Latest news with #F-Series
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford, Hyundai post higher US sales in May on strong SUV, truck demand
By Nathan Gomes and Kalea Hall (Reuters) -U.S. auto sales for Ford Motor and South Korea's Hyundai Motor rose in May, the companies reported on Tuesday, as concerns over potential tariff-related price hikes prompted buyers to act fast on their purchases of cars and SUVs. U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies have fueled uncertainty across the auto industry, driving up supply costs, pressuring margins and pushing some automakers to pass the expenses on to consumers. The sales also got a boost from offers and trade-in deals for affordable pickups and crossovers. Ford's overall sales rose to 220,959 units in May from 190,014 units a year ago. The Detroit automaker's F-Series truck sales climbed 15% to 79,817 vehicles during the month. Ford in April extended discounted rates to its customers that are generally reserved for its workers to keep sales moving, although the automaker also hiked prices on three of its Mexico-made products in May. Hyundai also reported an 8% year-on-year rise in U.S. auto sales to 84,521 vehicles in May. The company noticed a pick up in demand in March and April with a "little bit of a rush" from consumers coming in to purchase because they were concerned about potential tariff price increases, Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, said in an interview on Tuesday. But no decisions were made on changing sticker prices for the brand's vehicles as a result of tariffs, Parker added. A price protection program instituted by the automaker in early April ended on June 2 and was not extended. The program guarantees no hikes to sticker prices on new vehicles sold through the period. "This period really marks our regular annual pricing review," Parker said. "We take a look at market dynamics, consumer demand, independent of tariffs." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Reuters
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Ford's US auto sales rise 16% in May
June 3 (Reuters) - Ford Motor (F.N), opens new tab on Tuesday reported a 16% rise in U.S. auto sales for May, aided by demand for pickup trucks and crossover SUVs. Sales of the company's F-Series trucks were up 15% at 79,817 vehicles during the month.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Former Jack Cooper driver launches car hauling startup after Ford contract loss
Former Jack Cooper driver launches car hauling startup after Ford contract loss Show Caption Hide Caption The impact and history of autos in Detroit, The Motor City Here are some facts about Detroit's auto industry. McKinley Archie and three business partners started Squirrelly LLC in February. Squirrelly hauled its first load of Ford Expeditions and F-Series trucks on April 22. Squirrelly is looking to get a direct contract with Ford or General Motors to haul more vehicles. Four months ago, McKinley Archie was blindsided by the reality that his six-figure job with a trucking company where he'd worked for about 20 years was coming to a screeching halt. Archie, 46, had been working at the now-defunct car hauling company Jack Cooper since 2004. He started there as a driver. He drove big rigs loaded with new Ford Motor Co. vehicles out of the automaker's Louisville Assembly Plant and Kentucky Truck Plant to dealerships across the nation. He had worked his way up to steward at the Jack Cooper facility that served Louisville Assembly. Life was good. Then came Jan. 2, the day that Ford — Jack Cooper's second-largest customer behind General Motors — gave a 30-day notice to Jack Cooper that it was terminating its decades-long business with the hauler. Ford did not provide a reason. Archie and about 105 colleagues in Louisville suddenly knew they'd be losing what had been lucrative jobs. "It wasn't McDonald's wage jobs — those were good jobs," Archie said, noting most of the drivers were earning more than $100,000 a year. Then, one month later, GM ended its relationship with Jack Cooper after failing to reach a new contract. That put the nearly 100-year-old vehicle hauling company out of business, eliminating about 2,500 jobs nationally. In Michigan, more than 350 jobs ended when Ford and GM severed their contracts with Jack Cooper. Through it all, Archie put on a brave face to mask his fear about how he'd provide for his family. "As the steward, my coworkers looked to me for leadership and guidance, so I had to be strong for them on the outside. But internally, I didn't know what I was going to do either," Archie said. "Then, when I saw my mom, she said, 'What's wrong? Your face looks heavy?' I broke a couple tears and said, 'I don't know if I'll have a job.' She reminded me that I'm a child of God. He will take care of me. She said to suck it up, keep moving and it will all