Fiesta finally??

Could it be true? Igor, a frequent commentor here, has been saying so for a year and of course there have been rumors. But now AutoBlog is reporting on a Motor Trend article saying that the Ford Fiesta will be coming here to the US a year after it's freshened version comes out in Europe. And it's not going to get the Dave treatment. The Fiesta could look something like this Auto Express CGI from the UK. It's Kinetic DNA from Europe intact.

Well, maybe things are looking up at FoMoCo. I read recently that the new Edge CUV is doing very well, Fusion/Milan sales are slowly but steadily rising and I've seen quite a few new Escapes on the road. Is it enough? I don't know, but signs are slowly improving at Dearborn.

Maybe MyFordDreams won't all be nightmares? But I still vow that if the Interceptor sedan comes to market iwth a solid rear axle, I will loose all interest in the Blue Oval and never buy a Ford branded car again!

Jalopnik has news about Lincoln MKS, why am I not thrilled?

Jalopnik (and AutoBlog) has a piece on the Lincoln MKS, well actually a disguised test mule and speculation that it could have up to 380 hp from a twin turbo version of Ford's new 3.5L V6. And you wonder why I'm not thrilled right? I mean a Lincoln with 380 hp! Well lets start with that. You know FoMoCo doesn't have the stones to actually produce a car with that much power, even with all wheel drive. And despite the MKS not being the ugliest car I've ever seen, it's not the most awe inspiring either.

And lets face it kids, it's just a pimped out 500/Taurus. Not that the Taurus is a bad car, but is it a "flagship" vehicle?? Lincoln would be better served by the MKR concept in that respect.

If FoMoCo wants to really make any "Bold Moves" then how about something more like this?

MyFordDreams are turning into nightmares everyday.

It's tough to get jazzed up by half assed efforts, when I know what FoMoCo can do. They have to look no further than their overseas operations for a handbook on how to do it right.

Why it's difficult to be a Ford fan at the New York Auto Show

So, I fnally got to the Javits Center this Friday and while I'm sure you've read about everything on AutoBlog and Jalopnik, but here's my take on the show in general and Ford's offerings in particular. It's getting tough be be enthusiastic about FoMoCo these days. I can take a positive spin and say how nice the Edge/CX9/MKX are, how really impressed I was with the Volvo C30 and how cool the Lincoln MKR and Ford Interceptor concepts looked. The concepts were well received by the crowd, even after a week of the show being open to the public. But as hard as I tried, I just couldn't become one of the sheep and ooh and aah at the Interceptor. It's just a shame really. As the spokesman stood on the rotating turntable dazzling the crowd with specs like "330 hp from the 5.0 Cammer engine" I could not help but want to puke my guts up when he with a straight face tried to excite the crowd with " and underneath, you'll find the Mustang multi link rear suspension with solid rear axle. What??? Hold on, solid rear axle?

And the story got no better at the turntable for the new Shelby GT500KR. An improved multi link rear supsention and solid axle. And for the incredible markup we can expect from dealers over list price, you get only about 25 more horsepower, a different hood and other minor improvements. So let's guess that the list price will be about $50k and that like the GT500 dealers will shaft you for another $20k. If you're gonna screw me like that, at least kiss me first!

In 2004 when the 05 Mustang was rolled out and I saw it at Nashville Super Speedway for the 40th Aniversary celebration, I like many was so excited to see it, that I appologized for FoMoCo's failure to equip the Stang with an IRS. The rationalization was that at the lower price point for a Mustang GT it was the best bang for the buck you could get! Well that was 2004, this is now.

And in this market if Ford tries to bring the Interceptor to market without an IRS then they deserve to go down the toilet. Seriously, Chrysler/Dodge have the 300/Magnum/Charger all with more power and IRS. GM is bringing the Pontiac G8 with more power and IRS. Ford sells the Falcon/Fairmont in Australia with more power and IRS. See what I'm saying?

Ford will be signing their own obituary if they bring a rear wheel drive sedan to market here in North America without an IRS! I hope to god that someone at FoMoCo can see this.

I will go further with this, if FoMoCo does come out with a RWD sedan and it doesn't have IRS like every one of their competitors, then I will never buy another Ford Branded product in my life! And I will advise anyone who asks to follow my lead. If they want to die a misserable death, so be it! But they can't say they didn't see the trends in the market place or that they couldn't design an IRS that would work. They have no farther to look than the Control Blade IRS used in Australia!

MojoRadioLive to revamp and relaunch in May

Several months ago, I told you about MojoRadioLive KMRL Radio and Internet Radio station. And the Mojo went in for a bit of a tuneup and is getting to kick off again in May.

I've seen and heard some of the shows, and heard good things about the others, some of the station favorites such as DJ DarkStar, WebKyttn, Bug, Grey's Garage and the Gimp are returning and there will be some new shows .

