission, the software eventually could allow drone-to-vehicle applications in agriculture, forestry, construction, bridge inspection, search and rescue, and many other work environments in which vehicles are space-, height- or terrain-limited.

Ford Developer Program
This developed challenge for drone software is just the latest example of how Ford is driving innovation through its Ford Developer Program, launched at the CES in 2013.

By leveraging Ford AppLink and OpenXC, the company is inviting developers from across the globe to innovate with Ford in the automotive industry’s first end-to-end developer ecosystem.
About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

1/06/16

1/04/16

Mercedes-Benz Launches ‘Just Right’ Metris into Hot U.S. Business-Van Segment


Last month Mercedes-Benz launched its new Metris van into one of the most dynamic segments of the U.S. vehicle market.

Ford stole a march on other automakers a couple of years ago when it introduced a much-improved version of the Transit Connect business van, and other automakers are still striving to catch up. The latest is Mercedes-Benz , which last month launched its  new Metris van into what has become one of the most dynamic segments of the U.S. vehicle market.

“It’s like a feeding frenzy,” Paul Butler, Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. department manager for marketing services for vans, told me. “Once one brand starts, it goes like dominoes and all the other manufacturers look at it.”

Metris debuted in October in the U.S. accompanied by a new TV commercial and at prices starting under $29,000, and Butler said it is a “just right” size between small and large new commercial vans that offers a sort of Goldilocks choice for the growing number of American fleet operators and entrepreneurs who might be interested.

That’s right, the rolling boxes that florists, big energy utilities, airport-shuttle services, caterers, industrial-repair services, limo fleets, and weekend craft-show denizens alike use to schlepp their wares and haul their fares where they’re doing business have been showing robust sales increases. Entrants in this quickly growing segment leverage both the growth of the U.S. economy and the business recovery in general, and the incessant demand by businesses for new types of vehicles that meet their entrepreneurial — and, sometimes, personal — demands.

“For the longest time, 30 to 40 years, there were just two or three choices, and vans were just a business tool,” Butler said. ”What we’ve seen since the recovery from the recession is that the economy as a whole has seen a big upsurge in small business and a change in their thought process — an openness to look at the whole landscape from a customer standpoint and choose the vehicle that best fits their needs, rather than buying the same vehicle they’ve always bought.”

Is Mercedes-Benz concerned that marketing such a workaday van will do little to burnish its premium image? “It’s a premium commercial van,” Butler offered. “It has the durability, quality and reliability of any Mercedes-Benz product, and a lot of the standard features that you’d find in an E-Class sedan, including adaptive cruise control and active parking assist.”

Source: Forbes

Photo source: Mercedes-Benz

1/02/16

Consumers Hopeful Despite Challenges, Increasingly Driven To Make The World A Better Place, Ford Trend Report Shows

  • Despite recent challenges, including the refugee crisis, terrorism and unexpected downfalls of once-beloved icons, consumers are exhibiting a heightened sense of determination to make the world a better place in 2016 and beyond
  • Consumers are moving past frustration and resignation – shifting to hope and optimism – because of a renewed sense of inspiration and ingenuity, thanks largely to social media
  • New research reveals a growing determination among consumers to become more collaborative, and to leverage technology and sustainability to achieve freedom of travel, and the option to decide where they live, work and play
Click here to download the full report (PDF)
DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 28, 2015 – In a world of constant and dramatic change, new insights from Ford’s Looking Further with Ford 2016 trend report reveal a renewed sense of inspiration and ingenuity among consumers striving for a better quality of life in the New Year – motivated more than ever to make the world a better place.

Despite an underlying sense of disillusionment, consumers are more inspired to defy the odds and use innovation to embrace new platforms for change. Through the trends Ford has identified for 2016, the company is exploring how technology, sustainability and collaboration are being leveraged so that it can help create solutions to improve how consumers live, work, and even travel in the future.

“In our four years of researching and compiling consumer trends, never have we seen optimism, resilience and self-reliance figure so prominently,” said Sheryl Connelly, Ford global trend and futuring manager. “It gives us hope for what the future holds, and we see that same creativity and enterprising spirit driving innovation in every part of our business at Ford.”

