Borgman Ford Commercial Vehicles

Want to know how Ford is making its vehicles greener? How about what future technology is currently in the works? Or what new Ford vehicles will be taking to the roads this year?

Well, now’s your chance to ask!

We’re sending some Ford Social citizen journalists to Ford HQ and behind the scenes at the 2013 North American International Auto Show (Jan. 19 – 26). They’ll be talking to experts and getting their hands on some of the latest technology. Think of them as your line of communication to the bigwigs at Ford—getting an insider point of view that they’ll soon be sharing with everyone at Ford Social. Including you.

Here’s the thing: We want you to choose the assignments! So if there’s anything you’ve been dying to know, something you have a passing interest in, and whatever falls in between—ask away. We’ll be assigning questions from the community to our citizen journalists to investigate while they’re in Detroit and Dearborn.

So maybe you want to know more about how Ford uses sustainable materials in its vehicles? Or about what goes on behind-the-scenes to develop the latest safety features?

Tell us what you want to know—big or small, car or truck, innovation or history. Just post your questions in the comments below! And if you’d like to be a Citizen Journalist too, signup here.

Register now for your chance to attend the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas – and go home with a brand-new 2013 F-150 with EcoBoost.® This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime prize package:

• One Grand Prize Winner

  New 2013 F-150 with EcoBoost

• Three Finalists

  VIP trip for two to the PBR World Final in Las Vegas, NV Airfare, transportation and spending money. VIP Tickets to all PBR World Final performances

ENTER NOW

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Sweepstakes ends 10/13/13. See Official Rules for details. ©2013 Ford Motor Company.

By early February, the region’s auto buffs will be able to thaw in the glow of chrome and the patina of paint as the 12th annual Michigan International Auto Show rolls back into town. The four-day celebration of wheels, new along with the old and exotic, begins Feb. 4 at DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW.

On Feb. 3, the convention center floor makes room for up to 2,000 contributors to sample Michigan wines, nibble treats catered by the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, bid at a silent auction, and enter a car raffle, all to benefit the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation.

On Feb. 4, the show opens to the public. More than 300 vehicles from nearly 40 brands of autos and trucks will be unlocked and ready for dreaming — or trying on for size.

“We have become a tradition for those looking for their next new car,” said John Leese, president of the Grand Rapids New Car Dealers Association.

The practice of opening the cars for vicarious trips around the block is unique to the local show, he said.

Read more at Mlive.com

We want to take a moment to thank the generous donors who’ve rallied to help wounded marine Robert Thrailkill Jr. finance a vehicle with assistive-devices, and to let others who might not have heard his story know how they can help. Thrailkill is returning to Michigan next week after two years of rehab at Bethesda after losing his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Donations can be made at Borgman Ford Mazda or online at Semper Fi Fund (please be sure to specify Thrailkill’s name.) If you missed it, here’s the story from FoxNews17:

Story by Mitch Fick, FoxNews17
Robert Thrailkill, Jr. has spent the majority of the past 25 months in a rehabilitation center in Bethesda, Maryland. He remembers exactly what happened on October 26, 2010. He was serving as a Marine combat engineer in Afghanistan. He was checking buildings that day.

“I was investigating a little pile of dirt,” Robert told FOX 17 in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.  ”And when I knelt down and uncovered it, I found an IED right there and then went I went to stand back up and I turned to my left, I triggered – what I believe to be – a secondary. And that’s when I got blown up.”

Robert lost both his legs in the explosion. He’s been rehabbing in the DC area ever since.

He moves back to his homestate on December 2. He’ll be joining the Grand Rapids Sled Wings, an adaptive hockey team.

But to get where he needs to go when he’s back home, Robert needs a truck.

He was back for a visit earlier this fall and stopped into Borgman Ford-Mazda in Grandville. That’s where he met sales manager Scott Gibbons. Read the rest of this entry »

Rough, heavy-duty work. It’s the foundation of our world. And the people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do that work know that they need to pick the right tools for the job. That’s why Ford keeps improving the Super Duty series — to give the hardest workers the most powerful tools.

We Own Work lets workers share their stories. How do you use your Ford Super Duty? Are you a proud member of a Super Duty fleet? You get to represent your industry, share your photos, and tell the world how your Ford truck takes the lead in the heavy duty daily grind.

Read the rest of this entry »

Like its larger F-Series Super Duty sibling, the Ford F-150 pickup is the market sales leader across a variety of commercial, industrial and municipal vocations.

To tell the F-150 story, Ford is extending its “We Own Work” campaign across the F-Series lineup, inviting social engagement by providing an online forum for hard-working, hard-playing owners to share their F-150 stories and recognize their collective contributions.

Watch the video, then share your story with Ford!

Read the rest of this entry »

At a special Go Further with Ford program in Amsterdam, Ford unveiled its new generation of Transit commercial vehicles, developed on all-new global platforms for sale in Europe, North America and other worldwide markets.

For 2,500 dealers and journalists from across Europe, Chris Brewer, Ford Commercial Vehicle Engineer, introduced these new vehicles.

Read the rest of this entry »

The odometer turning over to 100,000 miles is considered by many to be a rite of passage for a vehicle. The moment it crosses the threshold of automotive achievement is the moment when most people feel they’ve gotten a lot of miles out of the “old girl.”

But in a world where automotive reliability and new technology can extend a vehicle’s longevity past the 100,000-mile mark, does hitting six figures have the same distinction anymore? How about seven figures?

Read the rest of this entry »