At the moment, the automotive industry is facing one major issue that figures to have a tremendous impact in the coming years – a lack of technicians that can repair and service vehicles. As such, Ford has long been working to entice young students to think about becoming auto techs to help fill these much-needed roles before a massive shortage occurs, offering multiple scholarships and sponsoring programs revolving around that concept. Recently, the automaker also helped further these efforts by donating a group of totaled 2024 Ford Mustang coupes to tech schools, too.
According to the Detroit Free Press, The Blue Oval worked with a number of Detroit-area dealers to ship a group of 2024 Ford Mustang models damaged by a recent storm to shop classes across southeastern Michigan, where they’ll be used to help train future auto techs. “We got these Mustangs out of the New Boston railyard after it was flooded by a storm,” said Mike McLean, market area coordinator at Ford. “We had dealers all over the country ready to take delivery to help dry them out, clean them up and work with schools. Since September, we’ve donated more than 300 vehicles nationally.”
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Ford has donated vehicles damaged by things like floods, tornados, hurricanes, theft recoveries, or hail storms, either. In fact, it’s been engaging in this practice for some time, first totaling the vehicles and then retitling them for teaching purposes all across the U.S. “We work with the vehicle logistics team. Many of these are damaged in transit,” McLean said. “Our legal team creates the paperwork to make sure the vehicles can never be put back on the road. They’re titled to the schools as scrap.”
This effort has thus far proven to be invaluable for shop classes across the country, who often have trouble finding the funds to purchase newer vehicles to serve as training tools, or the donations needed to make that happen. Ford has long been keen to help with this effort, however, most recently rolling out the Ford Auto Tech Scholarship that earmarks $2 million toward a round of automotive tech scholarships across 20 states and 292 schools, which is just the latest in a long line of similar scholarship programs.
We’ll have more on Ford’s efforts to train tomorrow’s technicians soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
Yea no wonder why cars trucks suvs so expensive the idiots leave them out in unprotected areas for hail, ice then store them at ground level for floods. Then its hey people will pay 60k or more to cover our losses. No we wont dealer lots are full of mustangs unsold. I looked at some 65 to 70k no way I would buy one.
Go buy a Toyota and don’t worry about how many Mustangs are sitting unsold on dealers lots. Their cars are impervious to natural disasters and they have no idiots in their logistic team. I always wonder how a good initiative can trigger such a negative reaction.
You can’t afford them anyway!
Donating them is much better for everyone than crushing them. I can remember in the 1980’s when Honda donated many cycles that were partially submerged in salt water on a ship from Japan. Most only had the salt water on the wheels, but they did not want a customer to have that bike. These were mainly the CBX 6 cyl bikes and the students loved them and had photos beside them. I bet many of those students became long time Honda fans after that great gesture.
I remember back in the late 90s at Ford in Edison NJ, something went wrong with the temperature with the E coat that caused the paint to peel. There was talk about donating them to driver ed classes but Ford decided not to. The reason was people seeing the cars on the road with the peeling paint was a bad look for the company so 105 escorts were partially disassembled, engine, trans and seats were removed and they brought in a crusher and no one new the difference.