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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bill Ford says loss of federal funding could 'imperil' Marshall battery factory
Ford Motor Co. Executive Chair Bill Ford, speaking at the Mackinac Policy Conference, sounded the alarm on the potential for Washington to do away with production tax credits that support the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries. The disappearance of the credits would threaten Ford Motor's investment in a Marshall plant. "If it doesn't stay, it will imperil what we do in Marshall," Ford said on May 29. 'We made a certain investment based upon a policy that was in place. It's not fair to change policies after all the expenditure has been made,' he said. The tax bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this month could bar lucrative tax credits for batteries produced using Chinese technology. Ford's factory, now under construction, would make battery cells using tech from Chinese battery giant CATL. The Senate still must deal with the bill, which Democrats oppose and has drawn criticism from some fiscally conservative senators. Ford received a reduced incentive package from Michigan last year for the battery plant after it cut expected production there to match slowing demand for electric vehicles. Since the automaker announced the plant in 2023, it has drawn scrutiny from some lawmakers for its ties to the Chinese company. More: Ford, Michigan cut $750M in planned public support for Marshall site, other EV projects This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Bill Ford: Loss of tax credits could 'imperil' Marshall battery plant
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Ford Says Michigan Battery Plant at Risk If Tax Credits Are Cut
By and Ari Natter Save Ford Motor Co. 's plan to make electric-vehicle batteries at a new site in Michigan would be put at risk if Congress cuts federal incentives for clean energy, the company's chair said. The plant in Marshall, Michigan — and the 1,700 workers that Ford plans to employ there — would be 'imperiled' if US lawmakers move to eliminate tax credits that support battery producers as part of a broader tax plan moving through congress, Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford said Thursday during remarks at the Mackinac Policy Conference at Michigan's Mackinac Island.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
WMT- Why "Eat the Tariffs" Won't Work for Retailers Like Walmart
(WMT) warned last week that it will have to raise prices because of President Trump's tariffs. On Saturday, the president advised the country's largest retailer that it should 'eat the tariffs.' The problem: Retailers operate with very thin profit margins, writes Ed Yardeni, editor of Yardeni QuickTakes. To get a FREE copy of the complete MoneyShow 2025 Top Picks Report, click HERE.) If they don't raise their prices, they stand to lose money on their sales. That's not a sustainable business model. Earlier this month, Ford Motor Co. (F) raised prices on three models assembled in Mexico as a result of Trump's tariffs on imported autos. Meanwhile, recent Subaru price increases will add between $750 and $2,055 to vehicles depending on the model and trim, according to a notice posted on a dealer website. The price increases are expected to hit vehicles on dealer lots starting in June, according to the notice. At the same time, the bond market may be starting to anticipate a bout of higher inflation in coming months. It also got hit on Friday with Moody's downgrade of the credit rating of US government debt. In addition, bond investors are closely and nervously monitoring budget talks in Washington. See also: Why and How to Track Sovereign Wealth Funds Amid Global Power Struggles The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget observes that the House is considering a reconciliation package that is shaping up to add $3.3 trillion to the federal government's debt over a decade as written — or $5.2 trillion if temporary provisions are made permanent. More From RING: A Global Mining Fund to Help You Ride the Rally in Gold Dollar: Will the Greenback's Recent Giveback Persist? Market Minute 5/13/25: Stocks Digest "Buy America" Move as Trump Tours Mideast Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford's chief EV, digital and design officer shares its software vision
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. Ford Motor Co. Chief EV, Digital and Design Officer Doug Field shared an update of the company's future strategy as the automaker navigates the auto industry's transition to software-defined vehicles, in a May 2 blog post. Ford's future-state software project, code-named 'FNV4,' will combine with its existing vehicle architecture dubbed 'FNV3' into a new version referred to as 'FNV3.X.' Field said Ford plans to build on its FNV3.X architecture and offer it across a full portfolio of vehicles. 'In today's automobiles, software is the single biggest lever in advancing a customer's ownership experience,' Field said in the blog post. Field said Ford is already far ahead of its competitors in deploying vehicle software updates. The company delivered 9.5 million updates to its fleet in the first quarter of 2025, according to its blog post, and the shift to its FNV3.X vehicle architecture will deliver software innovations even more quickly to customers. The new architecture will facilitate the rollout of new digital services to customers and improve vehicle quality. It will also support advanced vehicle security and deliver driving and infotainment enhancements to more Ford customers, according to Field. In addition to improving the customer experience, the FNV3.X architecture will allow the automaker to extend the current digital experience — currently offered in the Explorer, Lincoln Nautilus and Navigator — to other vehicles, including the Bronco, F-150, Mustang and Ranger. This approach will also enable Ford to more easily add its BlueCruise hands-free driving technology to additional models that otherwise wouldn't support it, as the required architecture will be preinstalled. 