for f150 2 lcd monitors in the front made in china

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Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Croatia, Republic of, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Korea, South, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Martinique, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

The F-150 Raptor—an off-road, souped-up version of the company’s best-selling model—is expected to retail at a starting price of around $50,000, according to ABC, although Chinese buyers will probably have extra import duties tagged on the final price-tag. The F-150 Raptor is set to be displayed at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition opening Monday.

“By introducing it to the world’s largest auto market, we hope to inspire a new generation of off-road enthusiasts, and demonstrate how we are always bringing our customers new innovations,” said John Lawler, chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China, in a statement on Friday.

This marks the debut of the F-series in China, and is the first full-size American pickup to be officially introduced into the country, reported The Verge. The word “officially” is key, as the Raptor has actually been reportedly selling on the country’s gray market for around three times the U.S. retail price.

Larger vehicles like SUVs have been seeing rising demand in the country—sales of SUVs increased 51% in the first quarter of this year from the previous year—and trucks like the F-150 could appeal to consumers looking for more sturdier, premium vehicles. “I can only imagine the reaction that it gets in China,” Karl Brauer, automotive industry analyst for Kelley Blue Book, told The Verge.

However, China has long had a fractious relationship with pickups, as the vehicles are barred from entering urban cities without a permit from local governments. This means that pickups make up just 3% of vehicles sold in the nation, reported the largest auto market in the world.

Ford’s (F) entrance could mean the company thinks those traffic control restrictions might be loosened soon, and Yale Zhang, head of Shanghai-based consulting firm Automotive Foresight, told Reuters the company might be timing its launch with the future in mind.

The twelfth generation of the Ford F-Series is a light-duty pickup truck that was produced by Ford from the 2009 to 2014 model years. Initially slotted between the Ford Ranger and Ford Super Duty in size, the F-150 became the smallest Ford truck in North America following the 2011 withdrawal of the Ranger (in North America). The final generation of the F-150 produced with a separate body design from the Super Duty trucks (F-250 to F-550), the twelfth generation again adopted an all-new chassis and body, also marking an extensive transition to the powertrain lineup.

Alongside the all-new model design, the new generation started a model shift for the F-150. In all but the most fleet-oriented trim levels, Ford introduced higher-quality interior materials and features. In the United States, the Lincoln Mark LT was repackaged as the highest-content Ford F-150 Platinum trim (a Mark LT based on the twelfth generation was designed, exclusive to Mexico).SVT Raptor was introduced as the highest-performance F-Series truck; in contrast to the previous Ford SVT Lightning trucks, the Raptor was optimized for off-road performance.

In North America, the twelfth-generation F-150 was assembled by Ford at its Dearborn Truck facility (Dearborn, Michigan) and its Kansas City Assembly facility (Claycomo, Missouri). In December 2014, production of the model line ended, with Ford introducing the thirteenth-generation F-series.

Ford revealed the 2009 F-150 design at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Development began under chief engineer Matt O"Leary in November 2003 under the code name "P-415", after P-221 production began in June 2003.Kansas City Assembly Plant.

Ford originally planned to expand the F-Series platform by reintroducing the F-100 as a midsize truck. Known internally as P525, the F-100 would have served as the global replacement for Ford Ranger in 2010 or 2011,Ranger T6 as a global midsize truck and in North America, Ford focused on developing fuel-efficient powertrains such as the EcoBoost V6 and the 6-speed automatic transmission for the F-150.

The 2009 F-150 featured a larger and more flexible interior, an updated three-bar grille, and additional choices of trim levels. The chassis included lighter-weight, high-strength steel for better fuel economy and safety and improved payload and towing capacity. For the first time in the history of the F-Series, a V8 engine was standard in all models; no 6-cylinder was available. All F-150s included an automatic transmission as standard equipment, as a manual transmission was no longer available. Regular cab models were once again produced with standard-length doors rather than two short, rear-opening doors. All Flareside models in 2009 were made with new badging on the previous generation"s boxes and were discontinued at the end of the model year when stock had run out, echoing a similar situation in the first year of the eighth generation. The interior was more luxurious and offered more features than previous-generation trucks. The Ford Sync system became available for the first time, including both Bluetooth functionality, and USB and auxiliary inputs, and a premium Sony audio system was also available for the first time on higher trim levels. The center stack was also redesigned to integrate the audio system and climate controls into a single unit (the base XL model still included a separate AM/FM radio unit with an auxiliary audio input as standard equipment). The instrument cluster was now the same in all trim levels of the F-150 (and now included a tachometer as standard equipment), although the gauge facings still varied by trim level.

For the 2010 model year, the SVT Raptor off-road truck was introduced. Initially available as a SuperCab with a 5.5-foot box, it was available with either a 320 hp 5.4L V8 or an optional 411 hp 6.2L V8 from the Super Duty line. The standard wheel diameter on FX4 models was enlarged to 18".

For 2010, the F-150 saw minimal changes, although the warning chimes were changed to match the rest of the new Ford lineup. The keyless entry remote design was also changed, and now offered integrated remote start (previously, opting for remote start would require an additional, single-button remote), as well as an integrated key. Also new for 2010 was the new MyKey system as standard equipment on all F-150 models (excluding the base XL, where the MyKey system was an option). The MyKey system allowed for parents of younger drivers, as well as fleet operators, to configure one of the vehicle"s ignition keys as the vehicle"s MyKey, and could limit the vehicle"s top speed, mute the vehicle"s audio system until the driver"s seatbelt was fastened, limit the maximum volume of the audio system, and provide both audible and visual warnings whenever a predetermined speed was reached. When the MyKey system was enabled, a message would appear on the instrument cluster display screen, denoting "MyKey Active, Drive Safely", to remind the driver to drive responsibly.

