by Neil Winton


The Ford Focus is the star of the North American International Auto Show, the most obvious choice in years.

Ford deserves a break because it survived and thrived without having to beg and borrow from the U.S. government, and against all the odds it has produced a gem with the new Focus.

It would have been enough to have simply brought this car through the design process, and plonked a worthy but mediocre car on dealer lots. But Ford has done this with a design of such panache and quality that it has restored the faith of doubters and shown that U.S. carmakers can still compete with the best.

North American models of the new Focus will initially have 2.0 liter, 4-cylinder engines with twin independent variable camshaft timing, direct injection, and a dual clutch power shift automatic transmission.


The new range will start production simultaneously in Europe and North America in late 2010 and go on sale early in 2011. Asia, Africa and South America production will follow.

The car looks a bit like a large Ford Fiesta, no bad thing when you consider how handsome that is. Looking over the car, there are very expensive-looking design touches in the headlights and rear light clusters. The interior on the show models makes you think BMW rather than Ford. Even GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz approves.

"Pretty impressive. Nice car," Lutz said as he toured the Ford stand Wednesday.

All this class makes you wonder how Ford will compete on price in a tough competitive world. And this is supposedly the first global car for Ford, provoking the question, will the Focus play in Beijing, Bombay, Brighton, Buenos Aires and Baltimore?



Read more: http://detnews.com/article/20100114/OPI ... z0ccEpTGJm

by Drew Phillips (RSS feed) on Jan 12th 2010 at 4:29PM


2011 Ford Mustang GT/CS

Ford is wasting no time in releasing a variation of its 5.0-powered Mustang, starting with the California Special for 2011. The GT/CS was last introduced as a 2007 model and featured a unique appearance and wheel package available only on the premium GT coupe and convertible. Ford hasn't officially released any details on the new GT/CS, but after inspecting the car in person on the show floor of the Detroit Auto Show, it looks like the 2011 model will have similar features.

Up front the GT/CS gets a larger and more aggressive spoiler painted in matte black as well as a horizontal bar grille featuring the pony logo on one side. The rear is enhanced by a new lower fascia with a GT500-style diffuser and a taller decklid spoiler. Finally, GT/CS graphics, a set of side scoops and a set of 10-spoke wheels round out the exterior enhancements.

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Jan 12th 2010 at 3:59PM




Ford hasn't offered a V6 option in the F-150 since its best-selling truck was redesigned for the 2009 model year, but a report from our friend Mike Levine over at Pickuptrucks.com says that's about to change. Levine cites sources at the Blue Oval who say the same Ti-VCT 3.7-liter V6 (shown below) that will power the 2011 Mustang and Lincoln MKX will also be found under the hood of the F-150 by the end of the year. Levine tells us that the 3.7 will likely only be added to the XL and STX models, though there is a chance that the XLT could also get some fuel-sipping love. A V6 pickup will likely be a big hit with fleet customers as well as buyers who love trucks but don't use them for towing or hauling.

The sources didn't quote power numbers, but since the Lincoln MKX version will reportedly produce the same 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque as the one used in the Mustang, there is a good chance that Ford will simply copy and paste the same mill under the hood of the smallest F-Series. If the 3.7 does find its way into the F-150, we'll be very interested to see the official EPA fuel economy numbers. We can't see a 23 or 24 miles per gallon full size pickup with up to 305 hp being a bad thing.

Jean Halliday
Automotive News -- January 12, 2010 - 3:22 pm ET


Nelly joked that he already had called his lawyers to prepare for the speeding tickets he probably would get when he received the 2011 5.0-liter Mustang GT with 412 hp.



DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. has teamed with hip-hopper Nelly and DUB magazine to create a tricked-out 2011 5.0-liter Mustang GT, Ford marketing chief Jim Farley said here today at the auto show.

The car, which will be unveiled tonight, hits the market this spring, backed by an appearance on Nelly's upcoming album.

Farley said the slick, black new Mustang is the result of Nelly's creativity, with customization from the DUB team.

The muscle car carries a new, advanced 5.0-liter V-8 engine that delivers 412 hp and 390 pounds-feet of torque with expected highway mileage of 24 mpg.

Farley, Ford's group vice president of global marketing, recalled chatting last year with Nelly after the artist customized a Ford Flex crossover. “I realized he was a serious car guy and he asked me, ‘When are you going to bring back the five-liter Mustang,' ” Farley said.

Nelly, 35, told reporters here that by the time he could afford his high school dream car, the 5.0-liter Mustang, Ford had stopped making them. “It's nice to have big shots who listen,” Nelly said of Farley.

Nelly joked that he already had called his lawyers to prepare for the speeding tickets he probably would get when he received the car.

The artist, recently ranked third on Billboard magazine's Top Artist of the Decade list, praised the automaker, saying “Ford gets it” by understanding youthfulness, speed and aggressiveness -- all part of the customized new Mustang.

Ford said the black Mustang GT customized by DUB includes flat black racing stripes, Pirelli tires, tinted taillights and angel-eye headlights.


Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/2010011 ... z0cRZqLHju

DETROIT -- The next-generation Ford Focus revealed today at the North American International Auto Show delivers on the company’s promise to offer more products people really want while truly leveraging its global product and manufacturing strengths.

Up to 10 new models will be built on the new global C-segment platform, which replaces three platforms currently in production regionally. By 2012, the new platform will account for more than 2 million units of volume, providing Ford unprecedented scale and an opportunity to offer to customers around the world an array of new technologies and product features usually reserved for premium vehicles.


“Ford’s new C-sized family will be the strongest demonstration yet of how we’re harnessing the company’s global resources to deliver real customer benefits,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “The next-generation Focus is our C-segment flagship, offering technology you don’t expect in a C-car, feature content you would not expect in a C-car, and craftsmanship, materials and interior quietness you would not expect in a C-car. The scale we’re generating makes it possible to deliver all that.”

Globally, Ford expects its C-car volumes to double, from about 1 million units in 2008 to more than 2 million units by 2012. Plus, the new Focus is expected to be sold in 122 countries around the world.

Ford’s manufacturing base is rapidly expanding and reconfiguring to deliver that scale. The company already has confirmed that products developed from the new C-car platform will be manufactured in the United States, Germany, Spain, Russia and China. Other production sites will follow.

