Ford Car Talk

The 2010 Ford Ranger will give way this summer for the 2010 models equipped with the exclusive enhancements for safety technology known as the AdvanceTrac ® with RSC ® (Roll Stability Control). RSC will facilitate prevention of slipping and other hazardous and risky rollover conditions.

The new Ford Ranger is also developed with the new arrangement of side air bags, intended to provide protection for the head and upper body.

Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the 2010 Ranger can present 26 mpg fuel efficiency on the highway. The Ford also received a commendable 5-star rate for safety vehicles awarded by the US government.

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Ford Motors and Microsoft enhance their sync system with navigation and information features to keep pace with their rival’s telematics.

The third generation Sync comes with audio-based traffic updates, voice guide turn per turn navigation, and customizable news feeds that do not need the display screen.

These developments were unveiled by Microsoft when they showcased the new Sync during the International Consumer Electronics Show.

The voice prompting and instruction allows the drivers to concentrate their attention on the road and avoid eyes looking at the screen or hands leaving the steering wheel to press controls for navigation guides.

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The Ford Fiesta, a sub-compact from Ford motors, will be enjoying the benefits of social networking sites like Facebook to be known in the market.

The Fiesta is schedule to roll out of the showrooms in the United States during the early part of 2010 but the car manufacturer is inviting around 100 tech savvy consumers to test drive the vehicle as early as April this year.

The consumers who will get the first try behind the wheels of the Fiesta are expected to tell the world of their experience through sites like YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook.

The brand manager for the Fiesta is very confident about the specs of the new vehicle from Ford but they want to incorporate the real experience of people when driving the car into the marketing aspect.

The effect of the early hands on is expected to be two-fold: the test drives will stir excitement as the drivers will relate their experience and will also serve as feedback to the design team at Ford.

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In hot pursuit of electric car race, Ford announced its strategic alliance with Magna International, an automotive supplier in Canada, at the 2009North American International Show in Detroit. Together, they are creating a series of electrically propelled vehicles using lithium-ion battery packs.

By 2012, Ford plans to produce battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrids and hybrid electrical vehicles. All the BEV electric traction motor, energy storage system, transmission, motor controller, battery charger and other related systems will come from Magna. Ford stressed that its decision to choose Magna as its partner is based on their presumption that they will be able to produce first-class products with Magna’s help.

While Magna has been building European cars for years, this will be the first time that it will be engaging in the final assembly for an American carmaker on a contract basis.

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Ford Motor Co. struggles in the fourth quarter of 2008 without any help from the federal government. The company burned through funds amounting to $5.5 billion in the last stretch of the previous year.

The car manufacturer finished 2008 with a $13.4 billion cash reserves. Ford will be drawing down available credit lines of $10.1 billion to address concerns on the rocky global economy.

Ford files a net loss amounting to $5.9 billion for the 4th quarter of 2008 compared to a year over year $2.5 billion. The car manufacturer closes 2008 as its third year of not earning any profits. Pretax operation loss was recorded on their books at $3.7 billion compared to $620 million in 2007.

The whole of the auto industry faced an unusual major slowdown in markets all over the globe recorded during the last three months.

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When Ford officials said that the future of Ford Mustang will be revealed during the Detroit Auto Show, there is nothing to think about but the unveiling of the 2010 Ford Mustang GT500.

The new Ford Mustang GT 500 definitely will make a presence in the event knowing that it is the most powerful Mustang to come into production as of today.

The road bully will have a power plant similar to the 2008 GT500KR limited edition which sports a supercharged V8 5.4L engine that can leave any soul behind with its output of 540 horsepower at 6200 rpm and a torque of 510 lb-ft at 4500 rpm.

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Text below is from Ford’s 2005 press release on this BEAUTIFUL car.

The Ford Shelby GR-1 concept springs from a long line of Ford performance project cars and quickly establishes itself as one of the most contemporary and dramatic front-engine, two-seat, fastback supercars. This running prototype reaches closer to reality with a 605-horsepower, 390-cubic-inch all-aluminum V-10 engine, a road-tested version of the Ford GT suspension and a stunning new polished-aluminum body.

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Last Tuesday, automobile giant Ford announced that the company had sold 13% of their Mazda shares. Because of the said sale, the company is now richer by $540 million.

The sale of Ford Mazda stocks also meant an important landmark in the history of the automobile industry—Ford is letting Mazda out of its reigns after twelve years of full control. Ford took over the said Japanese brand since 1979 but the company wasn’t able to immediately establish full control.

With the diminished power that Ford has now over Mazda, CEO Hisazaku Imaki immediately passed Mazda’s reigns to purchasing head Takashi Yamanouchi. The new successor was reported to have been with Mazda for over forty years.

Mazda’s spokeswoman, Yukari Hara, said that the sell off entails that Mazda has once again been a Japanese company. A report said that the Ford shares were actually bought by Mazda’s Japanese stockholders.

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Famous automobile company, Ford, has finally showed the official photos of the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor. Spy pictures of the much talked about the new high performance truck has only been unofficially available through some sources. The new F-150 SVT Raptor is said to house the better variant of its predecessor F-150’s 5.4 liter Triton V8 three-valve engine. A new 6.2 liter Boss V8 engine is also included in the lists of latest offerings from the said company.

Ford also said that their latest F-150 model’s engine was subjected to a series of extensive and thorough tests at their own dynamometer laboratory. Better horsepower while on tow, decreased emissions and improved fuel economy are just among the features of the new Triton engine.

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The most popular ford models ever begin with the legendary Model T. The Model T was the first practical car suitable for the average American. The car went about 45 mph and was only offered in the color black. About 15,500,000 models were sold just in the US. It remained the top car on the market and was sold for the equivalent of $19,000 in today’s market.

After this, the Model A was produced. Being one of the most popular ford models ever, it was greeted with a great enthusiasm after the 18 year reign of the Model T. It had a new style and was available in the station wagon design. It was available in four different colors, but not black.

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