Autoblog

Say it ain't so: Ford Falcon could go front-wheel drive

Dan Roth — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Ford, Australia, FPV

"You guys are obsessed with rear wheel drive," Alan Mulally mused to the Australian press after a browbeating about which pair of wheels might propel the Falcon into the future. Try as they might, the Ford Chief would not be pinned down about the chassis architecture of future Falcons, saying only that the choice would be customer driven, and plugging front and all-wheel drive vehicles as "pretty spectacular."

Mulally is right that Ford's global push to put exceptional small cars in showrooms is what the automaker's focus is and should be. The Falcon has long fallen off its sales peak from the halcyon days of two decades ago, and while Mulally agrees that it's "an absolutely dynamite vehicle," small cars in the future will prop up the more niche-y vehicles like the FG Falcon. Mulally went on to say that Australia will serve as an engineering and product development outpost for Ford, and the big-vehicle prowess in Oz will be useful regardless of layout. As Ford pulls its global platforms together, the Ranger and Focus will come at us from Australia, too.

Continue reading Say it ain't so: Ford Falcon could go front-wheel drive

Say it ain't so: Ford Falcon could go front-wheel drive originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I want my FPV: Super sedans hit the desert in new TV spot

Alex Nunez — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:38:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Ford, Australia, FPV

Click above for photo gallery. Follow the jump for the video.

Ford Performance Vehicles' new range of Ford FG Falcon-derived super sedans and utes is mind-bendingly appealing. Big turbocharged or NA power, bright colors, and that menacing Alice Cooper eye makeup in front make for an entire farmer's market of forbidden fruit. Sure, on this side of the world, Ford's SVT performance division gives us the Shelby GT500 and the even more monstrous Shelby GT500KR -- but seriously, as hot as the factory super-Stangs are, the lineup of FPV rides you see above is hot enough to turn that desert sand into glass. Only, they can't -- because everything you see there is virtual. Both the backdrop and the cars are CGI. The photo-realistic vehicle models were created using the real cars' CAD data for a brand new FPV TV spot that premieres in Australia this Sunday. If you don't live in Oz, no worries -- FPV sent us a copy of the spot, which is now embedded after the jump for your enjoyment. And you will enjoy it. Right now, there's a void in our lives shaped like an all-black FPV F6, and this commercial's as close as we're going to come to filling it.

Gallery: FPV's New TV Commercial

[Source: FPV]

Continue reading I want my FPV: Super sedans hit the desert in new TV spot

I want my FPV: Super sedans hit the desert in new TV spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pics Aplenty: The new FPV range launches Down Under

Alex Nunez — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Truck, Ford, Australia, FPV

Click above for high-res gallery of the FPV F6, more galleries after the jump

FPV's seemingly endless rollout of its new FG Falcon-based lineup has finally culminated in the actual launch of the cars (how novel), which we've already touched upon. To that end, we'll keep this brief and turn you loose on the multiple new photo galleries now available (check out the rest after the jump). The FPV range encompasses both Falcon sedan and Ute bodystyles, and power comes from either the turbocharged F6 inline-six or the 5.4L Boss 315 V8. The six delivers 415 horsepower and a tire-humbling 416 lb-ft of torque. The eight's no slouch either, pumping out 422 horses (315 kW, hence the engine's name) and 406 lb-ft. A Tremec TR6060 6-speed stick is available across the full range of cars.

Speaking of that, here's the rundown:

FPV F6 Ute
FPV Pursuit (V8 Ute)
FPV Super Pursuit ( Top-of-the-line V8 Ute)
FPV F6 Sedan
FPV GT (V8 Sedan)
FPV GT-P (Premium version of the GT)
FPV GT E (Top-of-the-line V8 FPV sedan, more subtle styling than GT, GT-P)

You can see galleries of everything below and after the jump. We'll take an F6 sedan in the lime green. In fact, we need one of those approximately yesterday.

Gallery: 2008 FPV F6

[Source: FPV]

Continue reading Pics Aplenty: The new FPV range launches Down Under

Pics Aplenty: The new FPV range launches Down Under originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 May 2008 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Melbourne 2008: New FPV lineup shows the Blue Oval does badass, too

Alex Nunez — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:12:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Truck, Ford, Misc. Auto Shows, Australia, FPV

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the turbocharged FPV F6

Despite how it might seem, all the action at the Melbourne motor show is not happening over at the Holden and HSV stands. Dearborn's Australian outpost put on its brass knuckles too and is teasing Melbourne showgoers with Ford Performance Vehcie's latest, greatest muscle. The arrival of the new FG Falcon means that a full lineup of FPV variants follows, and the new F6, GT and Super Pursuit ute are all on display. Like HSV, which hasn't announced power numbers for its W427, FPV is keeping the stats for its new machinery under wraps for now.

We're confident that the numbers will match the cars' gloriously extroverted looks. Colors out of a gumball machine, matte black accents, and stripe packages give the cars a vintage musclecar vibe. Big wheels, big brakes and all the requisite badges and bulges complete the look. The F6 (above) is particularly evil, with its black wheels, "eye black," and visible intercooler. The interiors of all the cars appear to be very well-detailed, with snazzy instrumentation, sharp looking accessories (look at the shift knob), and very inviting seats.

As with the higher-end standard FG Falcons, power comes from either a turbo inline-six or a beefy Boss V8. FPV takes those already-impressive engines and makes them even more imposing. We know we have the Mustang and its impressive Shelby-badged factory specials, but man, what we wouldn't give for some of this Aussie muscle. We'll be eagerly awaiting the official June launches.

Gallery: 2008 FPV F6

Gallery: 2008 FPV GT

Gallery: 2008 FPV Super Pursuit

[Source: FPV]

Continue reading Melbourne 2008: New FPV lineup shows the Blue Oval does badass, too

Melbourne 2008: New FPV lineup shows the Blue Oval does badass, too originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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