2015 Detroit Auto Show 2017 FORD GT

Honda wasn't the only nameplate bringing back a legend....

Published on Jan 12, 2015

Photos and information: http://www.rssportscars.com/cars/2017...

Ford today unveiled the all-new GT, an ultra-high-performance supercar that serves as a technology showcase for top EcoBoost performance, aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fiber construction.

The GT is one of more than 12 new Ford Performance vehicles coming by 2020. It joins Focus RS, F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R in the growing Ford Performance lineup.

Beginning production late next year, the GT hits the road in select global markets to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"As we at Ford drive innovation into every part of our business, it's worth remembering that our first innovation as a company was not in a laboratory, but on the racetrack," said Mark Fields, Ford president and chief executive officer, referring to Henry Ford's win of a 1901 car race that inspired financial backers to invest in his company. "We are passionate about innovation through performance and creating vehicles that make people's hearts pound."

The all-new GT supercar features rear-wheel drive, a mid-mounted engine, and a sleek, aerodynamic, two-door coupe body shell. It is propelled by the most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever - a next-generation twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 producing more than 600 horsepower.

Honda Civic, Ford F-Series top Canadian car, truck sales in first quarter

by Greg Keenan

The perennial leaders in car and truck sales remain on top of the list after the first quarter of 2014.

The Honda Civic compact leads the car sales rankings ahead of the Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla, while the Ford F-Series pickup leads the truck rankings and is the overall best-selling vehicle despite a 6-per-cent decline in sales.

Industry sales rose 1 per cent in the first three months of the year, slightly ahead of the record pace of last year. Canadians bought 358,392 vehicles in the first three months, compared with 355,212 vehicles in the same period a year earlier.

Data compiled by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. show that purchases of compact sport utility vehicles soared 20 per cent in the three months ended March 30, pushing that segment close to compact cars as the largest segment in the market.

“They are fuel efficient and are configured for optimum utility and are displacing some of the volume we normally see in the compact car segment which is down by 2.7 per cent,” analysts at DesRosiers said Wednesday.

Here’s a look at Canada’s top 10 cars and light trucks, year-to-date through March, 2014:

	Passenger Cars	2014	2013	% gain/loss
1	Honda Civic	12,407	11,287	9.9
2	Hyundai Elantra	10,373	11,337	-8.5
3	Toyota Corolla	9,162	7,881	16.3
4	Mazda3	8,286	8851	-6.4
5	Chevrolet Cruze	6,916	6,579	5.1
6	Volkswagen Jetta	6,179	7,024	-12.0
7	Ford Focus	3,900	4,734	-17.6
8	Hyundai Accent	3,885	3,764	3.2
9	Honda Accord	3,448	3,726	-7.5
10	Ford Fusion	3,339	4,398	-24.1

	Light Trucks	2014	2013	% gain/loss
1	Ford F-Series	24,383	25,870	-5.7
2	Ram Pickup	18,367	17,987	2.1
3	Dodge Caravan	11,130	10,055	10.7
4	Ford Escape	9,137	8,411	8.6
5	GMC Sierra	9,095	9,431	-3.6
6	Chevrolet Silverado	7,343	8,186	-10.3
7	Honda CR-V	6,764	5,785	16.9
8	Toyota RAV4	6,687	6,678	0.1
9	Hyundai Santa Fe Sport	6,194	5,711	8.5
10	Nissan Rogue	6,092	3,429	77.7

Source: DesRosiers Automotive Consultants

Source;
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/honda-civic-ford-f-series-top-canadian-car-truck-sales-in-first-quarter/article18122769/

William Clay Ford, Leader Of Ford Family, Dies

by Bill Koenig of www.forbes.com

William Clay Ford, leader of the Ford family, died today at 88, according to a Ford Motor statement.

Ford, who was also the owner of the NFL’s Detroit Lions, was the last surviving grandchild of company founder Henry Ford. He was normally in the shadow of his more colorful brother, Henry Ford II. “Hank the Deuce” led the automaker from 1945 until 1979.

William Ford would never have the top executive job at Ford Motor. He lived to see his son, William Clay Ford Jr., hold the chief executive officer post from 2001 until 2006 when Alan Mulally was recruited from Boeing Co.. The younger Ford is still executive chairman.

The senior Ford joined the company’s board in June 1948, before he even graduated from Yale University. Upon graduation in 1949, he became a company employee. In 1957, he was elected head of the design committee. Ford oversaw the design of models including the Continental Mark II, according to the company statement.

With the death of Henry Ford II in 1987, William Ford has been the family leader. The family has 40 percent voting power over Ford Motor stock.

William Ford became chairman of the board’s executive committee in 1978. He was named vice chairman in 1980 and chairman of the finance committee in 1987. He retired as vice chairman in 1989 and as finance committee chairman in 1995. He remained on the board until 2005.

At the Lions, Ford found a role as the No. 1 executive. He was named team president in 1969. He paid $4 million to buy the team in a deal that closed in 1964. It was worth $900 million as of August 2013, according to Forbes.

The team wasn’t as successful on the field as it was financially. Under William Ford’s ownership, it has won only one playoff game. In 2008, the team went 0-16, the first NFL team to go winless during a 16-game regular season. The Lions last won an NFL championship in 1957.

