The new redesigned 2013 Ford Escape available at Gresham Ford Fleet

The all-new four-model lineup for 2013 includes: S, SE, SEL, and the Titanium.  The 2013 Ford Escape boasts Intelligent 4WD along with two EcoBoost engines (1.6L I-4 and 2.0L I-4) paired with a 6-speed SelectShift Automatic transmission.  Also new for the 2013 Ford Escape is Electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) with pull-drift control and active nibble control as well as braking system enhancements.  The AdvanceTrac with RSC (Roll Stability Control) has been improved since it first was introduced by Ford.  A Class II Trailer Tow Package is standard equipment for those who need to tow their toys.  The Active Grille Shutter System is another addition to the 2013 Ford Escape that continues to improve its gas mileage.   

Ford has also focused on safety and security in the newest redesign of the Ford utility line of vehicles.  Next-generation Ford airbag technology has been utilized including the addition of a Driver knee airbag, Safety Canopy with rollover sensor and Front-seat side airbags.  The New Escape also showcases a new seat and head restraint coupled with an instrument panel designed to reduce knee damage.  The Ford LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system has also been improved to make it easier for parents to seat belt their children in and work better with a wider array of child safety seats.

The new 2013 Ford Escape has been redesigned with all kinds of available creature comforts that improve the convenience appeal of this already loved Ford SUV.  Available options now include things like Hill Start Assist, Forward Sensing System as well as a Reverse Sensing System that enables technology like cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and more!  Rain-sensing windshield wipers are also available on the better appointed trim lines of the Ford Escape.  This compact SUV also has a Class-exclusive(1) active park assist.  You simply press the button in the center stack and the vehicle utilizes the forward sensing system to locate a parking space that is large enough for your vehicle.  Instructions will appear on the display and when you shift the vehicle into reverse while control the gas and brake pedals, the vehicle takes over steering and navigates you perfectly into your parallel parking space.  For those of us that have control issues this may take some getting used to but otherwise it is a true leap in driving technology.

Ford has also included a Rear view camera in the available options.  There is talk of making these cameras mandatory for commercial and municipal vehicles to ensure safety.      Ford is also happy to offer their BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) with cross-traffic alert for those safety conscience buyers.  This technology comes in handy when backing out of a parking space while you are surrounded by large vehicles you simply can not see around.  Like the reverse sensing system ,showcased on previous model year vehicles, will beep when a vehicle enters your "space".  This is made possible by the rear facing sensors that also keep a eye out to what is going on around the rear of your vehicle.

You will definitely see this option in many commercials and parking lots during the Christmas season - the Ford Class-exclusive(1) hands-free power lift gate.  All you do is wave your foot under the rear bumper and the lift gate will raise.

The comforts that we have grown to love like Heated front seats, Media hub and HD Radio™ with iTunes® tagging capabilities are all still there, some are even standard.  The 2013 Ford Escape also offers Optional 110V household-style three-prong outlet to increase the ease of powering laptops, blenders, whatever you like.  The Ford exclusive MyKey technology is standard equipment ensuring that teenagers everywhere will put their seat belts on only if it is so that the radio turns on.

Ford has again partnered with Sony® to provide a truly legendary audio system.  The ever evolving SYNC with MyFord and SYNC with MyFord Touch now accepts over 10,000 audio directions to climate, navigation, entertainment as well as to control your phone.

A new option for the 2013 Ford Escape is the available Power panoramic Vista Roof which provides the front seat a power moon roof option while the second row enjoys a clear roof experience.  In the Northwest we know how brief sun breaks may be and many prefer the size of the Panoramic Vista Roof over the traditional front row only sunroof.

Ford has also improved the connectivity of the 2013 Ford Escape and offers Wi-Fi® connectivity as well as the Intelligent Access with push-button start.  For those who love advances in technology this is the vehicle for you.  The 2013 Ford Escape is available on the State of Oregon Contract for all Ford Vehicles for municipalities as well as Federal Agencies, in fact due to reciprocity agreements the 2013 Ford Escape is also offered to WSCA or Western States Contracting Alliance members as well.

