Numbers and Customers Tell the Story at New Website: Ford Super Duty Owns Work, Owners Can Tell Their Stories Too

A new website lets customers experience how Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks are used in the field and showcases Super Duty’s leadership in several key industries

Site features videos hosted by Dirty Jobs’ Mike Rowe to show Super Duty trucks at work on location including an oil field in Kansas and natural gas wells in Colorado

Interactive element asks visitors to create personalized “baseball” cards detailing use of their Super Duty. Some may be selected to tell their story in a video for the site

Dearborn, Mich., Nov. 7, 2011 – More than any other heavy-duty pickup in the market, Ford F-Series Super Duty is trusted by tradesmen to get the job done in the field, and a new online experience at www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/weownwork is helping customers realize just that.

Complete with videos and interactive elements, the “We Own Work” website clearly illustrates how Super Duty is the most popular truck in 21 industries.

“For more workers, Ford Super Duty is the most important tool they depend on to get the rest of their tools to the job site. There’s no other truck out there accomplishing as much in working conditions as F-Series Super Duty is,” said Brian Rathsburg, Super Duty Marketing manager. “Super Duty trucks are well known for their proven toughness and capability, and that’s why they are such a leading force in all sorts of industries. They have it all – durability, reliability, performance and fuel economy.”

On the website, visitors can view videos that share stories of workers who use Super Duty trucks to accomplish work on real job sites across the U.S. Hosted by Dirty Jobs’ Mike Rowe, the videos show the workers and trucks in action.

The site also features interesting statistics showing how Super Duty leads in a variety of fields. Some of these include:

74 percent of metal mining workers use Super Duty trucks
75 percent of road maintenance workers use Super Duty trucks
60 percent of utility workers use Super Duty trucks

Once users have gone through the videos, they have the option to share their own experiences of how they use their Super Duty. Some of the best stories may be chosen to be filmed for additional Mike Rowe videos on the site.

Based on a template that resembles a baseball trading card, visitors can create their own card to reflect the tough job their Super Duty helps them complete. Cards contain information like mileage, industry, region and tough facts about their truck and their job. Users also can upload an image of the truck they use. Once finished, they can embed the card in the website, share it on Twitter or Facebook, or print it.

The cards can be sorted by industry, year, region and toughness so the online community can scroll through the trucks to vote for the one they deem the toughest. The cards with the most votes for toughness will appear closest to the top.

Additionally, the site is programmed so that all functionality and animations are available for Apple iPad users.

Unmatched power for tough jobs

The 2012 Ford F-Series Super Duty gives customers what they are looking for in terms of power and capability, ensuring it stays at the head of the pack. The 2012 Ford F-Series Super Duty tow rating is 17,500 pounds with conventional bumper hitch and 24,500 pounds with fifth-wheel hitch.

The Ford-designed and Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V8 diesel engine delivers best-in-class fuel economy. The Power Stroke isn’t just fuel efficient, it’s also the most powerful diesel pickup engine money can buy, rated at 400 horsepower and 800 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine also can run on up to B20 biodiesel fuel.

The standard 6.2-liter V8 gas engine also has best-in-class fuel economy and produces a best-in-class 405 lb.-ft. of torque and 385 horsepower. It is capable of running on E85 ethanol. New for 2012 is a compressed natural gas/propane prep engine option.

Each Super Duty pickup – diesel or gas – is mated to a heavy-duty TorqShift® six-speed SelectShift Automatic™ transmission.

DEARBORN, Mich., June 21, 2011 – More than 40 percent of consumers view fuel economy as “extremely important” when considering a new vehicle purchase today, a new study finds.

What’s more, one third of consumers say fuel economy will have the “greatest impact” on their next vehicle purchase, and younger buyers place an even higher priority on miles per gallon.

“Customers are telling us clean and green vehicles matter most because they are good for people’s wallets and good for our planet,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. “We hear what they are saying, and that is why Ford is absolutely committed to giving our customers vehicles with top fuel efficiency.”