Source;
http://www.forbes.com/sites/billkoenig/2014/03/09/william-clay-ford-leader-of-ford-family-dies/

Ford expected to drop Microsoft, use BlackBerry QNX in next-gen Sync

Consumers have cited problems with the current generation of Ford's Sync system.

Craig Trudell and Jeff Green
February 22, 2014 - 4:18 pm ET 

 

TOKYO/DETROIT/TORONTO (Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co., struggling with in-car technology glitches, will base the next-generation Sync system on BlackBerry Ltd.'s QNX and no longer use Microsoft Corp.'s Windows, according to people briefed on the matter.

Using QNX will be less expensive than licensing Microsoft technology and will improve the flexibility and speed of the next Sync system, said the people, who declined to be identified because the decision hasn't been made public. Ford has more than 7 million vehicles on the road with Sync using Microsoft voice-activated software to make mobile phone calls and play music.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who was said to be a candidate to become Microsoft's CEO until early this year, has seen Ford slump in surveys by J.D. Power & Associates and Consumer Reports, with customers citing malfunctioning tech systems and touchscreens. Ford has said the quality of its vehicles have been "mixed" each of the past three years and fell short of its plan to improve those results in 2013.

Improving Sync is crucial for Ford to draw car shoppers who are increasingly looking to be connected at all times. In-vehicle technology is the top selling point for 39 percent of auto buyers, more than twice the 14 percent who say their first consideration is traditional performance measures such as power and speed, according to a study by the consulting firm Accenture released in December.

Apple, Google
Jay Cooney, a Ford spokesman, didn't immediately respond to phone and e-mail messages left outside of normal business hours. Peter Wootton, a spokesman for Microsoft who works for Waggener Edstrom, declined to comment. Paul Leroux, a spokesman for QNX, declined to comment.

The Ford and Lincoln brands ranked No. 26 and No. 27 out of 28 brands in Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey released in October. While the Lincoln luxury line matched the industry average in J.D. Power's Initial Quality study in June, the namesake finished 27th out of 33 brands.

Technology companies are battling for a greater presence in vehicles. Google Inc. announced an alliance with General Motors Co., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co. and chipmaker Nvidia Corp. in January to bring the Android operating system to cars. Apple Inc. is working with BMW AG, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan Motor Co. and others to introduce its iOS operating system to cars with devices such as the iPhone.

BlackBerry's QNX Software Systems can be found in cars made made by Volkswagen AG's Audi unit and BMW, according to its Web site. QNX and Microsoft are the main suppliers of automotive operating system software, according to researcher IHS iSuppli.

BlackBerry, at the time named Research in Motion Ltd., bought QNX Software Systems for $200 million in 2010. In addition to its presence in cars, QNX technology is used to manage nuclear power plants and by the U.S. military for unmanned aerial drones. Its customers include Cisco Systems Inc., General Electric Co. and Caterpillar Inc.

Source;
http://www.autonews.com/article/20140222/OEM06/140229953/ford-expected-to-drop-microsoft-use-blackberry-qnx-in-next-gen-sync#

Honda CR-V Tops Crossover Segment With Over 300,000 Sales in 2013 (USA)

By Karla Sanchez of www.automobilemag.com

It's been a tug-of-war between the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape for the top spot in 2013. And although it was a close race at times, the Japanese CUV clinched the title as the best-selling CUV in 2013, making it the second consecutive year it's been the sales king of the segment. For the first time ever, the CR-V topped 300,000 units, leaving the Escape in the dust with 295,993 units.


The Toyota RAV4 may have been the third best-selling CUV in December, but the Chevrolet Equinox took the overall third spot in year-to-date sales with 238,192 units sold versus 218,249 RAV4s sold. Following the Toyota CUV was the Nissan Rogue with 162,751 units, and in sixth place was the 2014 Motor Trend SUV of the Year, the Subaru Forester, with 123, 592 units sold. That left the GMC in seventh place with 99,525 units, while the Mazda CX-5 was next in line with 79,544 units. The Jeep Patriot finished behind the Mazda with 75,797 CUVs sold, while the XV Crosstrek rounds out the top-10 best-selling CUVs of 2013 with 53,741 Subies sold. The Jeep Patriot's cousin missed the cutoff with 52,993 Compasses sold.
The Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Juke, Kia Sportage, and Volkswagen Tiguan round out the top 15, and although it's only been on sale a couple months, the 2014 Jeep Cherokee still managed to barely surpass combined Mini Countryman and Paceman sales at 24,587 with 25,786. With so much progress in just a couple months, there's no doubt the Cherokee will make it into the top 10 next year.

Crossover	Year-to-date	December 2013	December 2012
Honda CR-V	303,904	28,759	25,733
Ford Escape	295,993	24,462	20,131
Chevrolet Equinox	238,192	17,212	19,551
Toyota RAV4	218,249	20,970	14,351
Nissan Rogue	162,751	14,676	11,488
Subaru Forester	123,592	13,229	8764
GMC Terrain	99,525	7998	11,516
Mazda CX-5	79,544	6720	5956
Jeep Patriot	75,797	6158	4566
Subaru XV Crosstrek	53,741	5525	3409
Jeep Compass	52,993	3534	3131
Hyundai Tucson	41,906	3714	3745
Nissan Juke	38,157	3076	2739
Kia Sportage	32,965	2527	1696
Volkswagen Tiguan	30,002	2464	3310
Jeep Cherokee	25,786	15,038	N/A
Mini Countryman/Paceman	24,587	2705	2224

Source;

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1401-honda-cr-v-tops-300000-takes-cuv-sales-crown-in-2013/

Automobilemag.com: 2015 Ford F150 Spied in the wild with Interior Spyshots

by Jake Holmes of www.automobilemag.com

Our spy photographer has finally managed to look inside the 2015 Ford F-150, giving us our first look at the cabin of the new pickup that is expected to debut next year. Although elements like chrome trim and toggle switches are missing, several design cues on this F-150 prototype are drawn from the Ford Atlas concept shown earlier this year at the 2013 Detroit auto show.

