Daily Archives: October 18, 2018
Ford GT Production Limit Increased to 1,350 Units
The initial plan for the Ford GT is that it will only be available in 1,000 samples. That’s to keep the exclusivity of the supercar in check. However, Ford Motor Company recently announced that they are expanding the production line of the GT to 1,350 cars. The giant American automaker also said that they will be rolling out the product from their plants until 2022.
With that, the company is taking more applications from the interested buyers of the GT starting November 8, 2018. Interested parties can submit their applications to FordGT.com . The books will only be open for a month though.
Based on reports, there was a total of 6,500 applications for the Ford GT . The company initially approved 500 buyers, but the numbers went up to 750 later.
To date, 90 buyers have been dropped from the list because Ford declined the deliveries in certain foreign markets. The expansion of the build slots only means that Ford can only approve 690 buyers from the new applications.
The company announced too that those who previously applied for the purchase of the Ford GT will get a chance to confirm or modify their applications.
Ford stated that they will contact the approved buyers in the first quarter of 2019. After that, the deliveries of the units will be made between 2020 and 2022. The owners will get to work with the Ford GT Concierge Service for the design of their supercars, and they can also put some of the vehicle’s optional features if they wish to do so.
“By extending the Ford GT production run for a limited period, we’re able to maintain the exclusivity of the ultra-desirable supercar while offering the ownership experience to a greater number of customers,” said Herman Salenbauch, director of Ford performance.
Motor Authority reached Lauren Fix, a 2017 Ford GT owner, for a comment, and she disagreed with Salenbauch’s statement.
“I’m not happy because it dilutes the value of the cars,” Fix pointed out. “There’s no changes to it. If they were increasing the horsepower or making a change to what it looks like, that would be different,” she added.
Check Out This Cool Render of the BMW i4
The BMW i4 electric vehicle (EV) is expected to hit the market in 2021. The car is the production version of the I Vision Dynamics concept vehicle of BMW. The EV is still in its development phase, so its maker is yet to unveil its final design, but an artist who goes by the name “Avarii” made an awesome render of the car already.
The render shows a more conventional take on the i4 EV. Although there are still hints of the I Vision Dynamics concept in its design, it has abandoned its overly futuristic elements.
The front grille of the i4 in the images follows the shape of its concept version but it adopts a mesh found in the traditional design of cars today. The wheels, as well as the glass panes of the windows, rear glass, and windshield of the i4, also show a more practical approach.
The artist seems to have taken some cues from the recent statement of BMW about the i4. Adrian van Hooydonk, the company’s design director, confirmed through an interview with Auto Express that the upcoming EV will be more “conventional looking”.
The BMW exec believes that customers don’t believe in “design differentiation” anymore when it comes to EVs. He explained that electric mobility will already be a norm in the years to come. Therefore, it will just become one of the powertrain offerings that customers can choose from. As a result, buyers may no longer care about “design differentiation”.
Robert Irlinger, BMW’s head of i division, aired the same sentiments about the styling of the i4. He claimed that customers might prefer the signature design of BMW cars rather than a different one. With that, he said they might pattern the appearance of the i4 with one of their cars with a “4” in its name.
Talks on Ford and Volkswagen Merger Already Happening
There have been rumors that Ford and Volkswagen have already begun talks about a potential merger. If the two forms a single company, it could become the largest in the automotive industry.
Last June, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by both Ford and Volkswagen. The event signaled the start of a strategic partnership between the two giant automakers.
According to Motor1 , the agreement between Ford and Volkswagen includes co-developing commercial vehicles and coming up with ways to address the ever-changing demands of customers. However, some analysts suspect that the MoU has laid the foundations of a merger or equity swap between the two manufacturers.
The Detroit Bureau projected that a merger of the two could lead to fruitful results on both sides, especially in filling the weaknesses of each company. The analysis of the agency is that Volkswagen could benefit from the strong position of Ford in the American market, and it could get leverage in the sport utility vehicle and pickup segments of the US market. Meanwhile, Ford could address its weak points in the markets of Europe, Latin America, and China through the strong influence of Volkswagen in the mentioned regions.
The report added that a source said the deal is on a good timing. That’s because Ford CEO Jim Hackett is certainly looking to make a “radical transformation” in the company.
Company insiders have also confirmed that talks between Ford and Volkswagen have commenced. For now, all we have to have to do is wait if the negotiations will yield favorable results for both automakers.
