Autoblog

What recession? Perhaps anticipating the euphoria that will follow the end to the seemingly decades-long Presidential race today, Ford decided to throw a huge tuner party at SEMA this year, and they invited ALL of their friends. The Ford booth always houses a bunch of tuned blue ovals, but they generally tend to be grouped around a central vehicle. Last year it was the Mustang. And the year before. And probably the year before that, too. But this year they gave the ol' spit shine to virtually every model in the lineup. Ford even threw in a Lincoln or two for good measure (above).

In the gallery below you'll see the Lincoln MKS and MKX, as well as Ford Focus Coupe, Escape, Escape Hybrid, Transit Connect, and Edge. Tuners include 3dCarbon, Custom Creations, RKSport, Stout Performance, Barber Driving Experience, FSWerks, Street Concepts, EcoTrek, HPA Motorsports, H&R, and Steeda. For more info on each one, check out the press release after the jump. There are actually quite a few interesting concepts in the bunch.

Photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips, Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of 2009 Ford Edge

The blind spot has been a consistent safety issue for automobiles since before the invention of the C-pillar. Some automakers have recently tackled the problem with complicated warning systems that beep when your blind spot is about to cause an accident. Ford is taking a different but no less effective low-tech route with the introduction of its Blind Spot Mirror on the 2009 Edge. The technology behind the Blind Spot Mirror is simple; it's little more than a secondary convex mirror in the top right corner of the traditional side mirror that gives a clear view of what before was only visible by craning your neck left and right. We've seen this type of tech used before on aftermarket mirrors for towing applications, but it makes just as much sense on an unencumbered passenger vehicle.

Ford came up with the mirror in response to its own customer research that showed drivers were 76% more confident behind the wheel when using the mirror. The overwhelmingly positive feedback has led the Blue Oval to introduce the Blind Spot Mirror across its lineup as quickly as possible, starting with the 2009 Edge. Check out Ford's official presser after the jump and view the '09 Edge in our gallery below.


[Source: Ford]

Click above high-res gallery of the 2009 Ford Flex

Ford has been banking on strong sales of its crossover vehicles to help counter the sinking ship that is its line of SUVs. While the new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, along with the brand new Ford Flex and revised Escape, have sold well enough to post a meager 2.8-percent gain in overall sales so far this year, that number apparently isn't high enough to warrant a third shift at Ford's Oakville, Ontario plant that the automaker was hoping would be necessary. Unfortunately, this shift cancelation means that 350 workers who had planned on showing up for their first day next Monday are now left jobless.

While there are certainly buyers out there who require the capability to haul around their entire families and their associated gear, all large passenger vehicles -- crossovers like the new Flex included -- face an uphill battle now to overcome current market conditions, as this latest announcement once again proves.


[Source: Courier-Journal]

click above for more high-res live shots of the Ford Edge Sport

What is in a name? Would it be too linear a thought process to expect that a vehicle with a "sport" designation would be, you know, sporty? Ford officially rolled out the Edge Sport at the Chicago Auto Show, and while the moniker might be dubious, it is at least a nicely done factory tuner. The idea behind the Edge Sport is to create a tuner package with factory-backed quality levels. Check out the live shots and you'll see that the already well-trimmed interior gets an extra level of attention, and the bodykit applied to the outside is tasteful. New paint colors are Sport-exclusive, as are smoked lenses on the lights. The biggest feature that Ford is touting are the monstrous wheels wrapped in low-profile rubber. The standard 20-inchers are enough to give the brake rotors an inferiority complex as they appear hardly larger than the wheel hubs. If you need an even harsher ride and more clearance around those anti-massive brakes, you can upgrade to 22s. Wheel size to brake rotor diameter shenanigans aside, we like the Edge Sport. We'd find it sporty if it came with the EcoBoost powertrain, but as it stands, it's more like the Edge Spiffy.

The advent of the crossover is fully upon us, so much so that no one even snickers at the name anymore. After all, SUVs have become persona non grata to many buyers thanks to their thirsty nature in a world where "cheap gas" is a phrase that seems quaint. That said, people still like the other stuff their trucks offered, like a high riding position, all-wheel-drive, room for kids and pets, plus the capacity to haul everything from groceries to bags of mulch. Of course, minivans offered this level of utility already, but some people's aversion to them (due to perceived lameness and other reasons) has brought us to where we stand today. The crossover will do battle with the van to become the new king of the family cars, and Ford has stepped right up to the plate with a solid player in the Edge.

Ford has commissioned writer and director David Mamet to produce two new commercials for the Edge CUV that will make their TV debut during tonight's episode of American Idol Their real debut is right here, however, where we've included both commercials for your viewing enjoyment.

