Latest news with #2025Expedition
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Ford launches new Expedition SUV in Louisville with $500 million investment. Take a look
Ford launches new Expedition SUV in Louisville with $500 million investment. Take a look Show Caption Hide Caption How many people work for Ford in Kentucky? See how it ranks. Ford Motor Company has had a presence in Kentucky for more than a century. Ford has begun shipping the 2025 Expedition SUV, which is assembled at the Kentucky Truck Plant. The company emphasizes quality control improvements after past recalls. The new Expedition features a redesigned exterior, upgraded technology, and a starting price of $62,000. Kentucky represents about 20% of Ford's hourly workforce. Ford Motor Co. has officially started to ship its newest SUV, assembled in Kentucky, just six months after the all-new 2025 Ford Expedition was unveiled in dramatic fashion at the Texas state fair late last year. On April 30, Ford CEO Jim Farley was joined by Rocky Adkins, a senior advisor to Gov. Andy Beshear, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and workers at the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville to celebrate the launch of the new vehicle. "Kentucky makes the greatest baseball bats, the finest American whiskey, raises a lot of very fast thoroughbreds ... But in my book, Kentucky's greatest contribution to America happens right here (at Kentucky Truck Plant)," Farley said. In addition to the Expedition, Lincoln, the luxury vehicle producer in the Ford portfolio, showcased its 2025 Lincoln Navigator, the flagship SUV in the Lincoln brand, which is also assembled at the Kentucky Truck Plant alongside the Expedition and F-Series Super Duty trucks. "You are the horsepower of the auto industry in Kentucky, and you're showing America what's possible," Adkins said at the launch party. In anticipation of the 2025 Expedition launch, Ford invested roughly $500 million into the Kentucky Truck Plant to bring it updated equipment, new technologies, additional vehicle testers and more, Farley said. Here's what we know about the new 2025 Ford Expedition SUV: 'From Kentucky, for America' Ford is branding the launch as "From Kentucky, For America" in an effort to remind consumers during uncertain economic times that the automaker is an American company, employing a large American workforce. Between the Kentucky Truck Plant and Ford's smaller Louisville Assembly Plant off Fern Valley Road, Kentucky currently represents about 20% of Ford's entire hourly workforce, a company spokesperson said. Last year, the Louisville area plants assembled more than 700,000 vehicles. Buying a vehicle: Ford extends employee-pricing to July amid tariff turmoil. Is it a good deal? What to know "At Ford, we believe we can, and we must build a strong manufacturing base in America," Farley said, adding that Ford is leading the way on revitalizing American manufacturing, with 80% of vehicles sold in the U.S. being assembled in the U.S. at facilities like the Kentucky Truck Plant or Louisville Assembly Plant. During the event, Farley took aim at automaker competitors, noting "we never left America," and adding in that Ford has continued investment planned for the U.S., including the current construction of a plant in Ohio and Tennessee. "Imagine, if the companies who import all the vehicles in the U.S., treated American manufacturing like Ford," Farley said. "... if our competition moves forward and moves assembly production back to the U.S. at our levels, that would be equivalent of producing 15 new auto plants in the U.S. That's the difference." In recent weeks as President Donald Trump has enacted a slew of tariffs, automakers like Ford have been caught in the crossfire. While Farley said he supports the Trump administrations mission to restore American manufacturing, he said there is still room to grow on securing "a comprehensive set of policies to support our shared vision of that healthy and growing auto industry." "We are not there yet," Farley said in regard to trade policy. With the emphasis of Ford's latest marketing campaign, "Built for America" the company is hoping to "remind Americans where things come from matters and Ford is different," Farley said. Quality control takes a front seat with new Expedition SUV In 2023, the last time Ford launched a new vehicle out of the Kentucky Truck Plant, company officials harped on a new era of quality control standards coming into play. At the time, Ford was freshly off having seen nearly three million vehicles recalled in 2022 and surpassing $5 billion in warranty related costs in 2019. The quality control efforts implemented at the truck plant and across town at the smaller Louisville Assembly Plant that produces the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair, have produced mixed results. Ford has had several recalls, impacting at least 11,000 Super Duty trucks since the 2023 model launched along with recalls facing its other Kentucky-made vehicles. But amid the ongoing effort to battle quality issues, Ford is confident its latest SUV to hit the road is a winner. "We think it's the right time to emphasize that on quality, we will never be done with quality," Farley said. "Every time you come here for a launch, you're going to be hearing about quality. It is a game of inches and millimeters." Claire Yarmak, a quality manager at Kentucky Truck Plant, told The Courier Journal quality control was a "relentless" focus for the automaker this go around, and led to the introduction of 20 new trained drivers to do tests and audits on 100% of the new vehicles and 72 new finished vehicle compliance audits to ensure vehicle features work as intended. One of the most evident