Ford is looking to 2020 with high hopes as it tries to reestablish itself in China. Despite some of the challenges the company will inevitably face, it plans to make its presence known by closely tailoring its product to the needs of China’s citizens and establishing closer ties with the community.

Recently, Ford has struggled to stay afloat in China’s market; decreasing in last year’s sales by 37 percent to 752,243 vehicles. This decrease is partly due to the country experiencing economic decline, lack of local demand and trade tension. Evidence of China’s struggling marketplace can be seen in the -4.1 percent loss in overall passenger vehicle sales in 2018. The loss of footing in the China market is also partly due to Ford wrongly assuming that Chinese consumers would favor the same vehicle features Americans do; allowing Japanese and German competitors to get the upper hand.

To recover from its mistakes and its decline in the marketplace, Ford plans to closely tailor its product to the needs of China’s citizens. It will do this through releasing over 30 more vehicles, up to 10 of them being electric; including the 2020 Ford Escape. These vehicles will feature designs more appeasing to the Chinese customers. The perfect example of this is seen in the Ford Escape, which personifies daqi (the Chinese term for a desire for status, pomp, and harmony) through more chrome, detailed lights and an intricately decorated grille. In addition to the release of multiple vehicles, Ford plans to adhere to China’s specific technological needs. It has begun this endeavor by partnering with Baidu – the equivalent of Google in China – to create an in-vehicle infotainment system named Sync+ that is supported by artificial intelligence and Chinese language voice recognition.

Along with the changes in its products, Ford’s last part of the plan is to strengthen its ties in the Chinese community. This part of the plan will be executed by starting a China-dedicated design center, focusing its Nanjing engineering center on producing more for China, and initiating ventures with local business organizations.

With summer quickly approaching, vehicle owners should prepare for the potential road trips and family vacations with window-tinting. Window tinting is a small, but crucial process of putting on a thin laminate film to darken the glass of a vehicle. By darkening the glass, the vehicle owner experiences several aesthetically pleasing and practical benefits.

Some benefits of window tinting are:

Ultraviolet (UV) Ray Protection:

Vehicles are where drivers get a majority of UV rays, which may come as a surprise to many car owners. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the side and back windows allow in more than 60 percent of UVA rays. Consequently, US drivers get more skin cancer on the left side of the body where they are closer to the window. With enough exposure to UV rays, drivers and all their passengers run the risk of cellular level skin damage that can cause wrinkles, age spots, leathering, and even skin cancer. The way drivers can protect themselves against the risk of overexposure to UV rays is window tinting. Car owners can specifically purchase UVA-filtering window that reduces skin cell death created from UV rays by 93 percent as reported by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

UV rays not only hurt vehicle owners but the interior of their car as well. A car’s upholstery, carpeting, and dashboard can fade over time with exposure from the sun. The less protection, the more and quicker the condition of the interior will deteriorate. Window tint is a car owner’s best bet at preventing this damage.

Safety:

The thin film of window tint may not look like much, but it can protect car owners in two ways. First, window tint can protect car owners and passengers from bodily harm in a car accident by holding shattered glass in place or lessening the amount of shattered glass. Lastly, window tint can help ward off any car burglars. As of 2016, the FBI reported an approximate 765,484 of vehicle thefts nationwide. To make sure vehicle owners’ cars don’t add to the statistic they can tint their windows. The dark shade of window tint film allows valuables to stay hidden and prevent them from being easily spotted by burglars.

Fashionable Look:

While window tint may not be thought of often, it does play a major role in tying the look of a vehicle together. The dark, black, almost reflective surface of window tint makes any car look high-end. A perfect example of this effect can be seen in any movie or TV show featuring vehicles!

On April 15 the world watched as the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, one of France’s most prized pieces of architecture and history, caught on fire. While the fire was eventually distinguished, Notre-Dame still sustained a great amount of damage that would cost a fortune to repair. In light of this predicament, Nissan Motor Company offered to help in the restoration and rebuilding of Notre-Dame by donating $100,000 Euros or $112,000 US dollars.

It is pertinent to understand the fire that took place at Notre-Dame to understand what Nissan is working toward with its contribution. The fire started at 6:43 p.m., on Monday, April 15; raging on for another 12 hours before officially being extinguished. It began under the roof among wooden beams that originated from the Middle Ages; spreading to destroy two-thirds of the roof and the Cathedral’s 295-foot spire.

The exterior of Notre-Dame was not the only thing harmed by the flames of the fire. The interior of the Cathedral sustained its fair amount of damage. Potentially, the fire could have ruined three of the Cathedral’s organs and a number of paintings and sculptures that could date back all the way to the 17^th century. With the amount of damage, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame could take longer than the five years to renovate.