Like the Atlas concept, this 2015 Ford F-150 prototype has vertical air vents flanking the infotainment system, an angular instrument cluster shroud, and a wide center console with a chunky shifter. Our photographers caught versions of the 2015 Ford F-150 both with a standard Sync-equipped radio and with the MyFord Touch touchscreen interface. The former version has a large grid of plastic buttons at either side of a small display screen, while trucks with MyFord Touch have a large color touchscreen, as well as a smattering of physical preset, volume, and tuning knobs.

Further down the center stack, the 2015 Ford F-150 has large physical knobs for a dual-zone climate-control system. The steering wheel has sprouted no fewer than ten buttons and two five-button pads for controlling the infotainment system and cruise control.

Our previous spy shots reveal that the outside of the 2015 Ford F-150 will also draw heavily from the Atlas concept. The truck’s headlights have a cutout and an angular corner, while the front grille will use a trio of chrome bars anchored by one vertical bar and an enormous Ford Blue Oval badge.Farther back, the new pickup truck will have a boxy design with a slightly angled cab roof and mostly flat body panels. On SuperCab and SuperCrew trucks, the beltline appears to angle upward on the rear door, a styling trend employed on many modern vehicles to create a more dramatic greenhouse shape. Prototypes of the 2015 Ford F-150 also have a plastic air dam hanging below the front bumper, which likely helps reduce the truck’s drag coefficient and boost its fuel-economy ratings.

Ford previously said that the next-generation F-150 could drop as much as 700 pounds by switching out steel for high-strength steel and materials like aluminum and magnesium. Under the hood, expect the next F-150 to continue to offer its current range of V-6, twin-turbo EcoBoostV-6, and V-8 mills, albeit with mild changes for improved power and efficiency. It’s possible the truck will ditch its current six-speed automatic in favor of a ten-speed transmission co-developed with General Motors.

The 2015 Ford F-150 is expected to make its public debut in early 2014 at a major auto show.

Check out this link for a ton more pictures!;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/2015-ford-f-150-interior-spied-257833.html#axzz2mc58Cpv6

2015 Ford Mustang: The Real Thing, Leaked

by Nelson Ireson of www.motorauthority.com

While we refuse to call a Mustang a 'Stang (or a Camaro a 'Maro, for that matter) that's exactly what Autoweek has called the 2015 Ford Mustang in these leaked images of its next issue.

Sadly, while there is also text alongside the images in the leaked photographs of the magazine (via SVT Performance Forum), the resolution is so low as to make most of it unreadable.

One small area that is legible claims a 200-pound weight loss. That would put the 2015 Mustang at something close to 3,300 pounds in V-6 form. That's an improvement over the last Mustang, but not as svelte as we might have hoped.

We'll have to wait until December 5 for the full official details on the 2015 Mustang (or at least until the next leak), but we expect three engines to be offered: a 300-horsepower V-6, a 310-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder, and a 420-plus-horsepower V-8. Among the many likely variants are a GT350 model and possibly even a Mach 1.

Source;
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1088868_2015-ford-mustang-the-real-thing-leaked

Car and Driver has a 360 degrees View of the Next Generation Mustang

In a nation obsessed with the right now, few things have held up over the past 50 years as well as the Ford ­Mustang. The first pony car debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and instantly became a tent pole of Americana. Before the model officially turns 50 on April 17, 2014, Ford will celebrate its lasting ­contribution to the postwar-boom culture with a brand-new, much anticipated Mustang. 

But the times, they are a changin’ (yep, a song also released in 1964). Ford’s American icon continues to gain offshore admirers. The Blue Oval plans to sell the next Mustang globally, and to appease overseas buyers, the car will need to be lighter and more efficient. But that’s not to say that traditional fans will be disappointed. 

Bodywork

While the new Mustang will keep the somewhat hefty proportions of its predecessor, exterior dimensions will shrink ever so slightly. It will also cease to have stand-alone styling within Ford’s lineup. A number of design cues will evoke the familial design language pioneered by the Fusion, and the Mustang’s new front end clearly has been influenced by the brand’s Evos concept from the 2011 Frankfurt show. 

The car’s headlight motif joins the rest of the Ford family, but the upright grille remains Mustang-esque. It makes subtle use of the brand’s current Aston Martin-via-Dearborn mouth while still maintaining an appearance that’s unflinchingly pony car. The design proc­ess has taken longer than the folks at Ford would’ve hoped, we’re told, after the initial proposal was rejected for not being Mustang enough. We imagine that it was a little too Euro-soft, a little too much like the Evos.

