When asked recently if driving the showroom version of the Ford Fusion was anything like driving his Fusion racecar, Mark Martin, a 19-year veteran of the Nascar circuit and owner of a Ford dealership in Batesville, Ark., chuckled and said, "Not really."
The much-anticipated 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 will start at $42,975, including a $745 destination charge and a $1,300 gas-guzzler tax. The Shelby GT500 convertible will start at $47,800, including shipping and the gas-guzzler tax, Ford told Inside Line on Friday.
A confluence of factors will cause North American production over the year\222s final three quarters to be the lowest for the period in 10 years, according to the latest report from Ward\222s AutoForecasts. Fortunately, a strong showing in the first quarter will keep the calendar year comparison a bit more favorable, with total 2006 output at a 5-year low.
There are trucks, and then there are trucks - and the new ROUSH Stage 3 version of the Ford F-150 certainly ranks among the highest predators on the truck food chain.
Ford spokespeople let it slip that the company is considering SVT variants of its new Edge crossover and Fusion sedan. The move would support Mark Field's statements last month that SVT is alive and well, and not on its deathbed as previously rumored.
For 2007, Super Duty steps up the ante for F-250 and F-350 Crew Cab and SuperCab Lariat models with the new Lariat Outlaw and Lariat Highline trucks. \223With more and more Super Duty customers moving upscale, the Highline and Outlaw packages give us exciting new trim levels that further differentiate our trucks,\224 says Robert Keller, Super Duty marketing manager.
On sale later this summer, the '07 FX2 is basically a trim package on an F-150 4x2 chassis, providing a monochromatic look with some interior flourishes \227 essentially a street-truck companion to the rugged FX4 off-road model.
Ford CEO Bill Ford said the automaker is considering a plug-in hybrid, which can be charged from an ordinary electrical outlet and have a greater range in all-electric mode.
Ford has introduced a new Internet site aimed at young people that teaches driving skills. Called "Driving Skills for Life," the Web site is intended to help remedy the problem of high accident rates among new teen drivers.
The introduction of the 2007 Explorer Sport Trac production model was welcome, but rediculously understated as there was only one model available - locked and roped off to the public. Despite some disappointments, Ford still had a solid showing of the Explorer.
Advanced Product Creation and SVT program director Hau Thai-Tang calls the new GT500 \223The most capable Mustang ever.\224 And with 500 horsepower and 480 torques, it\222d better be. Basically, the Shelby\222s motor is a detuned version of the 5.4L blown meat-grinder in the GT, utilizing the same four-valve cylinder heads, piston rings and bearings.
Called \223the best Mustang we have ever built,\224 by Jack Roush himself, the Stage 3 Stang features the GT\222s 4.6L V8 with an intercooled ROUSHcharger system that includes a specially calibrated ECM. The ROUSH treatment nets an additional 115 horsepower over stock bumping the total number of ponies to 415 and torque now stands at 395 ft-lbs.
An unidentified Ford parts supplier is at fault for a manufacturing problem in some automatic transmissions, forcing a halt of manufacturing in seven of the maker's plants.
Ford Motor Co., a sponsor of Fox\222s \223American Idol\224 reality show, is planning its own television reality program in which the participants develop concept cars with Ford designers, the Detroit News reported in Thursday editions.
Jason Heffner, best known for his modifications to Dodge Vipers, posted a teaser photo of the twin-turbo Ford GT they are working on, that should generate between 800-850 flywheel horsepower, with more than 1200 hp capable with the right equipment.
Reports of SVT's demise have been grossly exaggerated, or so Ford Motor Company says. Mark Fields, Ford's turnaround guru, said at the New York Auto Show the company will offer a beefed up Mustang and a speedy truck via its SVT brand, and should sell 5,000 to 10,000 of each one. The truck won't likely be the Explorer Sport Trac Adrenaline, which was sacrificed to The Way Forward gods.
The dice have been cast on the Shelby GT-H in Las Vegas where production of the limited edition Mustang has just begun at Shelby\222s facility in the city of sin. The resurrected \223Rent-A-Racer\224 will populate the planet to the tune of 500 copies that will be made available to rent through the Hertz Fun Collection at select airport locations nationwide later this year.
Ford Motor Co.'s Special Vehicle Team will survive, Ford executive Mark Fields says. But the performance brand has been scaled back.\r\n\r\nGoing forward, Ford will offer one high-performance Mustang and one high-performance truck in its lineup, Fields said last week here at the New York auto show.
In the wee hours of Wednesday morning Ford quietly released these official pics of the Mustang GT350H (a.k.a. Rent-A-Racer). Some of the shots were taken on location at a Hertz rental car outlet, which pays homage to the good ol\222 days when you could plunk down some cash and have your way with a Mustang for a day.
Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday that it was recalling nearly 20,000 Mustang Cobra sports cars after receiving complaints that the back of the accelerator pedal could become caught in the floor carpeting and lead to a crash.
The Mustang GT/California Special is actually a reprise of the original 1968 GT/CS that added Shelby-like styling cues to California-market coupes. Unlike the original, this year's GT/CS will be available nation-wide, in both coupe and convertible versions.
The new diesel engine produces 266 hp and 467 ft-lbs of torque. They'll be making 25,000 units per year, but haven't yet said what vehicles it will be going into.
Jim Padilla, Ford Motor Co. president and chief operating officer, is retiring effective July 1, the company confirmed today. Padilla, 59, will also leave his seat on Ford\222s board of directors.
A year after Ford Motor Co. killed its planned Hemi-fighting V-8 to the dismay of horsepower junkies, Ford Americas group chief Mark Fields has put the high-performance engine back in the company\222s product pipeline, according to sources familiar with the project.
Ford is permitting all of its vehicles to sell SVT vehicles, including the GT500. Previously only several hundred of its 3,800 dealerships were certified for SVT sales. This could increase SVT sales, but Ford is hoping that it will increase dealer traffic as well.
FoMoCo launched its own driving school at the Silverstone racetrack in the UK. Drivers get trained in the Ford Rally Sport Trainer, which has been designed especially for the purpose.
The brand, marketing, team, and eventually the vehicles will disappear. With the premium performance brands going strong at some other companies, this is surely not a good sign for Ford. The 2007 Shelby Cobra will be the last of the SVTs.
The 550-horsepower Five Hundred GT-R uses Ford GT powertrain and chassis components, wrapped in a Ford Five Hundred body shell. #\r\n\r\nDesigned and built by the students and staff of Washtenaw Community College's Custom Cars & Concepts program, providing hands-on training for future craftsmen. The fully functional show car will be used to hone the skills of Ford's top Vehicle Dynamics engineers.
In contrast to the white-hot Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky, the new Focus cabriolet has four-seats and is designed to be a grand-tourer, even if it's a little underpowered. Great design, thanks to a team-up with Pininfarina.
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