So, head on over to MojoRadioLive at the link in the title and check it out.

I've heard from a reliable source that there may be some Car Talk from time to time.

Just when I was starting to warm up to Mulally, he goes and pulls a bonehead move like this.

Over at AutoBlog they've got a piece, indluding two videos, showing Ford CEO Mulally caught in a lie, where he makes President Bush look foolish. Now, if your company is doing poorly and wants to work with the Government and this administration, to improve your situation, then you don't attempt humor at the President's expense. Simple really, even if you're angry at the administration and frustrated that things aren't going your way, you don't do this.

Just when I was thinking that Mr Boeing Boy was getting with the program, he pulls this bone head move. Way to go Alan! You dumbass!

Now, I don't care what your politics are, you have to recognize that this was not a smart move.

Holy crap, AutoBlog has Volvo C30 pricing

The closest we can get to this in the US is the new Volvo C30, and now.............

Autoblog has fairly comprehnsive pricing information on the new Volvo C30, the 3 door version of the Ford Focus based S40. And I'm impressed with several things. First is the fact that the Turbo 5 will be the only engine, and putting out 227hp. Second is the base price below $23,000.

But try and add a few options and the price jumps real quick!

And as impressive as 227 hp is, the MazdaSpeed3 beats that by over 20 hp for around the same price, with more standard equipment.

Now for my money, and that's what's important to me, the Mazda is the beter deal. Hell, my 3 Cost less than the base price of the C30 and it's loaded with the exception of auto trans and DVD navigation!! Sure I only have 160 hp, but those heated leather seats and 6 disc CD stereo help smooth things out when I open my power moonroof in January. And I've got 2 more doors.

Don't get me wrong, the Volvo is nice, but what I really want is the Focus ST from Europe.

Funny how Ford can sell the C30 and Speed3 here in the US for under $25k, but not the ST.

AutoBlog has details on GT500KR and quite frankly, I'm not impressed.

40 more horsepower and a few suspension tweaks. What a steaming pile of crap!
As I said in my last post on this, it's not enough! There will be only 1,000 of them and collectors will snatch them up. But what's really special about it?

Ford Shelby GT500KR What's going to make this King of the Road?

I found this over at Jalopnik, and I wonder what's going to make the new GT500KR better than last year's GT500? Is it finally going to get an IRS? Is there going to be more than 500 hp? What's going to make them King of the Road? And what's it going to cost? The GT500 is impressive, there's no doubt about that, but there is room for improvement. I doubt Ford is going to give it the IRS it so sorely needs.

Is this just another way to screw Mustang enthusiasts?? Is this just old money bags Carrol Shelby cashing in again?

I know you're thinking "what kind of Mustang enthusiast are you Joe?" Well, I'm one that's sick of half hearted efforts on Ford's part. I'm also one of the rare enthusiasts that doesn't bow down and whorship at the altar of Shelby. While I respect the cars, he's just a man. Just the first of several to slap their name on the Mustang and overcharge for it. Saleen, Roush, Steeda, all Shelby clones a generation later.

This video will change your mind about speed! (not really)

I'm posting this video for only one reason, it features Australian Ford Falcons. It's a public service message about the evil of SPEED. While there may be valid points raised, it really won't change the way I drive.

The still unanswered chalenge!

The still unanswered challenge at Ford is the B segment sub-compact. If sales of GM's Aveo, Honda's Fit and DCX's Caliber/Patriot/Compass triplets and assorted other micro cars aren't enough proof, what will it take for Ford to get off the blocks? The Focus is a good car, could be better if we got the Euro/New Focus, like my Mazda3, and not just an "Americanized" refresh and 2 door coupe. I'm not saying the new coupe is a bad idea, but even with the entry price of the Focus ZX3 below $14k and the 2.0L base model achieving 37 MPG, that's not enough!

Well, that's not entirely true, the numbers for the base Focus are very competative on paper, matching the new batch of "B" entries to our market. But still the perception is that Ford has become stale, not just the Focus, but the entire brand. And while the new Edge and renamed Taurus/Taurus X and even the very capable Fusion are fine, they don't address the perception that Ford isn't bringing fresh product to market.

Some of my earliest blog entries were rants about how Ford has a competative model(s) in their European lineup. The Fiesta/Fusion twins.

The Fusion is based on the very good Fiesta chassis, but is about the size of the Fit. It's a really capable five door wagon with room for most family needs. I've seen the Fusion up close and personal when I was in Ireland on vacation and the pictures don't do justice to how nice this is.

And in Latin American markets there's even an all wheel drive soft roader version called the EcoSport. No dual range transfer case or rock crawling gears, but more than suitable for North Eastern snow storms and the ocassional trip to the beach or hiking. No worse than you get from Subaru, as far as "Off Road" capability goes.

