Chicago’s eco-activists, socially responsible folks, and an assorted group of friends gathered this weekend at the Green Festival. Over the course of ten years, the event, hosted by the Global Exchange and Green America, has attracted over one million people. The 2011 tenth annual celebration kicked off in Chicago and will be moving to five cities across the United States. Some of the event highlights include: more ›

Once again, it's time for the world's car makers to fill 1.2 million square feet of McCormick Place with their latest and greatest models, as well as concepts that point to vehicles to come down the road at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Now in its 103rd year, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest in the world with over 1000 cars on display and opens to the public tomorrow, running through Sunday, Feb. 20. more ›

Ford Motor Company and the Chrysler Group LLC, are opposing a proposed free trade agreement with South Korea, saying that the treaty would open the American market to South Korean-produced vehicles without doing enough to open the Korean market to American exports. more ›

When it comes to car manufacturing it’s a common assumption that it’s a man’s world. But behind the new Ford Explorer was a design team of four female engineers. One of their contributions was the MyFord Touch. The voice recognition system allows drivers to customize GPS instructions, set climate controls and perform most radio functions. Their goal of the Explorer program is to redefine what a SUV is. One of the engineers is a mother of two who drives 50 miles each way to work. During the commute she was able to focus on things to improve upon. Julie Levine told the Sun times, “I didn’t want to drive an ostentatious gas guzzler. I call the new Explorer a ‘smart’ SUV, not just a sport SUV.” more ›

Ford Motor Company, which has an assembly plant on Chicago's South side and a stamping plant in Ford Heights, unveiled the new Ford Explorer Monday afternoon with much fanfare. While the launch of the newly redesigned Ford Explorer has been anticipated among car aficionados for some time, the big story in Chicago is the employment impact building the car here will have on the local economy. Ford will be adding 1,200 workers to it's local payroll to handle production, which is expected to start in November. Mayor Daley, poet laureate of the City of Big Shoulders, summed it up to Crain's, saying “New jobs are being created. Overtime is being created... In America, people want a job.” Echoing that sentiment, Bill Ford Jr., executive chairman and great-grandson of founder Henry Ford said that while his company has experienced four quarters of growth, he's still feeling cautious about the market. “Overall, the car market isn’t as healthy as it was two years ago. So far in July, though, early sales look good,” he told the Sun-Times, adding that “we’ve got to get the economy moving again for all of our sakes.” more ›

Ford Motor Company announced on Friday that it will build the new 2011 Police Interceptor at the automaker's Torrence Ave plant, on Chicago's South side. Ford expects to offer the new vehicle without interruption when it discontinues production of the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, which is built in St. Thomas, Ontario in late 2011. Ford's Police Interceptor redesign was driven by tough new federal rollover requirements, something the Crown Vic couldn't meet. Selling a hot new police car to municipalities strapped for cash, though, might be a tough sell. more ›

On Saturday, we headed down to McCormick Place for our annual pilgrimage to the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. As expected, the show was noticeably quieter than in years past. Less elaborate displays, fewer cars, and very few concepts than a few years back. Even so, we enjoyed having the chance to see some of the new cars that will be hitting the road soon and fantasizing about what we might park in our garage. more ›

The 2010 Chicago Auto Show opens to the public on Friday, and while it'll once again be a more subdued show than in years past, it remains the largest auto show in North America with over 1,000 cars on display in over 1 million square feet of space at McCormick Place for car fanatics and those in the market for new cars to check out. more ›

Ford Motor Company is expected to announce today that it will add a second shift at its Torrence Ave plant, on Chicago's South side. The auto manufacturer will shift production of the redesigned Ford Explorer from Louisville, Kentucky to Chicago, adding some 1,200 jobs to the under-utilized assembly plant. That likely means adding a second shift to production at the plant, as well as increased work at the Chicago Heights stamping plant. The downsized and more fuel-efficient SUV is expected to be on the market by this year's fourth quarter. Auto industry experts say the new redesigned Explorer, which will be built on a car platform, and getting 20 to 25 percent better gas mileage than it's predecessor, which was built on a truck platform. John Wolkonowicz, an analyst with IHS Global Insight said that the new Explorer will be a "high-volume, high-profit, car-based crossover." more ›

In spite of yesterday's bad news about the Torrence Ave. Ford assembly plant shutting down for a few weeks, the company announced today that the plant would also be where a new version of the Explorer would be produced. The move means a total 300 full-time workers would be recalled to jobs at the Torrence Ave and Chicago Heights plants once production begins. Almost 800 workers were laid off from the Torrence Ave. plant last year when the second shift was eliminated to cut costs. [Crain's] more ›

The Torrence Avenue Ford Assembly Plant, located at 126th Street and Torrence Avenue on the city's Far South Side, is being temporarily closed for three weeks. With the number of cars sold down, production costs are exceeding sales. Another local Ford plant, a stamping plant in Chicago Heights, is shut down this week because all of the plants it supplies are already shuttered. Almost 800 jobs were lost at the Torrence Ave. plant last year when a shift was eliminated. [CBS 2] more ›