2011 marked a major upgrade to the powertrain lineup. In the interest of increasing fuel economy, both versions of the 4.6L V8 and the 5.4L V8 were discontinued. In their place were a 3.7L V6 and a 5.0L V8. Between the two engines was an all-new 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6. Dubbed Ford F-Series (eleventh generation).

For 2013, the F-150 received minor changes such as 3 new grilles (replacing all 4 previous grilles), new optional 18-inch, 20-inch, or 22-inch wheels, Sync with MyFord, MyFord Touch navigation system, new power-folding and telescoping trailer tow mirrors (taken from the 2011 Super Duty models), high-intensity discharge headlamps, 3 new color options (Blue Jeans Metallic, Kodiak Brown Metallic and Ruby Red Clearcoat Metallic), new Alcantara seats in the FX Appearance Package, black or pecan leather in Platinum, the return of the Limited model (directly replacing the Harley-Davidson trim level), and the 6.2-liter V8 being made available in XLT, FX2, and FX4 (SuperCab and SuperCrew only).

For 2014, a special edition called the Tremor was introduced, essentially an EcoBoost-equipped FX2 or FX4 truck in a regular cab model with a 6.5" bed, a special FX Appearance Package, a flow-through center console with bucket seats and a 4.10 rear gear final drive ratio.

Also new in 2014, the STX trim level also became available on SuperCrew models with the 5.5" box. In addition, an STX Sport package was added for 2014 including 20" wheels, black cloth seats, and black exterior accents.

Three engines were offered with the 2009 redesign: a revised 5.4 L 3-valve Triton V8 that is E85 capable with an output rating of 320 hp (239 kW) and 395 lb⋅ft (536 N⋅m) of torque, a 292 hp (218 kW) 4.6 L 3-valve V8, and a 248 hp (185 kW) 4.6 L 2-valve V8. The 3-valve 5.4 and 4.6 liter V8s were mated to Ford"s new 6R80E 6-speed automatic transmission while the 4R75E 4-speed automatic transmission was carried over for the 2-valve 4.6 L V8. The 4.2 L OHV V6 engine, which had been available, was dropped due to the closure of the Essex engine plant where it was produced.

For the 2011 model year, an all-new engine lineup was offered. Two of the engines, a 3.7 L V6 and a 5.0 L V8, both based on the 2011 Ford Mustang engines, both offer E85 flex-fuel capability. The 6.2 L V8 used in the 2011 Ford Super Duty was made available with the F-150 Platinum, Lariat, SVT Raptor, Harley Davidson and "Lariat Limited" Editions (only approximately 3700 made). Finally, the 3.5 L direct-injected twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 was offered in the F-150 starting in early 2011. All engines were paired with a new six-speed automatic transmission (6R80).

The 2009 Ford F-150 featured front-seat side impact airbags and Ford"s Safety Canopy System for the first and second rows as head protection in the event of a side impact. It also featured Ford"s exclusive ADVANCETRAC RSC (Roll Stability Control)--an electronic Stability control and anti-rollover safety feature also available in other Ford vehicles, from the Fusion to the Expedition.

At the 2008 SEMA show, four 2009 Ford F-150s were unveiled: the F-150 Heavy Duty DEWALT Contractor, the FX-4 by X-Treme Toyz, the F-150 by Street Scene Equipment, and the Hi-Pa Drive F-150. The Heavy Duty DEWALT Contractor was built in a DeWalt theme. The FX-4, also called Fahrenheit F-150, was built for outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts. The Street Scene Equipment version is a lowered truck built with performance and style. The Hi-Pa Drive F-150 was powered by 4 electric in-wheel motors rated over 480 hp (360 kW) and over 375 ft⋅lbf (508 N⋅m) torque combined.

XL - Included: Vinyl upholstery, post-crash alert system, manual mirrors (power mirrors on SuperCrew), 17" steel wheels, tinted windows, air conditioning, an AM/FM stereo with clock, power accessory delay, tachometer, and manual windows and locks (power windows and locks with auto driver"s side window on SuperCrew)

STX (Sport Truck Off-road) - Added: STX decals, body color bumpers, 17" alloy wheels, an AM/FM stereo with single-CD player and an auxiliary input jack, cloth upholstery, front seat armrest with cupholders and storage bin, and rear cupholders (SuperCab)

XLT - Added: chrome bumpers, keyless entry, power mirrors, 17" alloy wheels, automatic headlamps, color-coordinated carpet and floor mats, power locks and windows with automatic driver"s side window, visors with covered mirrors, compass, tinted rear windows, and later, fog lamps.

FX4/FX2 - Added: FX4 off-road decals, fog lamps, keypad entry, 18" alloy wheels, locking rear axle, skid plates, trailer tow package, SIRIUS Satellite radio with 6-month subscription, leather-wrapped steering wheel, power driver"s seat, and rear window defroster. Later features were a 120V power inverter, message center, Ford SYNC.