areas of quality control inside the Kentucky Truck Plant is the deployment of the Mobile Artificial Intelligence Vision System, an AI technology developed by Ford that uses machines to scan vehicles in real time and identify quality issues such as electrical, component and trim issues. Domestic pride: Ford and Stellantis address tariff turmoil with bold 'made-in-America' ad campaigns This technology was first used at the truck plant in 2023 with only 20 machines but ahead of the Expedition launch, the company installed more than 100 machines at the plant to up its quality control for the newest SUV. "We do not want to go through the issues we have in the past, and so far, the quality looks great," Farley said. What are the features on the all-new 2025 Ford Expedition? The 2025 Ford Expedition boasts a multitude of new features, packages and an upgraded design. To date, some 16,000 vehicles have been produced and are making their ways to consumers across all 50 states. "Expedition is all about serving families that live big lives," said Adrian Aguirre, chief program engineer for Ford Expedition. "We know these customers and we know them because we are obsessed with finding out what will make their lives easier and their experiences better." So much of the newest vehicle's focus is around elevating the experience for families who spend a lot of time in and around their vehicle, from camping trips to long days hauling it across town, leading Aguirre to call it, the "most dependable Expedition ever." While not a new generation vehicle redesign, the outside appearance of the vehicle has received a stylish facelift with a new take on the front grille, new headlights and taillights, and a new wheel design. One of the hallmark features of the new large SUV is a power tailgate split into independently opening upper and power sections to create a variety of new features. The three-row SUV which can seat up to eight people also features a "squircle" shaped steering wheel to make room for a newly revamped interior, touch screen display in the vehicle. The manufacturer suggested retail price for the most basic version of the vehicle starts at $62,000 and goes up to a starting price of $86,655 for the Expedition Max King Ranch model. There are seven models of the vehicle available. Here are 15 additional new features on the 2025 Ford Expedition: Note: This list is not inclusive of all features for all models of the 2025 Ford Expedition. Tremor off-road model 24-inch front display screen Horizontally split power tailgate 9,600-pound towing capacity Blue Cruise hands-free highway driving system 15 Beverage Holders Illuminated entry system with theater-dimming Auto-dimming rearview mirror Lane-Keeping system which includes Lane-Keeping assist, Lane-Keeping alert, road edge protection and driver alert 360-degree camera Rock crawl mode Panoramic vista roof Intelligent four-wheel drive with terrain management system Pro-trailer hitch assist 3.5L EcoBoost engine Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@ or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter at @oliviamevans_.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Ford offers employee pricing to all car shoppers as new auto tariffs kick in
Ford Motor on Thursday announced that it would allow car shoppers to buy its 2024-25 vehicles, including gas, electric and hybrid-powered models, at the discounted price the automaker offers to its employees. Called "From America, For America," the promotion was unveiled on the same day a new 25% U.S. tariff on foreign vehicles took effect. It also follows President Trump's announcement the previous day of sweeping tariff increases on U.S. trading partners around the world — levies that many analysts say are likely to raise prices on a range of consumer goods. One analysis estimated that car prices could rise as much as $12,200 for some models due to the new car import duties, according to a report from Anderson Economic Group, a Michigan-based economic consultancy. "We understand that these are uncertain times for many Americans," Ford said in a statement to CBS News. "Whether it's navigating the complexities of a changing economy or simply needing a reliable vehicle for your family, we want to help." The promo runs April 3 through June 2 and offers "significant savings" on a number of 2024 and 2025 gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and diesel Ford and Lincoln vehicles, according to the company. Excluded from the limited-time offer are Ford Raptor models, 2025 Expedition and Navigator SUVs and Super Duty trucks (Full details about the offer can be found on Ford's website .) A 30-second ad for the promotion, featuring voiceover by actor Bryan Cranston, will be aired during the men's NCAA Final Four 2025 tournament on April 6-7, according to AdAge. In its first-quarter earnings report Tuesday, Ford said it has seen a jump in demand at its dealerships as consumers move to get ahead of an expected rise in car prices. The company's sales rose 5% in the first quarter, driven by a 19% surge in March, the Detroit automaker reported. The new auto tariffs are starting to ripple through the car industry. Stellantis, whose brands include Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and Ram, among others, said it is idling production at plants in Canada and Mexico and will temporarily lay off 900 workers in the Midwest, CBS News Detroit reported . Beginning April 7, Stellantis will pause production at its Windsor Assembly Plant for several weeks, with operations set to resume the week of April 21. The decision will impact 4,500 represented Windsor employees.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford Offers Employee Discounts To Everyone As Other Automakers Prepare For Price Hikes