The new Ford Focus will reach aggressively to achieve scale, with production beginning almost simultaneously in Europe and North America in late 2010 and vehicles set to reach dealerships in early 2011. It will launch in 2012 in the Asia Pacific and Africa region, where new assembly plant construction is under way in China to lay the groundwork for next-generation products that are truly global in reach.

Global Product for Global Demand
The new Focus is positioned to appeal to a major – and growing – international customer segment. One in four vehicles sold worldwide is a C-segment vehicle. C-cars are the heart of the European car market, a mainstay in Asia-Pacific and growing in importance in The Americas.

Ford’s C-car plan reflects these market forces:
• U.S. small car sales – combined B- and C-segments – grew from about 14 percent of the market in 2004 to more than 21 percent now. Within five years, the C-segment alone could reach 25 percent of the U.S. market, according to Ford forecasters.
• In Europe, C-cars are an even stronger force, representing 30 percent of sales in a highly diverse segment.
• The segment accounts for approximately 25 percent of passenger car sales across the Asia Pacific and Africa region.

Developing appealing products that meet global customer expectations is a key facet of the ONE Ford strategy championed by Ford Motor Company President and CEO Alan Mulally. The heart of the strategy is to maximize the leverage of Ford’s product development investments.

The new C-car family from Ford will advance the ONE Ford strategy by offering a truly global product, with high degrees of commonality – about 80 percent – across all regions.

Customer research from The Americas to China has validated Ford’s move to transform its product development operations from a regional basis – typical of full-range, global automakers such as Toyota and Volkswagen – to a truly global basis. For example, during research for the next-generation Ford Focus, customer feedback from all three major regions of the world favored the same kinetic design, eliminating the need for regional product differences and strengthening the mandate for a world-class, truly international product.

Even norms about body style preference from country to country are less steadfast today. Ford expects the five-door hatchback body style to grow from 25 to 40 percent of volume in North America with this Focus. Four-door sedans have been the dominant body style in the U.S. market, but hatchbacks are growing in popularity as customers begin to appreciate their interior space efficiency and flexibility, particularly when combined with craftsmanship, materials and quietness that can be delivered in a vehicle such as the next-generation Focus.

Five-door models also are growing in popularity among C-car customers in China, traditionally another sedan stronghold.

The Shapes of Platform Efficiency
The new Focus models are part of a vanguard of C-size vehicles coming from Ford. The company’s strategy to achieve profitable growth globally from this segment is built on creating a highly flexible platform as the basis for a wide range of products.

Ford’s C-segment strategy reflects strong demand for MAVs (multi-activity vehicles) and other body styles in addition to traditional sedan and hatchback configurations. Not only does this result in more customer choice than ever, it also helps Ford better leverage its product development assets globally.

Ford’s new C-car portfolio capitalizes on customer trends driving diversification of body styles within segments. The breadth of the Ford C-segment family will be crucial to meeting growing global demand for C-sized vehicles without the one-shape-fits-all approach.




The new Ford C-MAX, revealed at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show as the first glimpse of the Ford C-segment family, showcases the platform’s flexibility.


C-MAX – which will be built in Valencia, Spain – will be available in all European markets by late 2010. The five-seat C-MAX departs from usual MAV thinking in Europe by adopting a sportier feel with a stylish passenger-car look, while the Grand C-MAX, Ford’s first seven-seat C-sized MAV, features twin sliding doors and innovative seat design to provide outstanding space and flexibility. A version of the seven-seat Grand C-MAX is also scheduled to launch in North America in late 2011 as a promised “whitespace” entry.

Most of the new technologies and features introduced with the C-MAX, plus further innovations, will cascade into future members of the new C-car family.

The Ford C-MAX exemplifies the benefits of platform diversification, providing a distinctive and stylish alternative with the same footprint as a traditional C-car.

In Europe, larger-package MAVs have grown to more than 30 percent of the C-segment volume once dominated almost solely by five-door models. The same trend has occurred in North America with the growth of crossover utility vehicles alongside traditional cars and sport utility vehicles.

“We believe that in North America, C-cars will migrate in the same way they migrated in Europe,” Kuzak said. “Customers have gone from four-door sedans to five-door hatches and moved into multi-activity vehicles, which provide more interior flexibility in a right-size vehicle. North America already recognizes this for Taurus- and Flex-size vehicles and for Fusion- and Edge-size vehicles. Why should Focus and C-MAX ultimately be any different from a customer point of view?”

Rightsizing without Compromise
Demand for C-segment vehicles globally will come in part from a trend called “rightsizing,” in which customers – more conscious of fuel price instability, their own carbon footprints and their individual vehicle needs – are increasingly expected to choose vehicles in this segment as the right cars for them.

Those who stereotype small cars as basic are in for a surprise. Ford Focus and its C-car siblings will offer an array of features and technologies previously unavailable in this segment.

The new Ford C-cars were developed with an awareness of converging customer wants and expectations. Increasingly in some markets like the United States, C-sized vehicles are chosen by customers downsizing from larger cars due to sensitivity about fuel prices or reduced household size for some demographic groups.

“People downsize cars, not expectations,” said Kuzak. “Customers are increasingly making decisions to downsize driven by lifestyle and fuel economy. We’ve learned that when customers downsize, they still want the amenities they’ve become used to in larger vehicles. They want a small car that is fully featured with the right materials, craftsmanship and quality.”

Ford expects Focus customers globally to continue a trend of wanting more in terms of features and creature comforts. In Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa, customer orders for higher-specification models of the new Ford Fiesta have exceeded projections – an indication that even customers in value-oriented segments want to have entertainment, connectivity and feature benefits previously considered luxury car offerings.

European Excellence – Global Execution
Ford’s new C-vehicle family leverages more than Ford’s product development budgets. It also leverages product development expertise globally, resulting in even stronger levels of product commonality around the world.

The new range of vehicles is being created as the result of an unprecedented global development program that capitalizes fully on Ford’s best small car development talent. Ford of Europe, where the company’s key small car design and engineering talent is based, led the global development program as Ford’s small car center of excellence.

“From day one, the new generation of Ford C-cars was created as a global product,” said Gunnar Herrmann, C-segment vehicle line director, Ford of Europe. “It was created by one single team operating globally, with responsibility to deliver the next-generation Ford Focus and a family of vehicles in this size segment. This lead engineering vehicle team approach will be used for all of our global products moving forward.”