Lariat - Added: monotone paint, power, heated mirrors with memory, turn signals and auto-dimming driver"s side feature, 18" bright alloy wheels, body color door handles, lighted visor mirrors, dual zone automatic temp control, Ford SYNC, message center, heated front seats, color-coordinated leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, 10-way power front seats, memory driver"s seat, leather trimmed seats, auto-dimming rear view mirror, and power pedals with memory.

King Ranch - Added: two tone paint, power fold, heated, chrome capped sideview mirrors with turn signals, memory, security approach lamps, and auto-dimming driver"s side, 18" 7-spoke wheels with King Ranch logo, color coordinated box side rail and platform running boards, chaparral-leather wrapped steering wheel, an AM/FM stereo with 6-disc in dash CD player with MP3 capability and speed compensated volume control, garage door opener, chaparral leather trimmed power, heated and cooled front seats, front flow-through console with chaparral leather trimmed lid and floor shifter, King Ranch badges and mats, reverse sensing system, back up camera, and later, remote start.

Platinum - Added: body color bumpers, PLATINUM badges, front tow hooks, chrome door handles, power deployable running boards, power fold, heated, chrome capped mirrors with turn signals, memory, security approach lamps, and auto-dimming driver"s side, 20" aluminum wheels, chrome exhaust tip, bright bodyside accent moldings, unique leather-wrapped steering wheel with power tilt column, memory and audio controls, brushed aluminum applique on center panel and console, an AM/FM stereo with 6-disc in-dash CD player with MP3 capability and speed compensated volume control, sun visors with illuminated mirrors, garage door opener, leather trimmed power, heated and cooled front seats, flow through console, with leather-trimmed lid and floor shifter, power sliding rear window, rain sensing windshield wipers, reverse sensing system, and back up camera. Later standard features were remote start.

Lariat Limited (2011 only) - Added (from Lariat): 6.2L V8 engine, power assisted steering, a Sony AM/FM stereo with single-CD/DVD player and navigation, rear view camera, remote start, unique cluster, blacked out headlamps, body color door handles with chrome strap, two-tone leather trimmed seats, body color bumpers, LIMITED lettering, power deployable running boards, trailer brake controller, 22" forged aluminum wheels, power heated mirrors with memory, turn signals, and auto dimming driver"s side, and security approach lamps, heated rear seats, and power sunroof.

Harley-Davidson - Added (from Lariat): 6.2L V8 engine, power assisted steering, a Sony AM/FM stereo with single-CD/DVD player and navigation, rear view camera, remote start, black and silver leather-trimmed seats with Harley-Davidson logo, engine tuned insert, floor shifter, heated rear seats, memory adjustable pedals, remote start, "HARLEY DAVIDSON F-150" tailgate and fender badges, power deployable running boards, trailer brake controller, 22" alloy wheels, and unique clusters.

SVT Raptor - Added (from XLT): 6.2L V8 engine, power driver"s seat, Hill Descent Control, leather-and-cloth upholstery, power-sliding rear window, trailer tow package, auto dimming rearview mirror with compass, leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and SYNC, message center and trip computer, SIRIUS Satellite radio, air extractors in hood, 17" painted alloy wheels with off-road tires, front and rear tow hooks, and keyless entry keypad.

For 2010, Ford introduced the F-150 SVT Raptor, the third F-Series truck developed by Ford SVT. In line with the previous SVT Lightnings, the Raptor was the highest-performance F-Series truck, including modifications to the chassis and powertrain. In sharp contrast to the street and track-oriented Lightning, the Raptor was developed as a street-legal version of a desert racing vehicle.

Distinguished by its "FORD" grille badging, the SVT Raptor is fitted with a redesigned wide-track suspension, allowing for much longer wheel travel; other electronics optimized its traction both on and off-road. Powered by a 411 hp 6.2L V8 from the Super Duty trucks (a 310 hp 5.4L V8 was offered in 2010), the Raptor was the most powerful version of the F-150.

When interviewed by Fox News in 2014, a Ford spokesman said they were aware of the Kawei and their legal counsel was investigating how best to address the matter.

Holland, Bob (August 8, 2008). "Ford tables plans for F-100 pickup". Edmunds Inside Line. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-14.

It’s certainly not a new phenomenon: Chinese companies copy models produced by other manufacturers around the world, slap a new name on them and sell them domestically. The method applies to watches, golf clubs, handbags…. and vehicles.

The practice has become somewhat less common in recent years, as the Chinese automotive industry has made efforts to create its own identity, but it still happens. Meet the Foton Big General, which will be presented officially at the Beijing auto show, and is a pretty flagrant copy of the Ford F-150 Raptor.

The images first published on the Ford Authority website show that the Big General (named the Da Jiang jun in China) features a front fascia with angular headlights mounted vertically, and a massive square grille, on which is mounted an oversized Foton logo. The resemblance with the F-150 Raptor is unmistakable. We’ve yet to see an image of the back end released, but we expect it’s the same story there.

Otherwise, the alloy wheels look strangely like those on the Lincoln Navigator. We presume the thinking was, why not kill two birds with one stone and ape not just Ford design elements but Lincoln’s as well. Ford Authority points out, however, that the Big General is not actually as big as the F-150. In fact its dimensions hew more closely to those of the Ford Ranger.

These Chinese-made copies are certainly good for a laugh or two, but the joke is frankly wearing a little thin. Yes, all automakers commonly take inspiration from what competitors do, but there’s a big leap from that to the outright plagiarism practiced here.

Most surprising about this case is that the Big General is made by a brand belonging to the BAIC group, one of the largest automotive groups in China, and a freq uent collaborator of Hyundai and Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz.

