Autoblog

Mike Rowe narrating Ford F-150 EcoBoost web documentary

Zach Bowman — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:05:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Technology, Videos, Ford, Celebrities, Off-Road

Ford tortures its EcoBoost engine - Click above to watch video after the jump

Ford is itching to show that its 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine is tough enough to take whatever F-150 buyers can throw at it. In order to do so, the company has lined up a bevy of torture tests and enlisted Mike Rowe to narrate a documentary on the whole affair. Things will kick off with Ford randomly selecting an EcoBoost engine off of the assembly line to be subjected to the equivalent of 150,000 miles on the dyno. From there, the engine will be bolted into an F-150, where it will head to Oregon to skidsteer logs for a lumber company.

Then, the same truck and engine will head to Homestead Miami Speedway where it will tow two Sprint Cup Ford Fusion race cars around the track for 24 hours at full throttle, stopping only for fuel and tires along the way.

But wait, there's more.

From there, the engine will be removed from the 2011 F-150 and bolted into a specially prepared race truck, where it will do battle in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. After all of that, Ford will tear down the engine and give the public a look at how things went inside. Sounds like a party. You can hit the jump for a look at the full press release and to check out the first video in the series.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Mike Rowe narrating Ford F-150 EcoBoost web documentary

Mike Rowe narrating Ford F-150 EcoBoost web documentary originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Study: Car buyers not impressed by celeb endorsements. How about you? [w/poll]

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Celebrities

As Americans, there's no denying we have a healthy obsession with the lives of celebrities. From movie stars like Will Smith down to reality television "stars" like The Situation, people are curious as to what's going on in their world. What clothes do they wear, where do they get their groceries and what kind of car(s) do they buy? Sometimes a celebrity won't have much say in the vehicle they drive because they sign a sizable endorsement deal to tell us which vehicle we should be driving. As sales numbers for thousands of celeb-endorsed products will tell you, their stamp of approval can make a difference in a bust or boom period for a product. Well, as long as that product isn't a car.

According to WhatCar, celebrity endorsements only affect one percent of car buyers. They polled over 1,000 folks and just 11 said they could be encouraged by someone famous telling them what to buy. Obviously, a car buyer should purchase the vehicle that makes the most sense to them, not the one that Kate Walsh (above) likens to trying on a good dress. Exceptions can be made, however, for anyone who purchased a Chrysler Cordoba because of its soft Corinthian leather, of which the virtues were extolled beautifully by Ricardo "KHAN" Montalban.

What say you? Can Justin Timberlake convince you to buy an Audi or does Mike Rowe explaining how great the Ford F-150 is make you picture a Chevrolet Silverado in your driveway?

View Poll

[Source: WhatCar]

Study: Car buyers not impressed by celeb endorsements. How about you? [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford Explorer teasers keep coming, model to debut July 26 in NYC

Zach Bowman — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, SUV, Ford, Celebrities

2011 Ford Explorer teaser images - Click above for high-res image gallery

The agonizing 2011 Ford Explorer striptease continues, made somewhat less painful by the fact that we now have what appears to be a solid unveil date and location. While the company has rolled out two new detail shots of the reworked SUV-turned-crossover - including a look at the rear hatch and roof rails (oooh!) - the Blue Oval has also graced the world with news that "a new Ford vehicle" will get a complete unveil in New York City's Herald Square on Monday, July 26. Less we've missed our mark by a wide berth, odds are that the vehicle is the 2011 Explorer.

According to Ford, the whole gang will be in attendance for the event, including CEO Alan Mulally and spokesperson Mike Rowe. Who knows exactly what kind of high jinks the company has planned for the 26th, but given the substantial buzz Ford has tried to build for the new Expy, we would be surprised if it were just a stage and a silk sheet. Stay tuned.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer Teasers

[Source: Ford]

Ford Explorer teasers keep coming, model to debut July 26 in NYC originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford brings back "Swap Your Ride" with 0% financing, $1,000

Zach Bowman — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Ford

2010 Ford Mustang GT - Click above for high-res image gallery

Ford has some good news if you've been eying its products and happen to drive a vehicle from another manufacturer. The company's "Swap Your Ride" campaign is back in full swing, and will run wide open until the end of next month. All you have to do to qualify for zero-percent financing and a $1,000 trade-in bonus is simply hand over the keys to your old set of wheels.