In the final shape, a pair of large vents resides on the front of the hood, creating the appearance of flared mustang nostrils that hint at the power lurking beneath. The rear window features a sort of widow’s peak extending from the roof, à la the SRT Viper, and the side windows feature a more ­cohesive shape—as opposed to the quarter-windows separated by fat B-pillars on the current car—with an upward kink that resembles the new Corvette’s treatment. 

Interior

Retro is not completely dead in the new cockpit, either. Two large, tubular gauges will continue to sit in front of the driver as they do today, and circular air vents will reside atop the center stack, flanked by a rectangular duct at each end. The upper portion of the dashboard will be canted forward and have dual cowls, another cue from the Mustang museum. 

The center stack will offer either traditional stereo and HVAC controls or the MyFord Touch do-everything touch screen, available for the first time in a Mustang. After taking a drubbing in customer-satisfaction surveys, Ford is emphasizing the evolution of the MyFord Touch interface. The next-gen system debuts in the Mustang, offering redundant buttons and switchgear for those who prefer to handle real controls instead of virtual ones. The changeable ambient lighting continues, but it will spread beyond the dials, cup holders, and speakers to other points within the cabin, something also found in European luxury cars like the new S-class.

2015 Ford Mustang spy photos

Carry-Over Powertrains

At launch, the Mustang will be available with the same engine options offered by the current Mustang: a naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V-6 and the “Coyote” 5.0-liter V-8, each with the same power ratings as the Mustangs on showroom floors today (305 and 420 horsepower, respectively). Transmissions, too, will carry over at the outset, with shoppers given a choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. That will change in the two to three years after launch, when the 10-speed auto being jointly developed with GM will replace the six-speed slushbox. 

However, the Mustang’s 2015 model year will be a long one—as was 1965—and thus, Ford will offer powertrain upgrades in the months after its launch. Updates to the V-6 will be minimal, but we understand that the GT-badged “five-oh” will jump to 500 horsepower. 

Turbo-Four Cafe Special

Sometime after the new Mustang reaches dealer lots, we will begin to see interesting underhood options. With European and federal fuel-economy standards in mind, Ford will introduce the first turbo­charged four-cylinder Mustang since the 1986 SVO model. And the engine will be the same size, 2.3 liters, as that car’s four-banger. It’ll generate 310 horsepower with direct injection, and it will be marketed as an uplevel alternative to the base six. Its premium should be justified not only by its expected mileage gain but also by its high, flat torque curve.

Ford is also considering offering the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 found in the Taurus SHO. Tuned to churn out 400 horsepower (up from the 365 it makes in the SHO), this engine could potentially replace the 3.7-liter V-6 and serve as a natural steppingstone between the turbo four and the Coyote. The EcoBoost V-6 is unlikely to appear in the Mustang’s engine bay before the 2017 model year. 

A Stable Full of Wild Horses

Ford has many plans for ultra-high-performance Mustangs. The first will be a successor to the Shelby-branded GT500, and the company will continue to offer Ford’s “Trinity” supercharged 5.8-liter V-8 making 662 horses. Past the new-gen Shelby GT500, Ford has additional powertrain options for two more hi-po nameplates. 

The first is a twin-turbocharged V-8, code-named “Voodoo,” which displaces between 5.0 and 5.5 liters and, most intriguingly, has a “flat-plane” or 180-degree crankshaft, as Ferrari has used in its V-8s since 1973. This configuration, also found in the late Lotus Esprit V-8, is akin to connecting two four-cylinder banks to a common crankshaft. Flat cranks theoretically improve power, throttle response, and the soundtrack at the expense of greater vibration. This EcoBoost V-8 will produce between 550 and 600 horses. It will power a Shelby GT350–branded model that eventually will take over from the GT500, as Ford is desperate to discontinue that car’s costly and thirsty Trinity. 

The last high-performance Mustang will be a successor to the Boss 302. What will power it is still not finalized. If all goes according to plan, Ford would like to use a naturally aspirated version of the Voodoo engine. However, initial testing has not yielded the desired results in Dearborn, and it’s possible that a hotted-up version of the 5.0 Coyote could be used—as was the case in the previous Boss. 

Chassis

The introduction of an independent rear suspension, not seen in Mustangdom outside of the 1999–2004 SVT Cobra, will improve handling, ride comfort, and packaging. This should address some key Mustang criticisms and lend it credibility when taking on its European contemporaries in markets where the pony-car genre isn’t sustained by nostalgia and cheap fuel, as it is here. A new platform—code-named “S550”—will underpin this new Mustang, and through that architecture, Ford is expecting to shed some 200 pounds from the current car’s roughly 3500-pound curb weight.

Source (with a ton of other pics);
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/2015-ford-mustang-leaked-360-view-and-full-details-news

2016 Ford Mustang GT350 caught on video

  Should we have more than 450 bhp (335 kW)?

The Mustang fanatics at Mustang6G have managed to catch the 2016 Shelby GT350 on video.
While the car is heavily disguised, we can see it will have a four-tailpipe exhaust system that produces an intoxicating noise. Previous spy photos have also shown the model will have a hood-mounted scoop, lightweight wheels and a high-performance braking system.