work out." Digging up the seed cash Archie said he listened to his mother's advice, drew on his faith and started mulling over a plan to survive this setback. He knew that on Jan. 31, the Jack Cooper trucks had to be empty, so he wasted no time. In early February, he gathered together his lifelong band of "brothers from another mother" and proposed an idea. "We've been doing business for years, and we sat down and had a roundtable on how we can mitigate these losses," Archie said. "We decided to launch into the car hauling business." Recent car recalls: Ford F-150, Broncos among over 280,000 vehicles recalled The group has launched other business endeavors, such as in 2020, when they started bourbon-maker Black Bred Distillery in Louisville. They also run a home renovation business, Knox Construction, in Atlanta. In February, the group launched Squirrelly LLC. The goal is to haul Ford vehicles from the Kentucky Truck Plant to dealerships anywhere in the nation. Archie is the company's cofounder and chief compliance officer. The newly established hauler is based in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where some of the group live. The business group consists of Archie, two other men and a woman. The three men grew up together and have known each other "from the cradle," Archie said. They went on first dates together and Archie even taught one of them how to drive. They met the woman later through friends. She brings with her an expertise on logistics, he said. Archie describes the group as "multi-preneurs," meaning that they try to find opportunities across a range of fields. His two male partners have degrees in finance and one is a youth pastor with a master's degree in divinity, Archie said. They decided on the name Squirrelly 'because we are all over the place. That's our slogan," Archie said. But they knew it would be no easy feat to start their own car hauling business. Archie said the plan has been to buy lightly used rigs from Jack Cooper. But each one carried a whopping price tag of $260,000. Then there is the cost for insurance on the rigs and for employees. He said they were able to lease some of the trucks to start, which helped get them going. So far, Squirrelly has bought 10 trucks and is scheduled to buy 25 more, he said. "So it was quite a lot we had to raise, an arduous task for us," Archie said, saying all the capital came from the group's own resources, no outside funding. "We had go into my backyard and dig up all my savings. It's hard to go even to a bank and say give me $3 million to start a dream. Now that we're actually moving cars, maybe we can go back to them and show them proof of concept. But we bootstrapped all of it.' Looking to make his own deal Squirrelly moved its first load of Ford vehicles April 22 from Kentucky to Texas. Since then, it has hauled nine loads of the Ford Expedition SUV and F-Series Super Duty pickups from Kentucky Truck Plant to dealerships in Texas and 17 loads to dealerships in Michigan. Archie said that's about 120 vehicles. 'It's a great start for us," Archie said. "Of course, we want to get to the point where we're moving 36 loads a day or better. Once we get our own inventory straight from the (automakers), that'll be better." Ford spokeswoman Ursula Muller declined to comment about Squirrelly hauling Ford vehicles because the automaker has a policy to not comment on supplier contracts. But Squirrelly is currently transporting the overflow work from other hauling companies because under the Teamsters union contract, haulers must give overflow work to other unionized carriers, Archie said. Late last month, Squirrelly employees voted to join the Teamsters, the union confirmed. A week later, a second unit of former Jack Cooper haulers rejoined the Teamsters Union. In a media release, Teamsters Local 964 in Ohio said a group of carhaulers in Avon Lake, employed by Fleet Transport Corp., unionized with Local 964. Fleet Transport was launched last month to fill the void in that market left by Jack Cooper's bankruptcy, the release said. Ford's Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake builds the F-Series Medium Duty and Super Duty pickups. Squirrelly has six employees beyond the 10 former Jack Cooper drivers Squirrelly has hired, Archie said. "My goal is get most of those (drivers) back to work. Cassens Transport took a few of them," Archie said, noting that besides Cassens, other haulers for the Louisville plants include Precision Hauling and RCS Transportation. 'We're the new kid on the block," Archie said. "Before Jack Cooper went out, those carriers were already there.' Archie said Squirrelly is looking to negotiate a direct contract with the Detroit automakers. In the meantime, he said it feels satisfying to be working again and able to employ others. "It's a lot of pride to me personally to help my fellow brothers get back to work," Archie said. "I just thank God that He put me in a position to be able to do it. When it was happening and we were losing our jobs, I thought, 'I'll be all right because I'll start my own car hauling company.' Four months later, here we are actually moving vehicles.' Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@ Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Next Generation Of America's Best-Selling New Vehicle Debuts Tomorrow
