Michael Steiner from Potosi Wisconsin is one of the nicest college students I have ever had the privilege of getting to know. Recently, Michael sat down with me for a quick interview so that any wide web surfers like you could get to know him a little. Alright Michael, so why don’t you start by telling us what brought you to Runde’s today? I bought a Ford Focus. What led you to that car? Mine kind of went out on me. The price was right and the miles are right for the Focus. It’s a good car. What are you going to use the car for? Pretty much going back and forth from school to work. Why did you look to Runde’s instead of other dealerships? A couple days ago I drove through all the lots in Dubuque and Lancaster, WI. Turned out that Runde’s had a couple of cars that caught my [...]
It goes without saying that families want to be assured their loved ones will be protected in the event of a vehicle collision. Well, Ford Motor Company has developed an insert to measure abdominal injuries on a crash-test dummy that represents a 6-year-old. Made out of silicone, the test dummy is made to study the effects of seat belts in auto accidents. “The major focus [of crash tests] has always been on head and chest injuries,”Ford safety engineer Steve Rouhana said. “We really didn’t have the technology before to accurately measure abdominal response.” Current tests use seat-belts that may be too large for children that have grown out of a child-safety seats (usually around the age of 8). The new silicone dummy can measure the penetration of the seat belts going into the child’s abdomen. Ford studies the results and looks to improve seat-belt designs. In addition, Ford is offering the technology to other manufacturers [...]
The results of the U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study revealed that Ford is now the best in the industry for customer satisfaction in the 2008 model year. The survey was conducted by RDA Group in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and is composed of survey statistics from owners of all major makes and models after owning them for at least 3 months. Ford lowered their “things gone wrong” (TGW) rating by 7.7% (reduced by 108 TGW) compared to last year, and are statistically even with Honda and Toyota. From 2004 to 2008, Ford has improved their vehicle quality by a total of 33%. Customer satisfaction reached 77%, which is the highest in history. The Ford Focus has caught up to the Toyota Corolla, leading the compact cars category. Overall, 18 of 24 Ford domestic brand vehicles improved in their TGW count, and they are striving to continue the trend. They have improved [...]