This approach enables higher degrees of global commonality, which will help Ford deliver for C-segment customers an array of available advanced technologies aimed at enhancing their convenience, comfort, safety and overall driving experience.

“Under our ONE Ford philosophy, we have been able to harness the talents of our global product development team in designing and developing vehicles for all markets,” said Kuzak. “With the efficiency and time-to-market speed of our Global Product Development System, Ford’s global team is bringing to our customers a worldwide family of vehicles that are truly exciting in design and packed with an unexpected level of features and technologies.”

The new way of working within Ford – spawned by the company’s ONE Ford strategy – broke down regional barriers that had previously resulted in different engineering standards that often caused unnecessary re-engineering of products and components.

“Our team set global Ford DNA standards – incorporating the needs of all the key world markets – and ensured they would be applied, tested and measured with the same methodology,” Herrmann explained. “We’re all talking the same language, so the synergies are immense.”

DETROIT, Jan./PRNewswire-FirstCall/

•Ford will introduce nine new or upgraded engines and six new transmissions in North America this year as part of a five-year effort to overhaul its entire global powertrain portfolio, which totals 60 new powertrains
•Ford's all-new normally aspirated 2.0-liter direct injection engine will power the 2012 Focus in North America
•Ford will bring state-of-the-art fuel-saving technology, including twin independent variable cam timing (Ti-VCT), direct injection, six-speed and dual clutch transmissions to its smallest and most affordable cars
•Ford improved fleet-wide fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions more than any other automaker in the last five years
Ford Motor Company will introduce nine new or upgraded engines and six new transmissions in North America in 2010 as part of a five-year effort to overhaul its entire global powertrain portfolio.

The push began in 2008 and continues through 2013 and includes 60 new or significantly upgraded engines, transmissions and transaxles globally over the five year period.

One of the advanced and fuel-efficient North American powertrains is the 2012 Ford Focus' all-new normally aspirated 2.0-liter direct fuel injection engine, the first of its kind in a Ford vehicle in North America.

"Ford is delivering on our commitment to lower emissions, improve fuel economy and deliver the highest quality powertrains in the industry," said Barb Samardzich, Ford vice president, Powertrain Engineering. "We are making this happen with one of the most ambitious powertrain upgrades ever undertaken by Ford. By the end of 2010, nearly all of Ford's North American engines will have been upgraded or replaced since 2008."

North American launches

In 2010, Ford will launch new engines and transmissions in Fiesta, Mustang, Super Duty and F-150. These new powertrains are expected to propel each vehicle to best-in-segment in fuel economy.

Fiesta's Ti-VCT 1.6-liter engine and PowerShift dual clutch transmission will deliver an estimated 40 mpg on the highway, topping both Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.

Mustang's new Ti-VCT 305-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 delivers the class-leading performance and fuel economy Mustang buyers expect. The 2011 Mustang V-6 with six-speed automatic will deliver at least 30 mpg on the highway. No other V-6 powered sports coupe in the world delivers this level of performance and fuel economy, regardless of price.

Mustang GT gets a new 5.0-liter V-8 that cranks out a 412 total horsepower and 390 ft.-lb. of torque yet delivers at least 25 mpg on the highway - better than any competitor.

Both versions of the Mustang get all new fuel-saving manual and automatic six-speed transmissions.

Spring also marks the arrival of an all-new Ford-designed-and-built Super Duty diesel truck engine. The 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V-8 turbocharged diesel powerhouse is expected to lead the class in fuel economy towing, hauling, horsepower and torque.

With its advanced emissions systems, the new 6.7-liter diesel engine also will run cleaner than the outgoing model. The 2011 Super Duty also gets a new 6.2-liter gasoline engine.

Even as they concentrate on improving powertrain performance, Ford engineers continue to reduce engine and transmission weight. For example, the new Super Duty diesel and transmission together are 185 pounds lighter than the outgoing powertrain.

With its novel features such as a "live drive" Power Take Off (PTO) and rugged TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission, Super Duty will remain the most capable workhorse in the segment.

Ford: Driving powertrain innovations into the market

Other new Ford powertrains coming in 2010 include an EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 for the F-150. The EcoBoost 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged engine delivers the thrust and performance feel of a V-8, with the fuel efficiency of a V-6. Current EcoBoost-equipped models are delivering up to a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy and a 15 percent reduction in CO2 emissions versus larger-displacement engines.

By 2013, Ford plans to offer EcoBoost engines on 90 percent of its product lineup with annual volume of vehicles with EcoBoost at 1.3 million globally.

Toward the end of the year, a new 2.0-liter Ti-VCT four-cylinder for the next-generation Focus will mark the first introduction of a normally aspirated direct injection engine to the powertrain lineup. The all new engine will launch on the 2012 Focus in North America.

Ford: America's fuel economy leader

No automaker has posted a larger fleet-wide gain in fuel economy in the past five years. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Ford's combined car and truck fuel economy has improved nearly 20 percent since 2004 - almost double the next closest competitor.

Additionally, Ford's tailpipe CO2 emissions are declining. Ford's 2009 fleet-wide average is down approximately 9 percent from 2008.

"We are focused on sustainable technology solutions that can be used not for hundreds or thousands of cars, but for millions of cars, because that's how Ford will truly make a difference," said Samardzich.

Scheduled for 2010 are:
Engines Transmissions
------- -------------
1.6-liter Fiesta I-4 6-speed automatic FWD
2.0-liter Focus DI I-4 6-speed PowerShift Fiesta
2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 6-speed PowerShift Focus
3.5-liter F-150 EcoBoost V-6 6-speed manual Mustang
3.7-liter Mustang V-6 6-speed automatic Mustang
5.0-liter Mustang V-8 6-speed automatic TorqShift Super Duty
5.4-liter Shelby GT 500 V-8
6.2-liter Super Duty (gas)
6.7-liter Super Duty Power Stroke

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Jan 11th 2010 at 12:02AM


Next-gen Ford Focus

As we begin 2010, it looks like the compact C-segment is shaping up to be one of the most highly competitve segments in the auto industry. The Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, VW Golf and Jetta, along with the new Chevrolet Cruze are fighting for the hearts, minds and dollars of the masses. And then there's the Ford Focus.

