Check out these sweet videos from Ford that are basically advertisements for the new powertrain offerings in the 2011 Mustangs. They detail the legendary 5.0 V8 and the 3.7L V6. Enjoy!
Ford Fusion hybrid pays off the quickest out of major hybrids!
The San Francisco Chronicle has published a piece on how long your modern hybrid will cost you over the long run, or more specifically, how long it will take you to recoup your higher initial cost of buying a hybrid vehicle over a conventional auto. The winner may shock you, because it’s not the Toyota Prius, or the Honda Insight. No, it’s none other than the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid! A traditional sedan with a stellar hybrid powertrain, it not only won 2010 North American Car of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show, but it also won Motor Trend magazine’s Car of the Year award. For the full article, head on over to sfgate.com.
(Image source: Ford)
The 2011 Ford Fiesta is getting close to sale here in the United States and Autoblog has had a go at both a manual version and an automatic, the sedan and the hatchback, and their review is quite good. They do have some negatives to point out, like how the soft touch IP looks much better than the non-soft touch door trims, but what competitor in this class offers even half the features or looks of the Fiesta? None! The Nissan Versa is one of the ugliest cars I have ever seen, the Toyota Yaris is downright boring (what Toyota isn’t?) and the Honda Fit is rather uninspiring. For the full review, head on over to Autoblog.
(Image source: Ford)
According to dealers and others who are in-the-know, Chrysler is planning on not only changing the “look” of the Sebring (halleluiah), but also the name. Nassau will be the new name and was the name of a Chrysler concept vehicle at the 2007 Detroit auto show. The Sebring’s image has been greatly tarnished because of its cheap interior and poor quality (I’d even throw in exterior styling). Every other automaker has a competitive mid-size sedan in the marketplace; therefore it is very important for Chrysler to get the Nassau right – as younger buyers upgrade from smaller cars, they look at this segment.
The Nassau and the new Dodge Avenger are expected to have completely new exterior styling, new fuel efficient powertrain options (2.4 liter four cylinder or the new V6 Pentastar), and vastly improved interior quality. The new vehicles are expected to launch towards the end of this year – they cannot come soon enough!
Read the full news story at the Detroit Free Press.
Check out this cool video of Ford’s newest concept vehicle, the Ford Start.
The Ford Start was unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show – it is a design study of how to build a small and affordable city car, using as few raw materials as possible. The concept vehicle uses aluminum and high strength steel for its structure, to help keep weight down. The body panels are made of molded-in-color composites, which will eliminate the need for paint. The electronics will be in-line with what Ford is developing for the rest of its vehicles, but will require more interaction with the newest generation of smartphones, which will minimize the amount of hardware necessary.
Read more about this neat little vehicle at Autoblog.
Ford Motor Company just released its quarterly earning results, and the results are sweet! Ford posted a $2.1 billion profit, or 50 cents a share, compared to a loss of 60 cents a share during the same time period a year ago. Revenue was also up to $28.1 billion from $24.4 billion a year earlier. Ford also boosted its outlook by increasing production by 30,000 vehicles and now expects to build 625,000 vehicles in the second quarter of this year.
Ford’s success can be attributed to numerous factors, the most important of which are the amazing new products and the greatly increased quality of its vehicles. Way to go Ford!
Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
Ford’s EcoBoost has already been making strides in bringing over conquest buyers to the brand. EcoBoost is Ford’s way of categorizing its engines that feature direct gas injection and turbocharging. The concept is not exactly new, but instead of using the application for performance gains only (as in the Mazdaspeed3 or the Chevrolet Cobalt SS) FoMoCo has decided to use it to increase fuel economy as well. The added power of the turbo chargers means the engine can be downsized, taking weight out of the vehicle. The direct injection means the engine car run higher compression ratios and also run a slightly leaner mixture, allowing a reduction in emissions. This adds up to a more fun to drive vehicle that is easier on the environment too.
This week at the 2010 Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, Ford will announce that the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost will make its way into the 2011 F-150. This will be the first rear wheel drive application for this engine and should really show what this engine is capable of. The peak torque available at 1,500 rpm should appeal to truck buyers too, especially those who regularly tow or haul a large load around. The other announcement was that the 2.0L EcoBoost I4 will be going into the 2011 Ford Edge sometime this year. Ford also upped its sales predictions for EcoBoost to 1.5 million units by 2013 – way up from their original estimate of 750,000. Stay tuned for more details, until then, head on over to Autoblog.
(Image source: Ford)
Check out video of the new Apple iPad working with Ford’s SYNC!!!
Isn’t technology wonderful? Ford’s SYNC is so adaptable that it can even connect to Apple’s iPad, a device that went on sale just a few days ago. There are upgrades coming of course, but at least those upgrades are downloadable, and not hardware related.
The Ford Edge goes to the dogs…and comes back with an award!!!
The Ford Edge crossover has just been named the Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice Top Dog award from Bark Buckle UP! Things like ease of ingress/egress, ventilation, and the space a vehicle provides. Along with the Edge, 3 other Ford Motor Company products took home awards including the Ford Transit Connect, the Flex and the Lincoln MKT. For the full story, head on over to Autoblog.
(Image source: Ford)
Ford Motor Company is on such a strong roll they have decided to announce bonuses for salaried employees! The bonuses will be based off of several factors, most related to performance and how well the company fares over 2010. They also released details on a $3 billion early payout on some of the debt that Ford currently has. This is all in an effort to start improving their balance sheet and stay focused on the ONE Ford plan that has been proving time and time again that Ford has the products needed to move forward. For full details on the bonus and the loan repayment, head on over to the Detroit Free Press.
(Image source: Freewebs.com)
