Ford Restructures Ahead Of Schedule

Ford Motor Co. s CEO Alan Mulally told analysts of Wall Street that the company is restructuring ahead of schedule. The restructuring move is anchored on its goal to consolidate global design and engineering operations.
It can be reckoned that the company has started the restructure plan by requiring the heads of Ford divisions to report directly to Mulally. The latter intends to marshal the assets of the company by producing better vehicles faster and for much lesser costs. "There s such an opportunity for us to leverage our resources and capabilities around the world, and leverage them for the good of the greater Ford," Mulally said. "It s probably our biggest single opportunity."
Mulally has outlined a plan to merge various regional Ford divisions around the globe into a one global Blue Oval brand. Ford exec hinted that there are actually six or seven different brands scattered around the world - each of them has their own product lineup.
Mulally also pointed out its new Mondeo sedan, which was featured in "Casino Royale," a James Bond movie. "Why aren t we driving that here?" he asked. "Hello! It s a great car." Ford Mondeo is a new design sharing few features of Sierra. It uses an all-new platform and features new manual and automatic transmissions and a sophisticated suspension design. The vehicle shares some advanced auto parts from its Ford siblings like the Volvo struts, electronic control, switchable overdrive and more. The interiors of the car feature velour trim, an arm rest with CD and tape storage, central locking, power windows and mirrors and flat-folding rear seats. Higher specification models also offer leather seats, trip computers, electric sunroof, CD changer and alloy wheels.
Another point of concentration is on the Ford Focus. It is built off a different platform than the one manufactured in Europe. The idea behind the restructuring plan is to make the company evolve by entertaining design strategies aimed at boosting the efficiency of the automaker in general.
The Ford Focus is radically styled to feature more curves and sweeping lines. It is influenced by the Ford Ka with an exotic interior design language more akin to those of American cars like the Mk 1 Mondeo.
Mulally also announced the company s plan to merge design themes. The automaker is focused on producing more vehicles that show off bold, American designs for the domestic market while maintaining the kinetic design language for the European market. Going forward, the automaker hopes to merge the designs toward a common point that will resonate with customers desires wherever they may be. However, the iconic vehicles of the automaker like the Ford Mustang and Ford F-Series will remain truly American.
"If you were to get off a plane anywhere in the world, you d be able to say, Look, there goes a Ford, " Ford s chief creative officer, J Mays, said in a recent interview. Mays also noted that this does not mean building so-called "world cars" that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Rather, it means creating designs that are so compelling that they transcend regional divides.
David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, said Ford s Blue Oval brand is known all over the world and Ford needs to take advantage of it. "Ford has a global brand. GM doesn t," Cole said.



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Let Your Car Breathe and Perform Well With the Mercedes Benz Oxygen Sensor