This week in Detroit, Ford is unwrapping an all-new Focus for the 2012 model year. When the original Focus debuted internationally in 1998 and then in the U.S. a year later, it was more or less a common design. The U.S. version, however, suffered from a series of manufacturing issues and recalls within its first year of sales. Meanwhile, the overseas model got a full redesign in 2004, but Americans kept the MK1 Focus until three years ago when it got an unfortunately awkward re-skin. This time around the new Focus is truly global and adopts the latest evolution of Ford's European "Kinetic" design language. Judging by our first exposure to the 2012 Focus, every other contender in the segment may have a real problem to deal with next year. Learn more about the new Focus after the jump.







The new 2010 Focus sedan and five-door hatchback represent the third and fourth body styles of the new global C-platform from Ford. The European C-Max and Grand C-Max debuted last September at the Geneva Motor Show with the latter scheduled to land in the U.S. next year. Over the next year or so we will be seeing six more "top-hats" on the C-platform, including a station wagon, three-door hatch and hard-top coupe-convertible, some of which will be sold here in North America while others will only be available overseas.


With these new body styles being added and general growth in the segment, Ford hopes to double its current market penetration and sell about two million C-segment vehicles worldwide by 2012. In 2009 alone, one in four cars sold globally will be C-segment, a share that is expected to increase.



In discussing where Ford was going with the new Focus, company reps explained that the company's development philosophy is "Great to look at, Great to sit in, Great to drive," and this applied to the Focus just as much as it does to a Mustang. In recent years, customers have "downsized in terms of vehicle size, but not in expectations." That means customers don't want to give up any features and amenities that they've come to expect in an SUV when buying a compact car.

If Ford (and Chevrolet) can succeed in following brands like MINI in convincing Americans to pay more for well-equipped and attractive small cars, it will go a long way toward bringing this market in line with the rest of the world. Judging by our first look at the new Focus, Ford may be well on its way to a very strong position in the small-car segment in the U.S.

The 2011 Focus could be described as the first, second-generation Kinetic design from Ford, as the look has evolved a bit from the most recent batch of European Fords. Among the hallmarks of Kinetic design have been a large trapezoidal lower grille, bold wheel arches and a prominent character line running from the front wheel back to the rear quarter.



On the new Focus, longitudinal creases in the hood extend down between the upper grille into the trapezoid dividing it into three sections. The wheel arch creases now extend straight back from the top of the arch above the main lateral crease blending out a few inches behind the start of the lower line. A similar crease is echoed on the rear quarter with the overlap area at each end forming a "Z" that Ford refers to as a "Zorro flip." The rear quarter character line also forms a prominent rear shoulder area. Around the back, large tail-lamp clusters finish off the bold styling. Some might consider the styling a bit too bold or over-done, but it works quite well in person and certainly makes the new Focus stand out in this crowded segment.

This is hardly Ford's first attempt at a global design. The early '80s Escort, the first-generation Focus and the Mondeo/Contour were all attempts at "world cars" that went awry. Ford addressed the question of such world cars having failed in the past and why it might work now. First of all, each of those previous attempts ended up diverging because of different regional demands and tastes. However, Ford says that global tastes are converging in terms of design and vehicle requirements in this Internet age.

When the U.S. Focus was refreshed a couple of years ago, management opted to discontinue the previous three- and five-door hatchbacks in favor or a two-door coupe to accompany the sedan. In the intervening years, it's become increasingly clear that hatchbacks do have some appeal in this market if they're made desirable enough. As a result, the next-gen Focus, which likely will be labeled a 2011 model, will be offered to Americans as a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback just like the new Fiesta. The sedan also will get a swept roof-line and tall rear deck profile like the Fiesta sedan.



The new sedan is dimensionally about one inch lower than the outgoing Focus sedan but a little less than an inch wider than the current European model. The overall length and weight are claimed to be about the same, as is the interior volume. Speaking of the interior, the sedan that we previewed had an interior that takes compact cars to a whole new level. The car we were shown was a Titanium trim level, which is new to the U.S. market but has been offered in Europe for several years already.

After Ford started offering the Titanium trim in Europe, it was surprised at the popularity of such a premium finish in this class of car. As many as 40 percent of European buyers have opted for the Titanium trim level, and on the Mondeo it's up to 60 percent. The inside of the new Focus looks like something you would expect to find in an Audi or Lexus more than the direct descendant of the Escort. Will Americans be willing to pay prices up to the low $20,000-range for a Focus? We'll find out soon enough. At this point, we don't know what the base level trim will look like, but if the Fiesta is anything to go by, it should still be much nicer than any current Focus.

After being the debut vehicle for SYNC three years ago, the Focus will be one of the first Ford models offered with the optional MyFord Touch control system that debuts this summer in the new Lincoln MKX. In addition, drivers who opt for navigation will get a new eight-inch screen – by far the largest we've ever encountered in a small car.



When the first-generation Focus appeared a decade ago, it was praised for its driving dynamics and the current Euro model is considered among the best of its breed. The 300-hp Focus RS has been renowned as one of the most un-front-wheel-drive-like front-wheel-drive cars ever. While there are currently no plans for an RS model here in the U.S., North American Focus chief engineer Jim Hughes does promise that nothing will be lost in translation when this Focus hits U.S. roads.

Like other new Fords, the next-gen Focus also is getting an electric power assist system (EPAS) for its steering, which helps to reduce fuel consumption by cutting parasitic losses. Hughes claims the Focus dynamics team has improved the steering precision and feel with this EPAS system, something we'll have to judge for ourselves later in the year when we get a chance to drive it. Until now, EPAS has tended to be a mixed bag, with some applications like the Honda Fit having excellent feel while others have no feedback. Ford applications have generally done pretty well on this count, so we are hopeful.

One more interesting feature that will be available on the next-gen Focus is Dynamic Cornering Control. While torque vectoring has been increasingly used in high performance all-wheel-drive systems from Acura, BMW and Audi, Ford is applying the concept to the front-wheel-drive Focus. If it delivers, this should help provide even better handling balance with less understeer in the new compact.



American Focus buyers will get one brand new engine and two transmission options at launch early next year. Like other new Fords, six-speed gearboxes are now the norm for Focus with a choice of manual or dual-clutch PowerShift units available. No traditional torque converter automatic will be offered in the Focus, but the PowerShift will get manual shift capability unlike the Fiesta. Unfortunately, the manual control comes by way of a switch on the side of the shift knob – no wheel-mounted shift paddles.

