Michael Martinez
Crain's Detroit Business
Detroit, MI, United States
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Past articles by Michael:
Ford to invest $2 billion, create 3,200 jobs in Southeast Michigan
Ford Motor Co. said Thursday morning that it will invest $3.7 billion and create 6,200 new UAW jobs across manufacturing hubs in three Midwest states as it looks to increase production of internal-combustion and electric vehicles.The majority of the investment — $2 billion supporting 3,200… → Read More
Ford to put Google's Android operating system in vehicles starting in 2023
Ford Motor Co. will install Google Inc.'s Android operating system on all new vehicles starting in 2023 as part of a six-year partnership with the technology giant. The deal announced Monday allows Ford to tap into Google's cloud system and utilize its artificial intelligence systems in… → Read More
How UAW pressure started the push to shut down N.A. plants
The closure of all Detroit 3 plants in the U.S. went from unthinkable to unavoidable in a matter of days, sending shock waves through the supplier community and cutting off the flow of new vehicles to dealerships. → Read More
Ford to suspend production in continental Europe
The automaker said manufacturing locations in Germany, Romania and Spain will be down for a number of weeks starting Thursday due to impact from the coronavirus. The company didn't give a specific time frame. → Read More
Ford asked by local union leader to close Ky. plant for 2 weeks as precaution
While the automaker last week instructed most of its white-collar global employees to work from home to combat the spread of the coronavirus, blue-collar workers have expressed concern that more action was not being taken at manufacturing facilities. → Read More
Ford's Farley poised to be next CEO, SEC filing suggests
The automaker agreed to award new COO Jim Farley a stock grant worth $2.5 million should someone else eventually succeed Jim Hackett, CEO since May 2017. → Read More
Farley says Ford faces sense of urgency similar to financial crisis
The newly promoted COO says the automaker must fix warranty and launch issues, accelerate its connectivity efforts and grow opportunities with electric and autonomous vehicles. → Read More
UAW says it will strike GM tonight
The UAW said it plans to strike General Motors tonight following the expiration of the union's contract with the automaker overnight."UAW helped rebuild General Motors when they were near extinction, now they've reached record level profits," the UAW said in an emailed statement this morning. "If… → Read More
Ford Explorer launch required major revamp of aging Chicago plant
More than 11,000 workers transformed the Chicago Assembly Plant in just 30 days in preparation for the redesigned Explorer. → Read More
Ford extends transmission warranty on 2014-16 cars
Powertrain chief says Focus and Fiesta models with the dual-clutch gearbox "remain safe to drive," but "we regret the inconvenience our customers have experienced." → Read More
Ford aims to make boost appeal of working at a plant
One of the most vital shifts for Ford is making its plants more interesting places to work, said Michael Mikula, who is tasked with that mission as the automaker's chief engineer of advanced manufacturing. → Read More
Magna tackles tariffs as it transforms
TRAVERSE CITY — As Magna International Inc. prepares its business for tomorrow, it's been forced to reckon with challenges that threaten the bottom line today.This year, the Ontario-based supplier scrambled to move wire harness production from China to Thailand after the Trump administration… → Read More
Ford's Q2 net income falls 86% on restructuring charges
Ford Motor Co.'s second-quarter net income plummeted 86 percent to $148 million as the automaker took special charges related to its ongoing global restructuring and made costly updates to high-volume utility vehicles.But excluding the one-time items, Ford's earnings before interest and taxes fell… → Read More
Downturn looms as UAW talks start
Despite an economy that's gotten healthier since the previous few rounds of contract talks, the scene is set for this year's negotiations to be more daunting as both sides stubbornly dig in their heels. → Read More
Ford expands AV testing to Detroit
Amid reports of an impending autonomous vehicle partnership with Volkswagen, Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co. has begun testing robotic cars in its own backyard. The automaker, through its self-driving development partner Argo AI, last week announced it has started to deploy third-generation test vehicles minutes from its headquarters, where it has previously tested. Argo and Ford also test in… → Read More
Bill Ford, Sergio Marchionne discussed Ford-FCA tie-up
The heads of Ford and Fiat Chrysler once broached the subject of a merger but the talks did not go anywhere, Ford's Executive Chairman Bill Ford said. → Read More
Ford plans to complete 7,000 salaried job cuts by September, saving $600 million
Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Hackett told employees Monday that the automaker is entering the final stretch of job cuts it began last year and that, by September, it will have shed 7,000 salaried positions globally — about 10 percent of its salaried workforce — saving the company $600 million. The number includes voluntary buyouts, involuntary separations and open positions the Dearborn-based… → Read More
Ford app adds in-vehicle Amazon delivery
Ford Motor Co. plans to offer on-demand car washes and in-vehicle package delivery as it expands the utility of its FordPass smartphone app. The automaker Tuesday said owners of 2017 model or newer Fords and 2018 or newer Lincolns with built-in modems can access the services. Ford is partnering with Amazon.com Inc. on package delivery and with startups Sparkl, Spiffy and Rub A Dub for car… → Read More
Ford hires Amazon vet to succeed Shanks as CFO
As part of changes to its global leadership team, Ford said CFO Bob Shanks, 66, will be replaced by Tim Stone, a two-decade veteran of Amazon and former finance chief at the parent company of the popular phone app Snapchat. → Read More
Ford summons its swagger, shifts marketing focus to keeping loyalists
Ford is shifting its focus from winning new customers to persuading current owners to stick with its namesake brand. The new marketing approach, designed to rebut the impression that Ford is abandoning owners of Fusions and Fiestas as it stops developing new sedans, is part of a sweeping plan that the automaker's leadership team laid out to its North American dealers this week. → Read More