Archive for September, 2010
Paris 2010: Ford Fiesta RS WRC ready to hit the dirt running
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Motorsports, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Ford, Off-Road, Racing
The FIA World Rally Championship is shaping up to be particularly interesting in 2011, and the new-for-2011 Ford Fiesta RS is a big reason why. The Blue Oval’s latest dirt-spitting racer will contest its first race at Rally Sweden in mid-February, but the Fiesta S2000-based rally car made its debut this morning at the Paris Motor Show.
In typical WRC fashion, the blue and gray Fiesta RS is all gaping intakes, massive flares and skyscraping wings, and needless to say, it looks The Business. Motivated by an EcoBoost-branded 1.6-liter turbocharged four of undisclosed output, the four-wheel-drive RS will get a shakedown run on Spain’s gravel roads next week, though Ford says it’s already conducted about 3,000 kilometers worth of testing with various engines.
The new car, which supplants the Blue Oval’s prior Focus-based WRC car, will be driven by Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, along with Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila. Check out our spanking-new galleries below and pop past the jump for the official press release.
Gallery: Paris 2010: Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Gallery: Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Live photos copyright (C)2010 Chris Paukert / AOL
[Source: Ford]
Continue reading Paris 2010: Ford Fiesta RS WRC ready to hit the dirt running
Paris 2010: Ford Fiesta RS WRC ready to hit the dirt running originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Paris 2010: 2012 Ford Focus ST hatches early
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Budget, Performance, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Ford
To say that American enthusiasts have been anxiously awaiting a properly hotted up version of Ford’s European hatchback would be a gross understatement. And while we’re still waiting for a proper Focus RS to hit our shores, we’re certainly happy to see its little brother, the Focus ST, hit the showroom floor with promises of coming Stateside in 2012 ringing in our ears.
Here’s why our interest is piqued: a turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine with 247 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque; a six-speed manual transmission and Ford’s new torque-vectoring power control system. Throw in a Tangerine Scream paint job and some 19-inch alloys in the Blue Oval’s signature Y-spoke ST pattern and we’re tickled pink.
Sure, we’re still waiting on an official price tag, but that won’t stop us from poring over these live photos from Paris, now will it?
Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus ST
Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus ST
Live photos by Chris Paukert/Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
Paris 2010: 2012 Ford Focus ST hatches early originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Report: Visteon reaches pension agreement with Ford, eyes bankruptcy exit
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Government/Legal, Ford
Automobile parts supplier Visteon appears to be closer than ever to exiting bankruptcy after 15 long months of proceedings, with the help of the company’s one-time master. The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Ford has agreed to waive $268 million in pension and retiree claims, relieving the troubled supplier of still more debt obligations. Further, The Blue Oval will reportedly commit to another $600 million in contracts, helping the supplier exit bankruptcy with a bit more work in queue.
When Visteon finally exits Chapter 11 proceedings, it will do so with a far healthier balance sheet, production capacity that is more in line with demand and less reliance on Ford Motor Company for business. But while the new Visteon will likely be profitable, the company won’t be nearly as big as Ford’s one-time captive supplier arm was 10 years ago. Visteon has shuttered or sold over 50 plants in the past decade while losing over 50,000 jobs.
[Source: Detroit Free Press | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images]
Report: Visteon reaches pension agreement with Ford, eyes bankruptcy exit originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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2012 Ford Focus: North America’s version of global car in detail [w/video]
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Budget, Sedan, Wagon, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Ford
Ford has worked hard over the past few years to completely overhaul its entire model line. Recent product launches like the 2011 Mustang and Fiesta show that FoMoCo is committed to making class-leading vehicles, and the larger (ahem) focus on style, quality and packaging is nothing short of impressive.
Perhaps the most important new car launch for Ford, however, is the 2012 Focus, which makes its world premiere at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. This is the first product designed from the ground up with the Blue Oval’s “One Ford” product strategy, and Ford’s group vice president of product development says the Focus is the automaker’s “flagship” for global vehicles. The Focus you see here will be sold in both North America and Europe with only very minor tweaks being made for the individual markets. Not even the original Focus that was sold in both markets when it debuted back in 1999 shared so much with its sibling on the other side of the Atlantic.
It certainly looks good, and with a raft of new engineering, safety and infotainment technologies on hand, the 2012 Focus is ready to set the C-segment on fire.
Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus
Continue reading 2012 Ford Focus: North America’s version of global car in detail [w/video]
2012 Ford Focus: North America’s version of global car in detail [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.