Little else is known about the model, but speculation suggests it will replace the Shelby GT500 and adopt either the Shelby GT350 or SVT 350 name. There have also been rumors that the model will eschew the supercharged 5.8-liter V8 - that develops 662 bhp (494 kW) and 631 lb-ft (854 Nm) of torque - for a new engine that is derived from the 5.0-liter Coyote V8. There's no word on how much it will displace but Road & Track has said it will produce "substantially more" than 450 bhp (335 kW).

Thanks to Jon for the tip!

Source;
http://www.worldcarfans.com/113092663515/2016-ford-mustang-gt350-caught-on-video

2015 Ford Mustang rendered based on latest spy shots

These new renders with the 2015 Ford Mustang are based on the most recent spy shots with the sixth-gen pony car.

Earlier this month our spies were able to snap a few pictures with a prototype of the Ford Mustang wearing slightly less camouflage at the front which revealed a portion of the design. These two renders are based on those images and indicate that Ford has used the Evos concept as a foundation for the new Mustang's styling.

From what we know so far, the new generation will be about 400 lbs (181 kg) lighter than the outgoing model which means it will weigh around 3,100 lbs (1,406 kg). Powering the 2015 Mustang will be a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder EcoBoost (already confirmed for Europe), along with a rumored 5.0-liter V8. Reports are also indicating a V6 mill and a range-topping Shelby GT350 which will have more than 450 bhp (335 kW).

The all-new Ford Mustang is expected to be unveiled in January 2014 at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

Source: mustang6g.com 
Source via;
http://www.worldcarfans.com/113083062198/2015-ford-mustang-rendered-based-on-latest-spy-shots

Possible 2015 Ford Mustang clay models leaked - photos

To have a global design

These clay models could show the next generation of the Ford Mustang due in 2015.

Lately we have been talking a lot about the engines powering the next-gen Mustang but nothing about its styling. The Blue Oval company previously mentioned the car will have a more global design and by the looks of these images it will look more modern but at the same time paying tribute to classic Mustangs.

The photos were taken at Ford's design studio and reveal a fastback appearance with wide hips, a throwback to the Mustang Mach 1. If you look closely at the poster in the background of one of the photos, you can see the new design language Ford is working on which could partially find its way on the Mustang.

Keep in mind these might be some early designs, like the ones we saw yesterday for the LaFerrari. In other words, the new Mustang could look different.

Visit the source link below for more photos.

Source: mustang6g.com

Source;
http://www.worldcarfans.com/113032455623/possible-2015-ford-mustang-clay-models-leaked

2015 Ford Edge Accidentally Leaked

We had a suspicion that an all-new version of the Ford Edge crossover was coming soon. The current Edge is based off of the same platform as the 2012 Fusion sedan, which has been replaced this year with the fashion-forward 2013 model. Now, we have a glimpse at the more stylish 2015 Edge, thanks to Ford itself.

There’s a fair bit to chew over in this presentation, which was apparently given to analysts at Deutsche Bank, but the second-generation Edge caught our eyes. Like the 2013 Fusion, the 2015 Edge wears much more striking and aggressive lines. Prominent is the large hexagonal grille, which incorporates three silver bars, and the creased character line. Large wheels, chrome detailing, and a raked windshield complete what we can see from this small image. While the look isn’t quite as night-and-day as the Fusion’s transformation, the next Edge well be a big departure from the current car’s design. Interestingly, the grille of the 2015 Edge is unlike any other in Ford’s range – we would have expected it to either carry more of the Aston-Martin-esque themes from the 2013 Fusion and 2014 Fiesta or the double-grille treatment of the 2014 Transit Connect and 2013 EcoSport.

Expect the next Ford Edge to once again share most of its powertrain options with the Fusion. There’s little doubt that the 2.0-liter turbo-four will return, but the question remains if the Edge will receive the smaller 2.5- and 1.6-liter engines or the hybrid and plug-in hybrid setups. We wouldn’t be surprised if a six-cylinder option remained, be it the current car’s 3.5- or 3.7-liter V-6 or an EcoBoost turbo-six (since Ford maintains that it’s moving toward an all-turbocharged engine range). Chances are than a six-speed automatic will be the only transmission choice, and that buyers will be able to have either front- or all-wheel drive.

The current Edge (pictured below) made its debut in 2007 as a rival to the Nissan Murano, and received a major facelift (including the much-maligned MyFord Touch system) in 2011.

The 2015 Edge wasn’t the only gem in Ford’s presentation: it also indicated that there are three more models coming from its midsize C/D platform. According to the slide, there will at least seven models – the first four are the Fusion/Mondeo, Fusion Energi PHEV, Mondeo wagon, and Mondeo hatchback. One of those models is surely the new Edge; the other two Ford-badge models are most likely the next-generation Galaxy and S-Max people movers for Europe, which are due soon.

Source;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/report-ford-accidentally-shows-2015-edge-204971.html#axzz2Kt1GQlFr

Carscoop!: Ford Faces Federal Class-Action Lawsuit Over C-MAX and Fusion Hybrids MPG Numbers

It was probably a matter of time before someone picked up the Consumer Reports review that accused Ford of misstating the 2013 C-MAX Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid fuel economy numbers and filing a lawsuit.
 
The publication contested the 47 mpg city/highway/combined figure and said that the two Ford hybrids had the “distinction” of recording the greatest difference between the EPA-approved mpg and the ones it achieved during its own tests.
 
The McCuneWright law firm filed a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District South court in the Eastern District of California Richard Pitkin of Roseville, California, on December 7.
 