Ford's F-Series line of pickup trucks has been the best-selling vehicle in America for the past 44 consecutive years, but technically that achievement is goosed a bit as Ford includes both the half-ton F-150 and heavy-duty F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty models in its sales roundups. If you separate the different Ford trucks from each other, America's best-selling new car isn't a pickup truck at all — it's the Toyota RAV4. According to data from Jato Dynamics, there were 460,915 new F-150 registrations in the U.S. last year (down by 5%) while there were 475,193 new RAV4 registrations (up by 9%). That's especially impressive when you realize this fifth generation of RAV4 has been on sale since 2018, with fairly minimal updates since then. The RAV4 is still a great crossover, but its facing a lot of fresher competition, so it's high time for a new one. In fact, the next-gen RAV4 will be debuting tomorrow, and Toyota has released a handful of teaser images giving us glimpses at the redesigned SUV. Read more: These Are The Cars You'd Buy If They Were $20,000 Cheaper Toyota hasn't said a single thing about the new RAV4 yet, beyond that the debut will happen at 9:00 p.m. eastern time. Though it doesn't seem like a huge departure from the current RAV4, its design will be heavily influenced by other new Toyotas, with C-shaped headlights like on the Prius and bZ, and chunky surfacing like the Land Cruiser and 4Runner. One of the teasers seems to confirm that the Woodland model will make a return, based on those all-terrain tires wrapped around a black wheel, and the teasers of the red car look to be on a sportier model, maybe a GR Sport trim like what is offered on some models in other markets — that front bumper looks very GR Corolla–like, and it has a larger rear spoiler than the other rear-end teaser shows. As with the latest Camry and some of Toyota's other models, we bet the new RAV4 will only be available with hybrid powertrains, though no details are confirmed yet. It should ride on the same modular TNGA platform as basically every other new Toyota, and you can expect a nicer interior, new tech features and other improvements. We'll know everything tomorrow night. 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.
The Drive
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
2025 Ford Expedition First Drive Review: A Tougher Tahoe Fighter
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Ford has owned the full-size pickup truck space for longer than I've been alive, but when it comes to big SUV sales, it falls to GM every year; the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon are just that popular with people who buy huge family cars. That means the three-row Expedition, unlike the F-Series pickup, isn't the default choice. I can't imagine Ford is all that happy about this, and I also imagine that's why the automaker put so much work into making the new Expo this good. It has a new adventure-vibe Tremor off-road trim that can actually wheel, a gobsmacking EcoBoost V6 powerplant that gets even more potent when you step up to the Raptor-sourced high-output version, and a cabin fancy enough to rival its Lincoln Navigator stablemate on the high-end King Ranch and Platinum trims. The Expedition plunges even further into premium territory with this big 2025 update, and based on a quick look around the internet or the streets near you, that appears to be what the people are after. The Expedition has gone upmarket by adding features you didn't even know you wanted. As a six-foot-five dad with three little ones myself, I found more than a few features that made me shake my head and say, 'Yeah, that would make my life a whole lot easier.' Caleb Jacobs Now, whether or not that's enough to knock the recently refreshed Tahoe off its perch is another question, but I'll say right out of the gate that this Expedition is an improvement over the last generation. I should know, considering I own one. Ford is a truck and SUV brand these days, and the Expedition is the automaker's flagship product for anyone who doesn't need a pickup bed. In other words, it's a huge stinkin' deal. It's a premier money maker for Ford and, in many cases, a status symbol for drivers who wouldn't dare cram into an Explorer. This new-generation model knows that better than any other before it. The 2025 Expedition's exterior is clearly different from the outgoing look, with a new daytime running light signature that outlines the bisected headlights up front. New grille designs bring with them a lower element that's textured on higher trims, while the front bumper cutouts house LED fog lights that are nearly hidden. It's a lot different out back, too, as the tailgate is now split to drop down as a seat or shelf while the upper hatch opens up like normal. Those taillights also look decidedly un-Ford-like, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The 24-inch wheels on the Platinum look silly big. Caleb Jacobs Open the door, and the car greets you with a start-up sequence on its big screens. 