The Men in Black duo have upgraded their machinery for the third installment of the franchise, adding traffic-crushing monocycles, jet packs and a blacked-out Ford Taurus SHO to their transportation arsenal.
Ford is making the most of its hottest full-size sedan joining one of the summer's hottest blockbusters, airing a 30-second spot with footage from the film that will air during American Idol. But since much of the movie takes place in 1969, we'll be just as interested to see Josh Brolin's blacked-out '60s Ford sedan that has a few tricks it could teach the SHO.
Scroll down to see some videos, the first with SHO cameos, the second a movie clip entitled "Have these in the future?"
Continue reading Ford Taurus SHO to feature in Men In Black 3
Moody's upgraded Ford's credit rating to investment grade today, the final step for the company to be able to reclaim its Blue Oval. Ford had offered its globally recognized trademark as part of a 2006 loan package. According to the Detroit Free Press, the collateralized logo and the rest of Fod's assets and intellectual property would not return to the automaker until it achieved an investment-grade credit rating with at least two of the three major agencies. Last month, Ford's credit was upgraded by Fitch.
At the time the loan was issued, the move was viewed as bold and risky, as Ford literally bet the farm that it could pay back the $23.5 billion. But as it turned out, the automaker's head start on restructuring allowed it to weather the financial crisis and resultant industry downturn in 2008 without declaring bankruptcy and needing government intervention like its cross-town rivals.
The upgrade from Moody's is said to potentially help Ford by lowering its borrowing costs, and certainly having its assets back should allow everyone in Dearborn to sleep peacefully tonight.
Scroll down to read Ford's official statement.
Continue reading Blue Oval no longer in hock as Ford credit rating upgraded
What's a fresh face worth? A lot when you're talking about NASCAR. Because the styling is about all that links a stock car to the production vehicle it's made to mirror. And for Ford, the latest is the new Fusion.
The Blue Oval automaker unveiled the race car "based" on the new Fusion back in January. But at the Roush Fenway Fan Day in Concord, North Carolina, this coming Thursday, fans will get their first chance to see the new stock car in full race livery.
The paint scheme in question bears the red and white colors of Motorcraft, Ford's spare parts division, as it will be raced by the Wood Brothers team in this year's Sprint Cup. But if you can't wait that long and aren't going to be near Concord this week, you can check out the full-size clay mock-up put together by the Ford Design Center in Dearborn in the pair of high-resolution images below.
We've noticed that 2013 Ford Fusion configurator has been updated with dollar values for each of its four models, however, we're not so sure the pricing is that black-and-white. Ford has also updated the disclaimer at the bottom of the page, to read, "Prices and features are for survey purposes only and are subject to change and features may become unavailable at the time of vehicle introduction." In other words, don't get too fixated on the numbers, as they're not locked down yet. And by playing with the configurator, you're likely serving as a FoMoCo lab rat - after all, this is the company that never met a focus group it didn't like.
It's worth noting that Ford has not issued an official press release on pricing yet. But for now, it seems like the base Fusion S will start at $22,495, though we're not sure whether that includes destination or not. Stepping up to the SE at $24,490 will upgrade the steel wheels to alloys, add heated, lighted mirrors with turn signal indicators, and get you body color rocker panels. Inside, the SE has a power driver's seat and a better stereo, and backseat passengers get an armrest and their own HVAC ducts. The SE also allows you to order other stuff, including navigation and start/stop, or opt for a different engine than the base-spec 2.5-liter four-cylinder with automatic transmission.
The 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder is available with a manual or automatic on the SE for $25,290, while the start/stop-equipped version (automatic only) is $25,585. The 2.0-liter EcoBoost with automatic is $26,745 when ordered in SE trim. Ford lists a number of different packages and options, but they seem to be offered on a sliding scale, such that the packages are more expensive on the lower-priced models. For instance, the Luxury Package with leather and heated seats, among other equipment, is $1,505 on the 1.6-liter EcoBoost but only $1,050 on the 2.0-liter EcoBoost.
On the SE Hybrid, which starts at $27,995 and is equipped with a non-EcoBoost 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a CVT, the same Luxury Package is listed at $2,000. Apparently if you're saving all that money on gas, you can afford to pay double the guy with the most powerful engine.
At the top of the Fusion price list, of course, rests the Titanium, which offers a lot of the optional stuff standard for $30,995. It's also the only way to get all-wheel drive, which will set you back $32,995. Note that the Titanium is exclusively powered by the 2.0-liter EcoBoost and is not available with a manual, so you won't be configuring your Fusion as a dual-use weekend rally car.
But then again, Ford will likely change this all tomorrow.
Episode #283 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Chris, Dan and Zach chat about the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, the Chevrolet SS, and Kia exploring diesels for the U.S. market. Your questions and comments power the end of the 'cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We've embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #283:
Topics:
Ford Shelby GT500
Holden sending RWD Commodore Stateside
Kia mulling diesel for the U.S.
