Ford unveiling Boss Mustang on August 13th?
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ford
With all-new powertrains debuting in the 2011 Ford Mustang, you knew it was just a matter of time before a new limited-edition model was introduced. Well, it looks like that time may be next week. As you all know very well by now, the 2011 Mustang GT has the new Ford 5.0 V8 underhood. Since the new race version (above) wears the Boss 302R moniker, a new street-going Boss 302 seems like a no-brainer.
During a recent Grand-Am race, the announcers let slip that the consumer-spec Boss 302 would debut in mid-August at Laguna Seca as part of Pebble Beach week. (The exact date spinning around the rumormill is August 13.) The Boss reportedly delivers about 430 horsepower with a price in the low $30,000 range. Ford's motorsports partner, Multimatic, is apparently building some special parts for the Boss 302, but we'll have to wait until next week to find out those specifics if indeed this rumor is true. Check out the video after the jump.
[Source: YouTube]
Continue reading Ford unveiling Boss Mustang on August 13th?
Ford unveiling Boss Mustang on August 13th? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsRoush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition
Filed under: Motorsports, Ford, Racing
Roush Yates Engines has announced that it will be offering up a race-prepared version of Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 for American Le Mans Series prototype competition in 2011. Roush Yates is developing the engines for use under the new 2011 LMP2 rules that require production-based engines. This will be the first competition application for Ford's twin-turbocharged and direct injected V6 that debuted in 2009.
The first chassis constructor to announce support for the Ford V6 is Lola, with installation kits available for both its open-top and closed coupe 2011 LMP2 cars. According to Roush Yates spokesperson Kenna Primm, the race engine will be reduced down to the 3.2-liter maximum allowed under ALMS rules compared to the 2.8-liter displacement of the twin-turbo V6 announced by Honda at Le Mans in June. Output will likely be somewhere around 400 horsepower.
In addition to the EcoBoost V6, Roush Yates is also evaluating a race version of the Mustang's 5.0-liter V8 for ALMS competition.
[Source: American Le Mans Series]
Continue reading Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition
Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsRetooled Ford Wayne assembly plant to be company’s most flexible
Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford
Workers building pre-production 2012 Ford Focus - Click above for high-res image gallery
Ford is crowing that its freshly retooled Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, MI is now the most flexible final assembly factory in its global network. The Wayne plant used to assemble the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator full-size SUVs but is now building pre-production examples of the 2012 Focus. One of the features touted by Ford for its new global C-segment platform is that it is driving down development cost by building 10 different bodystyles on the architecture using many of the same mechanical components.
At launch, the Wayne plant will build both four-door sedan and five-door hatchback variants, but those are expected to be joined by a new Lincoln compact and possibly variants like the Grand C-Max. Ford will also be building versions of these vehicles with conventional, hybrid and full battery electric powertrains. Over 80 percent of the equipment in the body shop is programmable and can run different body styles almost with the flip of a switch. Ford says this new flexibility will also allow it to quickly adjust its product mix to shifting market conditions.
[Source: Ford]
Continue reading Retooled Ford Wayne assembly plant to be company's most flexible
Retooled Ford Wayne assembly plant to be company's most flexible originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsUnsurprising News of the Day: Ford Explorer Sport Trac is toast
Filed under: SUV, Truck, Crossover, Ford
Ford Explorer Sport Trac Adrenalin - Click above for high-res image gallery
When it comes to a new Explorer Sport Trac for 2011, the only real surprise would have been if Ford had actually opted to build one. With the standard Explorer moving to a unit-body architecture, there are no plans for a new pickup truck version, a vehicle that probably would have been something akin to the Honda Ridgeline.
Since the Ridgeline hasn't exactly been flying off dealer's lots, Ford has wisely decided to focus on its full-bodied version, the Explorer. The Blue Oval hasn't made a habit of breaking out Sport Trac sales from its SUV kin, but the Explorer only totaled 52,190 in 2009, so the pickup's volume probably wasn't a huge seller. According to Automotive News' sources, Sport Trac sales usually totaled about 20 to 25 percent of Explorer sales over the last decade, but that number strikes us as curiously high. Over its entire life, we never saw a ton of them - even on the roads around Michigan where domestic pickups are commonplace.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]
Unsurprising News of the Day: Ford Explorer Sport Trac is toast originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order
Filed under: SUV, Technology, Crossover, Ford, Off-Road
2011 Ford Explorer - Click above for high-res image gallery
For part two of our in-depth look at the 2011 Ford Explorer, we'll take a look at its new powertrains and improvements in fuel efficiency, as well as how well it can still tow a trailer. But first let's see what kind of techno-goodies Ford has applied to this new SUV.
Technology
This being 2010, technology has to play a big part in any major new vehicle introduction. On the inside, the Explorer joins the new Edge, Focus and Lincoln MKX in adopting the MyFord Touch interface. We first saw this new touch sensitive interface when the MKX and Focus were unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January. Much like modern smartphones, the center stack has a smooth surface with capacitive touch buttons to manage the audio and climate controls. Continue reading after the jump or check out part one of our introduction to the 2011 Ford Explorer first.
Continue reading 2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order
2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments2011 Ford Explorer unveiled, tries crossing over on road to redemption
Filed under: SUV, Safety, Crossover, Ford, Design/Style
2011 Ford Explorer Deep Dive - Click above for high-res image gallery
UPDATE: When you're done reading part one, check out part two of our introduction of the 2011 Ford Explorer that focuses on new technology, powertrains and fuel efficiency.
