Autoblog

Video: Consumer Reports calls out Ford for false Fusion, C-Max hybrid fuel economy claims

Sharon Silke Carty — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:27:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Videos, Crossover, Hatchback, Ford

Consumer Reports is calling out Ford, saying the new C-Max and Fusion hybrids don't get anywhere near the 47 miles per gallon the automaker claims.

Several automakers have faced backlash after consumers discovered their cars don't quite hit the lofty fuel economy figures promised by the companies, and Ford may be the newest casualty of all this pesky fact-checking by critics and watchdogs.

The magazine drove the cars 2,000 miles and consistently got around 39 mpg for the Fusion and 37 mpg for the C-Max. Jake Fisher, director of auto testing for Consumer Reports, said this is the largest discrepancy between what automakers MPG claims and the actual real-world driving results.

"It's not to say these are bad cars at all; they still get excellent fuel economy," Fisher said. "But we've been doing this for a long time, and we've never seen such a difference between the EPA estimates and our numbers."

Ford said its figures were certified by the EPA, but the EPA only tests about 10 to 15 percent of the cars on the road. Ford said some early reports from customers showed the cars getting even better fuel economy than 47 mpg.

"This reinforces the fact that driving styles, driving conditions, and other factors can cause mileage to vary," said Wes Sherwood, a spokesman for Ford. For customers who want to optimize their fuel economy, the cars come with different driving coach software to help drivers get better fuel economy, he said.

Scroll down to watch the video report from Consumer Reports.

Continue reading Consumer Reports calls out Ford for false Fusion, C-Max hybrid fuel economy claims

Consumer Reports calls out Ford for false Fusion, C-Max hybrid fuel economy claims originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video: Ford unveils first television ad for new Fusion

Sharon Silke Carty — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:33:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Ford

Ford is unveiling three commercials this week that attempt to show how the new Fusion stands out from the crowd. The first one, called Disappearing, can be watched below.

"The competition is fierce in this segment, and it's important that we tried something different," said Amy Marentic, marketing manager for cars and crossovers for Ford. "We tried to use design and technology to stand out in a very crowded midsized market." Its commercials will also reflect something a little different, she said.

Prior to the new television campaign, Ford hired Chinese artist Liu Bolin, known as "The Invisible Man" for his ability to camouflage himself in plain sight in almost any situation. Bolin hand-painted cars parked along the side of a street, making the Fusion stand out as the only car visible in this series of clever print ads.

The second of three TV ads will show a Fusion driving off a cliff, demonstrating the one thing the new Fusion can't do. Chevrolet once tried showing a car flying through the air in an ad directed by Guy Ritchie that showed a young kid daydreaming that he was driving a Corvette that was airborne. It was pulled off the air after consumer groups complained.

"The overall message is, this car cannot do this," said Toby Barlow, advertising company Team Detroit's chief creative officer. "We hope common sense and reasonableness will take hold."

The third TV ad shows the new Fusion moving forward while other cars are going backwards. The ads will all air this week in prime time on the networks and during sporting events.

Continue reading Ford unveils first television ad for new Fusion

Ford unveils first television ad for new Fusion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Official: Lincoln opens dedicated design studio

Sharon Silke Carty — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Lincoln, Design/Style, Luxury

Lincoln showed off its new design center Thursday, the first dedicated studio for the luxury brand since the 1970s.

Company officials say the new studio will let designers focus just on the Lincoln brand - which is in the early stages of a badly needed rebirth - instead of splitting their time between Ford and Lincoln models.

In the new space, Lincoln designers can focus on one thing: Making the brand something customers want to buy again. "We're trying to bring the best talent in the company together in order to move this brand forward," says J Mays, head of Ford's global design.

The new Lincoln design studio is located inside Ford's existing Dearborn, Michigan product development center, where about 150 designers, sculptors, math sculptors (folks who can translate computer designs into clay), and modelers will work to bring future Lincoln designs to life.

The designers utilize computer-assisted design software to help translate sketches into clay models. The computer designs are then fed to a Tarus milling machine, which scrapes and drills clay models until they look like a real car. Then, clay modelers use traditional hand tools to perfect the pieces, which can be changed on a moment's notice.

Lincoln isn't saying how much the 40,000-square-foot space cost, but officials note the studio has been styled to look like a loft apartment, with open spaces designed to let artists and engineers pop in on each other and foster conversation. It was designed by a company named Imagination, but Lincoln's head designer, Max Wolff had a lot of influence in the space - particularly pushing the openness concept to make the cubicle areas seem like a newsroom.

The radically new 2013 Lincoln MKZ goes on sale later this year and the automaker is poised to show two new models in the coming months.

"Our ambition is not to be No. 1," said Jim Farley, head of global sales and marketing. "We'd rather have a few people love us than everybody like us."

Lincoln opens dedicated design studio originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

NHTSA probing Hyundai Veloster for shattering sunroofs

Sharon Silke Carty — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Hyundai

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation following complaints from drivers that the sunroofs on the Hyundai Veloster are prone to spontaneously exploding.

There are 15 complaints in the NHTSA database from drivers who say they heard a loud bang, and then sat through a downpour of glass.

One woman said she was driving home from getting her first oil change and tire rotation on the Veloster.

"All of the sudden there was a loud bang like a gunshot, and I heard something raining down on my car," reads the complaint, which is listed without any identifying information in the NHTSA database. "I looked in the mirror and saw glass flying everywhere... The glass was in my hair, down the back of my shirt and my pants."

All of the incidents happened on very new models, with less than 3,000 miles on the odometer. Two people said the roof exploded while the car was parked. One person was hosing the car down in the driveway when the glass shattered. This person said the glass flew as far as six feet away from the car.

Jim Trainor, a spokesman for Hyundai, said the company is working with NHTSA to look into the problem.

"Our evaluation is in the very early stages and Hyundai is in the process of examining each report," Trainor said. "As always, we will work closely with NHTSA on this evaluation."

NHTSA probing Hyundai Veloster for shattering sunroofs originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Major car rental companies agree not to rent or sell recalled vehicles

Sharon Silke Carty — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:20:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety

Bowing to pressure from consumers and advocacy groups, major car rental companies have agreed to end the practice of renting cars that have been recalled for safety problems.

Legislators are introducing a bill to the Senate that would keep recalled rental cars off the road. The bill has the backing of all four major rental companies - Enterprise, which owns National and Alamo, Hertz/Advantage, Avis/Budget and Dollar/Thrifty, according to a statement released by Sen. Barbara Boxer. Those companies comprise 93 percent of the rental car market, and Hertz was the only one of the four major car rental companies to initially pledge not to rent cars under recall.

The bill will be named after Raechel and Jacqueline Houck (above, right), two young California sisters who died in 2004 in a rented Chrysler PT Cruiser that had been previously recalled for problems with the steering column. The steering fluid was prone to leaking, leaving drivers unable to control their vehicles. Enterprise Rental hadn't fixed the problem before renting the car to the Houck sisters.

"I remain very hopeful and optimistic" that the legislation will pass, Cally Houck, Raechel and Jacqueline's mother tells Autoblog. Houck has been pushing for the new legislation for the past few years. "But it's not done yet ... I remain a bit cynical, based on my history lobbying for this issue. But we do have a consensus of all the industry's major players."

Major car rental companies agree not to rent or sell recalled vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: September sales forecasted to increase 11 percent

Sharon Silke Carty — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Earnings/Financials

Despite a spike in gasoline prices, car sales are on track to continue their stable growth, and this September could end up being the best September since 2007.

Gas prices usually put a complete damper on car sales, especially bigger trucks and SUVs. The uptick in sales this month could mean the economy is getting stronger, says industry tracker TrueCar.com, which issued the sales estimate earlier this week. But, like most economic forecast figures these days, the numbers don't paint a perfectly clear picture of what's going on.

TrueCar is forecasting a 10.5-percent increase in sales for September to 1,163,000 units, which translates to a Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate (SAAR) of 14.6 million new car sales for the year, up from 13.1 million last September and 14.5 million in August 2012. Nevertheless, TrueCar forecasts that September sales will still be down about 9.5 percent compared with August.

Kelley Blue Book, which also tracks industry sales, says that the dip from August to September doesn't mean the economy is getting weaker - it's just a natural fluctuation in monthly car sales. Consumer demand is slowly picking up, it said. So don't expect sales figures to skyrocket any time soon.

"Even though the lack of big movements in car sales makes for less attractive headlines, the stable growth in sales is a positive for the industry," said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Market Intelligence for TrueCar.

September sales forecasted to increase 11 percent originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments