News

DETROIT – Ultrasonic welding, a high-tech manufacturing process used in the aerospace and medical industries, is helping ensure high quality for the new Cadillac ELR extended-range electric luxury coupe that goes on sale in North America in early 2014.

Ultrasonic welding’s key advantage is exceptional and predictable quality and performance from one battery pack to the next. Every ELR battery, for example, has close to 200 ultrasonic welds. Each is required to meet stringent quality requirements, enabling Cadillac to offer an eight-year/100,000-mile battery system warranty.

Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 5, 2013 – Ford, America’s truck leader, today welcomes a third crew of 900 new hourly workers at its Kansas City Assembly Plant to meet surging customer demand for the Ford F-150.

Ford F-150 is part of the Ford F-Series lineup, the nation’s No. 1-selling vehicle for 31 years and the best-selling truck for 36 years.

Ford, which says it is seeing sales suffer because of shortages of some key vehicles models, starts around-the-clock production at the Kansas City, Mo., plant that makes the F-150 pickup.

The third shift will add 900 new hourly workers. Ford said on a conference call last week that it's short of vehicles like the Fusion sedan and Escape compact SUV and is trying to get more of them made.

General Motors Co. said Friday it is giving $900,000 to Project Lead the Way programs in Michigan that will help teach middle and high school students science, technology, engineering and math.

The grant to the organization, a nonprofit provider of the science, technology, engineering and math curriculum, will be paid in $300,000 amounts over three years, with the possibility to extend further, GM said. The funding could help add the nonprofit’s curriculum at 24 more schools in Michigan. Currently, 122 schools in the state offer the curriculum, which includes engineering and biomedical sciences studies.

Holland — An advanced battery maker has started production of automotive lithium-ion batteries in southwestern Michigan.
 

The Ford Escape set a new sales record. It is now the first small utility ever to sell more than 150,000 vehicles in the first half of any year.

Ford Escape is on pace to break its all-time annual sales record, set last year, of 261,008 vehicles sold. Sales through June totaled 156,626 vehicles. Escape has outsold Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 through the first half of this year.

Ford Motor Co. Thursday reported its best July sales in seven years.

The Dearborn-based automaker said sales last month grew 11 percent compared with a year ago to 193,715 vehicles sold, marking Ford’s best July sales results since 2006.

New employees to Ford Motor Co.’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant are the first in Michigan to train on a simulated factory before hitting the plant floor for the automaker.

All three Detroit-based automakers posted double-digit increases in their July sales as consumers took advantage of readily available car loans in what may be the industry’s best July since 2006.

Both Ford and Chrysler posted 11% increases in their July sales, while General Motors sold 16% more new vehicles than in July 2012.