In creating the 2011 Explorer, Ford engineers and designers had an enormously difficult task set before them. Ford's President of the Americas, Mark Fields, described the job as "Reinventing the SUV for the 21st century." Despite the near complete collapse of the traditional mid-to-large SUV market over the last several years, Ford still sees a substantial market for the capabilities of these boxy behemoths. Customers just don't want the traditional downsides that accompany these body-on-frame 'utes - specifically, their higher fuel consumption and poor ride and handling.
The new Explorer remains squarely targeted at traditional SUV buyers.
Since its debut some 20 years ago, the Explorer has sold over six million units, four million of which are still traversing the world's roads. Through much of the late-1990s and early part of the last decade, the Explorer was Ford's second-best-selling vehicle behind its F-Series pickups, regularly selling 400,000 units a year. Fast-forward to 2009, and that volume had plummeted to just over 52,000. Even so, Ford believes it still has an opportunity. According to the automaker's vice president of global marketing, Jim Farley, each year, at least 140,000 Explorer owners come back to Blue Oval dealerships looking to purchase new vehicles. And obviously, they just aren't buying Explorers. When word got out that Ford was developing a new unibody Explorer off the same platform architecture that underpins the Taurus and Flex - not to mention the Lincoln MKS and MKT - many people wondered why Dearborn had elected to develop yet another crossover, especially since the Taurus X/Freestyle had just been killed due to slow sales. This predicament was not lost on Ford's product planners, and their four-wheeled response is a new Explorer that remains squarely targeted at traditional SUV buyers - shoppers that Ford sees as a distinct group from most crossover intenders. Long ago, Jeep proved with the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee that a unibody chassis isn't necessarily an impediment to building a fully capable off-roader, and Ford appears to have taken that lesson to heart, along with targeting big improvements in fuel economy and driving dynamics. Follow the jump to find out if they succeeded.
Continue reading 2011 Ford Explorer unveiled, tries crossing over on road to redemption
2011 Ford Explorer unveiled, tries crossing over on road to redemption originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsRumormill: Next Focus RS to get all-wheel drive with electric motors
Filed under: Hybrid, Performance, Hatchback, Ford, Rumormill
Despite driving only the front wheels, reviewers have heaped praise on the current Ford Focus RS's handling and its ability to put 300 horsepower to the road thanks to some nifty suspension and driveline tricks. However, when the next-generation RS rolls into town (assuming that it becomes a reality) it may well have all-wheel-drive courtesy of an electric motor driving the rear axle. According to Autocar, the proposed car would use a higher output version of the Blue Oval's 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder driving the front wheels and an electric motor at the rear. This would allow for both on-demand all-wheel-drive and electric-only drive at low speeds. If this plan proceeds, it would be Ford's first through-the-road hybrid, although French automaker Peugeot has firm plans to introduce at least two vehicles with a similar configuration in 2011.
Other alternatives reportedly being studied by Ford are an even higher output gasoline engine (sans motor assistance), or use of the next-generation power-split hybrid that debuts in 2012. However, both of these options would involve sticking with front-wheel-drive and could be problematic if Ford wants to surpass the output of the current RS.
[Source: AutoCar]
Rumormill: Next Focus RS to get all-wheel drive with electric motors originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Report: New Ford Focus ST headed for Paris
Filed under: Performance, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Ford
2012 Ford Focus - Click above for high-res image gallery
As the launch of the 2012 Focus draws closer, Ford plans to roll out several variants of its C-segment people mover. And at this year's Paris Motor Show, the Blue Oval will reportedly kick off the party with the debut of a new Focus ST which could finally make its way to America next year. The Focus ST is expected to be propelled by an uprated version of the 2.0-liter Ecoboost inline-four - the same mill fitted to the Euro-market Mondeo - but with output boosted well over the current 200 horsepower.
In ST trim the engine should produce about 250 hp and close to 260 pound-feet of torque, with all that twist coming in low in the rev range to balance high-revving fun with enhanced around-town driveability. The ST should hit 60 mph in under six seconds with combined mileage of about 29 miles per gallon (U.S.). Earlier this year, Ford acknowledged that it was developing a "global" performance version of the new Focus, but never said explicitly that it would be offered in North America. Here's hoping that changes in Paris this September.
[Source: AutoExpress]
Report: New Ford Focus ST headed for Paris originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord improves voice recognition for SYNC, adds Send-to-Car for Google Maps [w/video]
Filed under: Technology, Videos, Ford
Ford SYNC 2011 demonstration - click above to watch the video
Those that have been paying attention to Autoblog for any length of time will know that the staff here have long been enamored with the voice recognition (VR) technology that is a part of Ford's SYNC system. SYNC VR generally does a better job of recognizing commands than any other such system and has a flatter menu structure than most.
For its 2011 iteration, Ford and its technology partner Nuance have significantly upgraded the system which now recognizes more than 10,000 commands without having to traverse a single menu. One of the frustrations of dealing with other VR systems has been figuring out the specific commands required to enter a destination or make a call. Nuance has implemented an array of aliases that let users say the same thing in different ways such as "play track" or "play song."
Starting this week, owners of SYNC-equipped cars can now send directions from Google Maps on their computer directly to their car - even if they don't have a navigation system. The send-to-car system has been available for several weeks on General Motors OnStar-equipped vehicles and Ford brings the number of automakers that support this technology to 20 worldwide including Audi and BMW. Check out the technology in the video and press release available after the jump.
[Sources: Ford, Google]
Ford improves voice recognition for SYNC, adds Send-to-Car for Google Maps [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments