Ford Vehicles Brave the Coldest Climates Without Issue

PEKIN, Ill. – Have you ever run into trouble trying to start your vehicle in the dead of winter? Ford Motor Co. wants to make sure your vehicle functions year-round, regardless of how much snow falls or how cold it gets outside.

All 75 global prototypes of Ford vehicles brave the coldest climates without issue when the automaker brings them to McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to go through bitter temperature testing. The laboratory simulates a range of cold weather climates from 40 to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and Ford vehicles have evinced their durability by pushing through each test.

Many Ford drivers live in isolated, northern lands burdened by winter’s heaviest snows and coldest bite, such as in Alaska and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in Canada. These drivers not only need reliable modes of transportation, but also vehicles that can act as safe havens if the weather gets brutal enough, and it certainly does.

Thanks to a group of engineers who enacted daily modifications to vehicles while they tested at McKinley, Ford vehicles can brave the coldest climates without issue. In impressive display of motivation through trial and error, engineers reworked the F-Series Super Duty’s 6.7L engine until they discovered ceramic gold plugs produce heat faster than metallic plugs. This enables the engine to easily start and continue running in cold temperatures.

While we don’t experience Alaskan or Canadian winters in central Illinois, we definitely feel the temperature plunge at times during the winter. Harsh winter weather can prevent your vehicle from starting, but we’re certain that new Ford vehicles can overcome any temperatures we experience at our Washington, Ill., area used car dealer.

At Velde Automotive Group, we are committed to providing our customers with an unbeatable level of service and a great car buying experience. Feel free to visit either of our dealerships, Velde Ford at 2200 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554 or Velde Cadillac Buick GMC is located at 2220 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554.

Visit our websites: VeldeGM.com and VeldeFordPekin.com

Follow us on: Velde GM Facebook, Velde Ford Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram

2016 Ford Ranger to be Built in Nigeria but not in US

PEKIN, Illi. – If you’ve been waiting for the day that Ford Motor Co. would bring back the Ranger midsize pickup truck, you might as well keep waiting. 

The 2016 Ford Ranger will be built in Nigeria but not in the U.S., which isn’t all that shocking considering 148 other global markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa already have their hands on this seemingly mythical machine. To give you an idea of just how elusive it has become, the last time a Ranger rolled of a U.S. assembly line was in St. Paul, Minn., on December 2011.

Ford’s decision to build the 2016 Ranger in Nigeria but not in the U.S. has everything to do with its expansion plan to exhibit a larger presence in the Middle East and Africa. According to Ford, Nigeria will be the first African country, with exception to South Africa, to produce Ford vehicles.

The 2016 Ranger will be assembled with body parts and components imported from South Africa. The new assembly plant is in Ikeja, a suburb of Lagos, and is expected to create 180 jobs that will help produce up to 5,000 vehicles annually that will be sold exclusively in Nigeria.

The 2016 Ranger was the best-selling vehicle in South Africa for the first half of 2015, and is capable of towing close to 8,000 pounds. It’s the perfect midsize pickup for making your way over rough terrains or simply driving through an urban area with more ease than a full-size pickup provides.

No wonder Americans want this truck back in the U.S. We’re just as jealous as you are of the countries whose people are bestowed with the magnificence of the 2016 Ford Range, but for now you can get behind the wheel of a 2015 Ford F-150 and soon a 2016 F-150 – We guarantee you’ll enjoy either model. We also have a great inventory of used cars and trucks at our Morton area used car dealer. As far as we know, there aren't any Ranger lurking in there, but you might want to check for yourself!

At Velde Automotive Group, we are committed to providing our customers with an unbeatable level of service and a great car buying experience. Feel free to visit either of our dealerships, Velde Ford at 2200 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554 or Velde Cadillac Buick GMC is located at 2220 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554.

Visit our websites: VeldeGM.com and VeldeFordPekin.com

Follow us on: Velde GM Facebook, Velde Ford Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram

5 Ways to Help Your Young Child Prepare to Go Back to School

PEKIN, Illi.– Summer still has plenty of sun and warmth for us to enjoy, but there’s no denying the season is coming to a close, along with the seemingly brief vacation from school that comes with it. The month of August can be a stressful time for you and your child as they prepare to head back to school.

However, there are ways you can help your child make a smooth transition from eating popsicles under the sun to learning times tables in a classroom. We thought these 5 ways to help your young child prepare to go back to school might make that transition a bit less rocky for you and your young child. Take a look:

1. Have a talk with your child about how ready they feel. It seems the most rational place to start when it comes to preparing your child to go back to school is to simply have a talk with them about how ready they are to adjust to a school routine. What subjects are they excited to learn? Are they nervous about anything? Do they know what friends will be in their classroom? Do they know who their teacher is? Ask questions that will make them consider what a school day entails so they can begin to adjust their mindset ahead of time.


2. Attend classroom or school orientations with your child. Not every school hosts orientations, but if they do at your child’s school it would be wise to attend one with them. This will reintroduce your child to the school’s atmosphere, and help them become familiar with the premises so they aren’t totally out of their element on the first day. This is especially helpful if your child is attending a new school for the first time.


3. Make buying school supplies fun for your child. Leading up to the first day of school, one of the events that might strike fear or anxiety into your child is dragging them to the store to purchase necessary school supplies for the semester. Some children may feel apprehensive about a trip like this because those items are associated with –– gulp –– learning, homework, and being away from home for 7–8 hours a day. However, you can make buying school supplies fun for your child. Give them some freedom to pick out the items they like, just make sure they stick to any guidelines that exist from the school.


4. Put your child back on a school schedule before school starts. This one could be the hardest to implement in the last weeks of summer, but it will definitely help you and your child adjust to the school year and make the transition easier. Start putting your child to bed earlier and waking them up earlier. Tell them they need to come in from playing outside a little earlier in the evening. Doing these things will help your child prepare for a school schedule that permits less playtime or staying up late. It will prepare them for a schedule that revolves more around homework, extracurricular activities, and getting more sleep for long days. 


5. Instill independence in your child. Anxiety due to being away from their parents is one of the tough issues kids face when they go back to school. To prevent anxiety in your child, it might be a good idea to instill some independence in them so they become used to being away from you. Let them pick out certain school supplies, as mentioned, or let them choose what they want for lunch on their first day of school.

We’ve all been there and know how tough it can be to start a new school year, especially if its your first time or if you're attending a new school. Hopefully these 5 ways to help your young child prepare to go back to school give you some ideas for what you can do to mitigate the anxiety and calm the nerves that your child may experience as summer vacation closes and school draws near.  

After you drop your child off at school this fall, remember to stop in at our Morton area used car dealer to get a quick oil change or have some auto service taken care of! At Velde Automotive Group, we are committed to providing our customers with an unbeatable level of service and a great car buying experience. Feel free to visit either of our dealerships, Velde Ford at 2200 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554 or Velde Cadillac Buick GMC is located at 2220 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554.

Visit our websites: VeldeGM.com and VeldeFordPekin.com

Follow us on: Velde GM Facebook, Velde Ford Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram