Ford Motor Co. announced that it plans to continue investing in Canada. The company renovated the Expressway Ford Lincoln dealership in New Hamburg. The company recently renovated and added about 1,800 square feet of space at their Haysville Road dealership, including a new Lincoln showroom, new offices and boardroom. Ford also recently added a third shift to its Oakville plant and is working on making a further investment in Oakville.

Ford Motor Co. announced that it has named a new lead independent director - Ellen R. Marram, the first woman to hold the job - to its board. Named to the post was Ellen R. Marram, who is president of a business advisory firm, was added to the board after a longtime member retires. President of the Barnegat Group, LLC and former CEO of Tropicana Beverage Group, she has been a Ford board member for more than 20 years. Marram will chair the executive sessions of the independent directors, advise on selection on board committee chairs and work with Ford Jr. and Mulally to ensure management is adequately addressing the matters identified by the board. The company said Irvine O. Hockaday Jr., 76, a former president and CEO of Hallmark Cards Inc., was stepping down from the board. He helped recruit Mulally, then Boeing Co. executive, to become chief executive of Ford in 2006.

Ford Motor Co. accused of 'scaremongering' by the Unite union after workers at the firm's Dagenham plant voted against strike action. The stamping and tooling facility is being closed which will affect 652 employees who have protested over the way they are being treated by the company. Unite began a vote on a strike last month but on Wednesday the results were in, showing workers chose not to take action, leading the union to believe the company had scared employees out of rebelling. Despite voting against strike action, Ford workers demonstrated outside the car giant's national headquarters in Brentwood two weeks ago. According to Unite, more than 100 toolmakers have not been found suitable jobs. It is also claimed workers are being redeployed with little information about what they will be doing. For those wishing to accept a severance package, Unite says the deal is between £10,000 and £30,000 less than workers at a Southampton plant - which is also being shut - are being offered.