Not only did Ford display a 5.4 V8 SVT Raptor at SEMA, but they went so far as introducing a 6.2 liter V8. This 6.2 version of the Raptor could be the “most capable off-roading production truck ever built”. It goes from 0 to 60 in less than seven seconds, and it has 411 horsepower and 434 pound per foot torque. The cost of the 6.2 Raptor will be at $41,995, which is $3,000 more than the 5.4 V8.

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Okay, I will admit that the whole (Insert adjective here). (Insert noun here). Ever. conceit has been done to death, but how else do you describe this Dunkel Industries 4×4?

This guy is a ginormous 32 feet long, and is built on a Ford F-650/F-750 chassis. I believe it is designed to tow the space shuttle to the launch pad, of course.

I can’t imagine what it costs, but it’s easy to see why it is outside the SEMA auto show.

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And the answer to the big question above?  Chrysler.

Ouch.

See, this is doubly unnerving after discovering that, yesterday, they were still trying to get a cohesive corporate strategy together and won’t actually have one until sometime later today.  Or at least not one they want to tell their franchisees about, who are probably all looking at this news with a kind of confused rage and just longing to scream various epithets at anyone who’s in charge over there.

Chrysler needs a comeback, plain and simple.  So what they’ve got to do is offer stuff you can’t get anywhere else.  Frankly, I have a hard time imagining just what it is they CAN do.  I drive a Chevy, myself, a wonderful if aging Monte Carlo, and my folks drive Ford Explorers.  There’s not a whole lot of taste issues as I’m considering switching to a pickup fairly soon anyway, and chances are I will go either Ford or Chevy.

Chrysler needs to get some new and interesting product, or it doesn’t matter how many bailouts it gets–it’s still done for.

Tags: Business, Chrysler, Ford, GM, improvement, lagging, Toyota

We’ve seen several vehicles come out of high profile tuning garages lately, namely John Hennessey’s, but Roush engineering has brought something a bit different to the table; a propane powered Mustang drag racer.

The beastly 5.4-liter V8 engine based on the Ford GT engine powering this thing is capable of over 600hp all thanks to propane power.

The racer isn’t actually done yet but they plan on having it ready to race in the 2010 NMRA competition. However, we will get a glimpse of it sometime this week during the SEMA show, but that car will be based on a 2005 Mustang, not a 2010.

Tags: fort gt, Mustang, nmra, roush engineering, SEMA

That’s right, twenty million dollars in tax credits went from the beleaguered former auto giant state into the hands of a US-French partnership set up to build lithium-ion batteries for Ford.

The twenty million in tax credits will be handed out over the course of three years to Johnson Controls, a subsidiary of Parisian firm Saft Advanced Power Solutions.

But this cash isn’t just going to be lost–Saft et al intend to invest about eleven times that figure in the state and add just under eleven hundred jobs to the sagging state of Michigan by hiring at a plant in Holland.

Electric batteries, folks…seems more and more we’re getting away from the gas car and getting closer to a day without gas.  Hopefully, also, we won’t be surrendering a speed anywhere near fifty five miles per hour, either.

Tags: Ford, johnson controls, Paris, saft, us-french partnership

Conan O’Brien has driven a Ford Taurus SHO for years and has made it a point to put a spotlight on it.

So why shouldn’t the new Ford Taurus SHO appear on the Tonight Show? I can’t think of any reason except because it can. There’s a sneak preview of it in the photo, and you can catch it tonight at 11:30PM on NBC.

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Popular Mechanics just loves to spotlight the best in consumer electronics, and they recently selected their best of cars, trucks, and SUVs. PM has a list of vehicles that has many categories, including the most off-road capable. Should anyone be surprised that the winner was the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor?

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Take a gander at the Loder1899 Ford Focus RS. It’s name is still pretty odd, to say the least, but it does have a 2.5-liter, five cylinder engine as well as 345 horsepower. All that is good for 0-100 km/hr in about 5.9 seconds.

Man, what I would give to go behind the wheel of this bad boy.

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These photos of the new Saleen S281 that have been dominating the Saleen’s Flickr page. Clearly, you have to be pleased with them, and love this cherry red car for what it is. You’ve got to love it, and if you want to see it for yourself, you should go to SEMA this year.