Pitkin wants Ford to reimburse both him and other owners the purchase price and rescind sales of both vehicles in California.
 
“We are aware of the matter but cannot discuss pending litigation”, a Ford spokesman told Autonews today. After the CR review, the Blue Oval responded that hybrids are sensitive to driving styles, while the EPA is reviewing the tests’ findings.
 
By Andrew Tsaousis

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/12/ford-faces-federal-class-action-lawsuit.html 

Mazda ends 20 years of US production, Ford to take over Flat Rock, Michigan plant

The last US-built Mazda rolled off the production line at Flat Rock, Michigan on Friday, said The Detroit News. As the Japanese carmaker moves Mazda6 (pictured) production to Japan, only the Ford Mustang will continue to be built there, with overflow production of the 2013 Ford Fusion expected to join sometime in the future.

Apart from confirming the news, both manufacturers have been keeping pretty quiet, but Ford has revealed to The Detroit News that it plans to spend US$550 million expanding the factory as well as adding 1,200 jobs to the existing 1,700.

The plant, also known as AutoAlliance International, started off as a Ford casting plant in 1972, shutting its doors in 1981. Six years later it was bought by Mazda and put to work building the Ford Probe and Mazda MX-6. It has been run as a joint venture between Ford and Mazda since 1992, producing the Mazda6 and the Ford Mustang in recent times.

Mazda is opening a new plant in Salamanca, Mexico, which will produce the Mazda2 and Mazda3. Recently the Hiroshima-based manufacturer announced that production of its CX-7 SUV had ended.

Source;
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-news/59853/britains-depreciation-winners-and-losers

'Talking' cars inevitable, says Honda

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- It is "inevitable" that U.S. automobile manufacturers will use technology that will allow vehicle-to-vehicle communications, an auto executive said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was in Ann Arbor, Mich., this week to launch a yearlong pilot project that will test vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communications.

The technology works with Global Positioning Systems to ease traffic congestion and prevent accidents that may be caused by conditions beyond a driver's line of sight.

"Vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to be the ultimate game-changer in roadway safety but we need to understand how to apply the technology in an effective way in the real world," National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator Director David Strickland said in a statement.

The University of Michigan will oversee road tests for 3,000 vehicles equipped with the wireless technology in the study.

The NHTSA said the technology could prevent 80 percent of accidents associated with rear-end collisions, blind intersections and from vehicles that may stop quickly but are beyond a driver's direct line of sight.

LaHood said road tests are necessary to determine whether the program is worthwhile. Participants include manufactures ranging from Ford Motor Co. to Honda.

"We do think this (technology) is inevitable," Bill Konstantacos, who is in charge of research for Honda in America, told Bloomberg News.

Source;
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Technology/2012/08/22/Talking-cars-inevitable-says-Honda/UPI-89431345638151/

How Ford, dealership handled this 2013 Escape recall

I don't normally like to put up bad press on recalls, especially from brands considered competitors to Honda, being as I am obviously a pro-Honda site I've always thought it would just come across as brand bashing. This however is an interesting read as to how things were handled, I've never seen anything like this before.... good on Ford.

My 2013 Ford Escape was taken by flatbed to the dealership and was replaced temporarily by a Ford Focus with 4 miles on the odometer.

By GREGORY SKWIRA of www.autonews.com

DETROIT -- I've had vehicles recalled before. But I've always been able to make it to the first payment.
So it came as a surprise when my cell phone rang Saturday morning and Southgate Ford in suburban Detroit told me my shiny 2-week-old Ford Escape was in need of attention -- as in right now.

I was away from home selling pottery at an art fair -- my other full-time job -- and (embarrassing for someone in my line of work) was a couple of days behind on auto industry news. I hadn't heard.

With most recalls you drop off the vehicle whenever -- next week, next month. This one was different: A manufacturing error by a supplier could cause a part in the fuel line to fail, potentially causing a 2013 Escape with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine to make like it's a Weber grill.

The woman on the phone was personable, courteous, professional, apologetic and eager to help. Here's how it would work:

My Escape would be taken by flatbed to the dealership and a rental car would be delivered. Parts are to begin arriving this week, and the Escape would be returned with a repaired fuel line, a wash job and a full tank of gas. (Alas, I had filled up about two miles before parking the Escape in the driveway.)

This afternoon, the loaner -- a new Focus with 4 miles on the odometer -- arrived, and my Escape headed off to the hospital. Earlier in the day, the woman at Southgate Ford had called twice to keep me apprised of the timing.

And, between those two calls, someone from Ford's customer service operation phoned to make sure the dealership had begun the process and that I was OK with it. She provided a case number and phone numbers in case I had questions, and said her office would be following up with phone calls.

Of course, in an ideal world you don't want to be delivering cars -- especially a new design of a very important model -- that can become rolling bonfires. It's a major screw-up in a very important launch. (Of a very nice vehicle, I should add.) But there are ways to be smart when you mess up, and Ford found a lot of them.

I'm sure the conversation between Ford and the errant supplier is vigorous and heated. But however that finger-pointing turns out, the bottom line is that the car-shopping public won't remember some Tier 2 supplier of which they've never heard; it's Ford that takes the hit.

Someone, or some group of people, at Ford was smart enough to know that and to get things done right.
Granted, it's easier to do that when there are only 4,800 vehicles in owners' hands. But the adjective that comes to mind is "Lexus-like."