The engine is a new 2.0-liter direct-injected four-cylinder, which will also form the basis of the upcoming 2.0-liter EcoBoost. The normally aspirated unit will be rated at an estimated 155 hp and 145 pound-feet. Both cams are equipped with variable phasing using the same cam-torque actuation system as the Fusion's 2.5-liter and the new 5.0-liter V8 in the Mustang. Thanks to the charge cooling effect of direct injection, the new engine will have a 12:1 compression ratio, which should aid low end torque production. The new engine will also be E85 flex-fuel capable, a first for a DI engine. No one from Ford would confirm the availability of an EcoBoost engine in the Focus, but they did hint that the 1.6-liter GTDI would eventually be an option. Another feature that will be new to the Focus is automatic start-stop functionality that switches off the engine when the car comes to a halt. This will be one of the first such applications in the U.S. market in a non-hybrid vehicle.



The other powertrain that we'll definitely see in the Focus is a full battery electric option. The Focus Electric will join the lineup sometime in 2011 using a lithium ion battery pack and electric drive developed in cooperation with Magna International. The Focus Electric is expected to have a driving range of 80-100 miles.

Ford isn't talking mileage numbers for the next-gen Focus yet, but it clearly is a priority for the new car. With Chevrolet aiming for 40+ mpg on the highway for the the Cruze, Ford will surely be trying to match it. To that end, designers have also focused a lot on functional aerodynamics in addition to just aesthetic styling. One of the more interesting features are thermostatically controlled shutters behind the grille. At higher speeds when more air naturally flows through the radiator, the shutters automatically close and force air around the sides of the car.

The new Focus body has also been designed to meet crash safety standards globally with a common structure. In order to meet those divergent requirements without adding excessive weight, the structure is comprised of 55 percent high strength steels. The B-pillar is produced by a process known as tailored rolling that makes eight different gauge thicknesses across its length. This allows strength to be put where its needed while keeping mass to a minimum. As with all new cars, there is a plethora of air bags that can inflate from all directions, and new inflators allow them to deploy 30 percent faster than in the current Focus.



One of the reasons that the first-gen Focus encountered so many quality problems was untested production processes. Focuses built in Europe and North America were produced on completely different machinery with completely different processes, and Euro models never had the issues that occurred here. Going forward, the One Forward policy applies across the board including design and manufacturing. Focuses built in France, Spain, China and Michigan will all use the same equipment, work instructions and production steps.

Production of the Focus will start almost simultaneously in Wayne, Michigan and Saarlouis, France late in 2010, with additional production starting over the next two years in Russia and China. The media preview we attended a few weeks ago was held at the newly renamed Michigan Assembly Plant (MAP). Until early 2009, the plant was known as Michigan Truck Plant and housed Navigator and Expedition production. MAP is one of three truck plants that are being converted to car production and Ford is making a big bet that this is the right way to go. It will no doubt help the Blue Oval meet its upcoming CAFE obligations. Now it just has to convince consumers to buy all these cars its building. Things look promising so far with the Fusion breaking sales records, the Fiesta building buzz and now this, the next-gen Focus, which should take the fight straight to cars like the Cruze, Civic and Corolla.

by Sam Abuelsamid on Jan 11th 2010 at 10:01AM


Next-gen Ford Focus live unveiling


At Ford's press conference this morning at the Detroit Auto Show, the new 2012 Focus was rolled out publicly for the first time anywhere. We have a full report on the new compact here, but product development VP Derrick Kuzak and Chairman Bill Ford dropped a couple of new details. Kuzak made it official that after the Focus launches with the new 2.0-liter direct injected inline-four, it will eventually also get an Ecoboost engine as well. The 1.6-liter Ecoboost will be available globally in the Focus. In 2011, production of the battery-powered Focus Electric will also begin at the Michigan Assembly Plant.

Bill Ford announced that the plant in Wayne will also produce the next-generation hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems beginning in 2012. Ford would not reveal which models would get the new hybrid powertrains, however, the Escape is expected to be replaced by a version of the next-generation Kuga, which is also derived from Ford's C-segment platform. If so, this is the first time we've heard that it would be produced at the Wayne plant.

Detroit 2010: Ford sweeps North American Car and Truck of the Year awards for 2010
by Chris Paukert on Jan 11th 2010 at 8:57AM


Mark Fields, Ford's President of the Americas, accepts the hardware from Tony Swan of Car and Driver

For just the third time in the 17-year history of the North American Car and Truck of the Year, one manufacturer has taken home both pieces of etched glass. Ford's 2010 Fusion Hybrid and Transit Connect have yielded the hardware for the Dearborn automaker here at the Detroit Auto Show, with the Fusion emerging victorious over the shortlisted Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagen Golf, and the Transit Connect besting the Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Outback.

The last time a single manufacturer won both the Car and Truck of the Year awards was back in 2006, when Honda did double duty with its Civic compact and Ridgeline pickup. In total, a U.S. automaker has won the car award nine times, and the truck award, 11 times. Official press release after the jump.






FORD SWEEPS N.A. CAR AND TRUCK OF THE YEAR AWARDS

* Ford swept the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), winning both prestigious awards for the
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and the 2010 Ford Transit Connect, respectively
* It is the third time in 17 years that one manufacturer has won both awards
* The Ford Fusion Hybrid is America's most fuel-efficient midsize sedan with an EPA-estimated 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway
* The Transit Connect is an industry-exclusive vehicle developed to be a smart new choice for small business owners; it offers double the fuel economy of full-size vans, generous and accessible cargo space, and the agility and maneuverability to operate in crowded urban areas

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2010 – Ford Motor Company scored a historic doubleheader today, capturing both the North American Car of the Year and North American Truck of the Year awards for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Ford Transit Connect, respectively, at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). It is only the third time in 17 years that one manufacturer has won both titles.

"Winning both of these prestigious awards is confirmation that the ONE Ford plan is working, delivering industry-leading products for our customers," said Mark Fields, president of
The Americas.

The North American Car and Truck of the Year awards recognize vehicles based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. A jury of 49 automotive journalists in the United States and Canada vote for the vehicles, which must be "all-new" or "substantially changed" from the previous model to qualify for the award.

