2016 Ford Focus RS

Ford will unveil the North American-spec 2016 Focus RS at the New York International Auto Show next week, following the model’s world debut in Geneva earlier this month. 

We still don’t know the official power rating though, as Ford continues to say the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine produces “more than 315 horsepower.” Arriving in US and Canadian dealerships in spring 2016, the new Focus RS is the first RS model that will be produced for all markets at Ford’s Saarlouis plant in Germany.

Besides the mighty turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Focus RS prides itself with the all-wheel drive system with Dynamic Torque Vectoring and a high-performance Brembo braking system. The AWD system continuously varies front-to-rear and side-to-side torque distribution to suit the driving situation. A maximum of 70 percent of the drive torque can be diverted to the rear axle and up to 100 percent of available torque can be sent to each rear wheel, improving handling and cornering stability. Not to mention the drift-mode it also offers.

Other chassis upgrades over the Focus ST include a sport suspension with stiffer spring rates and more efficient bushes and antiroll bars, as well as two-mode switchable dampers, which offer a firmer setting for track use, and specially tuned electric power-assisted steering.

The 2016 Ford Focus RS also comes with 13.78-inch ventilated front discs (up from 13.23 inches on the previous model), which work together with lightweight aluminum four-piston monobloc Brembo calipers painted distinctive RS blue. The car rides on high-performance 235/35R-19 Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, with available Pilot Sport Cup 2 for improved dynamics at the track.

As for performance and output figures, let’s hope Ford will officially announce them in New York because we’re dying to find out if the rumors are true.

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2016 Ford Ranger

Ford has lifted the veils off its facelifted Ranger pickup, which has received a new front end, refreshed interior, upgraded engines and new technologies. 

Available in 180 markets worldwide (not the United States, though), the facelifted Ford Ranger’s new look face is now similar to that of the Everest SUV, featuring sleeker headlights, a larger trapezoidal grille and a more muscular hood than before.

Ford says the interior has also been made more car-like, with upgrades including an 8-inch touchscreen and a new dual-TFT instrument cluster behind the steering wheel which displays information about the vehicle.

Moving on to the mechanical stuff, Ford has fine-tuned the Ranger’s suspension for additional comfort and better handling, while also adding an electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) system, which is said to make steering more accurate at higher speeds as well as light for low-speed maneuvers. EPAS does not need a power steering pump, which results in a quieter vehicle and improves fuel efficiency by about three percent.

As for the engines, the Ranger features an updated lineup of four units mated to either a six-speed automatic or manual transmission. There are three diesels, spearheaded by the 3.2-liter Duratorq five-cylinder TDCi which gets an updated exhaust gas recirculation system help to boost fuel efficiency by up to 18 percent. The engine produces 197hp (200PS) and 470Nm (347lb-ft) of torque.

There’s also the latest generation of Ford’s 2.2-liter Duratorq four-cylinder TDCi which is offered in two states of tune, depending on the market: 129hp (130PS) and 158hp (160PS). The former variant is 22 percent more economical than before. Finally, the Ranger is also offered with a 2.5-liter Duratec petrol engine rated at 164hp (166PS) and 225Nm (166lb-ft) of torque.

Standard and available technologies include Sync 2 (the latest generation of Ford’s in-car connectivity system), Lane Keeping Alert and Lane Keeping Aid, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Alert, Front and Rear Park Assist, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Electronic Stability Program and more.

The facelifted Ford Ranger will continue to be produced in Thailand for Asia Pacific markets, South Africa for African and European markets and Argentina for Latin American markets.

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VW Golf on Top European Car Market

If you're in the market for a brand new car and you live in Europe, odds are, you're just going to make traffic even worse by the end of the year.

But that's a good thing, mostly. It's good for the car manufacturers and it's good for those who are obviously doing better financially, allowing them to afford buying new instead of used.

Compared to the same month last year, new car sales in February 2015 were up 7.8% according to JATO Dynamics and their analysis on new car sales. If we add this up to the rise we've seen in January, it would mean that the market is already ahead by 7.1% compared to 2014.

As of right now, Europe's best selling brands are Volkswagen, Renault and Ford (for the month of February). TheGolf holds a strong lead with sales up 5.8% last month, while the Polo holds down second place ahead of the Renault Clio.

Speaking of Renault, they took 2nd place away from Ford thanks to the Clio being a massive hit - mostly because of its looks. Otherwise there would be no reason why Renault should be outselling Ford in any capacity.

The Fiesta is however the 4th best-selling model in Europe, while the attractive Peugeot 208 is 5th, ahead of the new Opel/Vauxhall Corsa.

The all-new Passat is also looking strong, quite strong when you think about the fact that it's selling at a pace which basically matches what cars from the supermini segment are doing. It's 63.8% rise compared to its predecessor last year makes it the most improved performer among the top 10 models.

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2015 Ford Mustang

Even before we laid eyes on the new Mustang, we knew that the first SEMA Show after its presentation would be dominated by Ford's pony car. No surprise here, as it goes with the territory.

Ford says it has worked with a bunch of "top builders" including Galpin Auto Sports, Petty’s Garage, MRT and many others, to showcase more than a dozen Mustang concepts at its 20,000-square-foot booth in Las Vegas. 

