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Prodrive develops supercharged Ford V8 for Falcon

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Etc., Ford, Australia

Prodrive powered Ford Falcon Boss 335

Prodrive turns the Falcon into a real Boss – Click above to view high-res image gallery

The latest news from Oz comes courtesy of Prodrive, which has a close relationship with Ford Performance Vehicles. Starting with a Coyote V8 engine block, Prodrive has created a supercharged V8 that’s lighter and more powerful than the naturally-aspirated unit it started with.

Known as the “Miami” engine, the supercharged V8 generates 449 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 420 pound-feet of torque from 2,200 rpm up to 5,500 rpm. By altering the boost levels, Prodrive offers a less powerful version that produces 422 horsepower.

Both versions are planned for use in various trim levels of the Ford Falcon four-door. The 315kw (422 hp) unit will be available in the Falcon GS while the 335 kW (449 hp) engine is offered with the Falcon GT, GT-E and GT-P. The Falcons will wear the Boss name on the fenders and both versions provide yet another reason to book a flight on Qantas.

Gallery: Prodriver develops supercharged V8 for Ford Falcon

Ford Falcon Boss 335 Prodrive supercharger Ford V8

[Source: Prodrive]

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Prodrive develops supercharged Ford V8 for Falcon originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost rated at 16 city, 22 highway

Filed under: Truck, Ford

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost smokes its tires – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s official: Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, as seen in the 2011 F-150 pickup truck, has been rated at 16 city and 22 highway by the EPA. And it’s also officially the engine to get if you’re shopping for a new Blue Oval workhorse.

To put it all into perspective, the 365-horsepower, 420-pound-foot EcoBoost-equipped F-150 offers 3,060 pounds of payload and 11,300 pounds worth of towing capability – both of which are best-in-class – and it gets better fuel mileage than any comparable engines offered by Ford’s competitors (see the graph after the break).

All this baked-in, twin-turbocharged goodness won’t even cost the buyer all that much money, as the EcoBoost engine option adds just $750 to the cost of a truck that would otherwise be equipped with the perfectly acceptable 5.0-liter V8, or $1,750 over the cost of the base 3.7-liter V6.

Money well spent, we’d say, especially considering that the more powerful EcoBoost beats the 5.0 when it comes to fuel efficiency (15/21) and nearly matches the 3.7’s 16/23 rating. Probably not when smoking its tires, though…

Want to know more? Feel free to check out the complete press release after the break.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost

[Source: Ford via PickupTrucks.com]

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2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost rated at 16 city, 22 highway originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2011: Ford Focus Electric ready to steal the EV spotlight

Filed under: CES, Hatchback, Ford, Electric

Ford Focus Electric

Ford Focus Electric – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf may have stolen the show for electric vehicles in 2010, but Ford is hoping to make big waves in 2011 with its first EV passenger car, the Focus Electric. The zero-emissions Focus hatchback makes its official debut at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show and Ford says the car will officially launch at the end of 2011 here in North America, with European customers expected to take delivery sometime before 2013.

Visually, the Focus Electric has an improved aerodynamics package to improve drag, incorporating a new front fascia that looks like something right out of the Aston Martin school of design. (Too bad this isn’t the Cygnet, huh?) The only other major design changes are the addition of a charging port with an LED ring to the left of the driver’s door and a new set of 15-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in low-rolling resistance tires. And speaking of LEDs, while the gasoline-powered Focus’ LED eyebrow above the headlamp is only available in Europe, Ford tells us that the North American-spec Focus Electric will wear this bit of accent lighting when it hits production.

Gallery: CES 2011: Ford Focus Electric

Ford Focus Electric

Gallery: Ford Focus Electric

Ford Focus Electric

[Source: Ford]

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CES 2011: Ford Focus Electric ready to steal the EV spotlight originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford nearly overtakes Toyota in Consumer Reports Brand Perception Survey

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Ford, Toyota

Consumer Reports has just released its latest brand perception study, and for the first time, Ford seems to be giving Toyota a run for its money. According to CR, the two brands are nearly tied up, though Ford has edged ahead in categories like safety, quality and value. The Blue Oval has been gaining serious ground recently – jumping 35 percentage points in the study in just two years. Meanwhile, Toyota has seen its score fall by 45 percentage points in the same period of time.

