Imported from Detroit? Made in the USA Foundation Doesn’t think so, Sues Chrysler and Ford

Chrysler's “Imported from Detroit” campaign that began airing during the Super Bowl earlier this year and continued with several more spots later on, has grasped the interest of viewers and consumers alike.

Unfortunately for Chrysler, it has also caught the attention of the Made in the USA Foundation, which filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Chrysler's claims for false advertising. And it’s not only Chrysler as the non-profit consumer group is also targeting Ford for the same reason.

Read more »

Seven Major Carmakers Agree on a Common EV Charging Protocol

ACEA, the European car manufacturers’ association, recently called for a common electric vehicle charging standard to be adopted by all automakers. This would be the ideal solution for a unified infrastructure, which in turn, would further boost EV sales.

No sooner had the association’s call been published and seven major manufacturers from Europe and the U.S. but oddly enough, not from Japan, namely Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen, announced an agreement to support “a harmonized single-port fast charging approach” for electric vehicles in Europe and North America.

Read more »

SPY SHOTS: 2013 Ford Mondeo Prototype Snapped in Station Wagon Trim

The end of the current European market Mondeo and North American Fusion is nearing as Ford is ramping up tests of a new common replacement for both models in the mid-size category.

We've already shown you spy pictures of the sedan model, but now our scoopers captured a test-mule of the station wagon derivative. It’s too early for Ford to talk about availability, but it's fairly certain that the Estate version of the next Mondeo/Fusion series will not be sold in the States.

Read more »

Ford to Debut All-New 2013 Escape with 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter EcoBoost Engines at LA Auto Show

The rapidly approaching 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show that takes place for the public from November 18 to 27, will play host to the world premiere of the next global Ford model, the all-new 2013 Escape.

As is the case with the current Fiesta and Focus, the compact SUV will be offered in the same form worldwide, replacing the current North American Escape as well as the Kuga in Europe and other markets around the globe.

Ford gave us a preview of the 2013 Escape with the Vetrek concept study at this year's Detroit Motor Show in January. Aside from the presentation date, Ford also revealed details about the SUV's powertrain options.

Read more »

Raw Video: Driverless Ford Thunderbird Gone Wild

Firefighters are used to receiving strange rescue calls, but an incident that took place in Wildwood, New Jersey this past Sunday tops them all. Local firemen were called in to deal with a…driverless 1970 Ford Thunderbird that was spinning out of control in reverse!

"We never had to deal with a car going in a circle," Captain Christopher D'Amico told NBC40 news. "We were concerned that it would change trajectory when it was bouncing up on the curb, that the tire would go in an opposite direction and send it into something else," he explained.

Read more »

Ford and UAW Sign New Contract, 12,000 New Jobs to be added in the USA

As many anticipated, Ford and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union reached an agreement over the new four-year labor contract covering the UAW’s 41,000 members in the US.

The deal won’t take effect until it is ratified by the UAW board. This, however, is almost certain because Ford has committed to add 12,000 new hourly jobs in the US by the end of 2015 – 2,000 more than originally reported and 5,000 more than those that were supposed to be added by the end of 2012.

Read more »

Get Ready for a New Built Tough Commercial: Firefighter Drives Off Heavily Wrecked Ford F-150

We promise to act utterly surprised when someone over at Ford accidentally discovers this video footage of a heavily damaged F-150 pickup truck driven over the rumbles of a destroyed showroom and turns it into a "Built Ford Tough" commercial.

The poster of the clip is an unnamed manager from the Kelleher Ford dealership located in the small Canadian town of Dauphin in the Province of Manitoba. According to the description, the incident took place after the dealership caught fire on September 10, 2011.

Read more »

MT Slams 2012 Ford Explorer 2.0L EcoBoost, Says it's Slow, Clumsy, Pricey and Thirsty

Now here's a review that is bound to get the conversation heated up. Motor Trend's senior editor, Jonny Lieberman of former Jalopnik, The Truth About Cars and Autoblog fame, tried out the new 2012 Ford Explorer with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four that produces 240-ponies. And well, let's just say he didn't like it one bit.

After testing the Explorer, Lieberman states, among other things, that the 2.0-liter model is "slow, clumsy, pricey, thirstier than we would have thought, and a packaging disaster".

Read more »

Ford in Talks with UAW About Adding 10,000 Jobs, Move Fusion Production from Mexico to the U.S.

The Ford group is currently negotiating a four-year contract with the UAW (United Auto Workers) union, which could add as many as 10,000 new jobs at its American factories.

Citing sources familiar with the issue, Bloomberg News reported that the job-discussion is part of the negotiations between the two parties that also include wages, benefits and employment status in the new contract.

Among the moves being considered, is shifting production of the Ford Fusion mid-size sedan from Mexico to the U.S.A., which could help in the creation of nearly 4,000 new jobs alone.

Read more »

Ford Updates F-150 for the 2012 Model Year with New Equipment and Styling Package

The most popular truck in Ford's range, the F-150, is entering the 2012 model year with a few mild upgrades concentrated on fine-tuning the driveline and improving the equipment packages.

