Tag: ford

Report: Ford Mustang returning to Australia in 2016

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Ford, Australia

Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper has reported that the next-generation Ford Mustang is heading Down Under in 2016, just as Ford is hanging the “Closed for Good” sign on its Australian manufacturing operations and sending the Falcon to its grave. Ford hasn’t offered any official word on the matter, but the paper says that Ford’s global VP of sales and marketing, Jim Farley, is flying to Australia to make the announcement himself.

While Ford converted Mustangs in the early 2000s from left-hand to right-hand drive for the Australian market and then sold them at high prices, it’s been almost five decades since Ford imported a dedicated right-hand-drive Mustang to Oz. The arrival of the global model specifically made for places like Australia and the UK means Ford will also be able to offer them at better prices than the converted models; the Herald Sun says the price is expected to be “close to $50,000.”

And that’s for one of the “V8 performance models,” which are the only ones Australia will get; Ford apparently won’t send the turbocharged four cylinder or the V6. The Aussies could find out in a month from now whether this rumor is true. We will all find out what this Mustang fuss is about when the car debuts at next year’s New York Auto Show.

Ford Mustang returning to Australia in 2016 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What an Atlas-based Ford F-150 might look like

Filed under: Concept Cars, Truck, Ford, Design/Style, Off-Road

2015 Ford F-150 rendering

Ford Atlas Concept - dead on front end closeup Just ahead of January’s Detroit Auto Show, surprising rumors pegged Ford as revealing some sort of F-150 concept, perhaps as a hurried effort to deflate some of the buzz building around General Motors’ new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra twins, which were also making their auto show debut. Those rumblings turned out to be true, as Ford rolled into the Motor City with its Atlas concept (inset, right), touting the truck’s bold styling as a precursor to the next-generation F-Series.

The show truck featured all kinds of clever details, including active wheel shutters and a front air dam that raised and lowered to improve aerodynamics while preserving off-road ability. It also had a genuinely snarly face. And it’s that pugnacious snout that may well be on its way to production. The good folks at TopSpeed have worked up the plausible-looking artist’s rendering above by cross-referencing the Atlas concept with what little has been revealed from recent spy shots. The look is toned-down pretty dramatically from the concept truck, but its Atlas roots are clear, with a massive three-bar grille and bracket-shaped headlamps hiding a next-generation EcoBoost engine. In the rendering, the show truck’s deeply contoured hood and roofline have been ditched and larger, more traditional side mirrors have been fitted – all likely concessions in the move to production sheetmetal.

While Ford has yet to officially announce when it will unveil the 2015 F-150, all signs point to next year’s Detroit Auto Show – one year after the Atlas shrugged off GM’s new pickups.

What an Atlas-based Ford F-150 might look like originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jun 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor adds some sport to shake things up

Filed under: Performance, Truck, Ford

2014 Ford F-150 Tremor - front three-quarter view

Like most quakes, the 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor caught us by surprise. We weren’t expecting Ford to offer up another version of its best-seller so soon before the truck’s full redesign, but that’s exactly what the company is doing.

While Ford calls the Tremor a “performance truck,” the new pickup doesn’t play on the same level as the SVT Raptor does on dirt, or even the long-gone SVT Lightning did on pavement. Think of it as a parts bin sport truck that probably does a better job looking the part than acting it. The Tremor utilizes the same twin-turbo, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 available across the F-150 lineup, producing 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, but matches it with a 4.10 rear axle – the shortest final drive ratio you can get in an F-150 – for the strongest possible acceleration.

The Tremor does do a decent job looking the part. Available only in short-wheelbase, regular cab configuration with your choice of two- or four-wheel drive, it struts around wearing the F-150’s FX Appearance Package, flat black accents, 20-inch black wheels, HID headlights and a special exterior graphics package. The Tremor is the only regular cab F-150 with a flow-through center console, which means it also gets a floor-mounted shifter and bucket seats that are covered in black leather with red piping. Some brushed metal accents and steering wheel with red stitching round out the interior upgrades.

Ford has yet to release pricing for the 2014 F-150 Tremor, but you can read the company’s official line on its latest model below.