In the Autoblog Garage:
2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid
2012 Audi A6
2012 Honda Fit
Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman
Runtime: 01:08:54
Get the podcast
[UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10PM Eastern at UStream
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
The good old boys at Motor Trend got their hands on not only a 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, but a Ford Police Interceptor and a Dodge Charger Police Pursuit, as well. Like any good, upstanding group of hooligans, the crew set to playing cops and robbers in the shadow of Detroit's vacant factories. With the big 662-horsepower, supercharged V8 Mustang left with no long spans of asphalt to stretch its legs, the two pursuit vehicles have a clear advantage. Watching the three go at each other is a decent way to blow five minutes of your work day.
Of course, this reminds me of a pearl of wisdom served up by my grandfather on the subject of evading the long arm of the law. He always said, "You can out run one, you might even out run two, but you'll never outrun that radio." Amen.
Check it out for yourself.
Continue reading Watch a Taurus and Charger cop car team up on new Shelby GT500
The fourth installment of Ken Block's Gymkhana series was aptly subtitled "The Hollywood Megamercial." We know Ken needs to sell some DC Shoes apparel to pay for these lavish drifting productions, but the sales pitch stole the spotlight from the action in Gymkhana 4. Ever wonder what the video would have been like without the special effects and clothing commercials?
It took them the better part of a year, but DC Shoes has finally released a bonus edit that removes the "Hollywood" parts of the video, leaving just the gymkhana parts that we all clicked Play to watch in the first place.
Cutting out the special effects and infomercial aspects shortens the video from a weighty 9:16 to a lithe and focused 5:11. The difference between the two vids is most apparent by comparing when the Ford Racing rally Focus leaves the starting line. Original video: 1:25. New edit: 0:09. Over a minute was saved just by cutting the clip of Ken Block on fire and nixing the opening credits for his wardrobe. Another two minutes was saved at the end by leaving the Bollywood dance on the cutting room floor.
Scroll down to watch the new bonus edit that lets the viewer better appreciate the skill required to perform such stunts, as well as the original version. You can also click here to watch a YouTube Doubler of the videos playing side-by-side.
Continue reading Ken Block's Gymkhana 4 re-edited with less "Hollywood"
The 2012 Ford Focus Electric is officially on its way to dealerships. Outlets in California, New Jersey, and New York - 67 in all - are going to be the first to receive the electron-fueled Focus, with about six cars each winding up on lots. To help dealers build more excitement for what's likely to be a slow-starting sales story, the dealers will hold one of the Focus EVs as a demonstrator.
Even if fewer than 5,000 Focus Electric models find buyers this year, Alan Mulally won't be disappointed. While Ford ultimately expects electrics and hybrid vehicles to account for up to 25 percent of its sales volume by 2020, the company is moving deliberately. Rather than develop and tool an entirely new platform, Ford's move to modify the Focus for electric propulsion is said to allow some semblance of a profit margin, but it's going to take time for consumers to warm to the idea of a $40,000 Focus, even if a third of that price is the battery, and Ford appears to be keeping this in mind.
After the initial 350 or so cars are delivered to the pilot stores, the rest of the Ford dealers across the nation will start getting the Focus EV before spring turns into summer.
While these supposedly leaked patent images aren't as sexy as those of the Acura NSX convertible we recently spied, they do point to an interesting new look for the homely Ford Transit Connect.
As the pedestrian delivery van in its current form is in need of a massive upgrade in the aesthetics department, adopting more of a "Ford face" like what's found on the Fiesta and forthcoming Fusion seems like a great idea. We're not sure, however, what to make of the buttresses at the base of the pillars, which reminds us a bit too much of the Honda Element.
While we haven't heard much about when a new Transit Connect might be headed to our shores, according to Left Lane News, Ford may show an almost-production-ready concept at the Paris Motor Show in September.
It looks like we weren't the only ones to get our hands on the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500. Jamal Hameedi, SVT chief nameplate engineer, recently stopped by the Big Dog Garage to show off both the Mustang Boss 302 and the GT500. It's no secret that Leno has always been a Mustang fan, and with the ridiculously powerful supercharged 5.8-liter pumping out more grunt than the comedian's own Ford GT, the 2013 Shelby has earned itself another proponent. Leno takes the big horse out for a ride around town, including over some of the more punishing stretches of Los Angeles freeway before heading home.
Of course, it wouldn't be an episode of Jay Leno's Garage without a proper burnout, and the clip doesn't disappoint. Looks like fun to us. Now the only question is whether Leno will add one of these machines to his own personal collection. Scroll down below to watch the video, which concludes with a little tribute to the recently deceased Carroll Shelby.
Continue reading Jay Leno gets nostalgic driving Shelby GT500 and Boss 302