The annual New Vehicle Customer Study has been conducted since the 1970s by Maritz Research, reaching approximately 200,000 consumers a year. The latest study, conducted in the first quarter, shows:

• 42 percent of people surveyed say fuel economy is “extremely important” in their decision to purchase new 2011 models – a 13.5 percent increase versus 10 years ago
• 37 percent indicated they expect fuel economy will have the “greatest impact” on their next new vehicle purchase
• Millennials place an even greater importance on fuel economy, with 46 percent saying fuel economy is “extremely important” in the new vehicle purchase decision – the greatest percentage among all age groups. Also, 41 percent say fuel economy will be the top factor in their next vehicle purchase

In addition, while buyers of small vehicles are most likely to put fuel economy toward the top of their list of purchase considerations, fuel economy has jumped in importance in nearly all vehicle segments since 2001, the survey finds. Specifically:

• Fuel economy as a purchase reason for B-cars became the top consideration in 2011 (21 percent), up from fourth in 2001 (14 percent)
• Fuel economy as a purchase reason for C-cars nearly tripled in importance from 2001 (7 percent) to 2011 (19 percent), going from fifth to first
• After ranking 16th in 2001, fuel economy was listed in the top five most important purchase reasons for small utility vehicles in 2011
• Fuel economy was listed in the top 10 most important purchase reasons for sports car buyers for the first time in 2011
• Fuel economy as a top purchase reason for medium utility vehicles jumped 14 spots from 2001 to 2011
• Fuel economy as a top purchase reason for C/D-cars ranked fifth in 2011 after ranking 12th in 2001
• The Maritz Research survey results also track with Ford’s 2011 research and sales trends.

Consumer perceptions of Ford delivering “good gas mileage” grew 57 percent from late 2008 to the end of the first quarter of 2011, according to Ford’s latest brand health study.

Plus, Ford’s small vehicle sales have been hitting record levels in the U.S.

Ford’s two all-new small cars combined had sales of 29,423 in May, up 74 percent versus a year ago. It was Ford’s largest small car month since May 2008, with Fiesta sales at 7,120 and Focus sales at 22,303, up 32 percent versus a year ago.

“Since December, we have seen industry-wide small car purchases increase from 19 percent to 24 percent,” said George Pipas, Ford sales analyst. “It drives home the point that consumers are looking at more fuel-efficient choices.”

That applies to larger vehicles, too. Eighty percent of customers buying Ford’s hot-selling Fusion midsize sedan in May chose the four-cylinder engine over the V6 – up from 50 percent when the vehicle debuted in 2006. Also in May, for the first time in decades more than 55 percent of Ford F150s sold were equipped with V6 rather than V8 engines.

Ford Motor Company has 12 vehicles leading their sales segments with best-in-class fuel economy and four models that deliver 40 mpg or more – a claim no other full-line automaker can match.

Consumer habits shape decisions

For some, the idea of more ethical consumption is driving the desire for higher-mpg vehicles.

“Consumers are taking a logical approach to making their lives better,” said Sheryl Connelly, manager of Ford Global Trends and Futuring. “Choosing a car that lessens their impact on the environment as well as their wallets can really create peace of mind.”

Additionally, Ford’s family of electrified vehicles – including the Ford Transit Connect Electric, Focus Electric as well as the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid coming next year – offers plenty of choice for customers who want a vehicle that supports their ethical beliefs while also delivering quality, style and innovation.

Meeting customer desires

Ford invested billions beginning in 2006 in researching and developing new fuel-efficient engines, transmissions and electrified vehicles, working to make fuel economy affordable for millions of people. Today, Ford’s fuel economy standouts include:

• Ford Fiesta: With the six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission, Fiesta is EPA-certified at 40 mpg highway and 29 mpg city, and delivers class-leading fuel economy
• All-new Ford Focus: Delivers 40 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg in the city through its advanced six-speed automatic transmission
• All-new Ford Explorer V6: Fuel economy ratings are EPA-certified at 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway, a 25 percent improvement over the previous V6 model
• Ford Mustang V6: Its high-revving 305-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission deliver best-in-class highway fuel economy of 31 mpg; Mustang V6 is the first car in history to deliver the combination of 305 horsepower and more than 30 mpg

New technology saves fuel

In 2010, Ford launched nine new engines and six new six-speed transmissions, and the company is on track to deliver fuel-saving six-speed transmissions across all of Ford and Lincoln brand vehicles by the end of 2012.