There's been much speculation in the automotive press/blogsphere about Ford utilizing the Mazda2 for their B segment model. That's fine with me, since both the Fiesta and Mazda2 are built on the same platform and share powertrains. If it makes the Japan loving press happy to say it's Mazda based, so be it. But in reality, the European/Latin American production would be cheaper to import than Japanese produced models.

This is a photoshopped guess of what the next Fiesta (sporty version) may look like, from Auto Express, a UK auto magazine.

This is a 2006 Fiesta prepared by a tuner for the Euro market.

Bottom line is, at least to me, is that Ford doesn't have time to speculate or delay. If they truly want to be percieved as making "Bold Moves" they need to do something quick and this could be the move they need to make. It's not all about new Super Duty Trucks! With gasoline prices silently rising to $3 per gallon again, it's time to address the weakness on the entry level part of their lineup.

One further thing, I read online today that Mazda is looking to bring a clean diesel to the US market possibly by 2011. Well where do you think Mazda is going to pull that diesel from? Why from Ford of Europe of course! Mazda sources their diesels from the Franco/Ford partnership.

Ford Transit Backbone of Britain

Ford Transit commercial

What the hell?

Reflex Reflex Reflex !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Short video of Reflex concept.

Ford Interceptor Concept is really just 427 concept updated

The new Interceptor concept is really just te 427 concept updated with that stupid Super Chief grille.

500 to Taurus etc..

There's been a lot of news about Ford since my last real blog posting. Things that are important to Ford and I haven't had much to say, until now. First I think the change of the 500 to the Taurus is a good thing. The name recognition of Taurus is greater and since the Fivehundred wasn't flying off dealer's lots, it certainly couldn't hurt. Both cars are bread and butter family sedans.

On the other hand, all of the speculation on a new SHO is nonsense. Ford had a good idea with the original Taurus SHO in 1989 and improved it in the second generation. But by the third generation of SHO the magic was gone. I know there are devoted SHO fans that will disagree, but the proof is in the sales history. Even though the SHO 3's V8 has been revised for use in Volvo ( and possibly Lincoln ) models, it's far from Super High Output anymore. Rated at 311 hp in the XC90 it's adequate but again just middle of the pack for small V8s. Ford would be better served by a Fusion SVT with a turbo 2.3 or direct injected 3.5. They won't put the needed power in a Taurus SHO model to make it worthy of the name.

Taurus X? Well again it can't hurt, so why not. The Freestyle is a great wagon, but the name was too close to the horrible Freestar and with it's initial 207 hp V6 it was underpowered and unloved. Now that the 3.5 will be installed, maybe the Taurus X name can redirect buyers to this capable CUV/Wagon.

A further option would be the Volvo/SHO Yamaha V8, just don't lable it SHO.

A more important model for Ford will be a full size rear wheel drive replacement for the Crown Victoria, like the Interceptor concept. Whether it's based on modified Mustang chassis or the Aussie Falcon is of little importance to me at this point. But a must have is an Independant Rear Supension like DCX and GM have/will have in their models.

Ford needs to recognize that Rear Wheel Drive is where many customers want to be. With advances in traction control and stability systems, and the requisite IRS these sedans are four season capable and more desirable. Ford has the parts and technology to make it work from their Australian Falcon/Fairmont models, why so late to bring that to the US Market?

It's really a shame what's going on at Ford, so much of it seems to have been avoidable. We're talking about a world power in the auto industry, a company that put the world on wheels in a very real way! Ford has some very good models on sale across the globe and some great concepts have been presented, but never come to fruition. Don't think that I"ve forgotten my Reflex obsession.

Seriously, it's tough being a Ford fanatic these days, especially when every "Bold Move" seems more like a feeble attempt.

Street Racing Chronicles 3

These two guys have a series of videos spoofing street racing culture on YouTube. This third installment is the best, but all are funny.

What's funnier are the comments below each video.
To see them on YouTube double click on the video here after it starts playing or go to www.youtube.com and search for Street Racing Chronicles

Gone In 60 Seconds Music Video

another music video, this one is the remake film set to RoB Zombie's Dragula.

Gone in 60 Seconds 1974 Car Chases Mix

Someone named Matt Beastly edited down the video from the original Gone in 60 Seconds and set it to music. A really good job.
The original chase was almost half an hour, Matt has done a nice edit/mix.

Bullit - Steve McQueen´s Commitment To Reality [1968]

very good documentary about McQueen's work on Bullit. If only the movie wasn't so bad. Some good footage of McQueen and co-star practicing high speed driving.

Steve McQueen Mustang Commercial

I had posted the McQueen Ford Puma commercial and reffered to this one. This is one of the coolest commercials ever!