Nissan is one of the many organizations and individuals that have made donations for the restoration of Notre-Dame. The first to donate were local citizens and companies such as L’Oréal or the billionaire Pinault family, which amounted to over $600 million Euros or over $675 Million US Dollars. After France’s culture ministry created an online portal for donations, and President Emmanuel Macron called for a fund-raising campaign, even more donations were made. Along with Nissan, more than $1 billion has been raised so far. As to why Nissan decided to contribute, the company released a statement saying it is “in recognition of and appreciation for Nissan Europe and Renault employees as well as the people of France.”

Spring is finally here; dispersing the chilly days of winter. Along with warmer weather, spring brings the phenomenon of “spring-cleaning.”  While spring-cleaning is often associated with the deep-cleaning of a house or room, the practice can also be applied to vehicles. Car owners can bring spring-cleaning to their car and have it ready for activities ranging from a family road trip to their daily commute with four simple tips.

Here are Four Spring Cleaning Tips For Your Car:

Don’t Forget the Trunk: Spring is the best time to start anew, and the best way to start anew with vehicles is to clean out the trunk. The trunk is a vehicle amenity that is often taken for granted. Car owners seem to not utilize the space provided and haphazardly throw a number of items into the back; ranging from long-forgotten moving boxes to beach chairs. Car owners should take the time to remove these items and divide them into two categories: necessary items and unnecessary items. Some necessary items that should stay in the trunk are tool kits, flashlights, and spare tires. Some unnecessary items that should leave the trunk are clothing, groceries, and leftover trash.

No More Crumbs, No More Dirt: It’s inevitable, whether it’s through eating a fast-food meal or clambering into the car with muddy shoes, the interior of a vehicle will get dirty. It may not seem too noticeable at first, but after awhile it can be an eyesore. Even worse, it could attract multiple unwanted pests or bugs. To prevent this from happening, car owners should wipe down the interior of their vehicle and follow up with a vacuum to make sure no spec of dirt or crumb is left behind.

Center Console Declutter: Similar to the trunk, car owners seem to stick items into the center console and forget them; leaving a cluttered mess. In the spirit of spring-cleaning to venture and transform places rarely touched, the center console should be one of them. With a clean center console, car owners have the benefit of more storage and more organization.

Make it Sparkle: In the winter months, it is common for a vehicle to take a lot of wear and tear from the elements. During that time, a vehicle may be covered in dirt, snow or salt from the road. However, now it is spring and the last thing any car owner wants to see is a filthy car. Take the time to wash a vehicle, rid it of any unappealing grim, and make it sparkle. If a car owner feels exceptionally motivated, they can put a little wax on their vehicle to give it that extra shine.

The U.S. auto industry is banding together in a lobbying effort to prevent President Trump from implementing new import tariffs of up to 25 percent. In an industry divided on policy more often then not, this lobbying effort shows just how serious this potential threat is to several groups in the auto industry; including automakers, dealers, parts suppliers, and aftermarket companies.

The new potential tariffs the auto industry is so vehemently against come as a recommendation in the Commerce Department report that was given to President Trump earlier this year. The Commerce Department report is a result of an investigation under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, to understand how imports of light vehicles and parts impacted national security. Although the Commerce Department claims the report or recommendation is for national security, it is more likely to help President Trump in his trade industry aspiration. More specifically, to help President Trump have a bargaining chip as he continues his trade talks with Japan, China, and the European Union.

The auto industry is taking action to prevent the new tariffs through lobbying and coordinating “fly-ins,” bringing in dealers and top auto executives to argue their position at the Capitol. This aggressive measure is happening due to the amount of damage 25 percent import tariffs could have on the auto industry; encompassing a steep increase in vehicle expenses, and hundreds of thousands of job losses. A 2018 Center for Automotive Research study puts this damage into calculated amounts. It estimates an increase in new vehicle prices by $4,400, imported vehicle prices by $6, 875 and domestically-made vehicle prices by $2,270. The research study also provides the estimated number of jobs that will be lost, which is at more than 700,000.

In addition to the monetary damage, it can be assumed these tariffs would cause additional trade or business strains with other countries. The business relationships the U.S. auto industry has with other countries are already strained with the decline in auto sales, the rise in interest rates, the increase in vehicle transaction prices, and President Trump’s recently passed steel and aluminum tariffs. These 25 percent tariffs, metaphorically speaking, would only be fuel to the fire.

It is still uncertain whether or not the auto industry will succeed in its lobbying effort or if President Trump will pass the 25 percent tariff. According to section 232 Trump has until May 18 to make a decision. However, as stated by White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, President Trump may take longer.