As you might expect, the offer doesn't apply to the Blue Oval's really fun or efficient toys. You can forget picking up any of the company's hybrids, a Shelby GT500 or an F-150 SVT Raptor under the campaign. The fine print doesn't say anything about the 2010 Mustang, though, so you could be doing doughnuts in an all-American muscle car before you know it.

Expect to see a new slew of ads featuring Mike Rowe on your television promoting the incentives soon.

Gallery: 2010 Ford Mustang

[Source: Ford Special Event via Car Connection]

Ford brings back "Swap Your Ride" with 0% financing, $1,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIDEO: Mike Rowe and Ford take shot at Toyota in latest commercial

Chris Shunk — Tue, 01 May 2007 21:49:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Toyota

The F-150 has been the pickup truck sales king for 29 years, and when Ford redesigned its breadwinner for the 2004 model year, it did so with the intention of remaining number one for the foreseeable future. Well, the current F-150 is still number one in sales for now, but fierce competition from the all-new Silverado and Toyota Tundra means that Ford has to pick up its marketing efforts to keep their full-size truck on top.

This is where Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame steps in. You've seen some of the other Ford spots featuring Rowe here on Autoblog, and now we've got another one for you. This time Ford and Rowe are taking a thinly-veiled shot at Toyota's Tundra for its four-star front impact rating from the NHTSA, which falls short of the F-150's five-star front and side impact ratings. The spot features a Ford safety engineer, who acts as Rowe's strait man. Hit the jump to take a closer look at Ford's latest salvo against the competition.

[Source: PickupTruck.com]

Continue reading VIDEO: Mike Rowe and Ford take shot at Toyota in latest commercial

VIDEO: Mike Rowe and Ford take shot at Toyota in latest commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 May 2007 21:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIDEO: Ford's "Dirty Job": Selling the F150

Dan Roth — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 11:50:00 EST

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

Jalopnik got their mitts on these newly-minted Ford Truck spots with Mike Rowe. For those of you who've been living under a rock for the last year, Mike Rowe is the host of Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs," a show that would be hilarious just on the strength of Rowe's comedic timing and commentary. It's a very "guy thing" show, I doubt I'd ever walk in the room and find that my wife had tuned to it on her own. Of course, the appeal is wide enough that she'd sit down and watch, were it to be on.

Such is the appeal that Ford wishes to garner with the F150. They've successfully scrubbed the king of pickup sales behind the ears to great result. The problem is that while the F150 waits until 2009 for a refresh, GM just rolled out the GMT900s, and the Tundra is all-new. Granted, the Tundra isn't a proven threat yet, and with a goal of 200,000 this year, they'll probably sell out without dinging F150 sales. Perception's a funny thing though, and Ford wants to be certain that when people think Pickup, they think F150, hence the revamped ads. We think it's a smart move, as Mike Rowe has charisma and delivery that should at least amuse us. Whether it will help sell trucks remains to be seen.

Videos after the jump.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ford's "Dirty Job": Selling the F150

VIDEO: Ford's "Dirty Job": Selling the F150 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Mar 2007 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford hires "Dirty Jobs" host to sell F-150s

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 16:17:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Ford

Click on the photo for a high-res gallery of Mike Rowe and the F-150

One of my son's favorite shows on the Discovery Channel after MythBusters is Dirty Jobs. Mike Rowe is the host of Dirty Jobs and on each episode he tries out various nasty jobs that real people have to do, such as skull cleaner, garbage pit technician, and owl vomit collector. Today Ford announced that Mike is joining its F-series promotional team. He'll be in a series of commercials that demonstrate the improved capabilities of the 2008 F-150 in towing and hauling heavy loads. The Ford press release is after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Gallery: Ford F-150 Dirty Jobs ad

Continue reading Ford hires "Dirty Jobs" host to sell F-150s

Ford hires "Dirty Jobs" host to sell F-150s originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Mar 2007 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments