FPV’s Murdered-Out Falcon GT Concept with Supercharged Boss 5.0 V8 Debuts in Melbourne
Not to be outdone by rival Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) unleashed its first-ever concept car at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne. Unlike HSV and its Black Edition Clubsport and Maloo R8s, FPV went for an all-blacked out look for its bespoke GT muscle car, which is based on the local market, rear-wheel drive Falcon sedan.
Its sinister looks come courtesy of a Silhouette black paintwork combined with a unique matte finish stripe package on the bonnet, rear wing, bodysides and the rear diffuser. The same paint treatment is carried over on the 19-inch one-piece forged alloy rims shod in special Dunlop SP Sportmaxx GT tires.
In addition, the Australian sports sedan gains large brake ducts incorporated into the modified front facia, while black framing has been used to enhance the rear light graphics treatment..
The all-black theme continues behind the smoked windows with black leather trim throughout and an all-black dash treatment that includes the interior command centre (ICC).
Under the sheetmetal, there's a track-tuned suspension specification and a full stainless steel high-flow twin exhaust system exhaust finished with quad black exhaust tips. Furthermore, the performance brake package includes larger six-piston brake calipers up front and four-piston brake calipers at the rear, which are both also finished in black.
Power comes in the form of the FPV GT’s supercharged 5.0-liter Boss V8 churning out 335kW (449-horses) and 570Nm (420.4 lb-ft) of peak torque.
Even though the sinister looking FPV GT is a one-off show car, Ford Performance Vehicles General Manager Rod Barrett said that the company will gauge public opinion at the show.
Ford Gives Japan Special Edition Mustang V6 Sport Appearance
America’s second favorite muscle car after the Camaro (in terms of 2011 sales as Chevy’s model has outsold Ford’s pony car by around 33 percent through May, according to the latest data), is being offered in Japan in a limited edition version called the “Mustang V6 Sport Appearance”. More often than not, the words “Mustang” and “Special” usually point to a different paint job and added extras, and sure enough, that’s the case with the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) version of Ford’s Mustang V6 Sport Appearance.
On the outside, Japanese buyers can choose between two colors, “Performance White” or the 70’s style “Grabber Blue”, both of which come with special pin stripes on the sides and the bonnet bump.
There’s also a rear boot lid spoiler and 18-inch chromed alloy wheels wrapped around chunky 235/50 R18 tires, while inside, we can see that Ford added leather seats
The package is available on both the coupe and convertible models with the 3.7-liter V6 engine, which is rated in Japan at 309-horses and 378Nm (278.8 lb-ft) of peak torque.
Production is limited to 25 pieces for each body style with prices set at a hefty 4.35 million Yen for the Coupe and 5.05 million Yen for the soft-top Convertible (equal to US$54,250 and US$63,000 respectively at the current exchange rates).
Ford and Dodge Flop, Lexus and Honda Top JD Power’s 2011 U.S. Initial Quality Study
The results are in for JD Power’s latest 2011 U.S. Initial Quality study that looks at the first 90 days of ownership and the news is not good for Ford Motor Company. The Dearborn-based company tumbled from fifth place and highest-ranking non-luxury automaker last year to 23rd in 2011 with 116 problems per 100 vehicles. Analysts claim that Ford’s freefall is due to complaints related to the company’s onboard MyFord Touch infotainment systems. Even worse, Dodge was placed last in the list with 137 problems per 100 cars. Scion, MINI, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Suzuki didn’t fare well either occupying the last places in the study.
On the other side of the spectrum, Lexus finished in first place with 73 problems per 100 vehicles. Toyota’s luxury brand was followed by Honda, which improved to second rank position in 2011 from sixth in 2010, Acura, Mercedes-Benz and Mazda (from 18th in 2010).
Land Rover posted the largest improvement in 2011, reducing problems by 47 per 100 vehicles from 2010, but the Indian-owned carmaker is among the last in the study.
J.D. Power’s conclusion on the study is that after an improvement in the quality of newly launched models every year from 2007 to 2010, the initial quality of 2011 new model launches declined considerably, mainly due to problems related to information and entertainment systems, and engines and transmissions.
The automotive analyst found two primary causes for this decline in quality:
- With high fuel prices and more stringent government regulations, automakers are designing engine and transmission software to make their models as economical as possible. However, this sometimes leads to the engine or transmission “hesitating” when accelerating or changing gears, and consumers this year are reporting this as a problem more often than in past years.
- Automakers are also accelerating the introduction of multimedia technology into their models, including hands-free and voice-activation systems. Many consumers are attracted by this type of technology, which is perceived to enhance convenience and safety, but some vehicle owners report that their system is not intuitive and/or does not always function properly.
“Successful companies will be those that can take this incredibly complex technology and make it reliable, seamless and easy for owners to operate while they are driving. There is an understandable desire to bring these technologies to market quickly, but automakers must be careful to walk before they run,” Sargent added.
Ford’s European Sales up 10.5 % in May
Ford’s auto sales across its 51 European markets (including Russia, Turkey and certain countries from North Africa) in May rose 13 percent to 143,800 units, up by 16,600 units from a year earlier. May sales in the firm’s traditional 19 European markets rose by 10.5 percentage points to 116,500, up by 11,100. Year to date, the company’s sales across its total 51 markets across Europe in the first five months of 2011 were up 0.6 percent to 684,000 vehicles compared to the same period in 2010, while in its traditional 19 European markets, Ford saw its sales drop 4.6 percent to 570,400 units.