For more information about the 2013 Ford Escape contact Gresham Ford Fleet at 503-665-0101 or Annette @ Gresham Ford dot com.  Gresham Ford is also a certified Minority owned and operated dealership.

Air Quality in Oregon and CARB Requirements

Currently, 16 other states have either adopted, or are in the process of adopting, California's strict emissions standards and in turn controlling the emissions required on any new vehicle registered in the states listed.  These states include New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Maryland, Florida, and several others. The states didn't all commit at the same time; the states have been subscribing to the CARB requirements and slowly converting.  

The mission of the Department of Environmental Quality's Air Quality Program is to preserve and enhance Oregon's air quality to support healthy, clean air for all Oregonians.  Ford Motor Company provides a full line of Alternative Fuel vehicles to serve businesses of all sizes.  As a Oregon Ford Dealership, Gresham Ford Fleet has excelled as the Preferred Fleet Dealer of the northwest including Washington, Idaho and Northern California.  The Air Quality Program protects Oregon's air through program planning development and guidance, industrial source control, major new source review, coordination of permit and plan review programs, data analysis and reporting, and regulation.  The State of Oregon and Portland specifically is know for being a green city lead by a green minded government.  

The program includes the Air Quality Division (headquarters), five Air Quality Sections in the regional divisions, and the Air Quality Monitoring Section at the Laboratory and Environmental Assessment Division.  Nearly a third of Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions come from burning gasoline and diesel in our cars and trucks. To meet Oregon's greenhouse gas reduction goals, the state is exploring many approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes encouraging less driving and developing new technologies such as cleaner vehicles and fuels that reduce emissions while spurring job growth and other economic opportunities.  Gresham Ford Fleet offers a full line of alternative fuel vehicles including bi-fuel options for propane, natural gas and E85.  Two DEQ programs support these goals - the Low Emission Vehicle Program, which focuses on reducing emissions by increasing vehicle mileage, and the Clean Fuels Program, which focuses on decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions from fuel.  Gresham Ford is a certified Green Business with the City of Gresham and is dedicated to a sustainable future for Oregon.  Gresham Ford Fleet continues to provide Oregon business owners with alternative fuel options that make sense financially.  With gasoline hovering around $4 and propane staying around $3 and natural gas at a little over $1 the savings of a green conversion can be realized fairly quickly depending on the miles driven.  Contact Gresham Ford Fleet in Oregon to request your own FREE green conversion report to see the possible savings of emissions and fuel expenses alike.  

Under the Clean Air Act, only California is allowed to set vehicle emission limits that are tighter than federal standards. However, after such standards are adopted, Oregon and other states may opt in to the same requirements. Oregon first adopted California Low Emission Vehicle standards in 2005 at the request of former Governor Kulongoski to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of new light duty cars and trucks sold in Oregon.  Gresham Ford has worked with municipal and commercial buyers to ease the burden of reduced emissions.  Education is the key to making the green transition smooth and seamless.  With the addition of LPG (Liquefied Propane Gas) Gresham Ford Fleet is even better prepared with trucks and vans that provide the same if not more horsepower at a substantially less cost.  The maintenance of propane vehicles is also less because it burns so much cleaner than diesel or gasoline - think of it as no gunk.  

 

Gresham Ford Awarded Certification as a Minority Business

Contact: Bess Wills Gresham Ford Phone  503-665-0102 Fax 503-665-0497

1940 East Powell Blvd Gresham, OR 97080 Phone 503.665.0101 www.GreshamFord.com

Gresham Ford

Press Release

Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council Certifies GreshamFord as a Minority Business Enterprise

Portland, OR, May 4th 2012:  The Northwest Minority Supplier DevelopmentCouncil was chartered in 1972 with the mission of providing a direct link between corporate America and minority owned businesses of every size.  Lead by this mission the NMSDC is one of the country's leading business member organizations. In 2010 alone member businesses exceeded $100 billion in sales.  This was accomplished not by lowering corporate purchasing standards but by sourcing qualified minority firms on a competitive basis.  Certification by the Northwest MSDC is a nationally recognized and honored. 

The NMSDC conducted an extensive business review of Gresham Ford and has awarded minority status certification.  This review and certification process has been designed to insure compliance with the member standards of the Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council.  A minority-owned business is a for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States or its trust territories, which is owned, operated and controlled by minority group members.  "Minority group members" are United States citizens who are Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native American.  Ownership by a minority individual means the business is at least 51% owned by a minority.  Additionally the management and daily operations are controlled by those minority group members.  According to the NMSDC, minorities currently represent 34% of the United States population but minority businesses represent only 21% of total businesses, 7% of gross receipts and 3% of total corporate purchases. 

Gresham Ford has also embraced the mission of expanding their own supplier diversity.  "We believe that the success of minority and women owned businesses add to our success and to the communities we serve," says Bess Wills-Avila, General Manager of Gresham Ford.  "Our mission to expand our supplier diversity has enhanced our relationships throughout Oregon and Washington, as well as provided us with a better understanding in order to better serve our broad spectrum of customers." 

About NMSDC: The NMSDC Network includes a national office in New York and 37 Regional Councils across the country. There are 3,500 corporate members throughout the network, including America’s top publicly-owned, privately-owned and foreign-owned companies as well as universities, hospitals and other buying institutions. The Regional Councils certify and match more than 16,000 minority-owned businesses (Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American) with member corporations which want to purchase goods and services. 

2011 Ford Motor Company Presidents Award earned by Gresham Ford near Portland Oregon

News



Contact: General Manager Gresham Ford
Bess Wills 503-969-2708
bess@GreshamFord.com

Superior Service and Customer Satisfaction Earn Gresham Ford of Gresham National Award by Ford Motor Company

Gresham, Oregon 3/27/2012 – Gresham Ford is among an elite group of Ford dealerships to be recognized with the 2011 President’s Award by Ford Motor Company. The prestigious award honors dealerships that have excelled in automotive retailing in 2011, by providing exceptional customer service and satisfaction.

“Earning this award is a reflection of our entire staff’s commitment to delivering the best customer experience possible” says Gresham Ford owner Bess Wills. “I couldn’t be more proud to receive this recognition, especially since it comes from the people we value most-our customers. They’re the reason we were able to achieve this award.”

The President’s Award was established in 1998. Dealers become eligible through survey responses from customers related to their sales and service satisfaction.

Gresham Ford has won President’s Award, 2 of the last 3 years in 2009 & again in 2011.
“In order to achieve the President’s Award, dealers must exceed customer expectations every day in every department. The pursuit of excellence is not for the faint of heart – it requires passion, tenacity and, of course, hard work. This prestigious award salutes those top performing Ford dealerships that embrace these philosophies, achieving among the highest levels of customer satisfaction – in both sales and service – in automotive retailing, “said Jordan Pelluer, Gresham Ford’s regional representative.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive history industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents, with about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Telematics from Ford Motor Company are now available!

Ever wondered what did my driver do today?  Telematics now allow you to track the trail your driver took and spot the waste.  With the web interface you can click any point for engine details and driver behavior.  Get a bigger story by starting with better answers.

Gresham Ford Fleet is excited to offer telematics that allow you to see the history of your vehicle and get the facts.  Vehicle reports show idling, stops, speed and much more that allows you to get a clear and accurate picture of your fleet and their true effectiveness.

Crew Chief by Telogis helps you to avoid surprises by relying on the telematics program.  Telematics show you the data you need to improve how your business operates and how you can cut your automotive expenses.  Crew Chief, Ford exclusive telematics software and product line, allows you to set the rules.  You decide what is important to you.  Your customized telematics system can notify you when one of the vehicles in your fleet is speeding, operating after hours, or outside the service area.

The extensive telematics system offered by Telogis on Ford Commercial trucks and vans can also help you dispatch your vehicles. You can check the traffic volumes and clearly see which driver is closest to help you determine who is best considering MPG and driver skills.