The owner of this website (www.f150forum.com) has banned the autonomous system number (ASN) your IP address is in (20473) from accessing this website.

The F-150 Raptor—an off-road, souped-up version of the company’s best-selling model—is expected to retail at a starting price of around $50,000, according to ABC, although Chinese buyers will probably have extra import duties tagged on the final price-tag. The F-150 Raptor is set to be displayed at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition opening Monday.

“By introducing it to the world’s largest auto market, we hope to inspire a new generation of off-road enthusiasts, and demonstrate how we are always bringing our customers new innovations,” said John Lawler, chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China, in a statement on Friday.

This marks the debut of the F-series in China, and is the first full-size American pickup to be officially introduced into the country, reported The Verge. The word “officially” is key, as the Raptor has actually been reportedly selling on the country’s gray market for around three times the U.S. retail price.

Larger vehicles like SUVs have been seeing rising demand in the country—sales of SUVs increased 51% in the first quarter of this year from the previous year—and trucks like the F-150 could appeal to consumers looking for more sturdier, premium vehicles. “I can only imagine the reaction that it gets in China,” Karl Brauer, automotive industry analyst for Kelley Blue Book, told The Verge.

However, China has long had a fractious relationship with pickups, as the vehicles are barred from entering urban cities without a permit from local governments. This means that pickups make up just 3% of vehicles sold in the nation, reported the largest auto market in the world.

Ford’s (F) entrance could mean the company thinks those traffic control restrictions might be loosened soon, and Yale Zhang, head of Shanghai-based consulting firm Automotive Foresight, told Reuters the company might be timing its launch with the future in mind.

Inside a colossal new plant, about 13 football fields long, the employees of SK Battery America are at work 24/7, essential players in the high-stakes early days of a worldwide battle to build the motors of the future.

The sweeping new climate bill just passed in Congress allocates nearly $400 billion over 10 years to encourage the clean energy transition and the growth of factories precisely like this one: A gleaming gray structure, midway through the semirural stretch of Georgia between Atlanta and Greenville, S.C., where the exurbs are encroaching, life is getting more expensive and a job building an electric car doesn’t mean you can afford one, at least not yet.

In green, taupe, teal and navy uniforms color-coded to their specific role — engineer, operator, maintenance, quality control — masked workers shuffle carts filled with half-finished parts between mechanical stations arranged like cavernous grocery aisles.

Supervisors peek at tablet screens, tweaking dials, overseeing the robotic orchestra tucked behind thin, sterile walls of glass. A dizzying range of machines pirouette perfectly around one another, chopping, welding and packaging: an ensemble that turns raw, rhino-size rolls of copper and aluminum coated with nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite into small but mighty packets — battery cells. Each one no longer or heavier than a hardback book.

All told, once packed and charged together and inside a new Ford F-150 Lightning, these lithium-ion batteries can make that all-electric truck, weighing in at over three tons, lurch forward from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just about four seconds.

“Listen, I drove it home last night, it’s badass,” said Cody Cain, the general manager at Billy Cain Ford, the local dealership owned by his father, Billy, which sits one mile away from the battery plant. “It’s an unbelievable vehicle.”

On a spin down the two-lane roadways of northeast Georgia’s Appalachian foothills, a display model of the Ford Lightning whizzes along. The truck wields the force of a 580 horsepower motor with silent ferocity, and zero carbon emissions — indistinguishable from its gas-powered brethren aside from the absence of exhaust pipes and roars from the front grill.

The Lightning, Mr. Cain noted, also doubles as a mobile generator — able to juice up various tools at a work site, recharge your home if the power goes out in a storm, or plug in anything on a camping trip. Great for big families, contractors or coaches, something Mr. Cain, 41, and a former college baseball player, has been himself.

In the near future, the so-called Rust Belt, along with the Deep South, could become the Battery Belt. And the F-150 Lightning, paired with its growing slate of American-made competitors, could offer an all-around win: manufacturing revitalized, gas money saved, and the potential to curb the transportation sector’s leading 27 percent share of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. A clean energy transition temptingly driven by strong, spacious, all-American vehicles with cultural cachet. A solution without sacrifice. Carrots, not sticks.

The problem is Mr. Cain and other dealers sell cars and trucks to people in the here and now. And right now, he says, “they’re not buying electric because there are none.”

In terms of availability, it’s barely an exaggeration. The global supply chain crisis has hobbled automotive production, hurting the industrywide ramp up in electric vehicles. “We’re still delivering Broncos that we ordered two years ago,” Mr. Cain said, referring to Ford’s new gas-powered rival to the Jeep. “So the same thing is going to happen on this vehicle.”

The good news — that consumer demand for the Lightning is high — is often overwhelmed by the bad. People may have to wait three years for a truck. Another problem: Even if the Lightning were available, Mr. Cain said, “In Jackson County, where we are in Commerce, Georgia, there’s not a lot of people that can afford it.”

The median individual income in Jackson County is $32,051. This past week, Ford announced that prices for the 2023 Lightning will now range from about $47,000 to $97,000 — a jump of $8,500 for some models. That effectively erases much of the purchasing power granted by the fresh tax credit on offer from the government for purchasing a new E.V., worth up to $7,500.

Read More on Electric VehiclesGoing Mainstream:U.S. sales of battery-powered cars jumped 70 percent in the first nine months of the year, as non-affluent buyers are choosing electric vehicles to save money on gas.

