Articles tagged with "Ford"
Ford Transit Connect Concept
March 23, 2008 The design of taxis, which are still largely based on passenger sedans, is coming in for a lot of attention recently, with the CityCab a stand-out. Now comes a fresh take on taxis from the the New York Auto Show. When cities ran out of horizontal space at the turn of the 20th century, architects started to build upward. The Transit Connect Taxi concept builds an existing European design and brings that same idea to the streets, changing the shape of the space, making it taller with a smaller and narrow footprint. The resultant cavernous interior has all mod cons plus a huge display detaling the progress of your journey on a user-configurable map. (read more...)
First steel-bodied school bus donated to Henry Ford museum
March 10, 2008 An unique slice of American automotive history has been acquired by the The Henry Ford museum. Using a steel body instead of wood and incorporating a Ford Model T chassis, the 1927 Blue Bird No. 1 proved a pioneering vehicle, with all major school bus manufacturers move to steel-bodies within a decade of its appearance. (read more...)
Ford testing 120mpg plug-in hybrid Escape
January 29, 2008 Plug-in electric hybrid cars represent a simple and effective bridge between today's primarily petrol-driven hybrids and tomorrow's fully electric vehicles. Over short distances, they deliver the efficiency, economy and low emissions of an electric car – but you've still got a petrol engine to rely on for longer trips. With Toyota testing a plug-in Prius that's rumored to go to production in 2009, Ford has announced a Plug-in Electric Hybrid (PHEV) version of its Escape SUV. Currently in testing, the Escape PHEV runs primarily on electric in its commuting duties, achieving around 30 miles of high-efficiency electric drive after an overnight charge of its high capacity Lithium-Ion battery pack. For longer trips it reverts seamlessly back to normal hybrid operation. (read more...)
Ford Mondeo gets Adaptive Cruise Control
January 23, 2008 Ford has announced that its new Mondeo will get Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) technology as an option. The adoption of ACC technology, which has appeared previously in cars such as Volvo's S80 and more recently the new Jaguar XF, provides a significant safety boost by maintaining a pre-set distance from the vehicle in front and automatically decelerating when another vehicle enters this buffer zone. One the pre-set distance is renewed the vehicle then accelerates back to cruising speed. (read more...)
Ford Explorer America concept demonstrates EcoBoost engine technology
A cute showcase platform for the for the 20-30 percent better fuel economy, lower emissions and no compromise performance promised by Ford's soon to be introduced EcoBoost technology, the Explorer America concept aims to demonstrate the sustainable, flexible future of the company's iconic SUV with fuel-saving features like electric power assisted steering and a multifunctional interior layout that includes single-touch, stackable sliding seats, a work table (complete with seats) that deploys from the tailgate and an instrument panel that integrates a three-dimensional compass navigation unit with a topographical map. Using the turbocharging and direct injection Ecoboost technology, the 4-cylinder 2-liter engine delivers 275 hp and 280 lb.-ft. of torque or, in a 3.5-liter V-6 format, about 340 hp. (read more...)
Ford to introduce EcoBoost engines with turbocharging and direct injection
January 14, 2008 Ford Motor Company is introducing a new engine technology called EcoBoost that will deliver 20-30 percent better fuel economy. The EcoBoost family of 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines features turbocharging and direct injection technology and is being touted as a more affordable alternative to hybrids and diesel engines, with improved fuel economy and lower emissions without compromising driving performance. Beginning with the 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan, the engine technology will be rolled out globally. (read more...)
Hot Wheels Designer’s Challenge: leading automotive manufacturers come out to play
October 31, 2007 Major automotive manufacturers recently showcased their visions for the automobile of the future as part of the LA Auto Show Design Challenge, but now comes a competition of a very different kind. Clean fuel and artificial intelligence take a back seat as speed, power, performance and attitude become the key criteria in Mattel’s 40th anniversary Designer’s Challenge™ in which leading manufacturers were invited to create an original vehicle for the company’s die-cast Hot Wheels® toy range… but there is one special requirement: each vehicle must be able to perform a loop on classic Hot Wheels® orange track. (read more...)
Seeing around corners: adaptive front lighting system for new Mondeo
October 23, 2007 Ford has incorporated an adaptive front lighting system (AFS) which beams light around corners into its new Modeo model. (read more...)
Ford Kuga Crossover – it’s NOT a concept vehicle
September 5, 2007 Crossover vehicles are certainly the flavour of the month, with Ford is releasing the first details of its new Kuga crossover at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, where the car will be previewed ahead of production early in 2008. Inspired by the iosis X Concept that was revealed at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, the Kuga is the latest showcase for Ford's 'kinetic design' and features 'intelligent' 4WD and FWD systems, a 2.0-litre 136 PS Duratorq TDCi diesel engine (read more...)
Ford to debut active suspension system on Mondeo
August 29, 2007 Ford is set to make a major production milestone with the launch of an active suspension system on the new Ford Mondeo. Available as a UKP650 option in the UK, that not only provides a comfortable ride but combines this with sportiness and safety. Ironically, sound pioneer Amar Bose was the first to devise a suspension system designed to do exactly what it should do rather than approximating it with springs and dampers, but Ford looks set to be the first to offer it on a regular production car. Called Interactive Vehicle Dynamic Control (IVDC), the system offers near constant suspension adjustment to match desired ride with road conditions and driving style (read more...)
