Archive for July, 2010
America, the automobile and the 4th of July
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Chrysler, Ford, GM
The first internal combustion-powered automobile was not invented by an American (thank you, Karl Benz). But we did invent the motorcycle (coal-powered), air brake, AC motor, stop sign, tractor, assembly line, automatic transmission, muffler, tow truck, bulldozer, car radio, tracked amphibious landing vehicle, stock car racing, cruise control, carbon fiber, the integrated circuit, satellite navigation, airbags, catalytic converter, The Mars Rover and even the Segway. In other words, we didn’t invent the automobile but we did contribute much of the technology that makes it what it is today.
In fact, we’d argue that while the Industrial Revolution began in the textile mills and iron foundries of Great Britain, the entire world went mobile when we Americans got our hands on the automobile. When Henry Ford introduced the assembly line (with conveyor) in 1918 1913, he put the world on wheels. Before the Model T, cars were conveyances for the wealthy, but the assembly line brought down costs to the point where car ownership became attainable to all. Ol’ Henry’s assembly line was so successful that the model was applied to almost every other area of manufacturing the world over, driving down the cost of goods and making life better for all.
[Image: rogerimp | CC 2.0]
Continue reading America, the automobile and the 4th of July
America, the automobile and the 4th of July originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Cars.com launches interactive map of Muscle Car areas
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Coupe, Chrysler, Ford, GM
The muscle car war is raging, with the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang jockeying for the title of top pony car. The Dodge Challenger is no slouch either, with a pair of new engines rumored for the 2011 model year. Our friends over at Cars.com are celebrating the recent success of America’s reborn pony cars with an extremely neat interactive map that illustrates the towns most interested in a particular vehicle. The color-coded map differentiates the models, and you can click on any circle to see the percentage above average. The bigger the circle, the larger the search disparity.
For example, in Hutchinson, Minnesota, Ford Mustang searches on Cars.com are 1,894 percent higher than the national average. In Fitzgerald, Georgia, Chevy Camaro searches are 753 percent above average and in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Dodge Challenger searches are 1,840 percent above the national average.
There’s one catch to the map, however: the percentages are highest in small towns, so if you live in a big city, a substantial spike in pony car searches is unlikely. For the record, Cars.com says that the Mustang has the highest search total of the three vehicles. Hit the jump to see if your city is obsessed with one muscle car in particular.
[Source: Cars.com]
Continue reading Cars.com launches interactive map of Muscle Car areas
Cars.com launches interactive map of Muscle Car areas originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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New Nationwide cars don’t look like Mustang, Challenger; NASCAR still irrelevant
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Motorsports, Coupe, Dodge, Ford
Last fall, NASCAR, Ford and Dodge all made a lot of noise about the introduction of the Mustang and Challenger bodies into the Nationwide race series. This all came after the latest Sprint Cup “Car of Tomorrow” drew criticism because all four participating brands had identical body shells, none of which looked like the stock road cars that lend them their names. The initial renderings focused on the front ends of the new racers, which featured more upright noses like the real pony cars you’ll find in dealer showrooms.
Unfortunately, with this weekend’s race debut of the Mustang and Challenger at Daytona, NASCAR proves yet again that nothing has really changed. Despite the the upright front ends, these cars don’t look markedly different from each other, or even the Sprint Cup cars, for that matter. With the headlight and grille stickers blurred out, neither of the new Nationwide stockers looks like a pony car. Can you tell which is which? Check out the originals after the jump.
Continue reading New Nationwide cars don’t look like Mustang, Challenger; NASCAR still irrelevant
New Nationwide cars don’t look like Mustang, Challenger; NASCAR still irrelevant originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Video: Ford shows off 2011 Explorer air leak and panel gap tests
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: SUV, Plants/Manufacturing, Videos, Ford, Design/Style
Today’s vehicles are quieter than ever, and while that’s partially thanks to new computer modeling techniques, it also has plenty to do with repeated testing of each and every vehicle seal. For every door, hatch and window, some engineer has slaved tirelessly to make sure everything fits together just as it should. Ford has been kind enough to roll out a couple of videos showing that exact process on its forthcoming 2011 Explorer. The company uses some pretty high-tech equipment to take accurate measurements on panel gaps and detect potential air leak issues before the vehicle even goes through paint.
Watching the engineers play with their toys is entertaining and all, but we were most interested in what engineer Matt Machala had to say about just how much more stringent Ford’s standards have grown over the past three years. It may mean boatloads of extra work for the company’s employees, but from what we’ve seen of their product of late, there’s no denying the impact those hours have had on the company’s finished product. Hit the jump to see the videos for yourself. Hot tip, Sam!
Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer Teasers
[Source: Ford]
Continue reading Video: Ford shows off 2011 Explorer air leak and panel gap tests
Video: Ford shows off 2011 Explorer air leak and panel gap tests originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.