A Bonanza for Red States:No Republican in Congress voted for the Inflation Reduction Act. But their states will greatly benefit from the investments in electric vehicles spurred by the law.

Rivian Recall:The electric-car maker said that it was recalling 13,000 vehicles after identifying an issue that could affect drivers’ ability to steer some of its vehicles.

China’s Thriving Market:More electric cars will be sold in the country this year than in the rest of the world combined, as its domestic market accelerates ahead of the global competition.

The average price for a new E.V. is more than $66,000 — and up 14 percent on a yearly basis. This puts the electric vehicle transition in an anxious limbo: To pull off a real cultural shift, industry analysts and E.V. enthusiasts say, cars that plug in can’t remain exclusive to the curious and privileged for much longer. They’ll need to be physically and financially accessible enough to as many people as possible — and soon enough to generate the momentum needed to propel them from an experiment to a sustainable norm.

In his 18 years managing Billy Cain Ford, Mr. Cain — a father of three and a city councilman in nearby Jefferson, Ga., 15 minutes down the road — typically has seen the car lot filled from front to back, with new and used, small and large. A joint victory for him and those fighting climate change will mean a dealership lot full of more economical E.V.s.

These days, it’s barren. Mr. Cain has just a few vehicles here and there, and a lone Ford Lightning sitting outside, as part of “the Mannequin Program,” he says, “just to show it off.” Not for sale.

ImageJun Yong Jeong, the chief executive of SK Battery America, which is owned by a South Korean conglomerate, says relations with the community have been warm and welcoming.

Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, which retains a more than 60 percent share of the U.S. electric vehicle market, has declared that “lithium batteries are the new oil.”

If the analogy holds, that puts Commerce, and the bet the local government has made by luring SK Battery America, the U.S. subsidiary of a South Korean energy conglomerate, in early gold rush territory.

The Georgia factory is expected to produce 21.5 million kilowatt-hours in annual capacity that could power over 430,000 new electric vehicles each year once site construction is fully complete. Last month, Ford sealed an agreement with SK to expand their joint venture, building three battery facilities in Tennessee and Kentucky. The manufacturing facility, which also produces batteries for a Volkswagen E.V., is now up to about 1,900 employees, and is hiring roughly 50 employees a week, at base pay of about $18 an hour, more than twice the state’s minimum wage.

Those jobs are why John Clark Hill, the mayor of Commerce since 2012, helped roll out the red carpet for the plant. A physician with a practice in the county, Dr. Hill sees himself as a steward of the legacy left to him by previous city leaders who bet on growth through infrastructure: the train tracks they put through the middle of town that first made it a business hub, the people who made sure Interstate 85 curved right by the area. According to an offer letter, SK came to Commerce after receiving a $300 million incentive package of tax breaks, grants and cheap property from the state and Jackson County.

“We had other opportunities, but they were all warehousing jobs,” the mayor said. Projects were offering to pay workers $9 or $10 an hour. He decided “not to bite.”

Once a cozy mill town well beyond the outskirts of Atlanta, Commerce is increasingly an industrial hub. Distribution centers — run by Pepsi, Toyota, G.E., and more — now nest off highway exits near diners and exurban cul-de-sacs. As Atlanta continues to boom — its big-city wealth crawling up the I-85 corridor — generations of local families are at risk of being priced out.

“What we were looking for was better jobs — more manufacturing jobs that gave people the opportunity for upward mobility,” Dr. Hill said. “Not a dead-end job, but more important, a job where people can make a living wage: where you have two people working in the business and they can afford a home.”

Last year, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that SK had stolen trade secrets from the energy arm of LG. SK filed a motion in response declaring “the Commission’s orders destroy the economic viability of SK’s investment in battery production in Georgia and will rationally and inevitably lead to its abandonment.” That prescribed fate was only narrowly avoided when SK agreed to a $1.8 billion settlement with LG. But it created a suboptimal first impression.

In an interview at the plant, the chief executive of SK Battery America, Jun Yong Jeong — who goes by Timothy for those who find “the pronunciation is difficult” — says that relations with the community have been warm and welcoming, and that he loves Southern cuisine.

But the “abandonment” talk led to bad press that undeniably left some Jackson County residents with reservations about SK’s commitment to the community.

Plenty of people around town also associate the battery plant with the rapid development that has cropped up around it, including the recent shutdown and impending sale of a nearby site owned by the National Hot Rod Association — home to a beloved drag racing track since the 1980s.

Tamara Padgett, 54, would love to make the base wage of $18 an hour at SK, but a previous work injury to her hands has left her partially disabled, precluding her from manufacturing roles. So, while she attempts to rehab, she supports herself by pairing up with her granddaughter to deliver DoorDash orders. She has an up-close view of how Jackson County is faring these days. “The Motel 6 burned down recently, and a lot of people were living there because they couldn’t afford rent,” she said. “People are running out of places to live.”

Ms. Padgett argues “there’s so much negativity toward that plant” because some residents see SK’s mammoth new campus as an emblem of an out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new transformation.

Stepping out of the summer heat and back into the factory’s bright, tall air-conditioned main lobby, the loose band of new SK employeestrailing an H.R. representative giving an orientation tour seemed relieved. Mostly young, the humidity outside evident on their faces, they looked intrigued by the tour — and happy to be back inside.

The unemployment rate in Jackson County is near 2 percent. But as other employers complain about labor shortages, hiring at SK, where the base pay adds up to a little over $37,000 a year, has continued apace.