The Fusion Hybrid edged out finalists including the Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagen Golf/GTI to win the North American Car of the Year award. It is the fourth hybrid vehicle in 17 years to win recognition as North American Car (or Truck) of the Year. It also is the second hybrid win for Ford – the most hybrid wins for any automaker. The Ford Escape Hybrid was named North American Truck of the Year in 2005.

The Transit Connect bested finalists including the Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Outback to win the North American Truck of the Year award. It is the sixth Ford truck to win the award – the most wins of any automaker in the 17-year history of the awards program. It also is the second year in a row that Ford has captured the title. Last year, top honors went to the 2009 Ford F-150.

Fusion Hybrid a winner out of the gate
The North American Car of the Year award is the latest in an impressive string of awards and accolades for the Fusion Hybrid. Most recently, the vehicle was honored as CAR and DRIVER Magazine's "10Best" Cars for 2010, one of AUTOMOBILE Magazine's 2010 All-Stars, and the entire Fusion lineup captured the acclaimed MOTOR TREND Car of the Year® award.

The all-new Fusion Hybrid arrived in dealers in March, complete with a powertrain system that combines the best attributes of the gasoline engine and electric battery-driven motors to deliver the optimal experience for the customer in terms of driving performance and fuel economy.
The Fusion Hybrid also offers drivers a way to be more connected to the hybrid driving experience thanks to Ford's SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide, a unique instrument cluster execution that helps coach them on how to optimize the performance of their hybrid.

Other class-exclusive technologies and features that set the Fusion Hybrid apart from the competition include Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®), Ford SYNC®, SIRIUS Travel Link™ and more total passenger and luggage capacity than the Toyota Camry.

Despite the slump in overall industry sales, 2009 was a record-breaking year for the Ford Fusion. Sales are at an all-time high, with the Fusion Hybrid accounting for almost 20 percent of total Fusion retail sales. Perhaps even more significant, more than 60 percent of Fusion Hybrid sales have been to customers coming from import brands – mostly Toyota and Honda.

Awards and accolades for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid include:

* MOTOR TREND Car of the Year Award
* One of CAR and DRIVER Magazine's "10Best" Cars for 2010
* One of AUTOMOBILE Magazine's 2010 All-Stars
* 2009 "Top Safety Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
* 2009 Ward's Interior of the Year Special Achievement Award for Best Graphic Display for SmartGauge with EcoGuide digital instrument cluster
* Great Car for the Long-haul Salesman by Kelley Blue Book kbb.com
* One of America's Top 40 New Cars by MOTOR TREND magazine
* Rated the No. 1 Hybrid Family Sedan by CAR and DRIVER in a recent comparison test by the magazine
* 2009 and 2010 Editors Choice for Fuel Sipper by CAR and DRIVER Magazine
* Best Hybrid for the Money in the Midsize Car segment by cars.com
* One of 2009 Top 10 Green Cars by Kelley Blue Book kbb.com
* The Detroit News Readers' Choice Award for "Best Value"
* 2010 Consumers Digest Best Buy
* Detroit Free Press 2010 Car of the Year
* 2010 Most Environmentally Progressive Car of the Year by Earth, Wind & Power
* 10 Best Engine by Ward's Auto World

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid is built at Ford's Hermosillo (Mexico) Stamping and Assembly Plant.

Transit Connect fills unmet needs of small businesses and fleets
The Transit Connect was brought to the U.S. to fulfill the unmet needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs, offering them a new vehicle choice with significantly improved fuel economy, generous and accessible cargo space, and the agility and maneuverability to operate in crowded urban areas.

Powered by a 2.0-liter I-4 engine with a four-speed automatic overdrive transmission, the
Transit Connect offers double the fuel economy of full-size vans, delivering an EPA-estimated 22 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.

The Transit Connect also has more than double the cargo-carrying capacity of the Chevrolet HHR Panel, making it suitable for a broader range of commercial-use applications. And it offers commercial users a cargo payload of up to 1,600 pounds – a larger payload than the full-size Dodge Ram 1500 standard-cab short-box pickup truck.

The Transit Connect also is available with the industry-exclusive Ford Work Solutions™, a suite of affordable technologies that provides customers with connectivity, flexibility, visibility and security to better run key aspects of their business.

On Transit Connect, Ford Work Solutions delivers three innovative features:

* A wireless in-dash computer that provides full high-speed Internet access, Bluetooth-enabled hands-free calling and navigation. The system also allows customers to print invoices, check inventories and access documents stored on their home or office computer networks right on the job site.
* Tool Link™, a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) asset tracking system that enables customers to maintain detailed real-time inventory of the tools or equipment.
* Crew Chief™, a fleet tracking, telematics and diagnostics system that provides dynamic location and performance data fleet owners need to more efficiently manage their vehicles, quickly dispatch workers to job sites, monitor driver performance for safety and economy, and keep detailed vehicle maintenance records.

Awards and accolades for the 2010 Ford Transit Connect include:

* 2010 Editors Choice for Vans by CAR and DRIVER Magazine
* Detroit Free Press 2010 Truck of the Year
* The Detroit News 2010 Truck of the Year
* 2010 Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Award for Best Workhorse Vehicle
* A Great Car for the Small Business Delivery/Utility Worker by Kelley Blue Book kbb.com

The 2010 Ford Transit Connect is built at the Ford Otosan Kocaeli Plant in Kocaeli, Turkey.

Just when everyone else was catching up to Ford's standard-bearing infotainment system, the propeller heads in Dearborn have unveiled their next-generation human machine interface, and based on what we've seen it's really, ridiculously good.



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The MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch are the next evolutions in Ford's control scheme. It takes the navigation plus Sirius Travel Link system and simplifies and augments all aspects of operation. When Ford approached the problem of the human machine interface (HMI) they decided to resolve it into four distinct groupings, phone, navigation, entertainment, and climate. They put these four segment in the corners of the navi screen and made each report current conditions regardless of how deep you've dug into the file structure.


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This is kinda... silly, but Ford's calling it's control scheme a combination of GUI, TUI, and VUI, or graphical, touch, and voice user interface. It takes commands from those inputs and makes them useful for user interfacing, we've seen it, the thing works amazingly well. They've even made it possible to actually talk to your car like a normal human being to get things done. Instead of uttering contrived strings of commands, you can just ask your car to "phone Ray," or what ever. No "Phone" - wait - "DragonMaster" -wait- "Dial" baloney anymore. It's much more natural.