And those are just the officially-sanctioned ones because plenty more individual builds will be on display around the SEMA show floors. 

Om Wednesday, the Blue Oval teased two Mustang project cars, one from Petty’s Garage with a Roush supercharged V8 wearing Richard Petty’s blue paint that will be auctioned for charity, and the other from Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) based on the V8 GT with gold accents and rims on a black body with numerous styling components. 

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Americans Like their Mustangs Black, Chinese and Europeans Red

Now that the all-new Ford Mustang is officially on sale in North America and Asia and will soon arrive in Europe for the first time, the automaker has released preliminary data showing which colors are preferred by customers and enthusiasts worldwide for the iconic pony car. 

It turns out that red and black are the most popular exterior colors for the 2015 Mustang, with red taking No. 1 spot in Europe and China, while the US prefers black – despite the fact that the most popular color overall for automobiles stateside is white.

In Europe, Race Red and Absolute Black each were preferred by 20 percent of site visitors, according to configurator data. European pony car enthusiasts have configured online approximately 1.1 million Mustangs.

In China, nearly 35 percent of Mustang orders are for Race Red, followed by Oxford White with 20 percent and black at just under 20 percent. More than 18,000 consumers in China signed up to take all-new Mustang for a test drive. More than 5 million Chinese consumers visited the local Ford website to learn more about the Mustang, and awareness for the sports car is said to be growing: one in 12 Chinese consumers are aware of the model.

The new Mustang reached dealer lots in the United States late last year and China in early 2015. It will go on sale in Europe this summer. In the US, Mustang sales rose 32 percent in February, making it the best-selling sports car in the country.
(CS)

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2013 Ford Escape and Explorer SUVs

The first Escape is a front-wheel drive model motivated by the firm's 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost unit. It’s called the "VACCAR Urban Escape Adventurer project" and it's finished in grey shade riding on black alloy wheels.

Ford says that it "represents the ideal balance of rugged off-road attitude, upscale comfort and potent EcoBoost engine", but leaves it at that, with more details to be released closer to SEMA's grand opening.

The other Escape model also uses a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbo engine, but this time, it combines a 6-speed auto with all-wheel drive. Created by Heide Performance Products (HPP), this tune is supposed to be all about looks and speed.

As for the 2013 Explorer, it is based on the recently launched 3,5L V5 EcoBoost Sport model and was built by Forgiato. The exterior tune entails the use of a new Pearl White paint scheme along with a wide body kit and three-piece forged 26- by 10-inch wheels, shod in Pirelli 295/30R26 tires. Forgiato says it has also made changes to the interior.

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2013 Ford Mondeo

The new Mondeo HEV is Ford’s first hybrid passenger car for Europe, and will be offered exclusively in sedan form. The hybrid model combines a specially-developed 2.0-litre petrol engine with a 35kW lithium-ion battery

Another first for the Mondeo will be a diesel-powered all-wheel drive variant.

Some of the features highlighted by Ford during the presentation are the full LED headlamps, rear inflatable seatbelts, a segment-first SYNC with MyFord Touch infotainment system featuring voice-activated in-car connectivity, an eight-inch color touchscreen and the ability to act as a WiFi hotspot for up to five devices.

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Ford Formula Racer

Ford's engineers were able to tune the engine and lift output to 202-horses (205PS). They then switched it with Formula Ford’s usual 178HP (180PS), 1.6-litre EcoBoost power unit and set out to conquer the Nordschleife.

According to the automaker, the project team also modified the car so it would be fully street legal for on-road use by fitting it with wheel covers, front and rear lights and indicators, aerodynamically designed wing mirrors and a horn.

Power is transferred to the road through a 6-speed manual gearbox and road-legal tires.

With the 202hp 1.0-liter EcoBoost under its hood and racing driver and course specialist Nick Tandy behind the wheel, the Formula Ford model lapped the 'Ring in 7 minutes and 22 seconds to register the 11th fastest time ever on the circuit.

The Formula Ford completed the 20.832 km (12.94 mile) Nordschleife circuit at an average speed of 169 km/h (105 mph).

To put it into perspective, the road-legal Formula Ford beat previously recorded fastest times of many (production and street legal) supercars including the 700 horsepower Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, the 660 horsepower Ferrari Enzo and the 602 horsepower Pagani Zonda, according to the Blue Oval.

"This little engine has people rubbing their eyes in disbelief," said Nick Tandy, 28. "It’s simply astonishing that a 3-cylinder, one-litre engine can deliver that kind of performance."

The company claims that the car's unofficial top speed is expected to be 255.5 km/h (158.8 mph) with a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of less than four seconds, while delivering 2.4 l/100 km (117mpg UK or 98mpg US) at 56 km/h (35mph), and 5 l/100 km (56.7mpg UK or 47mpg US)) at 120km/h (75 mph).

"We wanted to prove that size doesn’t matter by showing everyone what an amazingly capable engine we have developed in the 1.0-litre EcoBoost," said Roelant de Waard, vice president of Marketing and Sales at Ford of Europe. "What better way than by beating some of the best supercars in the world on the Nordschleife, while using a fraction of the fuel."

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