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2014 Ford F-150 Tremor adds some sport to shake things up originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jun 2013 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ford Fiesta ST in startling track battle against Toyota GT86

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Ford, Scion, Subaru, Toyota

Ford Fiesta ST versus Toyota GT86 by Evo - video screencap

On the surface, there’s very little that the Ford Fiesta ST and Toyota GT86 (or the Scion FR-S that is sold in the US, or the largely similar Subaru BRZ) share in common. One is a hatchback with power coming from a turbocharged engine routed to the front wheels. The other is a coupe with power coming from a naturally aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine routed to the rear wheels.

Thing is, both of them are reasonably priced performance cars aimed at a similar segment of the automotive marketplace, so a comparison isn’t out of the question. It is with all of this in mind that we direct you to the video below, in which the blokes from Evo pit the two manic little machines against one another on a race track. The result? Well, it can be summed up this way: Fast versus fun.

See how the track battle goes down in the video below.

Continue reading Ford Fiesta ST in startling track battle against Toyota GT86

Ford Fiesta ST in startling track battle against Toyota GT86 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Ford F-150 bumps Camry from top of Cars.com American Made Index

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota

2013 Ford F-150 XLT

With July 4th just around the corner, what better time could there be for Cars.com to announce that the Ford F-150 is the Most American car of 2013? This may be especially true since it was the Toyota Camry, a car produced by a company based in Japan, that had held the top spot from 2009 to 2012.

Cars.com compiles its Most American list by considering the amount of parts each vehicle uses that come from America, where it’s final assembly takes place and how many units per year are sold. “While the assembly point and domestic parts content of the F-150 didn’t change from 2012-2013, vehicle sales are responsible for bumping the F-150 to the top spot,” according to Patrick Olsen, Editor-in-Chief of Cars.com.

As far as automakers go (as opposed to individual models), Toyota retains the top spot it held in 2012, with General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and Honda (in that order) rounding out the list. The motivation behind this list each year, according to Olsen, is “to help car shoppers understand that ‘American-Made’ extends beyond just the Detroit three” and because “a study we conducted in 2012 indicated that 25 percent of shoppers surveyed preferred to buy American.”

It should be noted, however, that Cars.com isn’t the only group with an American-made study, and not everyone agrees on the methodology used. In fact, a highly detailed study earlier this year by American University’s Kogod School of Business found that the Lambda CUV triplets from GM are the most American-made nameplates, and there isn’t a single vehicle from a Japanese automaker anywhere near its top ten.

Feel free to browse the press release below to see how the full top-10 list breaks down.

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Ford F-150 bumps Camry from top of Cars.com American Made Index originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 Jun 2013 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson rides off into the sunset

Filed under: Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Motorcycle

2013 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition with motorcycle

In recent weeks, there’s been a lot of talk about high-margin fullsize pickup sales driving the market toward higher-content branded editions – models like the Chevrolet Silverado High Country, Ford F-150 King Ranch and even the Ram 1500 Red Wings Edition. Often mentioned in that same breath has been the F-150 Harley Davidson Edition, a co-branding partnership between the Blue Oval and America’s most famous motorcycle builder that started back in 2009. But now, it appears that the tie-up has drawn to a close, with Automotive News reporting that Ford has axed the F-150 Harley-Davidson.

No reason has been cited for shuffling this F-150 model off to hog heaven, but AN quotes Doug Scott, Ford’s manager of truck marketing as saying, “We don’t have plans for one at the moment… we’ve got 10 models including a brand-new Limited Model, which was new for 2013. We feel like we’ve got the market really well covered.” Other sources in Ford’s dealer body quoted by AN say they don’t mind that the F-Series HD is gone from their order guides, as it was a low-volume model.

Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson rides off into the sunset originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 2015 Ford Mustang spied on video for the first time

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ford

2015 Ford Mustang prototype caught testing while disguised - video screencap

Not many cars will continue to hold our rapt attention quite like the upcoming redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang, codenamed S550 internally. Earlier this month, we brought you the first spy photos of a next-gen Mustang prototype out testing, and even though expertly placed cladding concealed the pony car’s new shape, we could tell that underneath was hiding an altogether new form inspired by the Evos Concept from 2011.

