Wednesday, February 2, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D5 AUTOMOTIVE Retired Ford PR man never missed a good story or hid from a bad one By Nancy A lexander SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER 2 0 0 1 F o rd E s c a p e Comingthis summer- FordEscape Coming to Canadian showrooms this summer, the 2001 Ford Escape offers refined ride and handling, excellent fuel economy and low em is sions - all wrapped in an assertive, no-nonsense design sport utility vehicle package. Equipped with the 2.0L four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission, Escape will also be available in front wheel drive (FWD) and four-wheel drive (4W D) configurations. Ford of Canada president Bobbie Gaunt intro duced Escape at the 2000 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "The new Ford Escape is an eagerly-awaited vehicle in Canada," said Gaunt. "Escape enables Ford retailers in Canada to offer customers a full line-up o f six Ford SUVs - from small to fullsize." Ford pioneered the modem SUV market with the introduction of the Explorer in 1991. Since then, SUV sales in Canada have climbed an aver > U I ^ W m age of 17 per cent annually. Together with the four-door Explorer, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Expedition and Excursion, the new Escape gives Ford of Canada the most comprehensive SUV lineup in the industry. Based on an all-new platform developed in partnership with Mazda, Escape provides cus tomers with a small, versatile and tough SUV with maximum convenience and comfort. With its unibody design, the new Escape also com bines refined ride and handling with one of the safest body structures in the class. With estimated average fuel economy of 9.4 L/100 km (30 mpg), the new Escape with the four-cylinder engine and FWD configuration will be comparable to many family sedans. Equipped with the 3.0-litre V6 engine and 4WD configuration, Escape achieves an estimated average o f 11.2 L/100 km (25 mpg). Tire N ewtire tp ta o a itm iH i. doMjfnai jnrmtns.be an fHrfraatMrfiiprapiftyiifMilfcf sui eua aaaaa*e in | Worn out tires often tell the tale of neglect or a signs to those in this illustration, it's not only time to wore out in the first place. suspension. If your tires show similar the tires, but you'll know why they y / Toe-in or toe-ovt wear larprennatbitn* jn u u tw ^ a tfte ttta tn im Campar is the amount, in . Toe-in is the amount, in degrees. : Too much air pressure pushes the Too little air pressure allows ttv degrees the front wheels are tted the front wheels are ported center of Vie tire outwent causing face of the tire to bow inward inward or outward at the top. A toward each other at the front. A ; # i o be rounder acroaa the lace under the weight of the vehicle. small amount ofcamber is ; small amount of Benn is nomal. : The roundness means v m y M n This causes wear at the shoulders normal. Too much leads to Too much leads to praraalu* ire band bOTdotnndtoactuatyhcoract of tread is actually In odntact : where the stiffness of the sidewals with the road, which wears very does not allow the tire to `give' evenly across the face. 3 k T * a Ovennflated lire ! ' % / \ has small : 4 t J K TM "® ^ / \ contact area with / \ ik .m \ the road, which I ) ;5 E £ ir i |3 CO PY RI GHT WHEE LBA SE COMMUNICATIONS l / S K f f i- here may have been an occasional misstep in the course of Jim Hartford's 20 year public affairs career with Ford of Canada, but certainly none bums more brightly in his memory than his first day on the job. Arriving at work in his Chrysler, Hartford was immedi ately leased a Ford which he somehow managed to mangle on the drive home. The service department told him he'd set a record for a new employee. From Hartford's point of view, things could only get bet ter. Despite the shaky start, Hartford enjoyed another 20 years with the company before retiring at the end of last year. In the course of a career that began at CKLW Radio and TV in his native Windsor, Hartford has worn the hat of reporter, edi tor and producer for CBC-TV, director of corporate public affairs for John Labatt Limited in London and press secretary, to former Ontario Liberal leader Stuart Smith, prior to joining Ford in 1979. Perhaps as a result of his solid journalism background, Hartford has always felt strongly that people in corporate pubic affairs must recognize that the media has legitimate interests. In a wide-ranging interview with the Beaver, Hartford elabo rated on the philosophy that has guided his corporate career. "It's important that we com municate accurate information and ensure we're being respon sive," he says. "You can't just wallpaper over a major issue. You must deal with it." A case in point, he said, was the closure of two engine plants in Windsor in the early 90s. These were old plants -- one dating back to 1922 -- and the closure was bound to have a huge impact on the community. Complicating the situation was the fact that, a few months before the slated closure, one of the plants qualified for Ford's prestigious "Q l" status. Hartford says this was a real T "Whether we like it or not, there will be a story. We can either facilitate it and invite the press in, or they'll buttonhole the work ers at the plant gate . " -- Jim Hartford reflection upon the character of the workers, to strive for this award of excellence despite knowing their jobs would soon be disappearing. From a public relations standpoint, Hartford says there were several corporate voices telling him to downplay the award presentation and the sub sequent closure. There were fears at the time that the workers would be confrontational if man agement showed up to compli ment them on a job well done. He felt just as strongly that there was a legitimate story to be told. "Whether we like it or not, there will be a story," he says. "We can either facilitate it and invite the press in, or they'll but tonhole the workers at the plant gate." Hartford's viewpoint subse quently won the day and he has tens to add, "We ended up with some very sensitive coverage". Despite the common percep tion of public relations, the vet eran Ford spokesman says he has never bought into the idea of simply being a "corporate cheer leader". "I think there's a real need on both sides to understand each other," he adds. "Sometimes I'll see a release just get dropped into the news pages and I'm a lit tle disappointed that reporters don't always have the time or the training to ask the questions they should." ____ On the other hand, Hartford says he tries to educate his cor porate colleagues not to overre act to criticism of the company. "We don't control what is written, and there has to be some responsibility on the part of the media," he notes. "But there is often legitimacy in criticism, and we have to appreciate that that is the media's role." Hartford says one of the biggest compliments he ever received in the course of his cor porate career came from a col league during his Labatt days. Although intended as a criti cism, Hartford said he was pleased to . hear him self described as someone who "always seemed to have one foot outside the company". "I think it's important to be able to look at the company from the outside," he concedes. "We need to be able to hold up our programs and activities to scruti ny-" Despite being on the firing line during five consecutive rounds of labour negotiations, Hartford says he feels fortunate to have had the kind of job that made him want to leap out of bed in the morning. He plans to bring the same enthusiasm to his retirement activities which include plans for lots of travel, golf, freelance writing and family get-togethers with his five grown children and 12 grandchildren. By July, Hartford and his wife Bemie expect to move into their new home backing on the seventh hole of a golf course in Wasaga Beach. He's also looking forward to creating his own website (with the help of his grandson) to keep friends and family up to date. After all, you've got to keep those com m unication lines open. Battery provides comfort (Conrd from pg. D6) O a k v i l l e , l A s e d C a r starter may draw 400 amps. So at 17° C it would not take long on a cold Canadian winter morning to drain a battery rated at 300 cold cranking amps. R e s e r v e ! I h i i I \11 / TO RUN O N TH IS P A G E CALL N O W ! 'J -b -V 'J li capacity refers to the length o f time the battery will hold up without recharging. This usually is expressed in amperes o f out put per so many minutes. When comparing bat tery, specifica tions, you should compare output and reserve on the same amper age per time basis. Typically, the reserve capacity rating will refer to the amount of time a battery can pro duce 26 amps at 27° degrees Celsius. When idling along in stopand-go traffic, with the heater, defroster, tape deck, and lights turned on, the electrical system is carrying a heavy load. It's comforting to know there is a strong battery under the hood. That security is well worth the effort of evaluat ing the best bat tery for your par ticular car. 1993 EXT. 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