Ford said the lower sales in the 19 European markets were due to the scrappage schemes that were still in place in the early part of 2010 as well as the company’s decision to selectively reduce participation in low margin business.
Ford Says No to 7-Seat Grand C-MAX for the USA, Yes to Hybrid 5-Seat C-MAX
Earlier today, we told you about Ford’s decision to increase production of the Focus-based C-MAX minivan at its Valencia plant in Spain to meet strong demand from European customers. We also noted that Ford was planning to launch the longer and more spacious 7-seat Grand C-MAX in the United States.
Well, it turns out there’s been a slight change of plans as the Detroit automaker just announced it won’t be bringing the petrol-powered Grand C-MAX to the U.S. after all. But not all is lost for fans of the Focus-based minivan as Ford will focus on the five-seat C-MAX in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid formats. The C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid vehicles were previewed at the Detroit Auto Show this past January. Ford’s plan it to compete head on the forthcoming Prius V minivan and possibly steal some customers away from GM’s Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf with the plug-in hybrid version.
The company said the pure hybrid version of the C-MAX is targeted to deliver better fuel economy than Fusion Hybrid and travel at a higher all-electric speed than Fusion Hybrid’s 47 mph. It will also be the first of two new Ford Hybrids to use lithium-ion battery technology.
The C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid will be equipped with a 240-volt charging system allowing it –according to Ford- to fully recharge faster than Chevy Volt. Ford added that it is being engineered to “deliver more overall driving range than any other plug-in or extended range electric vehicle”.
Both variants of the North American C-MAX minivan will be built alongside the all-new 2012 Focus and Focus Electric at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant.
U.S. sales are expected to begin late next year.
Ford Increases Production of C-MAX in Europe to Meet Growing Sales
Good news for Ford as the company has ramped up production of its new five-seat C-MAX and seven-seat Grand C-MAX to meet growing demand for the two minivans in the European market. The revamped schedule calls for an 18 percent increase in daily C-MAX production at the firm’s plant in Valencia, Spain. Since its launch in Europe in 2010, sales of the new C-MAX have almost doubled over the same period a year ago surpassing the 100,000 mark. The new minivan has taken the top spot in its market segment in Italy with a 27 percent share and in Ireland with a 23 percent share, while Ford said the C-MAX has doubled its segment sales share in all of its traditional 19 European markets compared to 2010.
Ford added that 65 percent of buyers are opting for the high-series trim levels of the C-MAX, such as the Titanium models, compared to 32 percent over the same period a year ago.
“We expected a strong customer demand for the Ford C-MAX and Ford Grand C-MAX, but demand has exceeded our expectations,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “Sales of the all-new Ford C-MAX will contribute to our expectation that around 40 per cent of all the new vehicles we sell in Europe this year will be totally new or significantly freshened models.”
Ford plans to offer the 7-seat Grand C-MAX in North America.
Ford’s Smallest Production Engine Ever: The New 1.0-liter EcoBoost Three-Cylinder Gasoline Unit
It took the Ford Motor Company a very long time to jump aboard the turbocharged engine bandwagon for mainstream, non-sport models, but now the Detroit automaker is going full speed ahead with the presentation of a full range of force-fed gasoline powerplants. Ford latest offering is a new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, the company’s first three-cylinder unit and its smallest production engine ever.
Designed by the engineering team at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in the U.K., the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine promises to deliver performance of a larger four-cylinder unit with even higher fuel economy. It employs all EcoBoost technologies, such as turbocharging, direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT).The Detroit automaker is not yet ready to talk numbers, but Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president of Global Product Development, said the new three-cylinder unit “will deliver horsepower and torque outputs equivalent to or better than most normally aspirated 1.6-liter gasoline engines”.
The new engine, which was first seen in the Ford Start concept mini at the Beijing Show in 2010, and more recently in the Ford B-MAX study at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, will be launched globally in Ford’s small cars and will be available in North America.
“Consumers are telling us they want to buy affordable vehicles that get many more miles per gallon,” said Kuzak. “Our new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will give consumers looking for hybrid-like fuel economy a new, more affordable choice.”
While Ford did not specify which models will get the tiny EcoBoost engine, it is believed that the Ka and the Fiesta will be among the first Ford models to be equipped with the petrol unit.
The company said full technical and application information for the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will be released in September at the 2011 edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.
Loder1899 Tunes Into the New 2012 Ford Focus Hatch
The all-new Ford Focus has barely launched in Europe but the German aftermarket specialists at Loder1899 have already created a dedicated tuning package. The company dresses the new compact hatchback with numerous carbon-fiber elements such as the front spoiler lip, matching side skirts installed on the door sills and an RS-style rear apron with an integrated air diffuser. Other improvements include the carbon-fiber headlight covers that the company calls “evil eyes”, while the lower part of the front bumper features LED daytime running lights and fog lights wrapped in chrome. A wide range of alloy wheels in sizes from 18- to 20-inches models round off the exterior package.
Loder1899 also performed a technical upgrade on the diesel-powered Ford Focus, increasing power and torque on the 2.0-liter TDCi engine. By modifying the turbo pressure, the tuner raised output from 163HP to 195HP, and peak torque from 340 Nm (250 lb-ft) to 395 Nm (291 lb-ft).
After the performance updates, Loder1899's Focus accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.4 seconds, 0.2 seconds faster than the factory version. Top speed also increased by 2 km/h to 220 km/h (136.7 mph).
Buyers can either buy the parts separately or order a complete vehicle priced at €27,695 ($39,520) in Germany.
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