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VanTastic: 2009 Ford E-Series upgrades originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Star Wars van

Have you driven a Force, lately? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most land-speed racing takes place in the deserts of the Southwest United States, but that doesn't mean that all land-speed records are set there. Voyage Concepts' Jason De Carteret lead a team from the Antarctica port of Patriot Hills to the geographical South Pole in just over 69 hours - averaging marginally more than 10 MPH over the 700-mile trek.

The vehicle of choice was a heavily-modified 15-passenger Econoline van, which was converted to a 6x6 drive configuration and outfitted with 44" tall tires. Its 7.3L Powerstroke engine burned 360 gallons of diesel along the way.

The previous record of 24 days was set by Shinji Kazama, who used a motorcycle. Yeah, we don't know what he was thinking, either.

[Sources: Forbes, Voyage Concepts]

A land speed record of the unusual sort originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Jun 2006 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're by no means experts on European commercial vehicles, but it would seem that White Van Men on the continent are about to be inundated with new product choices, while their Stateside counterparts continue to make due largely by choosing between a Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter, Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana, or Ford's jurassic Econoline. In just the past month or so, we've seen a fresh-faced Volkswagen Crafter and Fiat's new Ducato (along with its Citroen Jumper and Peugeot Boxer twins), and now Vauxhall is set to market a revamped Vivaro.

The Vauxhauler receives an exterior once-over, keeping its distinctive bubble roofline, but adding new light fixtures front and rear and a new V-shaped grille.

Inside, upholstery and trim materials have been upgraded, with faux metal trim and chrome-ringed gauges, and a new range of infotainment options available.

Later in 2006, buyers will have their choice of a revamped engine range as well, including a pair of new 2.0-liter common rail turbodiesels or a tidied-up 2.5-liter CDTi, all yoked to six-speed manual gearboxes.

[Source: Transport News Network]

Vauxhall freights in reworked Vivaro originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Jun 2006 20:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford was forced to halt production at seven assembly plants after finding a quality problem with a transmission component, but all seven plants affected by the stoppage should be up and running again today.

A supplied component, described as "a clutch mechanism that helps make the transmission shift smoothly between first and second gears" (sounds to us like the overrunning clutch), was found to be problematic, but the defect was caught before any suspect vehicles were delivered to customers. The supplier isn't being identified.

More than 4,000 units of light truck, van, and Lincoln Town Car production were lost, costing Ford somewhere in the neighborhood of $35M. The automaker says that making up for the stoppage won't be a problem, as they seem to have a bit of extra capacity to put towards the effort, and F-150 inventories are current running at about 107 days of sales.

[Source: Detroit News]

Ford shifts production back into gear at seven plants after identifying transmission defect originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 May 2006 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The importance of quality parts and strong supplier relations was laid bare for the Ford Motor Company Thursday, as it was forced to hit the red button on five assembly plants (and partially close a sixth) after it learned that of a defective clutch mechanism employed in certain 4-speed automatic transmissions. The costly shutdown idles plants producing F-Series pickups, E-Series vans, Expeditions, and the Lincoln Town Car. 15,000 workers are affected.

No word yet on how many units are affected, or how soon production will resume on these profit-rich vehicles, but an analyst has pegged the shutdown as costing some $34.4 million per day, before taxes.

[Source: Associate Press via Yahoo News; BBC News]
   

American Idle: Ford halts production lines at seven plants due to defective part originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Apr 2006 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the temperature in Hell is taking a precipitous dive after looking at the photo above. After all, when was the last time you saw a Ford Econoline test mule, with its tacit promise of a coming update? After all, the current E-Series has been trudging on for decades with changes few and far between. This, despite consistently selling in big numbers.

Well, the fine folks at BlueOvalNews.com have snagged this tester rolling around Dearborn, with the camouflage clearly covering a revamped front end. Expect the soon-to-be-everywhere tri-bar grille to take up residence in the van's snout, along with revamped headlights and fascia.

We can only hope beneath the refreshed bodywork, there are some substantive mechanical and interior changes to the 200,000/year seller as well. BON reports that the Econoline revamp will likely hit dealers in 2007, with the promise of a new 6.4-liter Powerstroke diesel available underhood.

[Source: BlueOvalNews.com]

Spy shot: Ford Econoline mule spotted sporting rhinoplasty originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Apr 2006 11:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.