Years ago, soon after Lexus (what? a Japanese luxury brand?) came to the United States, it had to call back some vehicles. Lexus gave owners excellent, thoughtful service of a type not seen before in auto industry recalls. People who watch these things say it was a key element in the brand becoming a player in the luxury market -- or at least not washing out before it had a chance to prove itself.

So my new flawed 2013 Escape, with 281 miles on the odometer, is at this moment rolling down the freeway on a flatbed. But I feel pretty good about Ford and about the dealership that sold it to me -- and that says a lot about how the company is handling this.

Source;
http://www.autonews.com/article/20120723/BLOG06/120729966/1499/how-ford-dealership-handled-this-2013-escape-recall

Feds investigate Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUVS for complaints about sticky throttles

By Dee-Ann Durbin,Tom Krisher, The Associated Press  

DETROIT - Government safety regulators are investigating complaints that throttles can stick on older-model Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUVs and cause them to crash.

The probe, announced Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, affects 730,000 SUVs from the 2001 to 2004 model years that are powered by V-6 engines.

The safety agency said it has received 99 complaints from owners of the SUVs alleging 13 crashes, nine injuries and one death caused by the problem. The throttles on the SUVs can fail to return to idle when the driver takes his foot off the gas pedal, according to agency documents.

Sixty-eight of the complaints were about the Escape, and 31 involved the Tribute, a nearly identical vehicle made by Ford for Mazda. Dearborn, Mich-based Ford used to own about one-third of Mazda. But Ford began cutting ties in 2008, and in 2010 lowered its ownership to 3.5 per cent.

Investigators are looking into whether the sticky throttles could have been caused by repairs made as part of a 2004 recall of the same vehicles. About 590,000 of the vehicles were recalled in December of 2004 to fix an accelerator cable defect, and the documents say the repairs could have damaged the cruise control cable.

The investigation is among the larger probes started by NHTSA in 2012. While many affect fewer than 100,000 vehicles, the agency this year began looking into door fires affecting 1.4 million Toyota Camry midsize sedans and RAV4 small SUVs. It also expanded a fuel tank fire probe in older-model Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs to include 5.1 million vehicles.

NHTSA investigations are the first step toward a recall, but they don't always cause cars and trucks to go back to dealerships for repairs.

The SUV investigation comes just over a week after the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group petitioned NHTSA to investigate the Escape and Tribute problems. The group also wants a hearing on whether Ford and Mazda met obligations to notify owners and fix defects in their vehicles.

But NHTSA said in documents filed Tuesday that it has denied the group's petition because the agency has been looking at the Escape and Tribute problems since early in 2012. The agency said it began gathering information after the driver of a 2002 Escape was killed in a crash in Payson, Ariz., this past January.

 Source;http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/91396--feds-investigate-ford-escape-and-mazda-tribute-suvs-for-complaints-about-sticky-throttles

Ford’s last appointee Thomas Pixton leaves Mazda board

Ford Motor Co. is now officially unrepresented in the board of Mazda Motor Corp. This came as the last Ford appointee on Mazda's board, Thomas Pixton, left the Japanese carmaker following its June 27 annual shareholders' meeting. Pixton’s exit from Mazda signals the end of an era that is marked by Ford’s control of the Japanese carmaker’s board. Ford first acquired a 25 percent stake in Mazda in 1979, when the latter was struggling financially. Mazda’s financial troubles once again paved the way for Ford to acquire additional stakes and increase its ownership to 33.4 percent in 1996.

However, fiscal winds changed directions and headed to Ford in 2008, forcing the carmaker to slowly divest its stake in Mazda to boost its emptying coffers. In a span of two years, Ford saw its stake in Mazda dwindle to 3.5 percent. In 2012, Ford sold another tranche of shares to effectively reduce its stake in Mazda to 2.1 percent. During Ford’s dominance in Mazda, the US carmaker was able to enthrone four of its executives as successive presidents of its Japanese partner. However, Ford’s control of Mazda as well as the number of board representatives dwindled as its stake decreased.

Despite the end of its involvement in Mazda, Ford remains as a partner in other ventures. Ford and Mazda still jointly own the AutoAlliance International Inc assembly plant in Flat Rock, Mich.; Mazda, however, decided in June to indefinitely suspend output of its vehicles at the plant. Both carmakers are also involved in a three-way joint venture in China with Chongqing Changan Automobile Co.; but they are assessing ways to break the venture up so that Ford and Mazda can have separate operations in China. Ford and Mazda also jointly own the AutoAlliance (Thailand) Co., assembly plant. The good news is that, the carmakers said in April 2012 that they will invest around $27 million to increase the plant's annual pickup capacity by 20,000 units to 195,000 units.

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/fords-last-appointee-thomas-pixton-leaves-mazdas-board/

Carroll Shelby, father of Cobra sports car, dies at 89

By Deepa Seetharaman
DETROIT (Reuters) - Carroll Shelby, designer of the Shelby Cobra and other sports cars that placed him in the pantheon of auto industry legends, has died at age 89, his company said on Friday. He died on Thursday at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, according to the company, Carroll Shelby Licensing. The firm did not disclose the cause of death. A post on his Facebook page last month revealed he had been hospitalized for pneumonia.