Mamet is best known for the screenplays he's written, which include Ronin, The Edge, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Wag the Dog, among many others. He's also written and directed many episodes on TV for shows like "The Unit" and "The Shield". His two spots for the Edge highlight how Ford's CUV stack up against more expensive competition, specifically the BMW X5 and Lexus RS350. The commercials will inform viewers that it's faster than the former and quieter than the latter. We find the characters in the commercials a bit annoying, although it's clear their witty dialogue is what we're supposed to be paying attention to.

Check out the second commercial after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Allan Mulally has already lived a very successful life, having helped save American icon Boeing, then taking over the reigns as Ford Motor Company's Chief Executive Officer. Now he has added 'the guy that saved President Bush' to the list. Mr. Mulally used his media audience at the New York Auto Show to tell a pretty great story about his recent trip to the White House.

Ford Motor wanted to give President Bush a first-hand look at their hydrogen electric plug-in hybrid, so the company arranged to have a demonstration of the uber-tech Ford Edge right from the White House lawn. When walking with the President towards the vehicle, Mulally noticed that the extension cord was placed to the rear of the car, where the Hydrogen fuel tank resides, instead of the side of the car. As Mulally saw the President approach the rear of the car, he decided that he should physically grab the president and "make sure he plugged into the electricity, not into the hydrogen."

We obviously don't know for sure whether or not the leader of the free world would have stuck an electrified cord into the Edge's Darwin-hole, but we do think it was a damn good idea Mulally stepped in to make sure Mr. Bush did the right thing. We don't think Ford's green initiative would have been able to recover if the company's best and brightest technology fried the President. Then again, given the approval numbers of Mr. Bush... we kid, we kid.

Thanks for the tip Chris!

[Source: Detroit News via Think Progress]

Despite the protestation of General Motors and Ford, we believed the Chrysler Group's take on the minivan market's current state given at the Detroit Auto Show. According to the boys and girls from Auburn Hills, the market for Soccer Mom-mobiles will likely hold steady, and they hope to enjoy an even larger piece of the pie with their new Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country. But many automakers are picking up their ball and leaving the minivan market, and this interview with Robert Davis, Mazda North America's senior VP lays out the reasons why most automakers aren't willing to fight Chrysler in the segment.

Davis cites the fact that domestic automakers market minivans in such a way that it puts downward pressure on prices, which in turn hurts resale value and decreases the amount of money they can make for a company. CUVs like the CX-9, however, can command premium prices, retain their resale value better and are able to be sold with fewer incentives. Despite the fact that a new Mazda MPV was being developed for the Japanese domestic market (see the new model above, which happens to look great), Mazda officials decided against engineering a version for the U.S. market in favor of the CX-9, which is largely built using components shared with the Ford Edge CUV. The fact that Davis reveals the Edge and CX-9 have so much in common yet look nothing alike gives us hope that Ford can indeed produce two cars using the same mechanicals that aren't badge-engineered versions of each other.

[Source: AutoWeek]

While we applaud carmakers that can streamline the design and production process to bring new vehicles to market quicker, we don't like thinking that they're skimping on the important stuff in the process. First Ford made all kinds of hoopla over their interesting and capable Edge (and it's Lincoln doppelganger, the MKX) only to have it delayed by production line "hiccups." That model is seen as being so important to Ford's future that we lauded the company for taking its time to fix the problems before it released the product. Fortunately production resumed relatively quickly and the CUVs have been leaving the plant at a healthy clip.

Now we learn that GM is going through a similar "hiccup" with their new crossovers, the Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia. Unfortunately, this problem has presented itself after some of the vehicles have already been delivered to dealers, who have been instructed to hold the CUVs on lots until a fix can be applied.

The problem has been traced to a situation where water freezes atop one of the engine mounts, which can result in NVH issues. With only around 550 of the crossovers in dealer lots dealerships, it's not a huge problem; but it's these little things that can weigh heavily on consumers' minds. Drilling a few drainage holes will alleviate the water pooling and take care of the problem. The fix can be made right at the dealer according to the report. Sales should resume in a matter of days.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req]

Ford Motor has seen the future, and it's dominated by crossovers and small cars, according to the company's sales analyst George Pipas. Crossover sales are expected to hit 2.4 million units this year, and pass the 3 million mark by 2010.

Pipas expects crossovers and small cars to dominate the market by the end of the decade, with crossovers, a big hit with baby boomers, likely to grab a narrow lead.

While Ford is well-positioned in the crossover market with its new Edge, its small car situation is pretty grim, with the venerable Focus carrying the flag while the company thrashes to come up with a competitive new subcompact model, not expected to hit the U.S. market until at least 2009.

[Source: Reuters]