Sitting under the crisp white lights of a conference room in the Georgia facility, Desmond Salmon, 47, a production manager at SK with more than 17 years of auto industry experience, said he was happy to see that, on this given day, about 90 percent of young new recruits going through orientation happened to be Black like him.

“It feels good,” he said. “When people of color find out my position here, they’re shocked. And I tell them, ‘Don’t be, there’s nothing but opportunity here. There’s plenty of room for growth.’”

A company spokeswoman for SK Battery America stated that the hiring numbers do “not include the number of temporary visitors from our parent company” — a reference to the many Korean supervisors at SK brought to the local site, all of whom the company pledges will be replaced by the Georgians they train in the coming years.

Billy Gooch, 40, a team lead in the assembly area, has worked in the manufacturing and automotive industries since he finished a high school apprenticeship program in 1999. The work can be hectic, he says. But the wages drew him.

“Along with that, the benefits are so good here. The health care is a lot — a lot — cheaper than at my previous jobs. That, and they feed us here everyday,” he said, chuckling. He and his wife were able to buy a house in the area before prices surged. Still, they wrestle with costs.

Mr. Gooch began as an entry-level associate at SK but was promoted to his current role within six months. And like many others at the plant, he is aching to have a Ford Lightning of his own.

Lashonda Johnson, 38, a waitress at the Waffle House just off the I-85 exit for Commerce, is the star of the diner. Everything — plates, mugs, receipts, silverware, and the banter between the kitchen and regulars — revolves around her words, a “What’re you eating this morning, honey?” keeping the whole operation going.

She makes the federal minimum wage for tipped workers, $2.13. So she’s thankful for the loyalty and generosity of her neighborhood customers. “I keep them happy and full and they keep my bills paid,” Ms. Johnson said.

She feels crushed by paying $80 recently for tanks of gas and would welcome the savings of never filling up again. Her cousin has worked shifts down the road at SK Battery America, and she’s read about the new federal tax credits in the climate law. But Ms. Johnson says she’ll believe in the affordability of vehicles like the Ford Lightning when she sees it.

To her, it’s not about what a company or a government says. “It’s about what they’re going to be doing,” she said. “The rich are just trying to keep the rich rich and the poor poor. They’re scamming.”

Andre Smirnov, an expert test driver who already has a Lightning, understands the frustrations of the moment but believes they will be fleeting. Mr. Smirnov, the managing editor of The Fast Lane Truck, believes it’s just a matter of time before improved battery efficiency, a growing used E.V. market and a surge of competition — from vehicles like the Chevy Silverado E.V. and Tesla’s Cybertruck — puts downward pressure on truck prices. “As they build more they’re going to bring the prices down,” he said.

A lot of class and cultural resentment could build up until then, but Mr. Smirnov doesn’t see that as insurmountable. “The pendulum will swing pretty fast whenever that moment comes,” he said. “Ford’s F-150 Lightning may be the beginning of that swing.”

Getting the car isn’t the only hurdle. You need somewhere to charge it. Omar Asensio, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, believes the new incentives could push a breakthrough. But he does not think the current policies do enough to broaden access to infrastructure — making chargers readily available as gas stations for people in rural areas, for example, or for people without driveways.

Dr. Asensio said he was glad the White House planned to use funds from the infrastructure bill signed last year to build a national network of chargers, because that has been shown to be a more cost-effective incentive than subsidizing E.V. sales.

That policy, and the government’s new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, which require “an industrywide fleet average” of approximately 49 miles per gallon for 2026 models, all but ensure that Americans will see far more of their neighbors driving cars that plug in rather than fill up, and sooner than some think.

On the first night of the Fourth of July weekend in Commerce, the wide median down the center of town became home to a block party. The tailgates on the back of almost every truck were flipped down — and almost every other truck was a Ford. Friends gathered in lawn chairs or atop coolers on the flatbeds, sharing food and drinks.

The hope of SK, Ford, many energy policymakers and pragmatic environmentalists is that most of the Georgians tailgating for holiday fireworks in the coming years will be hanging on the flatbeds of F-150 Lightnings instead.

Even once the logistics and volume of production are straightened out, the lingering question for Jackson County residents, and Americans, is whether the batteries being made down the road at SK will power vehicles ultimately as accessible as Ford’s Model T. Henry Ford called it a vehicle “for the great multitude,” and it fueled America’s original automotive revolution.

Maddison Dean, a Jackson County native, was hired early this year by SK for a role in community relations. In April, she gave a presentation about the company to more than a hundred juniors and seniors at Commerce High School, her alma mater. In the auditorium, she gave an overview of electric vehicles, the quickly changing future for automakers and how SK’s operations work.

“I told them, feel free to interrupt me at any point, just raise your hand,” she said. At first, she didn’t have many takers. “You know, especially talking to high school kids, they just kind of glaze over, they’re like, ‘Yeah, whatever, this is an excuse for us to be out of class, but we’re not paying attention.’”

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It’s certainly not a new phenomenon: Chinese companies copy models produced by other manufacturers around the world, slap a new name on them and sell them domestically. The method applies to watches, golf clubs, handbags…. and vehicles.

The practice has become somewhat less common in recent years, as the Chinese automotive industry has made efforts to create its own identity, but it still happens. Meet the Foton Big General, which will be presented officially at the Beijing auto show, and is a pretty flagrant copy of the Ford F-150 Raptor.

