Investors aren’t necessarily drinking automakers’ Kool-Aid that 2016 will be full of beer and Skittles.
That, the China-made Cadillac CT6 that’ll eventually get here, El Chapo’s cheapo getaway car and General Motors’ questions get down and dirty … after the break!
Ford and LEGO have teamed up to unveil new Mustang and F-150 Raptor sets, complete with everything the builder needs for a day at the racetrack.
No word if the Mustang has a double-decker flat plane crankshaft.
Ford unveiled Monday its 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCrew complete with four doors, a 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6 and 10-speed transmission because more numbers always wins, all the time — except for when that number is power output, because apparently we still don’t know that yet.
The supersized truck with a supersized engine shaved 500 pounds by shedding two cylinders and aluminum body parts, according to Ford. The SuperCrew’s 145-inch wheelbase is fully a foot longer than the SuperCab’s footprint, and six inches wider than the current F-150, but still, really, no power figures.
But if you’re really into shaking up four friends in the rear seats, the Raptor SuperCrew sports an available Torsen front differential.
Answering the question no one seemed to ask, Ford decided that its revised Fusion needed a boosted six next year and a wide menu of trims and powertrains to kill ‘em with quantity. When it goes on sale later this year, the Ford Fusion will come in no fewer than five different powertrain options: a 2.5-liter four, a 1.5-liter turbo four, a 2-liter turbo four, a 2.7-liter turbo six and a 2-liter hybrid four paired to different sized batteries.
If you’re not lost yet, there’s a new trim-topping Platinum class with Cocoa wood, 19-inch wheels and only the finest Venetian leather from the uplands of Venetia. Or something.
The new Fusion V6 Sport will boast a 2.7-liter turbocharged mill that cranks 325 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque when it goes on sale in the summer — fully 85 more horsepower than the 2-liter turbo four. The V-6 sports sedan, which is available in all-wheel drive only, will almost certainly tempt 6 seconds in a 0-60 mph dash, because there are no trails of rubber long enough when you leave the office.
Is this the new SHO? (Read More…)
Earlier this week, we celebrated the new year by looking at a couple cars that are eligible for private import under the NHTSA’s “25 Year Rule” and I figured there were many more possibilities out there warranting a mention. Some of these have become eligible over the last couple years, where some won’t be ready for a year or so.
I’m sure I’ll miss some, either via simple forgetfulness or willful ignorance. (I doubt there are many people chopping at the bit to import a Zastava Florida.)
Regulators may rain on Elio’s parade even before they got started.
That, Volvo takes a serious stab at full-size luxury conventional wisdom, the big get bigger and Ford’s hybrids only go so far … after the break!
Started in New York City in 1967 as an offshoot of the Chicago Music Show, the Consumer Electronics Show has grown to capture the interest and intrigue of automakers. Las Vegas now has two auto shows.
That, Volkswagen’s unending stream of German-accented apologies, why Ford might not be hitching itself to Google and how you can become an automotive journalist* … after the break!
Ford CEO Mark Fields just wrapped up his Consumer Electronics Show keynote speech Tuesday morning and mentioned the word “Google” exactly zero times. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
So, um, where does that leave the current planned partnership between the global automaker and Google to build self-driving cars and let them roam free at a 1,000-acre North Carolina ranch?
Not dead, maybe — just not fully baked, apparently.
It certainly sounds like Ford is close to selling a self-driving Fusion real soon.
That, Matthias Müller finally comes to the U.S. to ask “You mad, bro?” Nissan has no love for Takata, and business is hot south of the border … after the break!
General Motors announced Monday that it would invest $500 million in ride-sharing service Lyft to help boost the automaker’s business in car-sharing companies and perhaps rental cars.
The automaker announced that the investment — roughly half of Lyft’s latest round of fundraising — would buy the automaker seat on the ride-sharing company’s board of directors. Lyft, which is based in San Francisco, is valued around $4.5 billion, which is significantly less than the $62 billion valuation for rival Uber, according to the New York Times.
GM said the companies would partner on rentals for the car-sharing company, connectivity and autonomous technology.
“What do I gotta do to get you to drive out of here in a brand-new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu today?”
That, Ford and Google are moving to the country, Hyundai halts in China and Volvo’s wagon spied in some guy’s garage … after the break! (Read More…)
The New York Times reported that federal regulators have received about 150 complaints over four years about power steering failures in the 2012 model year Ford Focus, including 124 crashes with injuries, with no recourse. One crash reportedly killed an 89-year-old New Jersey woman, although federal investigators concluded, “a steering failure is most likely not implicated,” according to the New York Times.
Despite the widespread reports by owners and the manufacturer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasn’t asked Ford to recall the car. Ford has issued two service bulletins to dealers to inform consumers that the electric-assisted steering could lose power on startup and “wander” at highway speeds.
Safety authorities told the New York Times that its investigations revealed that in most of the crashes the fault was with the steering wheel and not necessarily the power steering.
Imagine it’s 1992 and you’re shopping for a sporty convertible: Do you get an Australian-built front-wheel-drive Mazda based on the 323 … or do you get a Miata?
Exactly. (Read More…)
The fine, fine reporters at Yahoo Autos have learned that Ford and Google will announce next month a joint project to build self-driving cars.
According to the report, Google and Ford would spin off a separate company for the project, and Google would still shop around its technology to other automakers.
Both Ford and Google wouldn’t comment on Yahoo’s report, which said three sources familiar with the plans divulged the relationship ahead of their announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month. (Read More…)
Ford Motor Company has announced that, in partnership with the Corning glass works, the new Ford GT supercar will have a windshield and engine cover made of what they call Gorilla Glass Hybrid.
In case you don’t know, Gorilla Glass is Corning’s brand name for the ion-exchange-strengthened glass used in smartphones and tablets. Instead of two sheets of annealed glass laminated with a middle sheet of clear polymer — as in conventional safety glass — Gorilla Glass Hybrid replaces the inner layer with Gorilla Glass.
(Read More…)
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