Ford invests $100 million to reduce wind noise in cars

Ford Motors is investing $100 million to install robotic plant laser inspection technology to improve quality through reduced wind noise, the carmaker said in a statement.

This new laser technology will be used on new 2012 Ford Focus at Michigan Assembly Plant, Saarlouis plant in German, Chicago Assembly Plant and later rolled out to 17 assembly plants globally, it said.

Robotic laser technology gives us a degree of precision that we have never had before, says Ron Johnson, manufacturing quality manager, Ford of Europe. It scans the dimensions of 500 key areas down to a tenth of a millimetre to make sure the parts fit perfectly and our cabins are extremely quiet.

According to the new laser technology, it helps to s ensure car door panels fit more accurately and reduce wind noise, a key quality factor for consumers and a major industry challenge, the carmaker added.