Ford also is expanding its industry-leading range of fuel-efficient powertrains in North America with the addition of a new 1.0-liter EcoBoost™ three-cylinder – the smallest engine Ford has ever built – and an all-new eight-speed automatic transmission.

Many of Ford’s new powertrains include fuel-saving technologies such as:

• Twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), which enables the engine to operate at peak efficiency by continually adjusting the precise moment the intake and exhaust valves open
• Gasoline direct injection (GDI), which improves efficiency by raising the compression ratio and by using precise amounts of fuel placed directly in the combustion chamber
• Turbocharging, which uses exhaust gases to pressurize the engine cylinders with a more dense mixture of fuel and air, increasing power
• EcoBoost, which uses direct injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing to allow four-cylinder engines to deliver the power of V6s and V6s to deliver the power of V8s. EcoBoost engines save fuel in part because they burn less fuel, and because they weigh less than the larger-displacement engines they replace
• Electric power-assisted steering (EPAS), which eliminates drag on the engine by replacing the hydraulic pump with an electric motor. EPAS, available on Ford Mustang, F-150, Fiesta, the new Focus and other vehicles, improves fuel economy by approximately 4 percent

DEARBORN, April 17, 2009 – Ford Motor Company, continuing its rapid quality improvement, surpassed Honda in initial vehicle quality for the first time and reached new levels of customer satisfaction with vehicle quality, a new survey shows.Ford is also statistically tied with Toyota at the top of the industry when it comes to initial vehicle quality, according to the 2009 U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) survey conducted quarterly for Ford by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

“This is truly a significant accomplishment for us,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, Global Quality. “Honda and Toyota have claimed bragging rights for years, but now we are seeing our hard work pay off. It’s evident in study after study.”

The latest GQRS survey measured 2009 model year vehicle initial quality in two categories: the number of “things gone wrong,” and customer satisfaction with vehicle quality in the first three months of ownership.

In the first quarter of 2009, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles saw things gone wrong fall by 5 percent to 1,228 per 1,000 vehicles, significantly better than Honda’s 1,422 things gone wrong per 1,000 vehicles and statistically equal to Toyota’s 1,150.

In addition, the survey shows that Ford Lincoln Mercury improved two percentage points to 79 percent in customer satisfaction with vehicle quality, which puts Ford’s domestic brands in a tie with Toyota and Honda for industry leadership.

“Ford’s commitment to quality is really paying off as they continue to rival Honda and Toyota on both initial quality and customer satisfaction with the quality,” said Donald Pietrowski, president, RDA Group.

The following models led their respective segments in the survey:

• Ford Mustang – initial quality and customer satisfaction for sports cars
• Ford Taurus – initial quality for large cars
• Ford Taurus X – initial quality for crossover utilities
• Mercury Milan – initial quality for midsize cars
• Ford Ranger – initial quality for compact pickups

The new 2009 Ford F-150 recorded quality levels that equate to less than one problem per vehicle, as did the Taurus, Taurus X, Fusion, Milan, and Edge.

“We are energized by the continuous improvement we are seeing on both initial vehicle quality and customer satisfaction,” said Fowler. “This survey validates the hard work and dedication to quality from Ford employees, suppliers and dealers. We will keep the momentum going as we strive to become the clear global quality leader.”

The GQRS study is conducted on a quarterly basis with scores assessed from survey responses collected from owners of vehicles purchased within specific short-term time frames.

New vehicle owners are asked to report any defects or issues as well as rate their satisfaction with vehicle quality on a scale of 1 to 10 across an array of vehicle systems and features.