Ford_News
02-08-2011, 05:04 PM
Filed under: SUV (http://www.autoblog.com/category/suvs/), Etc. (http://www.autoblog.com/category/etc/), Technology (http://www.autoblog.com/category/tech/), Crossover (http://www.autoblog.com/category/crossovers-cuvs/), Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/explorer-630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/#3670724)
2011 Ford Explorer - Click above for high-res image gallery
According to Bloomberg, the Ford Explorer (http://www.autoblog.com/model/explorer) can thank Alan Mulally (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/alan mulally) for its stay of execution. When the former Boeing executive took the helm at FoMoCo, the powers that be urged him to make a decision on the then-ancient SUV. Mulally said that the nameplate could live on, but only if the company's engineers could find a way to seriously cut weight and increase fuel economy at the same time. The new vehicle was not only able to meet those demands, but was able to offer a larger package with much of the same off-road ability as well.
That meant sacrificing the body-on-frame blue print for a unibody design and exploring alternative engine solutions - engines like the upcoming Ecoboost four-cylinder. In the end, the Blue Oval boys were able to shed 100 pounds off the platform.
Ford has since interpreted that same quest for svelteness into a company-wide strategy, and Bloomberg says that the Dearborn automaker is now on par with automakers like BMW when it comes down to aggressively stripping weight from a vehicle. You can read the full story on how Mulally's obsession with reducing weight changed Ford for the better here (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-07/mulally-makes-ford-leader-in-lightness-after-threat-to-terminate-explorer.html). Thanks for the tip, Andrew!
Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer: First Drive (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/01-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/02-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/03-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/04-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/05-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)
Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL
[Source: Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-07/mulally-makes-ford-leader-in-lightness-after-threat-to-terminate-explorer.html)]How Mulally put the Ford Explorer on a crash diet (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/how-mulally-put-the-ford-explorer-on-a-crash-diet/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/how-mulally-put-the-ford-explorer-on-a-crash-diet/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19832735/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/how-mulally-put-the-ford-explorer-on-a-crash-diet/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/how-mulally-put-the-ford-explorer-on-a-crash-diet/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/explorer-630.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/#3670724)
2011 Ford Explorer - Click above for high-res image gallery
According to Bloomberg, the Ford Explorer (http://www.autoblog.com/model/explorer) can thank Alan Mulally (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/alan mulally) for its stay of execution. When the former Boeing executive took the helm at FoMoCo, the powers that be urged him to make a decision on the then-ancient SUV. Mulally said that the nameplate could live on, but only if the company's engineers could find a way to seriously cut weight and increase fuel economy at the same time. The new vehicle was not only able to meet those demands, but was able to offer a larger package with much of the same off-road ability as well.
That meant sacrificing the body-on-frame blue print for a unibody design and exploring alternative engine solutions - engines like the upcoming Ecoboost four-cylinder. In the end, the Blue Oval boys were able to shed 100 pounds off the platform.
Ford has since interpreted that same quest for svelteness into a company-wide strategy, and Bloomberg says that the Dearborn automaker is now on par with automakers like BMW when it comes down to aggressively stripping weight from a vehicle. You can read the full story on how Mulally's obsession with reducing weight changed Ford for the better here (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-07/mulally-makes-ford-leader-in-lightness-after-threat-to-terminate-explorer.html). Thanks for the tip, Andrew!
Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer: First Drive (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/01-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/02-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/03-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/04-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/12/05-2011-ford-explorer-fd_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-explorer-first-drive/)
Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL
[Source: Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-07/mulally-makes-ford-leader-in-lightness-after-threat-to-terminate-explorer.html)]How Mulally put the Ford Explorer on a crash diet (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/how-mulally-put-the-ford-explorer-on-a-crash-diet/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/how-mulally-put-the-ford-explorer-on-a-crash-diet/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19832735/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/how-mulally-put-the-ford-explorer-on-a-crash-diet/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/how-mulally-put-the-ford-explorer-on-a-crash-diet/)