The images first published on the Ford Authority website show that the Big General (named the Da Jiang jun in China) features a front fascia with angular headlights mounted vertically, and a massive square grille, on which is mounted an oversized Foton logo. The resemblance with the F-150 Raptor is unmistakable. We’ve yet to see an image of the back end released, but we expect it’s the same story there.

Otherwise, the alloy wheels look strangely like those on the Lincoln Navigator. We presume the thinking was, why not kill two birds with one stone and ape not just Ford design elements but Lincoln’s as well. Ford Authority points out, however, that the Big General is not actually as big as the F-150. In fact its dimensions hew more closely to those of the Ford Ranger.

These Chinese-made copies are certainly good for a laugh or two, but the joke is frankly wearing a little thin. Yes, all automakers commonly take inspiration from what competitors do, but there’s a big leap from that to the outright plagiarism practiced here.

Most surprising about this case is that the Big General is made by a brand belonging to the BAIC group, one of the largest automotive groups in China, and a freq uent collaborator of Hyundai and Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz.

Editor’s Note:A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world.Sign up here.

Chinese authorities on Sunday violently dispersed a peaceful protest by hundreds of depositors, who sought in vain to demand their life savings back from banks that have run into a deepening cash crisis.

Since April, four rural banks in China’s central Henan province have frozen millions of dollars worth of deposits, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of customers in an economy already battered by draconian Covid lockdowns.

Anguished depositors have staged several demonstrations in the city of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, over the past two months, but their demands have invariably fallen on deaf ears.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 depositors from across China gathered outside the Zhengzhou branch of the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, to launch their largest protest yet, more than half a dozen protesters told CNN.

The demonstration is among the largest China has seen since the pandemic, with domestic travel limited by various Covid restrictions on movement. Last month, Zhengzhou authorities even resorted to tampering with the country’s digital Covid health-code system to restrict the movements of depositors and thwart their planned protest, sparking a nationwide outcry.

This time, most protesters arrived outside the bank before dawn – some as early as 4 a.m. – to avoid being intercepted by authorities. The crowd, which included the elderly and children, occupied a flight of imposing stairs outside the bank, chanting slogans and holding up banners.

Using national flags to display patriotism is a common strategy for protesters in China, where dissent is strictly suppressed. The tactic is meant to show that their grievances are only against local governments, and that they support and rely on the central government to seek redress.

Across the street, hundreds of police and security personnel – some in uniforms and others in plain clothes – assembled and surrounded the site, as protesters shouted “gangsters” at them.

The face-off lasted for several hours until after 11 a.m., when rows of security officers suddenly charged up the stairs and clashed with protesters, who threw bottles and other small objects at them.

The scene quickly descended into chaos, as security officers dragged protesters down the stairs and beat those who resisted, including women and the elderly, according to witnesses and social media videos.

One woman from eastern Shandong province told CNN she was pushed to the ground by two security guards, who twisted and injured her arm. A 27-year-old man from the southern city of Shenzhen, surnamed Sun, said he was kicked by seven or eight guards on the ground before being carried away. A 45-year-old man from the central city of Wuhan said his shirt was completely torn at the back during the scuffle.

“I did not expect them to be so violent and shameless this time. There was no communication, no warning before they brutally dispersed us,” said one depositor from a metropolis outside Henan who had protested in Zhengzhou previously, and who requested CNN conceal his name due to security concerns.

The protesters were hurled onto dozens of buses and sent to makeshift detention sites across the city – from hotels and schools to factories, according to people taken there. Some injured were escorted to hospitals; many were released from detention by the late afternoon, the people said.

Late on Sunday night, the Henan banking regulator issued a terse statement, saying “relevant departments” were speeding up efforts to verify information on customer funds at the four rural banks.

Police in Xuchang, a city neighboring Zhengzhou, said in a statement late Sunday they recently arrested members of an alleged “criminal gang,” who were accused of effectively taking control over the Henan rural banks starting from 2011 – by leveraging their shareholdings and “manipulating banks executives.”

The suspects were also accused of illegally transferring funds through fictitious loans, the police said, adding that some of their funds and assets had been seized and frozen.

The protest comes at a politically sensitive time for the ruling Communist Party, just months before its leader Xi Jinping is expected to seek an unprecedented third term at a key meeting this fall.

Large-scale demonstrations over lost savings and ruined livelihoods could be perceived as a political embarrassment for Xi, who has promoted a nationalistic vision of leading the country to “great rejuvenation.”

Henan authorities are under tremendous pressure to stop the protests. But depositors remain undeterred. As the issue drags on, many have become ever more desperate to recover their savings.

Huang, the depositor from Wuhan, lost his job in the medical cosmetology industry this year, as businesses struggled in the pandemic. Yet he is unable to withdraw any of his life savings – of over 500,000 yuan ($75,000) – from a rural bank in Henan.

“Being unemployed, all I can live on is my past savings. But I can’t even do that now – how am I supposed to (support my family)?” said Huang, whose son is in high school.

Sun, from Shenzhen, is struggling to keep his machine factory from bankruptcy after losing his deposit of 4 million yuan ($597,000) to a Henan bank. He can’t even pay his more than 40 employees without the funds.

“The incident completely overturned my perception of the government. I’ve lived all my life placing so much faith in the government. After today, I’ll never trust it again,” he said.