The study measures each brand across a handful of categories, including safety, quality, value, performance, design/style, technology/innovation and environmentally friendly/green. Scores are then averaged to generate a total brand perception. Consumer Reports notes that Toyota still leads the green category by leaps and bounds with a score of 46, though interestingly, it notes that buyers seem to be less and less concerned with just how environmentally friendly their vehicles are. Ford, meanwhile holds onto just 18 percentage points in the same category. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

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Ford nearly overtakes Toyota in Consumer Reports Brand Perception Survey originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: UAW may seek board seats at Chrysler, Ford and GM

Filed under: UAW/Unions

Bob King, UAW President

Automotive News is reporting that the United Auto Workers has set its sights on securing a position on the executive board of each domestic automaker. The move would mirror similar relationships between labor unions and German automakers in Europe, and UAW President Bob King says that his organization has broached the subject with the Big Three in the past. Moving forward, having a slot on each of the automakers ruling boards is something that the UAW will continue to push. King says that such a relationship would allow the UAW to preserve current jobs while advocating for the creation of new employment opportunities.

That’s all well and good, but as MT points out, there could be issues with plopping UAW representatives on the boards of America’s automakers. The biggest of those is that whoever the union chose to represent the organization would be facing large conflicts of interest when it came time to vote on labor decisions, though other issues would likely arise as well.

[Sources: Automotive News – sub. req. | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images]

Report: UAW may seek board seats at Chrysler, Ford and GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Chevrolet Camaro beats Ford Mustang in 2010 sales

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Ford, GM

Chevrolet Camaro wearing 2010 sales king crown

In the American sports car landscape, the Chevrolet Camaro is the king… of sales for 2010. For the first time since 1985, the Camaro has outsold its arch rival, the Ford Mustang. In fact, Chevrolet sold 7,655 more of its sporty coupes than the Blue Oval. General Motors moved 81,371 Camaros compared to 73,716 Mustangs.

Both automakers have reasons to celebrate, however, because sales for each model are up year over year. Compared to 2009, Mustang sales climbed 10.6 percent and Camaro sales soared by 31.9 percent. Ford and General Motors are looking at positive numbers across the board, with the exception of GM’s now-defunct brands. Heck… even now-defunct Mercury sales rose one percent in 2010.

[Sources: Ford, General Motors]
Photo copyright (C)2011 AOL

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Officially Official: Chevrolet Camaro beats Ford Mustang in 2010 sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford teases Focus electric ahead of CES

Filed under: Hatchback, Ford, Electric

2012 Ford Focus Electric

It’s been nearly a full year since Ford made it clear that the automaker is planning to roll out an all-electric version of its Focus, and now we have our first glimpse at what to expect from the car. The Blue Oval has dusted off its first teaser of the New Year with a shot of the charging port on the EV Focus. Interestingly enough, Ford has decided to skip the Detroit Auto Show as a venue for the vehicle’s unveil, opting instead for the electrified Focus to take a bow at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which runs from January 6 to 9.

Ford has previously announced that when the Focus Electric hits the market, it will initially only be available in Washington, D.C. and just 14 states. Buyers can expect to find a range of around 100 miles thanks to an array of lithium-polymer batteries supplied by LG Chem. The attentive of you will recognize that supplier as the same company that serves up the cells for the Chevrolet Volt.

We’ll have the full details about Ford’s Focus Electric in the coming days, so stay tuned.