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I’m sure you are quite familiar with Mythbusters, the show where Adam and Jamie try to prove something, usually by blowing something up. This time, they were trying to prove that covering a car with golf ball-like dimples gives a car better gas mileage. I honestly don’t remember that being a myth per se, but their Ford Taurus with dimpled modeling clay achieved a better gas mileage by 3 miles per gallon. Not bad.

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A report from Bloomberg recently revealed that the Ford Kuga, currently be made in Europe, could be produced in Louisville, Kentucky. In fact, they could produce up to 80,000 of these vehicles to export overseas by October 2011. If this is true, then the Louisville plant would be much more efficient as it is based on Ford’s global C platform. It also might boost the American auto economy.

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The newest Ford F-150 was adjudged as the 2009 Truck of Texas, the latest off-road vehicle that is capable of taking on the toughest terrains there is. The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is a purpose-built high speed off-road truck that aims to be flexible as well for daily transportation needs. Among the features of the newest F-150 include a 5.4 liter SOHC V-8 engine that can go up to 320 HP and 390 ft.-lb. of torque. To date there have already been 3,000 orders received which should account for the strong demand for high-speed off-road trucks.

The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor will have a starting price of $38.995 and is already available at local Ford dealers.

(Source) Press

Tags: f 150 svt, Ford, ford dealers, ford f 150, ft lb, High-Speed, hp, liter sohc, raptor, road trucks, terrains, torque

A mix of Ford vehicles mainly composed of vans and SUVs are being recalled due to a faulty switch which can eventually lead the vehicle to overheat and catch fire. Among the notable Ford models include the Ford Windstars, Ford Explorers and Ford Rangers. The cruise-control deactivation switches were said to be the culprit of these potential fire hazards when brake fluid leaks onto them. They reportedly stay hot even if the car has been turned off. There has already been one casualty, Al Gavegan Jr. who died in August 14, 2007 when his 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis was parked in his garage and caught fire in San Antonio.

As a remedy, affected vehicle owners are advised to park their cars outside their garages to avoid potential fire accidents. This is not a new problem. Here are the affected vehicles for your reference:

• 1995-2003 model year Ford Windstars
• 2000-2003 model year Ford Excursion diesels
• 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesels
• 1992-2003 Ford Econolines
• 1995-2002 Ford Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers
• 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Rangers
• And 1994 Ford F53 motorhomes

(Source) Injury Board

Tags: 2002 ford explorers, brake fluid, cruise control, culprit, deactivation, duty diesels, econolines, fire accidents, fire hazards, fluid leaks, ford excursion, ford explorer, ford models, ford rangers, ford vehicles, ford windstars, mercury grand marquis, motorhomes, windstars ford

Yesterday we told you that Ford’s hybrid sales were up 73% over last year but we had no idea the Detroit automaker was going to see this kind of success. Recent reports have surfaced that suggest Ford is dangerously close to surpassing Honda as the second best hybrid seller in the United States.

Let’s take a look at some numbers: Honda has sold 29,958 hybrid vehicles so far this year which is a 8% increase over last year while Ford sold 26,016 vehicles, a 73% increase over last year like we already told you.

If these trends continue, by this time next year we may very well be seeing the U.S. hybrid seller top 3 looking like Toyota, Ford, Honda. But don’t pop the champagne yet, Ford, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

via autobloggreen

Tags: auto sales, Ford, Honda, hybrid, Toyota

No matter who you were, 2008 was a horrible year economically and if you were in the auto industry you felt it more than anyone else. Further proving this fact, Ford has today announced that their hybrid sales are up 73% over last year.

Below David Finnegan, marketing manger for Ford’s hybrid division, comments below:

Hybrid customers increasingly are considering Ford. More than 60 percent of Fusion Hybrid sales have been from non-Ford owners, and more than half of those are customers coming from import brands, mostly from Toyota and Honda.

Of course, Toyota is still the leading hybrid car seller with 144,351 units sold for the first 9 months of 2009, as compared to Ford’s 26,016. However, this is certainly a good thing for the American auto industry and they are going to need all the good things they can get.

via greencarcongress

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