Ford

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

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

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

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

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

January 15, 2008 The Ford Motor Company is using the North American International Auto Show to introduce its vision for the future of the small car segment captured in the Verve Concept. Aiming to bring a new level of style and sophistication to the small car platform, both the four and three-door body styles of the fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder Verve are being unveiled in Detroit. The four-door is the basis for the production vehicle that will be sold in North America from 2010 with the European three-door (which appeared at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show) being shown to test market reaction to the bodystyle in the U.S.  Read More

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

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

October 23, 2007 Ford has incorporated an adaptive front lighting system (AFS) which beams light around corners into its new Modeo model.  Read More