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Report: Ford feels Japan quake effect with shortage of red, black paint

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

2010 Ford Taurus SHO

2010 Ford Taurus SHO – Click above for high-res image gallery

Due to a pigment shortage stemming from the March 11 earthquake in Japan, Ford has had to stop taking new orders for cars in Tuxedo Black, and is limiting orders of three shades of red. Officials from Ford say they’re working on another source for the pigment as you read this, and have enough cars in each color to satisfy demand until production resumes.

The paint shortage affects the F-150 and Super Duty lines of pickups, as well as the Explorer, the Expedition, Focus, Taurus and the Lincoln MKS and Navigator. Ford’s slowdown follows General Motors, who slowed production of pickups in Shreveport, Louisiana, as well as compact cars in Europe following parts shortages.

Honda, Toyota and Nissan have all experienced slowdowns as a result of the quake, though none have had to limit color choices.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: Ford feels Japan quake effect with shortage of red, black paint originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 2012 Ford Focus ST is still our orange crush

Filed under: Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Ford

2012 Ford Focus ST

2012 Ford Focus ST hits the road – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We haven’t heard much about the 2012 Ford Focus ST lately, but never fear, it’s still destined for our shores. After all, it would be downright cruel for Ford to not offer the hottest variant of its new global Focus here in the States, especially when we’ve been denied all of the Euro-spec hot hatch fun for so long.

To recap, the Focus ST uses FoMoCo’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-four, good for 247 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. There’s a six-speed manual gearbox to send that power to the ground, and though the car is fitted with front-wheel drive, the automaker’s torque-vectoring power control system is on hand to keep things from getting too squirrely. Inside, there are Recaro sport seats, orange trim and a thick steering wheel that we can’t wait to get our hands on.

Until the Focus ST officially hits the road, we’ll have to satisfy our craving for Blue Oval hot hatchery with this video, which you can view after the break. It’s certainly not the most exciting piece of film ever published on the Interwebs, but it’s enough to make us fall in love with the ST all over again.

Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus ST

2012 Ford Focus ST

[Source: YouTube via Carscoop]

Continue reading Video: 2012 Ford Focus ST is still our orange crush

Video: 2012 Ford Focus ST is still our orange crush originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Ford Fiesta gets sport appearance package with slight performance upgrade

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Ford

2012 ford fiesta

2012 Ford Fiesta w/ Sport Appearance Package – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ford wants you to get personal with the 2012 Fiesta. Be it through custom exterior graphics or LED lighting, Ford offers something to make your Fiesta truly your own. Now, if you opt for the SEL or SES trims, you can also choose from a pair of new two-tone interior color schemes. The 2012 Fiesta can be outfitted with Oxford White or Race Red, both of which are paired with black.

Besides the interior style touches, the 2012 Ford Fiesta is now being offered with a sport appearance package. It includes blacked-out side mirrors, grille-surround, upper rear-hatch spoiler and a set of 16-inch polished alloy wheels. This isn’t just for looks, though. When equipped with a manual transmission, the standard 4.07 gear ratio gets swapped out for a 4.25 final drive ratio, meaning off-the-line acceleration should prove to be a bit more brisk.

Check out the new interior options in the gallery below, and click past the jump to read the full press release.

Gallery: 2012 Ford Fiesta

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading 2012 Ford Fiesta gets sport appearance package with slight performance upgrade

2012 Ford Fiesta gets sport appearance package with slight performance upgrade originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Focus Electric gets connected by AT&T

Filed under: Technology, Hatchback, Ford, Electric

MyFord Mobile App

MyFord Mobile App for the 2012 Focus Electric – Click above for high-res image gallery

Hot on the heels of Audi’s announcement to use T-Mobile for its future wireless data needs, Ford has partnered with AT&T to provide connectivity to the 2012 Focus Electric.

Nearly every EV or plug-in hybrid coming to market will offer some combination of embedded wireless data and an accompanying smartphone app, and as we saw at CES with our exclusive hands-on of MyFord Mobile, FoMoCo will be offering a similar solution for its all-electric Focus hatchback.

The partnership Ma Bell and the Blue Oval involves an embedded wireless connection in the EV that allows drivers with the MyFord Mobile app to keep track of charging, set specific times of the day to juice up (late at night when electrons are cheap) and receive a variety of notifications, ranging from battery status to maintenance reminders.

MapQuest has been tapped to provide charging station locations, range alerts, trip planning and vehicle location, and the MyFord Mobile app also includes the ability to remotely lock and unlocks doors, heat and cool the interior and download performance and system data. And if your phone doesn’t have the app, you can use any HTML5-based or WAP 2.0-supported browser to keep tabs on your EV. Hit the jump for the full details and check out our write-up on MyFord Mobile.

Gallery: Hands On: MyFord Mobile App

Continue reading Ford Focus Electric gets connected by AT&T

Ford Focus Electric gets connected by AT&T originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: How Ford fights interior glare

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos, Ford

Ford Visual Performance Evaluation Lab fights interior glare

Ford Visual Performance Evaluation Lab – Click above to watch video after the jump

Engineers get to play with all the fun toys. Just look at the researchers within the Ford kingdom. In a quest to make sure FoMoCo cabins are easy to use no matter what the lighting conditions, the automaker has set up a special room with enough artificial light to accurately mimic the sun. All told, there are over 6,000 watts of power on hand, and the lamps ride on an automated track to provide various lighting angles. The room is part of the Ford Visual Performance Evaluation Lab.

