Ford

Episode 41, Goodbye to the VW Beetle, Ford sedans

The automotive industry is always changing. But two of the more significant announcements in recent years — the apparent demise of the VW Beetle and the jettison of the majority of Ford sedans — is the focus of Episode 41 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the recent announcements by the respective carmakers in the news-oriented edition of our ongoing week chat about all things cars and trucks. The pending loss of several Ford models and the icon Beetle came, respectively, in a press release from the former and the text of a speech by a VW executive in Europe. The Beetle was first sold in the United States in 1949. Sales of the

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2018 Ford Mustang: Less is more with EcoBoost model

Like other automotive icons, the Ford Mustang is unmistakable. Its long hood, short rear deck, pony badge, overall styling and unique debut by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., on April 17, 1964, have all added to the sports car’s legacy. The Mustang’s current generation debuted in 2015. The showcase model for 2018 is the direct-injected, 5.0-liter V8 with 460 horsepower. It defines automotive testosterone for the masses and is the most powerful Mustang to date. But what if you don’t need all that power and the corresponding constant growl of the big beast? The alternative is the base model 2.3-liter turbocharged, four-cylinder, Ecoboost coupe with 310 horsepower and a 10-speed automatic transmission. With the

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2018 Ford Mustang GT further defines iconic muscle car

Nearing the end of its sixth decade, the Ford Mustang is among the few remaining iconic American-made cars. It began as an affordable sporty coupe. For 2018, it’s undergone a refresh to showcase its muscle car masculinity. The Mustang legacy has endured multiple generations, reconfigurations and engine types. But it still resembles its debuting style, highlighted by a long hood and short rear deck. It was a new look for its time in 1964, and the Mustang’s success helped launch competitors like the AMC Javelin, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Pontiac Firebird and Plymouth Barracuda. The Mustang’s current generation debuted in 2015, but its makeover is substantial. The new Mustang gets a more aggressive front-end collection, including standard LED headlights and

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The Weekly Driver Podcast, #8: Transmission Shift

Driving purists still appreciate shifting gears in their vehicles. But driving a new car with a manual transmission is rare these days. Automotive industry data companies estimate about only about three percent of new vehicles sold in the United States are equipped with manual transmissions. In this episode, we discuss the reasons behind the shift in transmission preferences. We discuss continuously variable transmissions and dual-clutch transmissions. The shift in shifting also has other ramifications, including resale values, gas mileage average and how manufacturers view the industry. Automatic transmissions were once viewed as a vehicle upgrade and with a corresponding price increase. Now in some instances, manual transmissions are options with an increased price. But there also automobiles available with automatic

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Three Big Impact Ford Vehicles for Small Businesses

SPONSORED CONTENT Ford vehicles are popular among most small and medium businesses. The consistent performance, unmatched design, passenger comfort, cargo ferrying and powerful features make the vehicles unsurpassed. Considering the manufacturer’s major impact, what are its current most popular vans? Here are three for consideration: Ford Transit — The most manufacturer’s most popular full-sized cargo van, the Transit is available in regular wheelbase and long wheelbase models. The latter model also has extended length options. The Transit van also offers an optional high roof version to accommodate increased cargo. Research the reviews from Dealer Reviews before finalizing a purchasing decision. The extended high roof edition offers 81.5 inches of interior height, the most spacious van for cargo ferrying. The Transit

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1955 Ford F100 best of show at Concours & Cocktails

Supercars, family heirlooms and affordable vintage vehicles are nothing new to the Monterey Peninsula, particularly during Classic Car Week. Gawk at a new multi-colored Rolls-Royce or a carbon-fiber Pagani. Admire a classic Aston Martin, Ferrari or Porsche. They’re all automotive works of art. Bob Kavner appreciates cars as much as any collector or enthusiast. But he has a different perspective. While plenty of sports cars and classic sedans were showcased at the recent Concours & Cocktails at The Santa Lucia Preserve, Kavner presented two trucks. The former Silicon Valley executive, now a resident of Carmel, lives just down the country road from The Hacienda, the 20,000-acre private community’s idyllic clubhouse. As he’s done before, it was only a few-minute task

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Hey, Ford F-150 owners: Win $7,000 in parts from AmericanMuscle

As the best-selling vehicle in the United States, there are hundreds of thousands of Ford F-150 owners who’d want to win $7,000 in parts for their favorite trucks. AmericanMuscle.com is going to make that happen. A leading aftermarket provider of Mustang parts, AmericanMuscle will give not only give the winner of the contest their choice of parts, it will also provide the cost of installation at a local automotive shop. The contest, which will continue through August 31, is available to contestants who can enter once a week. To enter, fill out the form on AmericanMuscle.com. It’s the chance to win the get the ultimate truck overhaul. Located just outside of Philadelphia, AmericanMuscle is dedicated to offering the Mustang &

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Ford Mustang dominates internet vintage car searches

Vintage car enthusiasts all have their favorites. But there’s one iconic vehicle that dominates internet searches — the Ford Mustang. According to the website classiccars.com, the Mustang generated 3,736,942 unique searches in 2016. The Mustang pushed the Ford to its status as the top manufacturer searched for vintage vehicles, followed by Chevrolet. In its state-by-state calculations, the Mustang ranked first in 13 states, followed by the Chevrolet Impala (7) and the Chevrolet Camaro (5), Chevrolet Corvette (3), Dodge Charger (3) and Ford Thunderbird (3). ClassicCars.com, which specializes the research and purchase of classic cars and trucks, registers 330,000 searches daily and three million unique monthly visitors. The site, founded in 2007, is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Among manufacturers, Ford and

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2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid: handsome, comfortable, efficient

Ford introduced its alternative energy lineup, including the Ford Fusion Hybrid, in early 2009 as 2010 models. The midsize sedan is now well into its second generation with a healthy list of upgrades for 2017. The Fusion Hybrid has been the most attractive hybrid sedan on the market for several years. But it has a restyled front end and new headlights for 2017, further adding to its sleek exterior lines. The heavily touted MyFord Touch infotainment center has also been replaced by the simplified Sync 3 system. Like a few other manufacturers, Ford has dispatched an automatic standard transmission shifter in the Focus. Instead, there’s a rotary selector positioned on the console. There’s also a new push-button engine starter high

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Ford F-Series trucks, siblings dominate 2016 sales

The number is staggering — 17.4 million new cars and trucks were purchased in the United States in 2016, dominated by sport utility vehicles and pick-up trucks. The Ford F-Series again paced the industry surpassing 800,000 in sales and about 250,000 more than the runner-up Chevrolet Silverado. Twelve of the top-20 best-selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2016 were either SUVs or pickup trucks. The reason: a combination of versatility and lowering gas prices. The sale of pickups has increased for years. Only six manufacturers are represented in the marketplace, but the combined sales were more than 2.2 million. The 2016 car market had two surprising results. Compact-car sales fell 6.1 percent in 2016 and midsize vehicle sales fell 11.2

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2018 FORD F-150: Diesel, 10-speed transmission debut

The 2018 Ford F-150, the debuting edition of the iconic pickup and the best-selling vehicle in the United States, will feature two major firsts. It will offer a new diesel engine and a 10-speed transmission. Unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, the 2018 Ford F-150 will include a new 3.0-liter Power Stroke turbo diesel engine. A 3.3-liter engine also replaces the current 3.5-liter V6, both offering the same 282 horsepower engine. The second-generation 2.7L EcoBoost also gets tweaked for better efficiency, more output, and better durability. It will feature the new 10-speed transmission. The 5.0L V8 trim also gets upgraded for higher output and will also have the new 10-speed transmission. Ford also confirmed a hybrid F-150 will be offered

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Coming soon: Ford F-150, Mustang icons as hybrids

The Ford F-150 and Ford Mustang, respectively the country’s best-selling vehicle and its most iconic sports car, will break from tradition and join the expanding hybrid segment of the automotive industry. The new trims, expected to be unveiled in 2020, will be part of the manufacturer’s addition of 13 global electric and hybrid vehicles in the next five years. The new vehicles are also expected to include a plug-in Ford Transit van and fully electric small sport utility vehicle. Electric police vehicles are also in Ford’s plans, according to autoguide.com. The SUV will have a 300-mile range and will be sold in North America, Europe and Asia. The hybrid Mustang will apparently only be available in North America, while the

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Recall madness: Nissan, GM, Ford, millions of fixes for all

The auto industry is on pace for another banner year, for all the wrong reasons — recalls. After dubious yearly records of 50.99 recalls in 2014 and 51.22 million recalls in 2015, recent recalls by Nissan, Ford and Fiat Chrysler, among other automakers, are rapidly boosting this year’s totals. Nissan recently announced the biggest of the latest recalls worldwide. It’s recalling 3.53 million vehicles equipped with passenger-side airbags may not work properly because vehicle sensors may malfunction. The recall includes the 2013-2017 Nissan Altima, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, Pathfinder, Sentra, Rogue, NV200, NV Taxi, Infiniti JX35/QX60, and Q50. It also includes the 2013-2017 Chevrolet City Express built for General Motors by Nissan. Nearly 3.2 million of the recalled vehicles are in

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Win a free Ford Mustang, Ford Raptor in sweepstakes

AmericanMuscle.com, a premier aftermarket supplier, has announced a sweepstakes to celebrate 10 years of providing parts to Ford Mustang and For F-150 owners. It’s giving away $100,000 in prizes, including a 2017 Ford Raptor, a 2015 (850-plus  horsepower) S550 Mustang GT fand a stocked custom race trailer. An 850+ HP Mustang built by the AmericanMuscle crew is impressive with $30,000 in custom modifications: a Whipple Supercharger, full MMD styling package, all wrapped in an eye popping Tangerine Orange paint job, an ode to a factory color only ever used on 829 Mustangs. The yet-to-be-released 2017 Ford Raptor is an attention grabber. The second generation of one of the boldest trucks ever and rumored the have 450-plus horsepower, the 2017 F-150

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Ford, Toyota dominate 2015 U.S. car, truck sales — again

As has occurred yearly since nearly the invention the the automobile, the Ford F-Series was the best-selling vehicle in the United States in 2015. The iconic pick-up truck, manufactured since 1948, had a 3.5 percent increase in sales last year from 2014. The Ford F-Series was the country’s best-selling vehicle for the 34th straight year. It sold 780,354 units in 2015, and it also led a top-three sweep of trucks as the top sellers in the country. The Chevrolet Silverado was the country’s second-highest seller with 600,544 units sold, followed by the Ram Pickup, with 451,116 units sold. The Chevrolet Silverado had 13.4 percent sales increase from 2014 to 2015, while the Ram had an increase of 2.6 percent. The

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TheWeeklyDriver.com names Best 12 Vehicles of 2015

For the ninth straight year, TheWeeklyDriver.com has selected its Best 12 Vehicles of the Year. Ford, Honda and Hyundai each have two vehicles on the 2015 list, which this year has expanded from the usual top-10 list to a dozen selections. As editor and publisher of the TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I fully reviewed 38 cars and trucks with 2015 model years. I also drove a half-dozen other cars briefly at manufacturer preview days. This year’s list has expanded to a dozen vehicles for one simple reason: Manufacturers keep making better machines. For the first time since the end-of-the-year list began, our list includes a pick-up truck. For the 2014 list, we selected a single top vehicle, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

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