'Ooh, fancy,' I said out loud after seeing it for the first time. The seats are big and comfy, no matter the trim, and it feels like a super open-air space as you turn your head and look back to the third row. A panoramic glass roof certainly helps with that. If you aren't familiar with a screen setup like this, it's a little strange at first. Since the gauge cluster isn't confined to the area right behind the steering wheel, you have to take a second to observe what info is displayed on that long, relatively narrow display and where. It's clean and unfussy as Ford didn't try forcing too much into it, and key features like the car's BlueCruise hands-free driving system have their own prominent home on the screen. Some of it is customizable, like the option to view the gauge layout or trip meter to the right of the speedometer, and I got used to it all fairly quickly. Caleb Jacobs The interior arguably matters most to families cross-shopping the Expedition with other three-row SUVs. A 24-inch digital display sits atop the upper part of the dash, housing the gauge cluster as well as a navigation window running native Google Maps. Ford's design team went through a lot of trouble to make this work, even flattening the top of the steering wheel to ensure drivers can see the screen clearly. Below that digital cluster and to the right is a 13.2-inch, landscape-oriented infotainment touchscreen, replacing the old vertical display from the outgoing Expedition that only lasted a few years. You can get a second-row bench seat or individual captain's chairs, and as for the third row, it's a smart 40/20/40 bench design. That means the middle seat can fold down, making it easier to store longer cargo like fly fishing rods or a snazzy Dolby Atmos sound bar. The new split tailgate is stout as well, with the bottom gate rated to support up to 500 pounds. This thing is full of party tricks inside, like a power-sliding center console that moves the cupholders closer to the back and reveals a gallon-jug-sized compartment up front, but those are the basics. Caleb Jacobs I was worried it might take me longer to get familiar with that squished steering wheel. Not only is the shape oblong, but there are only two buttons on it that always do the same thing. The others are faceless and can perform multiple functions, like controlling volume or adjusting the tilt and telescopic wheel as well as pedal positioning. This bothers me on principle alone, though I won't die on that hill. I was pretty familiar with it by the time everything was said and done. That's partially because the Expedition's newly available BlueCruise 1.4 hands-free driver assist system allowed me to play around with everything a lot. I could engage the system for an easy 15 to 20 minutes at a time on the highways around Louisville, Kentucky, without having to take control. Don't get me wrong—it's a Level 2 system that constantly monitors your eyes to make sure you're still paying attention, and it will disengage if it decides you're goofing off too much. That safety feature was consistent for me, but appeared to be less solid for other drivers on this particular press event, for whatever reason. Caleb Jacobs BlueCruise totally makes sense in a car like the Expedition, given its ethos. It attempts to make your daily drives less taxing, and in my experience, it works. It ate up highway miles like nobody's business, using the EcoBoost's punchy acceleration to either glide or gallop past slower cars ahead without ever feeling frantic. Ford knows what it's doing with these turbocharged V6s, to the point where they're just straight-up better than a big V8 in terms of smoothness. Ford keeps it simple with the powertrain options: Every Expedition comes with a twin-turbo, 3.5-liter V6 and a 10-speed automatic transmission. Most come with a standard-output engine making 400 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque, though a high-output version making 440 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque is available on Platinum and standard on the new Tremor trim. The latter combo helps the big brute scoot like nobody's business. That shows off-road, too, as we took the high-output Tremor out wheeling around Indiana's Interlake State Recreation Area. It's