Ford News
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Ford has aggressive electrification plans for China. In a recent announcement, the U.S. automaker said that 70 percent of the vehicles it sells in the country by 2025 will be hybrids—either plug-in or conventional—or fully electric. Ford builds vehicles in China through a joint venture with Chongqing Changan Automobile Company, and the two will launch their first locally built plug-in hybrid next year with the 2018 Mondeo Energi sedan. DON’T MISS: Is Chevy FNR-X concept the plug-in hybrid CrossVolt SUV? That car, known as the Fusion Energi in North America, will feature an...
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Q: Why is Tesla worth more than GM? A: The sins of Detroit
It remains unclear whether Tesla will survive as an independent company, given that it's had exactly two profitable quarters in its 12-plus years of existence. And yet, last week, Tesla briefly passed General Motors to become the most valuable U.S. automaker by market capitalization. It had passed...
John Voelcker -
What does it take to turn a Ford Fusion Hybrid into a Police Responder?
The hybrid mid-size sedans sold today by Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota are all tuned to provide maximum fuel economy. So what did it take to fashion a standard Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan into the 2018 Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan that Ford introduced yesterday? The company's...
John Voelcker -
Ford Fusion becomes first police pursuit-rated hybrid car
Ford made a big splash last year when it announced it would launch 13 new electrified vehicles within five years. That was widely misreported as 13 new "electric" vehicles, which is to say either battery-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles—which isn't the case. It includes conventional...
John Voelcker -
Industry should standardize electric-car trip data, Ford says
As in other industries, "big data" is an increasingly common buzzword these days in discussions of electric cars. Last November, several research entities presented relevant data sets and advocated for their use at an electric-car "datathon" hosted by the White House. Putting theory into practice...
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla has become a U.S. Big Three carmaker (by market value)
Tesla Motors has spent more than 10 years beating the odds for startup automakers. Most new, independent makers barely survive long enough to produce a handful of vehicles, let alone sell more than 100,000 and garner praise from both customers and the media—as the electric-car startup has...
Stephen Edelstein -
Smaller engines with turbochargers have spread throughout new vehicles as a way to meet the increasingly stringent fuel-efficiency rules that started in 2012. But no maker has been as forward about marketing that technology as Ford, which now offers a range of downsized and boosted engines under the EcoBoost brand. We'd tested a couple of Ford Escape compact crossovers with earlier EcoBoost engines several years ago, but wanted to spend some time with the latest iteration. DON'T MISS: 2017 Ford Escape quick drive review For the 2017 model year, the Escape has been freshened in several ways...
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Emissions rules could cost 1 million jobs, Ford CEO tells Trump: what's behind that number? (further updated)
Among his actions during a whirlwind first week in office, U.S. President Donald Trump met last week with the CEOs of U.S. automakers Fiat Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. He met on two consecutive days with Mark Fields, CEO of Ford, in fact. Fields was part of a group of manufacturing...
John Voelcker -
Electric Ford Transit van conversion shown by Inventev at Detroit Auto Show
When an automaker doesn't offer a vehicle for a specific market segment, sometimes the aftermarket will fill in the gap. In the U.S., all-electric commercial vans are one of those gaps. Such vehicles are available in other markets, but so far, not on sale from major makers in North America. DON'T...
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford to test plug-in hybrid Transit Custom van in London
Earlier this month, Ford announced a host of new electrified vehicles, including prototype and production hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric models. Before its planned 2019 production launch, one of those vehicles will soon begin testing in London. It's a plug-in hybrid version of the...
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford F-150 pickup to get V-6 diesel engine in spring 2018 (updated)
Formerly the domain of heavy-duty pickups, diesel engines are slowly creeping into smaller trucks. Ram arguably started the most recent trend with the 1500's 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6. General Motors sells diesel-powered Chevrolet Colorados and GMC Canyons. Now, the Ford F-150 is getting in on the...
Brandon Turkus -
When the 'eco' in EcoBoost is so low that gas-guzzler taxes apply
Since Ford launched its line of downsized EcoBoost engines in 2009, the "eco" part of that name has often required an asterisk. That's because some owners have found that real-world fuel economy results don't always live up to the vehicles' official EPA ratings. The phrase "you can have Eco, or you...
Stephen Edelstein -
In recent years, Ford has acquired a bit of a reputation for opacity in its dealings with the media. One example was its promise in December 2015 that it would introduce 13 new "electrified" vehicles by 2020. Ford didn't specify what those were, or what the term meant, leading to widespread inaccurate reporting that assumed that meant 13 electric cars ... with plugs. DON'T MISS: Ford plans 300-mile electric SUV, hybrid F-150 and Mustang, more U.S. production It didn't mean that at all. Technically, all cars are "electrified" to some degree—but the term is customarily used to refer to...
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Ford Transit Connect Hybrid taxi prototype to appear in Detroit
A prototype Ford Transit Hybrid taxi will appear at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show.
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford plans 300-mile electric SUV, hybrid F-150 and Mustang, more U.S. production
Ford released plans today for its future portfolio of electified vehicles, including an all-electric SUV with 300 miles of range Perhaps more remarkable, it will offer hybrid versions of both the F-150 pickup truck—previously discussed for 2019 or so—and the Mustang sport coupe. It will...
John Voelcker -
Fusion Hybrid again used for latest Ford autonomous test vehicle
Ford will deploy a second-generation version of its autonomous Fusion Hybrid sedan in 2017.
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford will ask Trump to cut fuel-economy rules, CEO says; 'no demand' for hybrid, electric cars
Ford will ask President-elect Donald Trump to lower fuel-economy standards, CEO Mark Fields said in a recent interview.
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Ford Fiesta minicar unveiled in Europe; U.S. plans unclear
The next-generation Ford Fiesta was unveiled in Europe earlier this week.
Stephen Edelstein -
The 2017 Ford Focus Electric has been one of last electric cars remaining in the current model year for which we haven't had information. Now Ford has released a few specifications, and a photo of a 2017 Focus Electric window sticker sent by a reader fills in more of the gaps. The good news: after several years with a bottom-of-the-list range of just 76 miles, this year's Focus Electric is fully competitive at 115 miles. DON'T MISS: 2017 Ford Focus Electric full review That number didn't come from Ford itself, which appears to be waiting for the EPA to release certified electric range and...
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2018 Ford EcoSport unveiled at 2016 Los Angeles auto show
Like most things at Ford that don't have GT or RS in their name these days, the new Ford EcoSport is about 90 percent hype and 10 percent car. Fortunately, underneath all that ad-speak, the new subcompact crossover utility vehicle is a cute little thing, with some cool features. If Ford can deliver...
Nelson Ireson -
Ford Mustang is unlikely winner of UK gas-mileage marathon
A Ford Mustang GT took the title of most-improved fuel economy in the 2016 MPG Marathon.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Ford F-150 pickup gas mileage rises to 21 mpg combined
The 2017 Ford F-150 pickup truck gets a new 10-speed automatic transmission and upgraded 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6.
Stephen Edelstein -
Fusion Hybrid needs to burn more gas to keep engine healthy: Ford Canada
Ford Canada told a Fusion Hybrid owner to drive at highway speeds more after sludge appeared in her car's oil cap.
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford's electric-vehicle strategy: absorb costs in most profitable trucks
Ford's electrification strategy will rely heavily on trucks and commercial vehicles.
Stephen Edelstein