Under the sheetmetal, Ford replaced last year’s electronic shift-on-the-fly with a an enhanced two-speed automatic 4x4 system that gains a 4x4 auto mode for Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum trim levels. Across the range, there's a new standard Hill Start Assist feature that prevents the truck from rolling backward at a stop.

Read more »

Ford Mondeo ECOnetic Travels 2,161 km [1,344 miles] on One Tank of Fuel

Ford is heavily promoting its ECOnetic technology, which promises extremely low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. With the official help of Ford, two Norwegians, Knut Withil and Henrik Borchgervink set out to prove that the technology delivers what it promises.

They took a bog-standard Ford Mondeo wagon 1.6-liter diesel ECOnetic, filled up the fuel tank with 70 liters of diesel and started their quest to find out how far it would take them.

Read more »

Found For Sale: Cool 1965 Ford Mustang Shooting Brake

Like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, the Ford Mustang Station Wagon is an elusive beast often spoken of but rarely seen.

The story goes that J. Walter Thompson advertising executive Barney Clark and designer Bob Cumberford commission the Italian coachbuilding firm Intermeccanica to build a one-off shooting brake in 1965. Heck, it even appeared on the cover of the October 1966 issue of Car and Driver.

This is not that car, but a very nice replica by a man named Joe Kamp. Based on a 1965 Ford Mustang hardtop, Mr. Kamp cut, lengthened and widened the roof to make the distinctive shooting brake rear end.

Read more »

Project Kahn Turns its Focus on the RS

Aftermarket British tuner Project Kahn has released a mild upgrade package for the now obsolete Ford Focus RS. The company left the hot hatch's 305HP-strong 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five intact, and concentrated on the styling aspect of the tune. Read more »

Ford Says it's Considering Building Electric Cars and Selling Lincolns in China

Ford Motor Company’s CEO, Allan Mulally, recently told Bloomberg Television that his company might build electric cars with its partner in China while the automaker is also looking to introduce the Lincoln brand into the market.

“As we move towards electrification, you’re going to see more hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars”, said Mulally while on a trip to Chongqing, China, for the founding of a new transmission plant in partnership with Changan Automobile Group.

Read more »

Another Day, Another Shade for Ford's Transit SportVan Limited Edition

Like clockwork, Ford of Britain has just unveiled another version of its special edition Transit SportVan, this time 180 examples if the commercial model finished in a new livery with metallic silver bodywork and graphite racing stripes.

Color is the only differentiating factor among the previous versions of the Transit SportVan, which was first launched in 2007.

Read more »

Polk Says 2011 Non-Dedicated Hybrid Model Sales Down 1.5% Versus 2010

With the notable exceptions of the Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, most of the hybrids on sale today are merely spin-offs of existing ICE models with gas / electric powertrains fitted; take the hybridized Chevy Tahoe, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic for instance.

According to automotive statistics website Polk online, in the first seven months of 2011, sales of non-dedicated hybrid models dipped 1.5% compared to last year. Analyst Tom Libby blames the sales slump on the lack of distinct styling; hybrid buyers want their cars to stand out from the crowd.

Read more »

Study Shows that New Porsche 911 Garnered the Most Web Buzz from the Frankfurt Motor Show

Now that the 2011 International Auto Show in Frankfurt has passed into history, analysts are crunching the numbers to see which carmakers and models sparked the crowd's interest the most.

UK-based Kantar Media Precis released the results of a study that looks into the number of online stories from websites, Tweets, blogs and other social media starting from two weeks before the first press day of the Frankfurt Motor Show on Aug. 30, 2011, until the end of the second press day on Sept. 14, 2011.

The study reveals that the most talked about model on the internet was the new Porsche 911 sports coupe, while next up was the Mercedes-Benz B Class small MPV, followed by the BMW i3 Concept hatch, the Audi Urban Concept studies and the Ford Evos Concept.

Read more »

Ford Adds New Metal Special Edition with 134HP to Fiesta's Range in the UK

Looking for a more special Fiesta supermini? Ford has you covered in the United Kingdom with the launch of yet another limited edition model, called the Fiesta Metal of which only 1,000 examples will be built.

The new car is based on the three-door variant and is powered by a 1.6-liter Duratec petrol engine that generates 134-horses at 6,700rpm and 160Nm (118 lb-ft) of torque at 4,250rpm allowing it to complete the 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint in 8.7 seconds.

Read more »

Awesom-o: Ford Builds Life-Size 2012 Explorer Replica from LEGO Bricks [with Video]

We have seen LEGO bricks used to craft just about anything one can imagine but we never cease to be amazed when somebody goes over the top to construct a freakishly big design.

Case in point, a full-size replica of Ford's 2012 Explorer built almost entirely from LEGO bricks, which was made to mark the beginning of a new long-term alliance between Ford and the LEGOLAND Florida theme park.

Read more »

SCOOP: We Snag 2012 Ford B-MAX Small MPV's Interior

As Ford continues to test the upcoming 2012 B-MAX small MPV, our spies are getting closer to the prototype models revealing more details about the company's Honda Jazz/Fit and Citroen C3 Picasso rival.

This time, they were able to snap a photo of the car's interior confirming our hypothesis that only a few minor things will change over the concept model we first saw at the Geneva Salon earlier this year.

Read more »