so different from the Platinum we drove to the park, what with its 33-inch General Grabber tires; as you'd expect, they grip a lot better than the Michelins that wrap around the Platty's 24-inch rollers. The Tremor is just a completely different vibe. We lined up behind our group leader and proceeded to Trail 5, a BF Goodrich award-winner that, importantly, was not custom-built to show how the Expedition Tremor performs off-road. It had rained for most of the week before we arrived, and in some spots, the route was a complete slosh pit. Big rocks made it bumpy, though I'd hesitate to say ridiculously so. And anytime you had a second to stop, you could look up through the pano roof and see the old-growth forest overhead. That's one of those experiences you just don't think of simply comparing spec sheets. The Expedition Tremor is a mighty beast in the bogs, but you're always aware of how big it is. Whether you're staring intently at your mirrors and 360-degree camera to make sure you won't clip that tree as you turn or sliding through the mud because it weighs nearly 6,000 pounds with two people in it, you never forget its size. But, of course, that's the price you pay for accommodations as generous as this. Caleb Jacobs No matter which Expedition I got in—an entry-level Active, a highfalutin Platinum, or a mountain-climbing Tremor—it was good. That's important because all too often, car companies paywall the features you really want behind pricier trims. Sure, you won't get massaging seats or all the off-road skid plates on a base model, but you still get the same core driving experience with most of the same tech that leaves you feeling like you got something for your money. As a parent (and really just as an adult in general), I'm here to tell you that's important. There's no escaping it: The 2025 Expedition costs a lot of money. It starts at $63,995 for the Active, which is about $6,000 more than the old base model. Adding 4×4 to that trim costs $3,000, but it's standard on every version above it. The Platinum kicks off at $76,425, and interestingly, it can be optioned to a higher price—around $95,000—than the Tremor and King Ranch despite their respective starting points of $83,025 and $85,650. Make any of those an extended-wheelbase Max and expect to pay an additional $3,000. The latest car news, reviews, and features. The 2025 Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon—long-reigning royalty in the three-row, body-on-frame SUV segment—come in at $61,195 and $69,395 before going way up from there. A top-trim Tahoe High Country can be optioned to $95,000 and some change, too, making it a pretty direct competitor to an Expedition Platinum. There are some key differences, including the Chevy's air suspension that the Ford doesn't offer, but you can clearly tell they were meant to compete with each other. And to round it out with Detroit's Big Three, a new Jeep Wagoneer is $62,040 on the low end, with a ceiling of around $85,000 before you step up to the more premium Grand Wagoneer. Caleb Jacobs It would be wrong of me to say that value doesn't matter to families needing a big SUV. For obvious reasons, like budgeting monthly expenses that determine whether you vacation to the Bahamas or Buc-ee's, value is important. But this segment of buyer is more willing to pay up for what they want than just about anyone outside of sports car customers. That means the 2025 Ford Expedition simply needs to be more attractive than the rigs it competes against. I'd argue that it is. Of course, I own the last-gen, and I intentionally bought it over a Tahoe so you can see which is more my taste—or, maybe more accurately, my wife's. I'm not sure that this Expedition will be the one to dethrone the GM twins because that's a mighty big job, but it could be the one that turns the tide in Ford's favor. I just can't buy one yet. I'm still paying off the one I got. 2025 Ford Expedition Specs Base Price (Tremor/Platinum as tested) $63,995 ($83,025/$90,990) Powertrain 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 | 10-speed automatic | four-wheel drive Horsepower SO: 400 @ 5,200 rpm HO: 440 @ 5,400 rpm Torque SO: 480 @ 3,300 rpm HO: 510 lb-ft @ 3,300 rpm Seating Capacity 7 or 8 Cargo Volume 21.6 cubic feet behind third row | 60.8 cubic feet behind second row | 108.5 cubic feet behind first row Max: 36.1 cubic feet behind third row | 75.4 cubic feet behind second row | 121.1 cubic feet behind first row Curb Weight 5,668 pounds Max: 5,794 Max Towing 9,600 pounds Ground Clearance 10.6 inches (Tremor) Off-Road Angles 21.1° approach angle | 19.3° breakover angle | 23.5° departure angle EPA Fuel Economy 15 mpg city | 22 highway | 18 combined Score 8.5/10 More appealing than ever, especially in Tremor off-road trim. Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@ From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