Today we give you some video of what looks to be the same Mustang prototype, which you can watch below, and while the budding director behind the camera wasn’t able to capture much in the way of the engine’s audio signature, we can see the car in motion for the first time and compare its relative size and shape to the S197 Mustang GT that’s on its tail.

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2015 Ford Mustang spied on video for the first time originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: BMW V8-powered Ford Model A is the definition of Hot Rod

Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Performance, Truck, Videos, BMW, Ford, Specialty

BMW V8-powered Ford Model A - video screencap

Today, hotrodding has a pretty staid definition. Take one classic American car, add one classic American V8, sprinkle with tire smoke and you pretty much have every hot rod to roll out of a shop in the last 40 years. Mike Borroughs knows it wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, getting your bucket to go faster meant grabbing whatever parts were lazing about the yard, bolting them together with a bit of ingenuity and laughing your way down the quarter mile. It’s in that spirit that Burroughs built his 1928 Ford Model A.

Rather than turn to the tired flathead or the common Chevrolet small block, Burroughs plucked a 4.0-liter V8 from a 1995 BMW 7 Series. With 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, the engine has no trouble shuffling the old A around town. He had to build a custom chassis to get everything to cooperate, but the result is a 1,500-pound heathen that looks built to harass dry lake beds. You can check it out in the video below. Be warned, the soundtrack by Hanni el Khatib may not be safe for work – awesomeness of this caliber rarely is.

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BMW V8-powered Ford Model A is the definition of Hot Rod originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Ford using robot drivers to test durability [w/video]

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Safety, Technology, Work, Ford

In testing the durability of its upcoming fullsize Transit vans, Ford has begun using autonomous robotic technology to pilot vehicles through the punishing courses of its Michigan Proving Grounds test facility. The autonomous tech allows Ford to run more durability tests in a single day than it could with human drivers, as well as create even more challenging tests that wouldn’t be safe to run with a human behind the wheel.

The technology being used was developed by Utah-based Autonomous Solutions, and isn’t quite like the totally autonomous vehicles being developed by companies like Google and Audi for use out in the real world. Rather, Ford’s autonomous test vehicles follow a pre-programmed course and their position is tracked via GPS and cameras that are being monitored from a central control room. Though the route is predetermined, the robotic control module operates the steering, acceleration and braking to keep the vehicle on course as it drives over broken concrete, cobblestones, metal grates, rough gravel, mud pits and oversize speed bumps.

Scroll down to watch the robotic drivers in action, though be warned that you’re headed for disappointment if you expect to see a Centurion behind the wheel (nerd alert!). The setup looks more like a Mythbusters experiment than a scene from Battlestar Galactica.

Continue reading Ford using robot drivers to test durability [w/video]

Ford using robot drivers to test durability [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford Fusion demand outstripping supply

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

2013 Ford Fusion

The attractive new 2013 Ford Fusion has done wonders for the brand in the highly competitive midsize sedan segment – the vehicle is up nearly 22 percent compared to last year. But that sales momentum may soon hold steady due to low inventory levels of the new Fusion across the United States.

According to a report in The Detroit News, citing automotive data and Ward’s Auto, Ford currently has a 39-day supply of the Fusion. That might sound fine, but a normally healthy average is about a 60-day supply. If Ford were to stop production on the Fusion today, there would only be enough vehicles available to get through another five weeks of sales, according to the News.

Currently, Ford produces the Fusion at its three-shift assembly plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, and will add production at its facility in Flat Rock, MI later this year. A Ford spokesperson told The Detroit News that when Flat Rock production comes online, the automaker will need to rush new stock out to the regions with the most demand for the Fusion. Ford has doubled its coastal retail market share, with huge amounts of growth in areas like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, the News reports.

The Hermosillo plant is capable of producing roughly 300,000 Fusions annually, and Flat Rock should be able to make another 100,000 or so each year. This added production in Michigan – more than 8,000 units each month – would easily allow Ford to catch up to segment-leaders like the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.

Ford Fusion demand outstripping supply originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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