Ford Verve supermini concept
August 25, 2007 UPDATED NEW IMAGES Ford will show its vision for the future of small cars at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show in the form of the Verve. The new concept car hints at the new design direction for future compact cars and the company plans to closely gauge public reaction while their designers work behind the scenes creating Ford's next supermini generation. (read more...)
Hydrogen powered Ford Fusion 999 tops 207 miles per hour
After a year of construction and ten years of research, the fuel-cell powered Ford Fusion 999 has scorched across the Salt Flats of Utah at the Bonneville Speed Week, clocking an incredible 207.297 miles per hour and giving Ford the mantle of the world’s first automaker to set a land speed record for a production-based fuel cell powered car. (read more...)
No prisoners: the 725 horsepower Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake
May 1, 2007 Shelby and Ford have joined forces again to produce a mega-muscle car with one simple goal: "to blow the doors off most anything on the planet." They're claiming up to 725 horsepower from the Super Snake, which is over a hundred more ponies than the top-of-the line Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorino, and probably almost enough power for a trip down to the shops. This car, friends, is an absolute bad-ass. (read more...)
Ford releases Chip Foose-designed, 450bhp F150 for fall of 2007
April 14, 2007 In another of the lifestyle branding partnerships that are becoming so common, Ford has announced the release of its F150 pickup as styled by Chip Foose, star of TV's "Overhaulin" and custom vehicle builder for "Gone in 60 Seconds." (read more...)
Ford sweeps Norway WRC and enlivens the title chase
February 19, 2007 With Sebastien Loeb’s almost total dominance in recent years, the World Rally Championship (WRC) has taken on a pall of inevitability, but as we all know, nothing lasts forever on the sporting field. Ford has been forging a dynasty of reliability and competitiveness at WRC level for decades, but had not won a manufacturers championship for 26 years until sheer weight of points finishes overcame Loeb and Citroen last year. This year the BP-Ford World Rally Team has started the season so well that it could be poised to challenge for the dirvers title in 2007 too. The team took a decisive lead in the WRC after dominating Rally Norway with the Focus RS World Rally Car to finish first and second yesterday. Mikko Hirvonen (driver first) and Jarmo Lehtinen (navigator second) led from start to finish to claim their second WRC victory, finishing 9.5sec ahead of team-mates and fellow Finns Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen. It was BP-Ford's second win in consecutive weeks after Gronholm triumphed in Sweden seven days ago and powered the reigning manufacturers' world champions into a 16 point lead after three of the 16 rounds. Gronholm moved to the head of the drivers' series, four points clear of Hirvonen. As always, the Scandinavian rounds with their spectacular yumps (high speeds on ice and snow with sudden dropaways lead to 100 mph flying cars) make for another awesome image library. (read more...)
Ford Airstream Concept – the Crossover model of the future
January 7, 2007 The crossover vehicle is growing rapidly in popularity in most world markets, particularly in the United States where the market segment is projected to top three million units annually by the end of the decade. Accordingly, Ford staked a claim for market leadership in the green end of the segment today at NAIAS when it showed its plug-in hydrogen hybrid fuel cell Airstream Concept. The drivetrain – called HySeries Drive – operates under electric power at all times. This advanced fuel cell system is half the weight and cost of today’s fuel cells and can even operate when the mercury dips below freezing. (read more...)
Vantastic Ford Transit Concepts
January 3, 2007 Though Ford’s Transit Van has now been around since 1965, it’s very much like Grandpa’s axe, in that the head has been replaced many times and the handle many more than that. With the seventh complete redesign of the classic workhorse, Ford picked up the International Van of the Year 2007 and the euphoria of the win seems to have inspired some remarkable custom engineering from Ford Europe's Commercial Vehicle development team. Two stunning new Transit-based concepts have resulted: one is the Transit XXL, a stretched Transit Tourneo passenger vehicle and the other is the Transit X-Press, a modified version of the normally sedate Connect model fitted with the power train, suspension and brakes of Ford’s high-performance Focus RS. Remarkably, neither are planned for production, though we’d warrant the queue would stretch further than the XXL. Perhaps lobbying your local Ford dealer might help convince them that their engineers are indeed not bonkers, but have identified a lucrative niche market. (read more...)
Ford Interceptor: four-door muscle car based on a sixties sedan shape
January 1, 2007 Building on its muscle car legacy, Ford is introducing an all-American sedan concept that combines “Built Ford Tough” attitude with the sporty elegance of its iconic 1960s sedans. The Interceptor has a manual six-speed gearbox mated to the 5.0-litre V-8 Cammer engine that won the 2005 Grand-Am Cup Championship in its first year of competition, though it has now been modified to run on E-85 ethanol and produces 400 bhp. The Interceptor also incorporates Ford’s patented four-point “belt and suspenders” design in the front and rear seats. In addition, inflatable safety belts are included for rear seat passengers. (read more...)