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In addition to considerable revisions to control scheme, the new system makes use of the SmartGuages pioneered on the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid and puts those little LCD screens to good use by making them relay information useful to the driver. They're controlled by directional pads on the steering wheel and allow the diver to do almost any control method without taking their hands off the wheel. That and they still look really cool. We can't tell you where they live yet, but you'll be seeing it shortly.

myford TOUCH DEFINES INTUITIVE DRIVER EXPERIENCE: ADVANCED CAPABILITIES ALL VOICE-CONTROLLED NOW

LAS vegas, Jan. 7, 2010 – The new MyFord Touch driver connect technology announced today at the 2010 International CES is designed to be powerful yet intuitive for drivers, blending strengths of the most proven interfaces in consumer electronics – including MP3 players and mobile phones – with a new generation of Ford's award-winning SYNC system.

"MyFord Touch, combined with new SYNC functionality, creates an experience that will cause people to fall in love with their vehicles again," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. "It's not just a technology; it's an experience – one we hope will have people across the globe looking forward to spending time behind the wheel of their vehicle."

MyFord, which will be branded as MyLincoln Touch and MyMercury Touch on respective Lincoln and Mercury brand products, redesigns the in-car interface, mirroring how consumers interact with most devices in their lives using touch-sensitive buttons, touch screens, thumb-wheel controls and voice recognition.

In that respect, MyFord is instantly familiar. Using reconfigurable displays and simplified voice commands, though, MyFord also can present multiple layers of information, just as the driver wants it.

"MyFord really is about managing information," said Jason Johnson, Ford user interface design engineer. "Driving is the priority when you're behind the wheel, so we've made it possible to simplify the content management so customers can drive with minimal distraction. In the end, what MyFord displays is really up to the driver."

MyFord Touch layout
MyFord Touch retains the traditional car interior layout that has existed for decades – instrument cluster in front of the driver, center stack dividing the dashboard – and adds even more voice control plus full-color LCD screens for much of the visual information presentation. The information presented is customizable by the driver using a combination of voice controls, touch-screen technology and five-way cell phone-style buttons mounted on the steering wheel.

MyFord Touch displays information using two 4.2-inch full-color LCD screens flanking an analog speedometer and an 8-inch touch-screen LCD at the top of the center stack. A five-way switch on each side of the steering wheel crossbar – similar to the one found on most mobile phones and MP3 players – controls the information displayed on the corresponding instrument panel screens.

"The steering wheel has all the necessary functions available in a very compact area, right where your hand falls as you grab the wheel," said Johnson. "The five-way buttons will feel familiar to anyone who has used a mobile phone or MP3 player. Drivers aren't forced to use a quirky or unfamiliar interface like a joystick or rotary knob."
The left display, which is controlled by the left five-way controller, features information and settings for the vehicle: fuel economy, mechanical status, safety features.

The right display, controlled by the right five-way controller, contains infotainment information: audio settings, climate control, phone communications and navigation menus.

Those same right-hand functions also appear in the vehicle's center stack, now augmented with capacitive switches and touch-screen technology, which subtly replaces most traditional knobs and switches.

Lincoln center stack applications will take touch-sensitive technology to the next level with fingertip "slider" controls for audio volume and fan speed. Occupants will slide a finger along the touch-sensitive slider bar to adjust settings as an LED chaser gives a visual representation of volume or fan speed.

Available touch-screen display
The 8-inch touch-screen center stack display is the key interface on MyFord Touch. Designers employed a four-corner solution for its layout, representing the four activities most important to customers: phone, navigation, climate and audio/entertainment functions.

Regardless of what menus customers are viewing, a single touch on the appropriate corner will always bring up the desired functionality, and in most cases, a voice command also can be used to adjust the controls.

With the four-corner layout, functions are where they're expected to be, and they're always visible on the screen, so it's clear and easy for users to understand where they are in the system.

Color also is used to give drivers intuitive visual cues between the central 8-inch MyFord Touch display and the instrument-panel-mounted 4.2-inch display. Phone and communications functions always are presented with an orange background, navigation with a green background, climate control with a blue background and audio/entertainment functions with a red background.

SYNC – behind the scenes
Behind the displays of MyFord Touch driver connect technology, the next generation of Ford's award-winning SYNC system runs the show, built using the Microsoft Windows Embedded Auto software platform.

SYNC has evolved from a standalone module providing voice-activated control for mobile devices to a fully integrated platform for Ford vehicles with MyFord – a technology that will become the global interior architecture for all future Ford products.

"With more than a million SYNC-equipped cars on the road already, it's exciting to see Ford continue to push the envelope and explore new applications for Microsoft's Windows Embedded automotive software," said Kevin Dallas, general manager for Microsoft's Windows Embedded Business division. "The car is returning to the place where consumers go to see high tech innovation."

Features available through MyFord Touch, powered by SYNC include:
Media Hub
Additional USB port for a total of two USB 2.0 inputs
SD Card slot
RCA A/V input jacks

Internet Connectivity
Full WiFi capability including Internet "hot spot" connectivity and a built-in browser for use while in "Park" (late availability)
Integrated browser supports tabbed page navigation, "drag" to pan and scroll and a provides a 3-D carousel for bookmark browsing
Support for on-screen and USB-connected keyboards
RSS feed aggregator and text-to-voice reader
Mobile in-car WiFi "hot spot" capability through USB-installed air card or USB mobile broadband modem

Phone
Phone book contact photo download and 3-D carousel browsing
Birthday reminders
Enhanced error correction and reporting

Voice Recognition
Direct speech commands and "flattened structure" for quicker, more responsive voice control
Voice-command activation of selected climate control functions
Voice commands will be available for most radio functions, including AM/FM, HD RadioTM Technology and SIRIUS/XM® Satellite Radio
SIRIUS Game Finder application will facilitate automatic voice tuning for desired sporting events using commands such as "Tune to Detroit Lions game" or "Show NBA games"