'Whether it's hands-free highway driving with BlueCruise, intelligent navigation, using your phone as a key, or our Ford Security Package to give you peace of mind, we're integrating technology that actually makes life better, and doing it across as many of our vehicles as we can,' Field said in the blog post. Unified software across the portfolio Like other automakers, Ford is migrating from traditional vehicle architectures to electrical-electronic systems powered by software that can be regularly updated over-the-air. Field said software should be available across Ford's lineup to reach as many customers as possible. Having a dedicated electrical architecture reserved for some vehicles and a legacy architecture for other models — while simultaneously trying to keep them all updated — is not a good strategy for Ford, according to the blog. Without a shared and scalable vehicle software platform, the automaker's software engineers would have to re-develop the same features over and over and adapt them for different models, according to Field. In the auto industry, more than 90% of new architectures being introduced by automakers are exclusive to their electric vehicles, according to Field. But if these architectures are not made available in other models, it can exclude a sizable portion of an automaker's customer base driving ICE and hybrid models. As a result, OEMs will face challenges in delivering the best customer experiences without a more unified vehicle platform that can be shared among models, Field said. Since coming back to Ford in 2021, Field and his team have been working to develop a new software-based vehicle architecture for the automaker. Field joined Ford from Apple in September 2021. Prior to that served as SVP of Engineering at Tesla, where he led the development of the Model 3 sedan. Now, Field is working to deliver to Ford customers the same type of software innovations developed by Apple and Tesla. Ford created a 'skunkworks' team to develop a low-cost electric vehicle platform to make the company more competitive against rivals like Tesla, CEO Jim Farley revealed during the company's earnings call in early 2024. Farley said at the time that Ford's new EVs should be profitable within 12 months of launching, and its low-cost EV platform powered by software will be key to achieving that goal. 'We will not be on the sidelines of what can be done on a next-generation, ground-up electric vehicle,' Field said in the blog post. 'Our electric vehicle 'skunkworks' project is moving full speed ahead to show what we can do when we start with a clean sheet software and electrical architecture.' Recommended Reading Ford Pro's connected vehicle fleet grew 40% since 2023 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
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Automation, Amid Manufacturing Uncertainty, Hits The Accelerator
A Universal Robots mobile robot in action during the Automate Show in Detroit Automation – robots, sensors, simulation software among other things – is speeding up even while manufacturing faces uncertainty. This week's Automate Show in Detroit is demonstrating various types of automation. The annual event alternates between Detroit and Chicago. Manufacturing faces worker shortages. As a result, companies are looking for automation to take up that slack as well as improve efficiency. Manufacturers, including automakers, are looking for more and faster. 'We're trying to find flexible solutions,' Paul Stephens, global strategy manager for Ford Motor Co., said at a Tuesday panel discussion at the show. The days 'of four-, five-, six-year automation projects is over,' he added. 'I see us in an acceleration period right now,' Mike Cicco, president and CEO of robot maker FANUC America, said at the same panel. 'The speed to deploy has changed…Once we have delivered it, it has to be installed very quickly.' Over the past two decades, factory automation has expanded to include 3D printing; collaborative robots, which can be deployed near human workers; so-called digital twins, which help manufacturers simulate how machinery will be deployed in factories. Simulation software in general has helped automation companies hit the ground running in factories. 'We're able to do the work before we get there,' FANUC's Cicco said. With the case of robots, their makers can 'pre-teach' the robots before they get to the factory floor, he said. At a separate address on Tuesday, Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and Edge AI of Nvidia, said how simulation software improves manufacturing. 'If you break something in simulation, it's OK,' he said. On Tuesday, Automate included sessions that described how advancing technology is assisting vehicle manufacturing. One session described how advancing manufacturing tech is helping auto factory paint shop operations. A vehicle plant's paint shop typically is complicated. Automakers are looking to new manufacturing tech to improve efficiency and quality, particularly with inspecting paint quality. 'It's a very complicated issue,' said Ryan Odegaard, director of paint at General Motors Co. 'You're talking about layers of inspection services.' GM has partnered with 3M Co., FANUC and other companies on systems to inspect, and correct, paint jobs on vehicles. 'Only when we worked as a team, did it work,' said Marcus Pelletier, a manufacturing executive at 3M. 'You don't know where the imperfections are going to be,' added Tom VanderPlas, senior staff engineer at FANUC America's paint shop division. The technology involved has helped improve such operations. 'It's really driving consistency,' Odegaard said. 'We have highly automated factories.' Despite the manufacturing uncertainty, automation is doing well based on the Automate Show. 'Automation is a good place to be but it's never been a better place to be,' said Kevin Barker, president of Beckhoff Automation LLC.