The automotive industry is in turmoil right now as President Trump rolls out his tariffs against every country in the world other than North Korea and Russia, and because of this, most car companies are planning to raise prices to make up for it. However, not everyone is carrying that tune. Ford is standing on its own right now, and actually bringing back employee discounts for all of its customers for the next two months on most of its vehicles through its "From American, For America" campaign. It's giving everyone access to "A Plan" pricing through June 2 on nearly all Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Unfortunately, some high-dollar vehicles like the 2025 Expedition, Super Duty pickups and Lincoln Navigators are excluded. Savings will, of course, vary by model and trim level, according to Automotive News. Ford's A Plan typically allows employees to pay less than the dealer invoice price, but it's not immediately clear exactly how big those discounts are going to be. A Plan pricing usually amounts to $1,300 off a $28,700 Maverick, $3,500 off a $48,200 Explorer and $6,800 off a $66,500 F-150, AutoNews says. The discounts will also be applied on top of any additional incentives, which is always nice. This isn't the first time Ford has offered employee pricing. It also did so in late-2008 during the beginning of the Great Recession, according to a 17-year-old MotorTrend article. If that isn't an ominous sign of things to come, I don't know what is. Read more: The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor Is Exactly What You Want It To Be The automaker has remained quiet about whether or not it would eventually increase prices because of the tariffs. Though it does produce the most U.S.-made cars in the country, the Maverick, Bronco Sport and Mustang Mach-E are all built in Mexico, while the Lincoln Nautilus comes to the U.S. by way of China, AutoNews reports. Here's what Ford's director of U.S. sales told the outlet about the program: "There's a lot of uncertainty right now," Kaffl [said]. "What we think this program provides is more certainty to an uncertain situation and stability, frankly, and support to those U.S. consumers. It's a way to give back to the communities that have supported us for generations." [...] "There's no question that obviously prices are going to rise as more things come out," he said. "We're still trying to understand the impact of the tariffs. We think the opportunity is now to make the offer with our customers, and we'll also have to weigh in what happens with these impacts." Just to sweeten the deal and get more people into electric cars, Ford is extending its offer for free home EV charger installation through the end of June. It was originally supposed to end on December 31, 2024, but it was extended through March. It's far too early to tell what Ford — or the rest of the industry — will do when it comes to pricing, but at least it's nice to see Ford doing a little to help out the average consumer. What happens beyond the two month promotion remains to be seen. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford Responds to Trump Tariffs by Opening Up Employee Pricing to All Americans
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The sweeping tariffs signed into existence by President Donald Trump over the last week have sent shockwaves through the auto industry. Several automakers have suggested they may need to or will raise prices to counter the effects of the levies. The Ford Motor Company, however, is responding in a very different way: by offering their employee pricing program to everyone. According to reports by The Detroit Free Press and Reuters, Ford will offer its so-called A-Plan pricing on most Ford and Lincoln vehicles to all buyers, not just those who work for the company, through June 2. A separate program that offers a free home charger and complimentary installation to those people who purchase or lease an all-electric vehicle has also been extended through June 30. A new ad campaign called 'From America, For America' has been launched to announce this new program. But the campaign does more than just communicate the discount program; it lets people know Ford employs more hourly workers and assembles more vehicles in America than any other automaker, according to the Free Press. Ford's A-Plan pricing is calculated by using the following formula: dealer invoice – holdback – advertising assessment + administration fee = the final price. The savings can be significant; the Free Press cited the example of a F-150 XLT PowerBoost with a sticker price of $65,000, which would cost $55,000 under the employee pricing plan. While the plan is wide-ranging, there are a few notable exceptions among the vehicles the plan is available on. The Ford vehicles not included in the program are the 2025 Expedition, the Super Duty trucks, and all Raptor family vehicles, as is the Bronco Stroppe Editions; specialty Mustang models such as the Dark Horse and GTD are also excluded. Many commercial-grade and fleet vehicles, such as the F-450, F-550, F-650 and F-750, chassis cabs are also not eligible for the program. Meanwhile, all Lincoln models are eligible except the 2025 Navigator. Ford says it's able to offer this program because it still have plenty of dealer inventory around. 'We're in a very competitive position in our stock. And the auto sector, and overall public, has seen a lot of uncertainty in the market right now especially in the automotive space. So, we feel by providing this message in 'From America, For America,' we're providing some security,' Rob Kaffl, Ford's director of U.S. sales, told the Detroit Free Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