[Source: Facebook]

Ford teases Focus electric ahead of CES originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford’s Big Goal in 2011: Get out of junk status, lower loan rates

Filed under: Ford, Earnings/Financials

2010 was a banner year for Ford Motor Company. Market share and profits were as good as they’ve been in years, and there is genuine buzz surrounding the Blue Oval’s cars and trucks. Heck, even Ford’s stock has been a monumental success. But not all that glitters is gold, as Ford is still mired in junk bond status, which in turn makes it more expensive to borrow money. That makes it more pricey for Ford to offer incentives to customers, and lease terms are less attractive than they would otherwise be.

K.R. Kent, Ford’s new executive director of investor relations, is charged with getting Ford out of Junk status. Automotive News reports that Ford has been in junk status since 2005 and is currently four grades below junk status after being upgraded by two levels back in August. Ford CFO Lewis Booth admits that the company still has “a lot of steps to go before we get to investment grade.” Making the matter more urgent for Ford is the fact that Ally Financial, the finance arm for General Motors and Chrysler, became a bank holding company in the second quarter of 2009. Since that time, AN says that it has been cheaper for Ally to secure loans than Ford Credit.

We’re thinking that Ford has a big job in the year ahead, and getting out of junk status will likely take improved auto sales and continued quarterly profits. Booth says Ford will reach its junk-free goal by showing the investment community “authoritative and highly credible insight into our automotive business and Ford Credit.”

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Ford’s Big Goal in 2011: Get out of junk status, lower loan rates originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet Volt, Ford Explorer named Detroit Free Press Car and Truck of the Year

Filed under: Sedan, Crossover, Chevrolet, Ford, GM, Electric

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery

As more and more Car and Truck of the Year awards pour in from a variety of major publications, it’s no shock that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt continues to take home top honors as the best car of 2011. Both Motor Trend and Automobile have deemed the Volt their Car of the Year, and General Motors’ high-profile EV is even a finalist for the prestigious North American Car of the Year award. (Our readers, however, would apparently rather see that honor go to the 2011 Hyundai Sonata). Thus, it’s no surprise that the Volt was just named Car of the Year by The Detroit Free Press.

Similarly, the 2011 Ford Explorer is in the running for North American Truck of the Year, and the Detroit Free Press is honoring it as the best ‘truck’ of 2011. Freep auto critic Mark Phelan states that in the road ahead, automakers must choose the “right shade of green” for each type of vehicle. Phelan explains:

“The Volt allows most owners to go weeks or months without stopping at a gas pump. The Explorer recasts America’s best-selling SUV in a fuel-efficient new form based on the same chassis as the Ford Taurus large sedan.”

Interestingly, The Detroit Free Press details its second and third place choices for Car of the Year, with the Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Leaf taking those spots, respectively. These two vehicles are finalists for the North American Car of the Year award, and we’re wondering if the Free Press‘ predictions foreshadow the decisions that the NACTOY judges will make (Note: Phelan is a member of the jury). We’ll have the answer to that in just a few weeks, but for now, we tip our hats to the Volt and Explorer on taking home the Detroit Free Press awards.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt: First Drive

2011 Chevrolet Volt

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer: First Drive

2011 Ford Explorer

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Chevrolet Volt, Ford Explorer named Detroit Free Press Car and Truck of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford recalling nearly 15,000 F-Series and Edge/Lincoln MKX crossovers

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Recalls, Safety, Ford

If you thought 2010 was going to wrap up with an all quiet on the recall front, think again. Ford and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration have announced the recall of 14,737 vehicles for a faulty body control module that may short out and cause a fire.

The recall covers certain 2011 models that were built in a six-day period, including some 2011 Edge, F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550 and Lincoln MKX vehicles. NHTSA says that if the body control module shorts out, it could overheat and cause a fire.

Dealers are expected to inspect the module and, if necessary, replace it free of charge. NHTSA says that Ford plans to start the work on or before January 10, 2011, and that owners may contact Ford directly with questions at 1-866-436-7332. Hit the jump for a look at the full recall notice.

[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]

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Ford recalling nearly 15,000 F-Series and Edge/Lincoln MKX crossovers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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