Shelby was one of the few prominent designers to work with all three major American car companies, starting with Ford Motor Co in the 1960s. His last collaboration with Ford was on the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500. 'My name is Carroll Shelby and performance is my business,' he said in an early Cobra commercial. Shelby was born in Leesburg, Texas, in 1923. He started racing cars in the 1950s, and in 1959 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a marathon race held in France. But he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition that forced him to quit racing. In 1960 he drove one race with nitroglycerin pills under his tongue. He complained that he would have won if not for the pills. Shelby had a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996.

In 1962 Shelby test-drove the AC 260 roadster, the car made with a Ford engine that would become the Shelby Cobra. His company built the first Cobras in Venice, California. Two years later, Ford asked Shelby to develop a high-performance Mustang. 'Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene or building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him,' said Edsel Ford II, grandson of the No. 2 U.S. automakers founder Henry Ford. His contract with Ford ended in 1970, and he then worked with Chrysler and General Motors Co. In 2001 Shelby was working with Ford again.

Shelby is survived by three children and his wife, Cleo.

(Reporting By Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Source;
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/carroll-shelby-father-of-cobra-sports-car-dies-at-89/997719.html

Ford Demands Ultimate Sacrifice From Japan: Kill Some Car Factories, Then We Talk

Steve Biegun of FORD

By Bertel Schmitt
Imagine what happened if the representative of a large Japanese or Chinese car company would demand that America should close some car factories before easier access to foreign markets would be contemplated. All hell would break loose, and the Seventh Fleet would steam in the direction of the loose cannon – if it is not already there. What happens if the representative of Ford says that Japan should be required to reduce the size of its auto industry before being allowed into regional free trade talks with the United States and eight other countries in the Asia Pacific? Business as usual.


Steve Biegun, Ford’s vice president for international government affairs, showed symptoms of severe disorientation when he gave an interview to Reuters. Not only did the former foreign policy adviser to Sarah Palin require that Japan shutters some car plants before the country is admitted into the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact. Biegun also claims that Japan is “the most protected automotive market in the developed world.”

This is a perplexing claim. The U.S. has one of the lowest tariffs on auto imports, 2.5 percent. It is outdone by Japan, which has the world’s lowest tariff: Zero.
Says Reuters:

 “But Ford contends the Japanese government maintains a number of regulatory and other “non-tariff barriers” to keep out most foreign cars and also intervenes heavily in currency markets to help its auto companies export cars.”

William Duncan, director of the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association’s office in Washington, says Biegun’s arguments are “rather bizarre,” and I agree.

Biegun’s claim that Japan manipulates its currency must be based on hallucinations, or drugs that trigger same. A look at a chart shows that the Japanese Yen is close to its all-time-high against the dollar, a fact that shunts Japanese exports more effectively than any trade policy. Claims that Japan manipulates its currency usually trigger a psychiatric evaluation, but don’t seem to be out of character for a Sarah Palin advisor.

Biegun repeats the old “non-tariff-barrier” talking points, but cannot name specifics. On that, Biegun and his colleagues are sitting in the glass house.  The U.S. market is surrounded by one of the highest non-tariff barriers in the world, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which are largely incompatible with the rest of the world that is more or less aligned behind UNECE standards or is derivatives.

A large part of the American cars that come into Japan don’t even have to adhere to Japan’s standard type approval. They are coming in under the Preferential Handling Procedure (PHP), a certification option for low-volume imported vehicles of less than 2,000 vehicles per vehicle type.  Under this procedure, cars can be brought into Japan with minimum paperwork, not even a test vehicle is required. Successful importers to Japan, such as Volkswagen, BMW or Daimler, have to contend with much more red tape than the Detroit whiners.

The Preferential Handling Procedure was,  says the Japanese manufacturer association JAMA, established in “1986 at the request of the United States Government to ease the burden on importers.”  The U.S. did not reciprocate and provides no such loophole for small volume imports.

Most of all, half of America’s automobile market, and the most profitable half, is surrounded by a tariff barrier as formidable  as the Chinese Wall: Since the early 60s, there is a 25 percent tariff on light trucks imported to the U.S., which pretty much stopped imports of light trucks to the U.S.

One continues to wonder what makes Ford and its Detroit friends resort to lies and distortions. More than 70 percent of all Japanese cars sold in the U.S. are already made there. With the yen being obscenely high (Sarah Palin won’t know, she rarely travels), exports from Japan get smaller by the day.

The moaning about being shut out of the Japanese market is ridiculous. American cars are largely unsalable in Japan. They are doing worse in Europe. GM exported a total of 109 cars from the US to Europe in the first three months of 2012, says ACEA. In the same period, GM exported 819 cars to Japan, says the Japan Automobile Importers Association.

Observers are scratching their heads when the U.S. car industry is going into hysterics about Japan and the TPP. Japan’s high yen is a much more formidable barrier to entry than  America’s 2.5 percent duty. Two possibilities:  Detroit wants to maintain the chicken tax. A silly exercise, given that even made-in-the-U.S.A. Japanese trucks are not taking the world by storm. Or, more plausible, the U.S. wants to keep Japan at a disadvantage when it comes to the emerging markets that are part of the TPP.

Source (via www.autoblog.com);
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/05/ford-demands-ultimate-sacrifice-from-japan-kill-some-car-factories-then-we-talk/