The Ford Mustang by Giugiaro – a one-of-a-kind concept
NEW IMAGES POSTED December 4, 2006 The 2005 Ford Mustang captured the hearts and minds of millions of fans and future owners when the all-new model debuted. But the proportions and design of Ford’s first purpose-built muscle car in 30-plus years caught the eyes and sparked the imaginations of a pair of the world’s leading coachbuilders in Italy as well. (read more...)
Ford’s tricky F-450 Series Super Duty with bed-extender
September 29, 2006 Ford’s top-selling work truck, the F-Series Super Duty, has been overhauled for the 2008 model year and will go on sale in early 2007 with a new range-topping F-450 pickup as the star of the show. The F-450 can handle payloads in excess of 6,000 pounds, has a towing capacity of more than 24,000 pounds, and can be powered by the well-known 362-horsepower 6.8-liter V-10 Triton gasoline engine, or a new 6.4-liter Power Stroke Diesel that delivers 350 horsepower at 3,000 rpm and 650 lb.-ft. of torque starting at 2,000 rpm. The bit that really caught our eye though, was the ingenious two-piece stowable bed extender. (read more...)
Ford iosis X concept
Updated October 2, 2006 Ford of Europe's Design team has interpreted the Company's distinctive new 'kinetic design' form language in an exciting new crossover concept - the iosis X – which makes its debut at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. One of the specific purposes of iosis X is to prepare the public for the introduction of a future Ford of Europe niche model. Ford Europe’s CEO John Fleming, President and CEO, Ford of Europe. "The iosis X is intended to send a very strong message that we will be entering this market in around eighteen months from now, and that our new model will be both stylish and individual." (read more...)
Transparent All-wheel-drive Ford Transit revealed at Hanover Commercial Vehicle Show
September 23, 2006 - A new all-wheel-drive (AWD) Ford Transit has been revealed this week at the Hanover Commercial Vehicle Show in Germany. The AWD system automatically provides stepless torque flow to the front wheels when required on slippery surfaces. This new derivative is specifically targeted at customers who frequently face low friction surfaces, adding more flexibility and reliability to their transportation needs and will be rushed into production for sale in the first quarter of 2007. The 'intelligent' system increases traction without affecting road performance or ground clearance and was developed for the needs of utility companies, hotels, agricultural and forestry companies and police forces. (read more...)
The new Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet
February 26, 2006 Ford returns to the world of open-topped motoring with the elegant yet practical Focus Coupe-Cabriolet – making its preview debut this week at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. The introduction of the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet has been led by customer response to Ford's Vignale Concept, which was displayed at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. The positive reaction prompted Ford to green-light the car for production, and it has been made ready in less than two years. (read more...)
Triple World Rally Championship celebration for Ford
February 6, 2006 Ford has many reasons to celebrate overnight for Marcus Gronholm's win in the Uddeholm Swedish Rally in Karlstad; it was Ford’s 50th win in the World Rally Championship, Gronholm’s 20th WRC win (moving him to equal fifth on the all-time list) and it happened on his 38th birthday. The Finn admitted that he isn't so interested in his age anymore but his second win of the season in the Focus WRC06 was the primary reason to celebrate, having dominated the event and led from the first stage. However, of more interest to Ford its lead in the drivers championship and the manufacturers championship. It was a particularly sweet victory for Ford as despite its long and illustrious rally history (the Zodiac, Zephyr, Falcon, Anglia, Cortina, ad infinitum), the last time the marque won in Sweden was in 1978, with Bjorn Waldegard at the wheel of the Escort RS1800, when the WRC was just five years old. Gronholm’s win, and the exclusion of the third of the big three competitors in WRC, Subaru’s Petter Solberg, the bookies have now firmed Gronholm to 2.25 (5/4) clear second favourite for the drivers championship, though current world champion Sebastien Loeb remains odds-on favourite for the title at 1.70 (approx. 6/4 on). Solberg has now drifted to 8.00 (7/1) and Subaru’s Australian prodigy Chris Atkinson is fourth favourite at a staggering 80/1. Clearly the championship is a three-horse-race after just two events of the 16 event series. (read more...)
Gronholm scores debut win for Ford in Rallye Monte Carlo
January 22, 2006 New Ford driver Marcus Gronholm claimed victory on his debut in the new Ford Focus RS World Rally Car on the Rallye Monte Carlo today. The BP-Ford World Rally Team triumphed on the legendary Monaco-based event, the opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship, after three-days of demanding competition in treacherous ice and snow in the French Alps. Behind Gronholm, Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) completed a tremendous recovery to finish second after crashing on the opening day. The Frenchman overhauled Toni Gardemeister (Peugeot) on the final stage over the Col de Turini to lead home the Finn by 21.3sec. Gardemeister pulled clear of Manfred Stohl’s Peugeot to claim a comfortable podium with Subaru team-mates Stephane Sarrazin and Chris Atkinson completing the top six. It was Atkinson’s first Monte Carlo Rally and he ran as high as second outright during the event – a remarkable feat and one that augers well for the future of the young driver in only his first full season. (read more...)
