Jeep Sponsors Warren Miller Film TourIn a new two-year agreement, Jeep will become the title sponsor of Warren Miller Entertainment's annual feature-film tour. The partnership joins two brands well-known as purveyors of action and adventure. Since 1949, the annual release of Warren Miller's film represents the official start of winter for many skiers and snowboarders worldwide. Jeep vehicles will appear in the film and at select screening event locations, with Warren Miller Entertainment coordinating sweepstakes and special promotions for Jeep at every tour stop. Warren Miller Entertainment has also introduced on-mountain, television, and music components into existing Jeep-brand programs. Jeff Bell, vice president of Jeep, Chrysler Group, commented, "Jeep-vehicle owners and Warren Miller film fans share the desire to venture into hard-to-reach locations and truly experience the great outdoors." The 2004 film will feature segments filmed in France, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, and throughout the U.S.
Ontario's F-150 Truck Plant Closes ShopFirst opened in 1965, Ford's Ontario truck plant recently marked the end of production when the last '04 Ford Heritage F-150 pickup was driven off the assembly line. Having begun production on August 26, 1965 with the '66 Ford F-100, the Ontario truck plant went on to create more than 4 million light, medium, and heavy trucks during its 39-year career. The 1,300 employees at Ontario Truck are either moving to the Oakville Assembly Plant located next door to build the Ford Freestar minivan, or have chosen to take an early retirement incentive package. Plant manager Mike Vandelinder commented, "We have always been proud of what we build here at Ontario Truck, and that tradition continues today. You can be sure that our last truck is a great truck. This plant has produced Canada's best-selling pickup truck for all its 39 years and has repeatedly been selected to build some of Ford's hottest specialty pickups."
Located in Oakville, Ontario, near Toronto, Ford's Ontario truck plant sits on 94 acres and houses a body shop, paint facility, and an assembly line that stretches 10 miles and includes 218 robots. It was the only plant in North America chosen to build the SVT F-150 Lightning, the fastest pickup ever, and the limited-edition '00 Harley Davidson F-150. Currently producing the Heritage F-150 at the time of its close, more than 112,000 vehicles were built at Ontario Truck last year.