Mercedes Benz, or what people call today as either Mercedes or Benz is a German automobile car brand that has already become a status symbol for the rich and famous. A car like this would not be worth it if it has poor engine performance and a huge polluting capacity because of its emissions. The good news is that possible problems such as these can be prevented by the proper maintenance of your car parts. One good example could be your Mercedes Benz oxygen sensor.
The oxygen sensor is a small sensor inserted into the exhaust system of a petrol engine to measure the concentration of oxygen remaining in the exhaust gas to allow an electronic control unit (ECU) to control the efficiency of the combustion process in the engine.
To detect whether the air and gasoline mixture is too lean or too rich, the oxygen sensor is strategically located in the exhaust manifold. Simply put, the oxygen sensor is the primary measurement device for the fuel control computer in your car to know if the engine is too rich or too lean. The correct ratio of the air-fuel mixture is 14.7 to 1 in almost all types of vehicles.
There are two types of oxygen sensors. These are the single wire oxygen sensor and the heated oxygen sensor.
A properly functioning Mercedes Benz oxygen sensor helps in increasing fuel economy and in lowering exhaust emissions. Most importantly, it also helps in better performance of the engine and reducing air pollution.
Failure of your Mercedes Benz oxygen sensor can be attributed to several factors. One can be normal wearing out due to use and another may be the heavy use of leaded fuels. Among the signs of an oxygen sensor failure is the loss of power of the engine or the engine may not seem to respond quickly. Another possible sign that could suggest a failure is an increase amount of fuel consumption than the usual, even if your car has already undergone some tune-up processes.
When your Mercedes Benz oxygen sensor totally malfunctions and fails, your car will most probably have a very poor performance and you will end up wasting more money for more fuel consumption, not to mention the money you ll pay to repair further engine damages. These things happen because a malfunctioning oxygen sensor prevents your engine s computer from reading the correct air-fuel ratio.
To ensure a longer life for your Mercedes Benz oxygen sensor, you must consider at least four factors. One is good electrical connections since the sensor generates low currents. Second is the outside air supply since air must circulate to the internal portion of the sensor. Third is proper operating temperature. The ECU only recognizes sensor signals only when the temperature is already 316 C. Fourth is the use of leaded gasoline since common use of these can damage the oxygen sensor quickly.
Proper maintenance of your Mercedes Benz oxygen sensor includes using oxygen sensor safe gasket sealers only. It is also best for you to check any undercoating, antifreeze or oil on the outside surface of the sensor to provide sensor damage, but most of all, be sure to replace it when really needed.
Your Mercedes Benz is one of the best cars in the world. So why not give it the only the best maintenance in order for it to deliver its best performance.



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BMW M: Not Just Another Sports Car

What is a sports car? There have already been quite a few personal definitions to what a sports car sounds to them. However, for most people, a sports car is a BMW.
BMW now adds up yet another product to their still growing family of vehicles. And right now, the new addition is the 2006 BMW M. It is a roadster. And it just goes to show that BMW meant business for this car. Its past shows a colorful BMW tradition as well as an in-depth research before it was actually constructed. Just go through its stretched engine compartment, its long wheelbase, its short tail, and its two low set of seats that all in all provides a high powered and very passionate driving experience, and one would be able to picture that, indeed, BMW is yet on the road, again, to success.
What are the features of the BMW M roadster? Well, for power, it has a front engine and a rear wheel drive system. Its engine is a DOHC in line engine with 24 valves. It is an iron block with an aluminum head. It can displace 192 cubic inches or some 3152 cc. It also has the capacity to produce some 240 bhp at 6000 rpm. Aside form that, it also has a five speed manual transmission. The suspension is provided in two options. The first is the independent front suspension. It has damper struts, lower control arms, coil springs, and an anti-roll bar. As per the other one, it is an independent rear suspension with dampers, semi-trailing arms, coil springs, and anti-roll bars.
How large is the BMW M? It measures some 96.8 inches for its wheelbase. Its rear is 55.0 inches. It has a curb weight of 3084 pounds, plus a fuel capacity of 13.5 gallons. If you want to put in some cargo, you can always do so for it has a meager cargo capacity of 5.1 cubic feet.
The steering of this roadster is a rack and pinion one with variable ratio and is variable power assisted. It has a turning circle of 34.1 feet. The brakes are vented discs for both the front and the rear. There is also the anti lock braking system. As per the wheels and tires of this vehicle, the BMW M comes equipped with 17 x 7.5 inches front and 17 x 9.0 inches rear cast aluminum wheels. There also are 225/45ZR-17 tires for the front and 245/40ZR-17 tires for the rear. These are both Michelin Pilot SX MXX3 tires.
As BMW ventures into high and advanced technology as well as great performance in their sports cars and other upcoming vehicles, http://www.accessoriesgiant.com never stops delivering top of the line BMW replacement parts as part of its commitment to its loyal customers worldwide. Rallying behind BMW s philosophy of producing only the best in the industry, Auto Accessories Giant with its wide array of impressive BMW accessories gives it customer s genuine quality BMW products at guaranteed low prices.



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