Ford

Automotive legend Carroll Hall Shelby passed away yesterday at age 89. Born in Texas on January 11, 1923, Shelby was a leading race car driver, then race and performance car designer who became a household name for his exploits. Read More

Once the cornerstone of economic prosperity, the passing of paper money from one hand to another is definitely on the decline in our modern digital age. Yet there are obviously lots of folks who still use cash, as evidenced by the eight to ten thousand pounds (3,628 - 4,535 kg) of crumpled and tired-looking paper currency that's said to be shredded every day in the U.S. alone, before being compressed into bricks and then buried or burned. That's a shocking waste, and car giant Ford appears to agree. As part of an ongoing effort to find sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based vehicle components, the Michigan-based multinational automaker is looking to re-use retired dollar bills in the manufacture of trays and bins, in the same way wheat straw is currently used in the Ford Flex. Read More

Auto China is probably the most influential automobile show in the world at present. China now produces and consumes more cars than any other nation, so its needs will heavily influence personal transport globally in coming decades. Some early trends are emerging as to what we'll see, and as congestion in China increases and parking centrally becomes prohibitively expensive, a car will increasingly only get you part of the way to your destination. Geely and BMW both showed cars with inclusive last-mile transport at Auto China, but the number of last mile Transportation Appliance options under development by auto manufacturers is growing rapidly. Read More

Recently in New York City, Ford invited a handful of journalists to take a brand new Ford Focus Electric for a spin around the west side of Manhattan. I spent a half-hour in the latest version, which claims to get more range per charge than the Nissan Leaf, while also re-charging in half the time. Read More

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to drive an American muscle car with enough horsepower to move a small continent, then Shelby American may have the answer. At the New York International Auto Show on April 5th, Carroll Shelby and his team will present their most powerful car to date - the 952 bhp Shelby 1000. And if that's not enough grunt, there’s a track version with over 1,100 bhp. Not a bad way to celebrate 50 years since the unveiling of the first Shelby Cobra. Read More

The strength of the world's emerging economies was on display at the opening of the Thai Motor Show today. For the next 10 days, 170,000 people a day will visit the show, and despite the country having been largely under water for much of 2011, the Thai motor industry looks more buoyant than ever. Almost every major manufacturer had something on show we haven't seen before. Great picture gallery. Read More

With the cost of fuel hitting family budgets harder and harder, Ford of Europe has commenced production of its most fuel efficient (and lowest CO2 emissions) passenger car ever. The company’s new Fiesta ECOnetic Technology is powered by a 1.6-liter Duratorq TDCi diesel engine providing 205 Nm of torque that offers fuel economy figures of 3.3 l/100 km with CO2 emissions of 87 g/km. Read More

What if you take the world's most iconic jock and install the brains of some of the smartest tech nerds on the planet? Well, you get the Micro-Stang by West Coast Customs (WCC) and Microsoft. The custom car is the epitome of old meets new, taking the timeless looks of a 1967 Mustang and updating it with all kinds of cutting edge technology that the average Mustang - whether from 1967 or 2012 - will never have. Read More

Ford may have spent last month using technology to create more problems, but this month it shows how it's using technology to actually solve problems. The new kick-activated tailgate on the Kuga SUV lets you open the tailgate without your hands. It's a valuable feature for anyone that tends to lug two armfuls worth of goods to the car. Read More