Ford Posts Biggest Profit Since 1998 , Gives $6,200 Bonus to Workers

 Piggybacked by a one-time tax gain, Ford Motor Companyhas posted its highest annual profit since 1998 and the second biggest in the firm's 109-year long history. The Blue Oval's net income for 2011 was US$20.2 billion or US$4.94 per share, an increase of US$13.7 billion, or US$3.28 per share, from a year ago.

 

However, most of the profit came from a one-time, non-cash special item of US$12.4 billion from eliminating a valuation allowance against the company’s net deferred tax assets.
Ford said that full year pre-tax operating profit was US$8.8 billion, or $1.51 per share, an increase of US$463 million from 2010.

Revenue was US$136.3 billion for the full year, an increase of $15.4 billion from full year 2010, with Ford reporting total sales of 5.7 million cars and trucks worldwide, which represents an increase of 382,000 units over the previous year.
Ford finished the year with Automotive gross cash of $22.9 billion, compared with $20.8 billion as of Sept. 30, 2011, and $20.5 billion as of Dec. 31, 2010.
The Detroit company said that as a result of its 2011 financial performance, it will give a bonus to around 41,600 eligible U.S. hourly employees. Ford’s North American pre-tax profits of US$6.2 billion (up from US$5.4 billion in 2010) will generate approximately US$6,200 per eligible employee on a full year basis.
The automaker didn't do as well in Europe where is posted a pre-tax operating loss of US$27 million, compared with a profit of US$182 million a year ago.
For 2012, Ford said that it expects full year industry volume to be in the range of 13.5 million to 14.5 million vehicles in the States, and 14 million to 15 million in Europe.

Ford is planning several important product launches this year including the global introduction of the new Fusion, Mondeo and Lincoln MKZ in the D-Segment, the Escape and Kuga crossovers in the C-Segment, while in the B-Segment it will roll out the B-MAX in Europe and the EcoSport crossover in global markets.
The U.S. carmaker added that it will also launch the Ranger pickup truck in more markets and triple the production capacity of EcoBoost-equipped Ford models.

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All-Electric Lincoln Continental for 2025

At the 2012 Detroit Auto Show that comes to an end on Sunday, January 22, Lincoln put on display the MKZ Concept to preview both the looks of its soon to be launched mid-size sedan as well the brand's new styling direction. But FoMoCo isn't the only one to present a design concept for a future Lincoln as the Lawrence Tech University had its own proposal in the form of a quarter-scale model for a pure-electric Continental for 2025.
The study for a luxury sedan model is the work of Lawrence Tech students Colin Bonathan and Jeeho Cha and it was endorsed by the Ford Motor Company.
It all started in the summer of 2011 when Bonathan and Cha came up with plans for a Lincoln concept as part of their undergraduate degree program in transportation design. The university said that Ford officials liked the concept so much that they commissioned the quarter-scale model for display at the Detroit event.
Bonathan, who was responsible for the exterior design, says that he began by choosing the desired wheelbase length and then placed the occupants, the electrical system and other components in the Continental study before finalizing the design.
His partner Cha created the interior of the Lincoln concept model. It was his first take on designing the cabin of an automobile. "I like doing interiors more now. It’s not just one form, but several forms that have to be designed in a cohesive way. There are more problems to solve,” said Cha.
Hop over the break to check out the design renderings from the various phases of the project.

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New Lincoln MKZ Concept Previews Production Model and New Design

The problematic luxury child of the Ford Motor group is trying to recuperate from years of neglect with a fresh concept model that not only previews the next MKZ mid-size sedan due in dealerships later this year but also serves as a vision of Lincoln's next-generation vehicles. Of course, those of you that have been following the automotive industry will know that this is not the first time that Ford has attempted to rejuvenate its luxury brand. All the same, the Blue Oval claims that the MKZ Concept, which debuts at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show, marks a new era for Lincoln.
“With the Lincoln MKZ Concept, we are not introducing a new car. We are essentially introducing a new brand,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's vice president for global product development. “The MKZ Concept is the next step in the reinvention of Lincoln, something we’ve been quietly but aggressively pursuing.”
What's important about the MKZ study is its styling language along with the ambience and the various gadgets and features of the interior, which looks more production ready than the exterior.
“The MKZ Concept’s shape is a vision of simplicity completed with just a few strokes,” said Max Wolff, Lincoln design director. “Our movement as a brand is toward something we call elegant simplicity. It’s something warmer and more restrained, which is moving away from complex designs and traditional luxury.”
On the outside, most surfaces and details are new with the exception of the front end that looks like a slightly more modern version of Lincoln's current face with a split-wing grille and relatively small headlamps pushed towards the corners.
Inside, the concept has seating for four with champagne-colored leather seats, while the passenger enjoying the view from the panoramic glass roof that spans from the windshield to the top of the backlight.
"The front graphic is repeated in the dramatic sweep of the instrument panel, helping tie the interior to the exterior," said Wolf. "These flowing forms create a comfortable and functional interior that particularly appeals to the younger, more diverse customers we are targeting."
Among other features, the MKZ's cabin sports push-button transmission gear selection, an open, tiered center console and liquid crystal instrumentation.
The Blue Oval did not release any information on the MKZ's hardware, but we know that it rides on the same platform as the new 2013 Ford Fusion sharing the same 112.2-in (2,850mm) wheelbase.

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