Ford finally takes the wraps off the all new 2013 Ford Escape. Check out the gallery and specs for the new Escape.

From the Detroit Free Press:

The new Escape compact crossover is Ford’s latest vehicle to shed a boxy façade for more finessed contours, a change that executives say improves fuel economy.

When Ford first launched the Escape a decade ago, designers sought to make it look rugged, like an SUV, rather than streamlined like Honda’s CR-V or Toyota’s RAV4. But shoppers are now looking for sleeker design, said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas.

“We’re injecting a style aspect to it, which consumers are saying, ‘We want, (but) don’t pull back one iota in the utility capability,’ ” Fields said.

Ford unveils the Escape today at the Los Angeles auto show, ahead of its sales launch next year. Ford is counting on the Escape’s huge customer base to make the new version as successful as its predecessor, even though Ford showrooms will soon be crowded with five car-based family vehicles.

Read the full article.

The next electric car in the ring is the Focus Electric with a starting price of $39,995 which is competitive to what’s available at this time. Word is that a full charge will deliver somewhere between 70 and 100 miles. Not too bad right out of the gate and hopefully we’ll be a ble to get behind the wheel of this new Ford offering in the very near future so we can report our findings!

From AutoNews.com:

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. has priced its gasoline-free Focus Electric at $39,995, including freight — a price identical to the Chevrolet Volt and $3,945 more than the Nissan Leaf.

The vehicle has a one-speed transmission and comes standard with a 92-kilowatt electric motor with lithium ion battery, MyFord Touch and 17-inch aluminum wheels.

Like buyers of the Volt and Leaf, purchasers are eligible for a federal income tax credit of as much as $7,500.

The Focus Electric will be available in small numbers before year end in California and the New York City area, and is the first of five planned electrified vehicles from Ford.

Read the full article.

Tom Orlando of Bullz-Eye.com reviews the 2012 Ford Focus Hatchback SEL!

The 2012 Ford Focus is all-new and worth the wait. The bar keeps getting higher for vehicles in all auto segments but the small car category has seen vast improvements in performance, design and fuel efficiency. The Focus needed to be a great car to really compete in today’s market.

Exterior
With all of the hype before Ford launched the all new 2012 Ford Focus, we felt this car had to look great if customers were going to pay attention. Ford took what they call their very own “kinetic design” and delivered a sleek and sculpted Focus. Our test model came equipped with Kona blue metallic paint, 17-inch alloy polished wheels, halogen headlamps, fog lamps, rear spoiler and bright beltline molding. The hatchback design was strategically brought to North America from Ford’s European studios. With sales of the 2012 Focus Hatchback flying off the charts it’s obvious that the decision to build and sell the Focus hatchback in the United States was the right call. The front end of the 2012 Ford Focus has huge radiator ducts, a sculpted hood, sloped windshield and a distinguishing grille, all of which make the car stand out on the road.

Check out the full review.

This is interesting news on the green car front. From AutoNews.com:

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co.’s redesigned 2013 Escape crossover, due in early 2012, will lose its V-6 engine and hybrid-powertrain versions, the automaker said today.

Instead, the next generation Escape will have three engine options, all of them four-cylinders.

Ford will move the Escape Hybrid’s powertrain to the C-Max Hybrid, which it will launch next year.

The redesigned Escape will be based on the Vertrek concept shown at the 2011 Detroit auto show. Ford will show a production version of the 2013 Escape this fall at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Ford will offer a 2.5-liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine as the base engine in the 2013 Escape. Ford also will offer a 1.6- and a 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection EcoBoost engine in the Escape.

Read the full article.

Tom Orlando recently reviewed the 2011 Ford Taurus SHO for Bullz-Eye.com. Find out what he had to say about the ride!

The Taurus SHO is back in a rebirth that brings serious power back to Ford’s flagship sedan. The 2011 Ford Taurus SHO AWD has an unassuming exterior but delivers impressive horsepower under the hood.

Exterior
According to Ford, “A key element of the authentic SHO formula is the subtlety of its unique exterior design cues. Features include sporty premium painted wheels wrapped in standard low-profile 19-inch Goodyear Eagle or optional 20-inch Michelin high-performance tires, a deck lid-mounted spoiler and twin chrome exhaust tips. The car also features a uniquely finished interpretation of the Ford signature three-bar grille with SHO-specific parking lamp bezels”. Our test model also boasted HID projector headlamps, supplemental park lamps with security approach lamps, securicode keyless entry and dual exhaust with chrome tips. Several folks that checked out the sterling gray metallic test car were surprised to learn it was a Taurus. Many were also impressed with the sporty look of the SHO even though it doesn’t stand out from the base Taurus or the Taurus Limited.

Interior
The interior of the 2011 Taurus SHO AWD has the size of a full size sedan with the accents of a sports car. Our model included charcoal black leather seating, 10-way power driver and passenger seats with lumbar and driver memory, Sony premium 12-speaker sound system, Sirius satellite system, SYNC voice activated system, dual electronic temperature control, tilt and telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel, ambient lighting, aluminum interior accents, aluminum gas and brake pedals, heated and cooled front seats, power moonroof, heated rear seats, rear window power sunshade and voice-activated navigation system. The leather trimmed seats with Miko suede inserts are made with recycled post-consumer yarns from plastic soft drink bottles and are comfortable and luxurious. When you add excellent trunk space to the feature list, the 2011 Taurus SHO AWD leaves little to be desired.

Check out the full review.

From the Detroit Bureau:

Hatchbacks are hot at Ford Motor Co. and the maker’s new Evos Concept – which officially debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week – suggests that even more 3- and 5-door models are in the works, according to the maker’s head of global product planning.

Long considered unacceptable to U.S. motorists, hatchbacks are gaining ground fast with younger buyers and influencing even older motorists to take another look. That convinced Ford to go with a 5-door design for the Evos Concept which introduces a new look that “will become increasingly familiar” to the company’s customers around the world,” said product czar Derrick Kuzak.

“The (hatchback) body style is becoming increasingly popular worldwide and especially in North America,” Kuzak told TheDetroitBureau.com, in sharp contrast with years past.

Where hatchbacks were offered on past-generation Ford products sold in the U.S., said the product chief, they accounted for perhaps 20% of total sales. Now, Kuzak noted, “It’s just the opposite,” hatchbacks generating 60 to 70% of demand for models like the 2012 Ford Focus and 2011 Ford Fiesta.

Check out the full article.

This is the new Ford Evos concept that they will be debuting at Frankfurt soon. It is powered by a hybrid powertrain and has four seats. Now that the boring details are out of the way, lets talk about the Evos’ real party piece: its looks.

Good God it is beautiful. A natural progression from their “kinetic” design language, this new look smashes the cliches that have abounded recent car design. For instance, the headlights are slim and svelte (not bulging monstrosities that look better on cartoons than cars), the grill is not obscene in size, and there are curves in the place of slashes and edges. Luckily, we don’t have to wait long to see its influence. The first model to receive these styling clues will be revealed in four months.

But seriously Ford, if you want to win hearts, shrink the car up, keep it rear wheel drive, and give it an Ecoboost four cylinder. Mustang who?

Look for the debut in Frankfurt for this stunner soon

And a big sigh of relief from all of those Lincoln dealers is heard across America. This has to be a bold plan with alot of top designers dedicated to a long term plan. The luxury market is very fluid with brands getting smarter and better everyday so gaining share will be a real challenge. It’s really difficult to have an opinion until we start seeing and driving the products that will actually make it to the showrooms and for that we are looking forward to the excitement of a new beginning for Lincoln!

From Auto Blog:

The Ford Motor Company is finally marshaling the resources and money to transform Lincoln into a true luxury brand again. While the company is guarded in discussing the full details of its plan, it’s divulging enough for now to let the world know that this is going to be a serious effort. And the early signs are encouraging.

The linchpin to this turnaround will be daring new products and significantly upgraded dealerships. And the key to accomplishing that is a new organizational structure for Lincoln. Up through the 1950s, Lincoln was a stand-alone “house” with its own headquarters, designers, engineers and assembly. The new organization will not recreate that original “house” concept, but it’s a big step in the right direction.

Lincoln says it will not abandon its traditional customers, but it must attract a new generation of buyers, people with a different psychographic mindset than those who have been buying Town Cars for the last quarter century. Yet, while it may not abandon those buyers, saying they’ll suffer from benign neglect may not be too far off the mark.

Read the full article.

The new 5.0 Mustang was unveiled to widespread praise and accolades. Now, the Mustang’s halo may be drooping as transmission issues come to light.

A few months ago, there were mumblings on the internet about transmission problems that included grinding gears and expensive sounding noises. Ford said everything was “ok” and recommended a fluid change. However, the problem has become large enough to attract the attention of the NHSTA.

They describe the problem as:

ODI has received 32 complaints alleging an unexpected inability to shift into gear on model year (MY)2011-2012 Ford
Mustangs equipped with manual transmissions. Some reports allege incidents occurred while merging into high
speed traffic and others allege that incidents occurred while turning left across oncoming traffic. Some complainants
allege that the erratic shifting behavior almost caused a collision with adjacent vehicles.

One rumored reason for these problems is Ford’s decision to switch production to China for the Getrag transmission.

After the NHSTA investigation is complete, they will conclude on whether this is a true problem, or just a bad batch of transmissions.

A reputation blow like this, to Ford’s flagship model, cannot happen while they are trying to show buyers that they are just as reliable as the Japanese.

Source: Detroit News, NHSTA

Usually, auto manufactures are slow to adopt new technology. For instance, up until the mid-2010 you could still have a tape player if you bought a Lexus SC430. Ford, however, is looking to change that. Sound and Vision Magazine is reporting that Ford will stop installing CD players in all Ford Foci going forward. The move is likely to spread to more models soon.

They report:

Ford has been pushing their Sync system, and this is just one more step towards a “cloudy” world. “In-car entertainment technology is moving digital more rapidly than almost any other element of the vehicle experience,” says Sheryl Connelly, global trends and “futuring” manager for Ford Motor Company. “The in-car CD player — much like pay telephones — is destined to fade away in the face of exciting new technology.” Ford will continue to offer players as long as there is demand for them, but they are clearly moving away from physical media. Launching first in Europe, the new systems will have multiple USB ports, SD card slots, and Bluetooth.

Kudos to Ford adapting to technology much faster than any automaker.