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There's just something indescribably special about them Mark to a great many people. I've always wanted to own one.

Ford Trucks International / January 31, 2019 We proved our professional excellence with AVA Digital Awards! Our Ford Trucks corporate website in the web design branch of the website category and F-MAX microsite in the web creativity branch of the microsite category were granted two awards! https://www.fordtrucks.com.tr/tr-en http://fmax.fordtrucks.com.tr/en #AVAAwards #AVADigitalAwards #AVAAward2019 #FordTrucks .

You Don’t Need to Wait Until 2020 to Buy a New Ford Bronco Hannah Elliot, Bloomberg / January 31, 2019 Ford disappointed legions of fans and pundits this month at the Detroit auto show when it failed to unveil or announce progress on the new Bronco. Rumors had swirled for months that the update to the 1970s icon was coming; the rig has been promised in time for 2020 sales. Queries about it to a Ford spokesperson that week and since have returned only vague answers about updates happening in the fall. And the stakes are high. Kevin Tynan, senior automotive analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, says that in order to really thrill the Bronco market, Ford must do the opposite of what Chevrolet did with the Blazer. That one was “just another crossover” slapped with a well-known name from the past, he says. It got lost in a sea of generic modern crossovers. “If executed with aplomb, Bronco can fit into that ‘truck but not like other trucks’ niche that can serve as a halo product,” says Tynan. “It probably won’t be a volume nameplate, but put Ford in that SRT Jeep or Durango discussion of badass performance trucks. Bronco Raptor?” Maybe. In the meantime, there are plenty of other ways to get your hands on a modernized Bronco. While they won’t have the fresh OEM seals on them like the 2020 Bronco, they retain the rugged spirit of the original. The Original American Work Horse The market at the moment is red hot. While used Broncos can still be had for less than $30,000 on the auction website Bring a Trailer, the average value for a running, driving 1966 Ford Bronco two-door wagon 4x4 in good condition is $32,700, according to collectible car experts Hagerty, up from an average value of $15,000 three years ago. Broncos in excellent condition average almost $81,000 in value, up from $42,000 in 2016. Ford built the first Broncos in 1966. Intended to compete with International Scouts and Jeeps CJ-5s, they attracted buyers in the American west and central plains who needed four-wheel-drive, durable, practical, and affordable vehicles for hunting, ranching, and farming. Soon, buyers in northern states embraced them for their capability to handle snow and ice; some even attached snow plows to their tall metal fronts. They were offered in three options: wagon, pickup, and open, with cut-outs in the sides instead of doors. Engines included an inline six-cylinder or a V8 during the model’s first year of production; there were a handful of original colors to choose among, from orange to blue and, of course, white. That they cost less than $2,500 at the time (comparable to Jeeps) and were mechanically simple enough to repair at home fed their popularity. During its first year of production, Ford sold 24,000 of them. The initial generation lasted 12 years. Most of the members of that first generation were used hard. They were beat up, crunched, crashed, and battered through years of tough work; actual labor was their calling, after all. Many of the examples that have survived into modern life need major repair. The Modern Restorations That’s where builders such as Velocity Restorations come in. The Pensacola, Fla., shop makes 30 of the old Broncos “new” each year. Co-owner Brandon Segers says this number is up “substantially” since even a few years ago, and he doesn’t see it slowing anytime soon. “We are very excited about the launch of the 2020 Bronco. It will only grow the popularity” of the model at large, whether old or new, he says. Segers’s Broncos, models taken straight from the 1970s, are restored with new components so they’ll run as reliably as any modern truck. A $169,000 Mountain Edition inserts a 302 Ford engine into a donor Bronco body, adds power disc brakes, power steering, a suspension lift, high-back reclining seats, Bluetooth, and a choice of automatic or three-speed manual rebuilt transmission. A $209,000 Lake Edition includes those things with a Ford Coyote 5.0 fuel-injected engine and 4R70 electronic shift overdrive transmission. The $239,000 Beach Edition comes with the same, plus 35-inch tires and 17-inch wheels and a power-retracting step. Those three are set-priced vehicles that come basically as they’re offered. Segers estimates that each model takes 1,200 to 1,700 hours to produce. Donor bodies come from auctions, barns, fields, and back alleys, where they’ve been stored for years. Elsewhere, Classic Ford Broncos works out of Ohio; Gateway Bronco specializes in “sympathetic” restorations in Illinois; and a bearded man named Amos Zook builds them in his barn in Pennsylvania Amish country—if you can find him. All specialize in complete restorations. Jonathan Ward’s Icon Broncos are rather more bespoke. His trucks are hand-built in southern California from original Bronco body shells and then upgraded to some very high-end buyer specifications. Common options include Marine-grade textiles on the seats; high-end surround sound systems; and a paint finish in gloss or matte of whatever color you bring into the shop. There are multiple design packages that allow you to pick whether or not you want doors, or even a roof, as well as such add-ons as sport suspension with Nitro-charged shocks, Brembo brakes, heavy-duty winches, locking differentials (better for true off-road situations), custom leather hides for the seats, and stainless steel metalware. Many of the nearly 60 Broncos Ward has sold worldwide include technologies that make them usable on a familiar basis: satellite radio and navigation, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and reverse parking cameras. Icon Broncos cost a lot—$400,000 on average, depending on the build—and require patience, as the waiting time can reach three years. Not that any of those things has hampered business one iota. Neither has the impending new one. “Reinvigorate isn’t even the word for what the new Bronco is doing for the market. It’s out of control right now,” Ward says. “The 2020 Bronco has significantly brought the model back into the modern culture’s mind. This is a huge push.” .

Bob, remember when the oil filter on the V6 Explorers was vertically mounted and so easily accessible from underneath?

I hear you. The great thing about brooms is they are far less destructive, and more forgiving. And obviously, snow-type rotary brooms clear the road surface more completely of snow and ice. . . . .

We are likely standing on the edge, or in the vicinity, of a blowout rally. “More than likely, these better-than-expected numbers from the tech titans, coupled with no more interest rate hikes this year, should see the market make up all of the ground lost in Q4 2018." Vestact Investment “If President Trump manages to pull off a deal with China, that’s gonna be it. You can imagine what this market’s going to do. Even if we get a bad deal with China, the market doesn’t care, the market is completely disconnected from the economy." Gregory Mannarino

The other day, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess wrote an article entitled "The car will become a software product". https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/car-become-software-product-herbert-diess/

Reuters / January 30, 2019 WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday signaled its three-year-drive to tighten monetary policy may be at an end amid a suddenly cloudy outlook for the U.S. economy due to global headwinds and impasses over trade and government budget negotiations. As it held interest rates steady, the U.S. central bank also discarded its promises of “further gradual increases” in interest rates, and said it would be “patient” before making any further moves. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the case for rate increases had “weakened” in recent weeks, with neither rising inflation or financial stability considered a risk, and “cross-currents” including slowing growth overseas and the self-inflicted wound of a federal government shutdown making the U.S. outlook less certain. “We are now facing a somewhat contradictory picture of generally strong U.S. macroeconomic performance alongside growing evidence of cross-currents. Common sense risk management suggests patiently waiting greater clarity,” Powell said after the end of a two-day policy meeting. Continued U.S. economic growth was still “the likeliest outcome,” Powell said, but was now less certain than a month ago when the Fed said the economy was just as likely to grow faster than expected as it was to face a sharp downturn. Combined with comments that the Fed’s balance sheet would remain larger than previously expected, the Fed’s meeting this week may mark a somewhat anticlimactic end to its years-long battle to “normalize” monetary policy after the 2007-2009 financial crisis and recession. The current Fed policy rate of between 2.25 percent and 2.5 percent is well below historical averages and, if it goes no higher, the Fed will have little room to battle any future downturn with rate cuts alone. It may also raise questions about whether the Fed’s shifting stance - until recently Powell and other officials said monetary policy was unnecessarily loose - is a response to pressure from volatile financial markets or President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Fed for raising rates, arguing that it was undercutting economic growth. Powell took advantage of a new regimen of press conferences after every policy meeting to lay out the series of touchy changes and insist the Fed was only reacting to economic data, not other pressures. He termed the Fed’s new posture one of “wait and see,” not necessarily a hard stop on rate increases. But he also made clear the central bank is no longer in any rush after raising rates almost every quarter during the past two years, and that absent some threatening rebound of inflation or evidence of risky financial behavior, the pause would likely last. Taken together with the balance sheet announcement, the Fed’s statement gives maximum flexibility to a central bank criticized by investors who saw the Fed itself becoming a source of market turbulence that was reflexively tightening policy even as economic risks mounted. “This marks a full 180 from what the Fed was signaling just a few months ago,” said Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz in Newport Beach, California. After the release of the Fed’s statement, U.S. stocks added to gains, with the S&P 500 index ending the day about 1.5 percent higher, while the dollar and short-term yields fell as investors gauged an even lower probability of additional rate hikes any time soon. Market expectations of future rates fell further. Contracts tied to the Fed’s policy rate continued to price about a one-in-four chance of a hike in 2019, and contracts maturing in 2020 were signaling a small but rising chance of a rate cut then. The Fed raised rates four times last year including in December, when it signaled it would do so twice more this year. The economic outlook, however, has become more clouded as a result of recent volatility in financial markets and signs that growth is slowing overseas, including in China and the euro zone. There are also ongoing concerns about the impact of global trade tensions and fears the recent 35-day partial shutdown of the U.S. government over a budget dispute may crimp consumer spending. “In light of global economic and financial developments and muted inflation pressures, the committee will be patient” in determining future rate hikes, the Fed’s rate-setting committee said in its policy statement. The Fed made no change to the $50 billion maximum monthly runoff of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities from its balance sheet. Some traders have urged it to slow or halt its pullback from the bond markets, at least for now. In a separate statement, the Fed said it had decided to continue managing policy with a system of “ample” reserves, reinforcing the notion that the rundown may end sooner than expected. “Overall, this signals the Fed will not be on autopilot going forward,” said Justin Lederer, Treasury analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald in New York. The downgrade in the Fed’s language around rate increases included a change in its description of economic growth from “strong” to “solid,” and it noted that market-based measures of inflation compensation have “moved lower in recent months.” The Fed’s policy decision was unanimous.