Why go through the trouble of subjecting vehicle interiors to massive rays? With the increased number of LCD screens spread throughout its vehicles’ cabins, Ford wants to make sure that drivers can accurately and quickly access applicable information without being hindered by pesky hangups like screen glare.

It also sounds like a sweet place to spend time during the darker months of Michigan’s winter. Hit the jump to see a video of the lighting system for yourself.

[Source: Ford via Gizmodo]

Continue reading Video: How Ford fights interior glare

Video: How Ford fights interior glare originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Continental recalling nearly 400,000 tires used on Ford F-Series pickups

Filed under: Truck, Recalls, Ford

2008 Ford F-250

Due to some apparently shoddy rubber, Continental and Ford are recalling 2008-2009 F-250 and F-350 pickup trucks equipped with certain tires. The issue lies with nearly 400,000 Continental tires that are susceptible to uneven wear and, in certain situations, can experience tread belt separation. If that occurs, the risk of an accident will rise substantially.

This recall affects trucks built from May 6th, 2007 through September 20th, 2008. Approximately 390,657 units are faulty and the specific tires in question are:

Continental Contitrac LT275/70R18 125/122S (outline white letters, black sidewall)
Continental Contitrac TR BSW LT275/70R18 125/122S (black sidewall)
Continental Contitrac TR OWL LT275/70R18 125/122S

Click past the jump to read the full NHTSA bulletin. And yes, we clearly are all reminded that this isn’t the first foray Ford has had with not-so-great tires…

[Source: NHTSA via Consumer Reports]

Continue reading Report: Continental recalling nearly 400,000 tires used on Ford F-Series pickups

Report: Continental recalling nearly 400,000 tires used on Ford F-Series pickups originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos: Ford hires wisecracking, handsy puppet to promote 2012 Focus

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Ford, Humor

Doug the puppet as Ford Focus spokesperson

Doug is announced as spokesperson of the 2012 Ford Focus – Click above to watch video after the jump

Ford is very excited about its all-new 2012 Focus. The model will be the focus of a major advertising campaign moving forward, and the automaker has apparently decided to hire a spokesperson to travel the country and talk all-things Focus. Well, we say ‘spokesperson,’ but Ford is going in a very weird direction here because they’ve enlisted the help of a puppet… named Doug.

If you think that sounds ridiculous, you’re not alone. We first heard the concept and nearly spit coffee straight into the screens of our laptops. Then Ford shared the first videos and we again nearly spit out our coffee… because the first clips are hilarious thanks to Doug’s waggish and flirty behavior.

It’s not easy to make a puppet funny, but Ford has gone out and hired some serious talent. The director of the first clip, which you can see after the jump, is none other than Paul Feig. He was a writer on Freaks and Geeks and has directed episodes of The Office, Parks and Recreation, Weeds, 30 Rock and Arrested Development. Paul is not alone on this project, however, as the collective resume of the writing team is filled with titles like The Simpsons, Borat, Reno 911 and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

The first clip features Ford ‘officials’ announcing Doug as its new spokesperson. John Ross Bowie, writer for the campaign and otherwise known as Barry Kripke on Big Bang Theory, plays the role of Doug’s handler. Ford found Doug after he was seen in a series of clips that went viral. Doug foiled a robber, saved someone having a heart attack on a bus and helped a woman choking in a restaurant. Click past the jump to watch the three Focus videos, along with a brace of other Doug videos.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Videos: Ford hires wisecracking, handsy puppet to promote 2012 Focus

Videos: Ford hires wisecracking, handsy puppet to promote 2012 Focus originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ford, JabbaWockeeZ compare the V6 and V8 Explorers

Filed under: SUV, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Ford

2011 Ford Explorer

JabbaWockeeZ and the 2011 Ford Explorer – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Ford has called on the JabbaWockeeZ dance crew to illustrate that the V6 in the 2011 Ford Explorer can handle the same tasks that last year’s V8 did while netting better fuel economy along the way. For those of you who don’t know, JabbaWockeeZ are perhaps the best hip-hop dance crew around right now.

If their routines describing the performance of Ford’s engines are anything to go by, 2011 Ford Explorer owners won’t be able to tell any appreciable difference between their car’s 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and the 2010 model’s 292-hp V8.

Even with two fewer cylinders, Ford was able to pull the new six to within two horsepower of its older sibling. Impressive, especially when you consider that the 2011 Explorer nets 17/25 miles per gallon city/highway while the 2010 model only mustered up 14/20 mpg. We’ll let JabbaWockeeZ explain the rest. Follow the jump to watch the video.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Ford, JabbaWockeeZ compare the V6 and V8 Explorers

Video: Ford, JabbaWockeeZ compare the V6 and V8 Explorers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Sights and sounds of Ford’s Mustang Boss 302S race car

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Ford, Racing

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302S

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302S – Click above to watch the video after the jump

With the launch of the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 street car in the books, Ford has turned its attention to the racetrack and has begun testing the Boss 302S race car that is set for production later this year. The Boss 302S was unveiled in December as a replacement for the FR500S Mustang and is a notch above the Laguna Seca package but not quite as hardcore as the Boss 302R.

Fortunately, Ford Racing had the cameras rolling at the recent test session at Homestead-Miami Speedway and has uploaded some footage of the Boss 302S on track. The car sounds even better than the street car and is capable of hitting 150 miles per hour on Homestead’s front straight. Turn up your speakers, then click past the jump to watch the video.

Gallery: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302S

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Sights and sounds of Ford’s Mustang Boss 302S race car

Video: Sights and sounds of Ford’s Mustang Boss 302S race car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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