So if you want to see what your fleet is really up to and keep your eye on very vehicle all at once from anywhere with an internet connection with exclusive Ford vehicle and driver diagnostics 24/7 contact Gresham Ford Fleet to discuss the needs of your fleet.  Soon it will be unthinkable to run a commercial vehicle fleet without this kind of technology.  Just think of the fuel savings, man hour reductions and complete visibility this program can offer you. Don't run your business blind especially when you can instantaneously and easily see it all.

Gresham Ford is a proud BAF vendor and congratulates them on their 20th

Anniversary and 20,000th CNG Vehicle Conversion at Its New Production Facility in Dallas

    

BAF, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (Nasdaq: CLNE), staged Open House ceremonies yesterday at its new Dallas production facility to mark the company's 20th Anniversary and the completion of its 20,000th compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle conversion.

Located at 2176 French Settlement Road in Dallas, the new 91,000-square-foot BAF headquarters site houses the company's R&D, vehicle conversion, and service operations.

On hand for the Open House event, Douglas R. Clark, President of the Omaha, NE Metropolitan Utilities District, officially took possession of BAF's 20,000th CNG conversion, a dedicated Ford F-250 pickup truck for use in the District's service fleet.

Gresham Ford Fleet offers the full line of Ford BAF products and currently holds the National Joint Powers Alliance contract for Alternative Fuel Vehicles in conjunction with Northside Ford.  

BAF President John Bacon told event guests, "This is a landmark day in the history of BAF. We're celebrating 20 years in the business. We have opened the doors of our new facility, and we are commemorating these events with the delivery of our 20,000th natural gas vehicle conversion. Our industry has grown from just an idea 20 years ago to today, when hundreds of natural gas-powered vehicle fleets are deployed across the nation every day."

Bacon added, "Just this year, BAF expects to convert more than 5,000 vehicles to CNG power, and we are very excited about our prospects for continuing growth in the next 20 years."

Special guests at the anniversary celebration included Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Clean Energy Co-Founders T. Boone Pickens and Andrew Littlefair, who serves as Clean Energy's CEO.

BAF is the first CNG converter recognized as a Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) for gaseous fuel. Further, the company uses Ford-accredited QCM (Quality Calibrations Modifier) calibrations and all vehicles converted by BAF are registered through Ford QFC (Quality Fleet Care) for all warranty and service work through Ford dealerships. Finally, BAF takes the extra step of crash testing its light-duty vehicle products to achieve federal compliance. It has a network of 65 dealers across the country certified to install BAF's CNG conversions.

BAF is the only Ford QVM with a full product line up including the F250 through the F550 trucks along with the F53 and 59 package vehicles, the E 250-450 series, the Transit Connect, and the bifuel CNG E-250/350 vans and F-250/350 pickups.

Gresham Ford Fleet has chosen to work exclusively with QVM Ford approved and contracted vendors like BAF.  With the price of gasoline on the rise you need to consider an alternative fuel conversion for your fleet.  Take advantage of the FREE Alternative Fuel Conversion Report by Gresham Ford Fleet to see how much you can save.  

Currently priced up to $1.50 or more per gallon lower than diesel or gasoline (depending upon local markets), the use of natural gas fuels reduces greenhouse gas emissions up to 30% in light-duty vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that 98% of the natural gas consumed in the U.S. is sourced in the U.S. and Canada, making natural gas a secure North American energy choice. 


Gresham Ford Fleet offers the full line of Ford Motor Company Commercial vehicles including the Ford Transit Connect, Econoline vans & wagons along with smaller delivery vehicles like the all new 2013 Ford CMax with over 40 MPG.  Ford more information about how Gresham Ford Fleet can reduce your automotive expenses contact one of our Fleet Managers today.  

Inside the new 2013 Ford Police Interceptor

For more information about available partitions and rear seats contact Gresham Ford Fleet for a no obligation quote that will save you time and money.