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That is just too cool.

MAN Truck & Bus Press Release / January 30, 2019 MAN Mining Solutions for Africa! Through this company portrait, you can see TGS Trucks in action in sand mines in the East of Tunisia. Let this video convince you that these MAN trucks are perfectly adapted to the tough conditions in mines. .

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Commercial Motor / January 25, 2019 Charles Russel of Russell Transport shows off his classic V8-powered Scania 141. .

Commercial Motor / January 18, 2019 Heavy haulage specialist Smiths tells Truck & Driver why they run a Scania V8 to move their big loads. .

https://tlinetrucks.com/

GM Brands Have Cut Complimentary Maintenance from Three Years to One Drew Dorian, Car & Driver / January 30, 2019 General Motors has made changes to its brands' complimentary maintenance plans for 2019 model year vehicles. It now offers just one free service visit instead of the previous two or three visits (depending on brand). This sole free visit—which amounts to an oil change, a tire rotation, and a multipoint vehicle inspection—must be redeemed within the first year of ownership. GMC and Chevrolet both offered two complimentary scheduled maintenance visits on last year's models; the GMC website now shows details about the new one-visit program starting with 2019 models. Chevrolet has not yet updated its consumer website with details about its 2019 models’ complimentary scheduled maintenance plan, but a company representative has confirmed the brand is dropping its two year maintenance program in favor of a one-visit plan. A representative from Cadillac explained to us that the change aligns the company's offerings with those of many luxury rivals such as Audi, which offers exactly the same service. However, brands such as Jaguar and BMW continue their free-service programs, with Jaguar owners getting five years and BMW owners getting three years of complimentary maintenance. Cadillac and Buick have made no other changes to their standard warranty offerings, which currently are above average for the auto industry with six-year or 70,000-mile powertrain coverage. GMC and Chevrolet have held steady on their warranties as well but aren't as generous as GM's premium brands. For owners interested in prepaid maintenance plans, GM will continue to offer such products through franchised dealerships. The plans range widely in both cost and coverage—Buick, for example, offers plans as short as two years all the way up to 15 years—and can be made to cover basics such as oil changes or be far more inclusive by covering items such as spark plugs and air filters. We're hoping to hear more from representatives from each of the GM brands about why the company is making these changes and will update this article with more information as it becomes available.

Ford adding overtime Ranger production as first-month sales hit 1,200 Michael Martinez, Automotive News / January 30, 2019 DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. expects a total of 1,200 U.S. Ranger sales in January — the revived midsize pickup's first month on sale — and plans to start running overtime shifts at its Michigan Assembly Plant next week to keep up with demand. Kumar Galhotra, Ford's president of North America, on Wednesday said the Ranger is exceeding expectations, and that about 300,000 consumers already have indicated plans to purchase the vehicle. "Based on the orders coming in, and based on the hand-raisers, we think the demand's going to be so strong, that starting in February our assembly plant will be going into massive overtime," Galhotra said at a media briefing. A Ford spokesman declined to offer any additional details about the overtime schedule. Ford currently builds the Ranger on one shift at the plant, which recently was converted from small-car assembly to body-on-frame truck production. Ford hasn't sold the Ranger in the U.S. since 2011, when it ceded the segment to Toyota, General Motors and other rivals. Executives said the business case for the vehicle's return became clear as the F-150 full-size pickup got larger and more expensive. The previous Ranger regularly was among the segment's top sellers and No. 1 as recently as 2004. Ranger sales routinely totaled more than 300,000 a year in the 1990s before fading in the early 2000s. The new model starts at $25,395, including shipping, and tops out at more than $40,000. It enters an increasingly competitive segment as new entries including the Jeep Gladiator challenge the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. .

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Ford's return to Le Mans in 2016, Bob. Sharp looking trucks (1846Ts).

https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/2019-ATA-SFR---SSCI.pdf?utm_source=Gov Delivery Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Media Contacts Email