A decade ago, the second-generation Ford Fusion debuted at the North American International Auto Show to great fanfare. The sharp-looking sedan turned out to be a sharp handler too, and was seen as a renaissance for Ford, giving the Big Three a well-designed volume seller that could take on stalwarts like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Then the sedan-pocalypse happened, and Ford abandoned cars.

The Fusion was based on the beloved fourth-generation European-market Mondeo, to which it owes much of its athleticism and style. But the sedan-mageddon hit Europe too, removing the Mondeo from its market of birth. However, the Mondeo lived on in China and now, after 10 long years on the market, a fifth generation has arrived at dealers.

As Car News China reports, the arrival has revealed previously unseen interior shots. In particular, the base trim, called Fashion, comes with a large screen that incorporates the instrument cluster and the center infotainment controls, separated by a black column just right of the steering wheel.

While large, its pales in comparison to the one found in the upper-grade Sport and ST Line trims. Those cars come with a massive 1.1-meter (43 inch) screen that stretches nearly the entire width of the dash. There is a blackout separator between the 12.3-inch instrument cluster and the 27-inch infotainment display. The latter can also be digitally divided into a central display for the driver and an additional infotainment display for the passenger.

The new Mondeo eschews its predecessor"s baby Aston Martin looks. It expands in size, too, measuring 0.9 inches wider and 2.5 inches longer than the Fusion we knew. The growth makes room for rear passengers, an important consideration for the Chinese market.

The front shows a wide grille and what Ford calls coast-to-coast lighting, essentially a LED strip that connects the two headlights at the leading edge of the hood. The company says it spearheads a new design language for China. The rear, on the other hand, looks towards an iconic model central to Ford"s history. Taillight elements take on a three-bar design that evokes the Mustang.

Ford hasn"t revealed what will be powering the new Mondeo. However, it"s quite likely that it"ll have similar underpinnings as the Chinese-market Lincoln Zephyr revealed last year. That slightly more luxurious version is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder mated to an 8-speed automatic.

Alas, the 2022 Mondeo will not be sold in the U.S. or Europe. China is the sole market for now. It goes on sale later this year, which means, if you must have one, it"ll be eligible for import to the U.S. in 2047.

We recently had the opportunity to visit Ford"s Dearborn complex to check out the new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, the Product Development Center, and take a spin around the Dearborn Test Track in an F-150 Lightning with Darren Palmer, Ford"s Global General Manager Of Battery Electic Vehicles.

The tour and test ride (Palmer was driving) were really informative and we"ll be posting a video of the day"s events and learnings on the InsideEVs Youtube channel soon. However, one of the most surprising things we saw during the day was buried in the F-150 Lightning"s Pro Power Onboard control screen.

Flipping through the screens I noticed that one screen had an estimated driving range display that read an incredible 472 miles. I assume that Ford had removed the range estimate from both the driver"s and center display because neither of the F-150 Lightning I saw had any range estimate on any screen. However, scrolling through the controls I found one screen where the range estimate was staring right at me.

During the day I repeatedly asked Ford representatives (in a few different ways) about the F-150 Lightning"s battery sizes and driving range, hoping someone would slip up and share something that they haven"t already, but they were prepared and always steered the conversation to another topic.

Like when I was riding with Darren Palmer around the track where he effortlessly took the Lightning to nearly 100 mph in what seemed to be not much longer than what it takes my Tesla Model 3 to reach the same speed. This. Truck. Is. Fast.

I confronted Palmer about the recent controversy brought up by the popular Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee when he said that Ford told him the 300-mile range estimate of the F-150 Lightning was actually with 1,000lb payload on board, and I could tell he was expecting that.

Palmer guided the conversation away from range to how Ford is working on an incredibly advanced range estimator for the F-150 Lightning, one that will take into consideration all kinds of factors including payload weight, as well as trailer configuration, length, and tongue weight.

Ford won"t comment officially on whether or not they are including a 1,000lb payload in its estimated range calculation, as Brownlee claims. When I asked them about the picture I took showing a 472-mile range, they responded "This is a prototype vehicle and we still are targeting an EPA-estimated 300 miles".

But here is where it gets interesting. Brownlee was in a different pre-production F-150 lightning than I was. He said his F-150 Lightning was charged to 80% and the vehicle was showing 367 miles of range. Brownlee said the charge gauge looked like the vehicle was "about 80%" charged, so he estimated the range when fully-charged to be about 360 miles.

Looking at his video, the SOC appears to be slightly less than 80%, more like 77% to 78%. My F-150 Lightning was fully charged and showing 472 miles. If you calculate 78% of 472 you get 368, so I"d say both Brownlee"s truck and mine would have the same range estimate when fully charged.

Is this a case of pre-production software offering an incorrect range estimate? That"s possible. But now that two different pre-production F-150 Lightning, two months apart, are showing the same range the evidence is starting to point the other way. That"s to the possibility that Ford is actually underpromising the range that the F-150 Lightning will have. If that"s true, it"s brilliant.

Even if Ford is underpromising, I still don"t believe the vehicle will be EPA range rated even close to 472 miles. To accomplish that, the battery pack would have to be close to 200 kWh, and that doesn"t align with the charging times that Ford has already quoted for the F150 Lightning.

For the record, Ford says it"s targeting a 230 mile EPA range for F-150 Lightning with the Standard range battery, and 300 miles for vehicles with the Extended range pack. Additionally, the battery pack capacities haven"t been announced yet. Once we know how large the packs are, we"ll be able to give a close estimate of what the actual driving range should be.