Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information On Ford Motor Company
During this time, the gap separating Japanese and American car manufacturers' production standards had narrowed considerably, with the U.S. 1990s in a more enviable position--Ford included. As the technological and managerial race between U.S. Japanese counterparts tightened, the importance of prudent product development and effective distribution networks increased. Toward this end, Ford reorganized its production and distribution operations in mid-1994 to better respond to the changing economic structure of the numerous countries in which Ford operated facilities. Ford's notable achievements during the latter half of the 1990s were philosophical in nature, as the company attempted to replace the corporate culture of its past with a new way of thinking for the future. The proponent of Ford's new vision was Lebanese-born, Melbourne, Australia-raised Jacques Nasser, who was named president and chief executive officer in January 1998, concurrent with the appointment of William Clay Ford, Jr., great-grandson of the founder, as chairman.
There鈥檚 tons of headroom for all passengers thanks to the tall roof, and both front and backseat passengers have space to stretch their legs. This is just a five-seat SUV, however, while Cadillac, Lincoln and Mercedes-Benz all feature standard three-row accommodations. Cargo room is decent in the Range Rover, but the arrangement of the folding second-row seats is awkward. There鈥檚 31.8 cubic feet of cargo room behind the second row, which is on the small side given that the Escalade, Navigator and GLS all have roughly 50 cubic feet or more. The Range Rover鈥檚 rear seats fold with power actuation, but the enormous head restraints don鈥檛 fold well, which forces the front seats to slide forward to fold the second row flat. This takes away legroom from the front occupants when the second row is stowed. Total cargo volume is 68.6 cubic feet, which is also well short of the larger, less expensive domestic brand competitors or the comparably priced but aging Mercedes-Benz GLS.
In 2005, sensing an opportunity in the fully built bus segment, Tata Motors acquired a 21% stake in Hispano Carrocera SA, the leading European bus and coach cabin maker. In 2009, the company picked up the remaining 79% stake in Hispano Carrocera SA for an undisclosed sum, making it a fully owned subsidiary. After the acquisition of the British Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) business, which also includes the Daimler, Lanchester and Rover brands, Tata Motors became a major player in the international automobile market. In addition to the brands, Tata Motors has also gained access to two design centres and two plants in UK. The key acquisition would be of the intellectual property rights related to the technologies. Tata Motors has formed a 51:49 joint venture in bus body building with Marcopolo of Brazil. This joint venture is to manufacture and assemble fully built buses and coaches targeted at developing mass rapid transportation systems. The joint venture will absorb technology and expertise in chassis and aggregates from Tata Motors, and Marcopolo will provide know-how in processes and systems for bodybuilding and bus body design. Tata and Marcopolo have launched a low-floor city bus which is widely used by Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Pune and Bengaluru transport corporations. Its manufacturing facility is based in Dharwad. Tata Motors also formed a joint venture with Fiat and gained access to Fiat鈥檚 diesel engine technology. Tata Motors sells Fiat cars in India through a 50/50 joint venture Fiat Automobiles India Limited, and is looking to extend its relationship with Fiat and Iveco to other segments. Tata has also formed several JV's with many small companies in various countries around the world.
Options include a Titanium Technology package (roof rack, xenon headlights, interior tonneau cover, hands-free liftgate, reverse park assist), the Parking Technology package, full leather upholstery, a power panoramic sunroof and a navigation system. Standard and only available on the S is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 168 hp and 167 pound-feet of torque. The SE and SEL come with a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-4 that makes 178 hp and 184 lb-ft. Optional on these two trims and standard on the Titanium is a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 that pumps out 240 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard, and all but the S are available in either front- or all-wheel-drive configuration (the S is front-wheel drive only). Properly equipped, an Escape with the 2.0-liter turbo engine can tow up to 3,500 pounds. Fuel economy estimates for the 2.5 are 22 mpg city/31 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined. The 1.6 EcoBoost with front-wheel drive earns 23 city/33 highway, while the 2.0 EcoBoost with front-wheel drive rates 22/30/25. All-wheel-drive versions rate 1-2 mpg less.