Key consumer findings
Changing views on health, consumption, transportation and work models are upending traditional ways of thinking, with innovation and technology rapidly ascending to transform culture and consumer behavior. Among the findings:
  • Globally, more than half of Millennials agree that standing out is more important than fitting in – revealing an increased focus on self-reliance and purposefulness
  • Consumers are eager to spread good news and are more likely to share positive stories on social media
  • Members of an expanding aging population are proactively seeking to prolong their quality of life and personal freedoms
  • While innovation is driving new ways to enhance quality of life, demands for connectivity and time are increasing, resulting in a society that is always on-call
  • Efficiency and utility are the hallmarks for how we are now living and consuming. With Americans spending nearly five hours per day on their mobile phone, consumers are looking for ways to be less mind-full and more mindful, living smarter and pushing to get greater use out of fewer things
What’s trending for 2016
Ford’s report is a blueprint for understanding how these 10 trends are expected to influence consumers and brands for 2016 and beyond:
  1. Embracing Heroes: Where goodwill is faltering among established leadership, it’s gaining with communities and individuals who are rethinking what it means to be a good citizen, neighbor and person. Everyday heroes are stepping up to the plate, and they’re inspiring others to do the same.
  2. Swiss Army Life: A rising emphasis on self-reliance has created an ethos of purposefulness and utility. Better living today is not about having more things – it’s about living smarter by pushing to get greater use out of fewer things.
  3. Time Poverty: “So much to do, so little time” has always been one of life’s conundrums. Yet with greater connectivity, we’re increasingly on-call, and time proves more elusive than ever.
  4. EZ Life, Brought to You by the Connected Concierge: With growing support from artificial intelligence, the rise of full-service technology allows for outsourcing more responsibilities to innovative consumer features that learn and adapt to our needs – expanding our sense of hope and possibilities for better living.
  5. Mindful Goes Mainstream: Two-thirds of consumers across the globe say mindfulness is not a fad. As our lives become increasingly complicated and demanding, the way forward many people are embracing is to be less mind-full and more mindful – giving ourselves time and space to breathe, reflect and regroup.
  6. In Awe of Aging: As people live longer, healthier lives, the notion of aging is being redefined. Shifts in health care, nutrition and medical science are driving today’s seniors to reject long-held stereotypes of what it means to be elderly.
  7. Fit for Misfits: Today, one size fits nobody, and connections between mainstream brands and consumers are taking a back seat to unique, more personalized and meaningful ties.
  8. Waste Not, Want Not: In a high-consumption society, innovators are getting creative with extracting value from stuff nobody wants. This sustainability trend promises to push the boundaries of people’s imagination and resourcefulness.
  9. Buying into the Flexible Economy: Once exclusively the turf of creatives, freelancing is becoming increasingly normalized – and it’s upending how we produce and consume goods and services.
  10. Retail Revolution: Retail is no longer simply about product, it’s about experience; retailers are finding new ways to forge meaningful connections with consumers.
Insights driving Ford
The trends highlighted in this fourth annual report go beyond the auto industry to help Ford comprehend what’s happening globally in social, technological, economic, environmental and political arenas. These insights drive every aspect of the company’s business – overall strategy, development of future products and services, and the customer purchase and ownership experience – helping Ford create innovative mobility solutions that address consumers’ rapidly changing needs.

The trends point to a heightened focus on mobility as a means to help develop new ways to address the complexities of urban transportation, global gridlock and increased connectivity among consumers. Nearly 75 percent of adults worldwide say greater mobility is important for global stability. Ford echoes this view, and is dedicated to using technology, sustainability and collaborative approaches to make the world a better place.

“There’s no escaping the impact the rapid pace of technology has on culture,” said Connelly. “What’s fascinating to watch is how companies like Ford adapt and innovate at this pace. These insights help us to create products and services that not only exceed today’s expectations, they provide innovative ways of looking at how to tackle challenging situations of tomorrow.”

Through consumer-centric innovation, Ford is playing a pivotal role in championing mobility by creating smart vehicle networks and embracing changing models of ownership and consumption that favor greater access for all. Ford Smart Mobility is the company’s plan to take connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicle technology, the customer experience, and data and analytics to the next level. Its efforts will ultimately deliver safer, more convenient and efficient methods of addressing global transportation challenges.

For more on the Looking Further with Ford 2016 trend report, please visit www.fordtrends.com


About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.