Navigation
Improved visual presentation of SYNC Traffic, Directions & Information app including directional arrows, street names, and distance markers
Map-based navigation app provided by TeleNav via an optional
SD Card
SD Card navigation includes SIRIUS Travel LinkTM services such as weather maps, movie listings, gas prices, and sports scores
SD Card navigation also adds cities point-of-interest information including ratings and amenities
Map data includes 3-D visual landmarks

Climate Control
MyTemp personalization allows the driver to store a preferred temperature, which is then accessible with a single touch of the MyTemp button
Different MyTemp settings can be programmed to different keys; multiple drivers in a household can each have unique MyTemp settings

Audio
AM/FM/CD, SIRIUS/XM satellite radio, USB-connected MP3 players and memory sticks
New HD Radio capability
Song tagging capability via HD Radio Technology, allowing listeners to identify song information and store it for later use
Browse tracks by artist, scan lists of tracks with identical names, and browse through devices without having to change audio sources
3-D carousel album cover art and photo viewing displays allow easy scanning of available material, especially combined with Gracenote Media Management
Media player equipped with new "Podcast" source category
Enhanced Bluetooth® audio support including metadata, which allows additional command and control functions for capable mobile devices

Vehicle Setting Personalization
Ambient lighting color control using a 3-D carousel browser
Custom welcome messages
Saved and transferrable user profiles that can be ported between Ford vehicles equipped with MyFord
Door keypad code control using on-screen menus
Where available, Active Park Assist and Rear View Camera displays
Image and video uploading via SD card slot or USB 2.0 ports

SYNC Apps
& Services
Traffic, Directions & Information offers personalized traffic reports, turn-by-turn directions, business search, sports, news and weather via SYNC and the user's mobile phone
Downloadable destinations when coupled with the SD card navigation function; SYNC Service Delivery Network (SDN) will be able to send a destination directly to the vehicle
Vehicle Health Reports will download service reminders and vehicle information directly to the in-car displays
Improved 911 Assist™ capability with GPS location can call for help in the event of an air bag deployment

Flexible, upgradable and ready for global deployment
Built using the latest technology from the Windows Embedded Business at Microsoft, the second generation of SYNC has been designed from the outset to be expandable, allowing it to grow and add new features without requiring new hardware. By employing a Media Hub for interfacing with external devices and media, Ford has helped ensure compatibility with future hardware innovations.

"The Media Hub is really the key to SYNC's new upgradability," said User Interface Design Engineer Johnson. "Take navigation: In the past, map data was stored on a hard drive and updates took hours to load from DVD. With SYNC and MyFord Touch, if you need a map update, you take the old SD card out of the Media Hub and pop in a new one.

"It'll be the first time an automaker will offer something that competes with the cost and ease of personal navigation devices," he added.

The system also has been configured for global deployment from the start, using one hardware package in all regions worldwide. The identical global SYNC hardware will be outfitted with branding, languages and regionally appropriate applications while the host vehicle is on the assembly line, all using WiFi technology.

MyFord technology will not be exclusive to high-end products. As new and refreshed Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models continue to arrive on the world stage, all will be outfitted with an implementation of MyFord driver connect technology.

"MyFord will become part of the global DNA of Ford products," said Kuzak. "Across different models, different trim levels, even different countries, drivers immediately will know they're behind the wheel of a Ford vehicle equipped with the technology, safety and convenience features they expect."

This is the all-new 2011 Ford Focus. From our perspective it's one of the greatest automotive comeback stories in a long time. After too many indifferent refreshes it's finally, and awesomely, everything enthusiasts have been begging Ford to build.



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When the Focus first debuted, it was a breath of fresh air, resetting opinions of what small, American cars could be. It was light on its feet with a brilliant chassis, a zippy and frugal Zetec engine, a crisp manual transmission and enough personality and quality inside and out the cars sold by the boatload. Then things started to go downhill. Materials quality was reduced, cost cutting removed sound deadening and the car began to feel chintzy. The 2005 refresh turned an interesting car into an ugly one and then in 2008 Ford really stabbed enthusiasts in the heart. While the European Focus was winning nearly every award on the continent, they shoveled a hideous, cheap feeling, coarse, terrible driving vehicle wearing the Focus name. The car boasted fantastic new technology unprecedented in the segment, but it was a disappointment to say the least.


This 2011 Focus is not a disappointment. It's absolutely everything enthusiasts have been asking for. It's a global car with at least 80% content shared across the globe. It's once again daring in its styling, sleek and rather sexy, polarizing and above all interesting. They've managed to create a sedan as attractive if not more so than the hatchback, oh, and they're bringing back the proper hatchback. There are clever details throughout; The hatchback's fuel door is camouflaged behind a diamond-shaped panel under the passenger tail light. The Z-shaped "Zorro Clip" as the designers call it, is a not-so-subtle character line on the front door. It also points to how confident Ford is about their tolerances and hinges, if any part doesn't measure up, it'll show.

Inside it's much the same story. The new Focus has a packed with high technology and handsome shapes, grippy seats, excellent door coverings and with plenty of room all around. It's got the Sync system of course but also the new MyFord system and Sony audio, passive keyless entry, rain sensing wipers, a park assist system, and rear camera. The car rides on an all-new chassis made of high-strength steel and designed with Ford's Trinity crash structure. They're targeting award-winning ride and handling and doing it with electric power steering, dynamic cornering control and a torque vectoring differential. You'll be able to get a huge set of 235/40R19 tires, that's plenty of grip.

Under the hood there's a direct injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder with twin independent variable cam timing producing "better than 150 HP." It's paired with a manual six speed or the Powershift dual clutch automatic. Of course we're frothing at the mouth fat the prospect of these cars getting an Ecoboost four cylinder making an easy Focus RS or SVT. Ford, thank for finally, finally reuniting the Euro Focus with the US model, and doing it with some swagger. We look forward to tossing it into a corner and hopefully coming out on the other side grinning ear to ear.
http://jalopnik.com/5445017/2011-ford-focus/gallery/22

Send an email to Ben, the author of this post, at ben@jalopnik.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHsTAyjP ... r_embedded

Pretty interesting link on technology on automobiles and life in general by Allan Mullally WATCH IT!

You thought it was just crazy talk when you heard the rumors, but lo and behold it’s a reality. Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) will allow drivers of the 2011 Mustang GT to balance high performance and fuel economy. What a concept!

Ti-VCT provides extremely precise variable – yet independent – control of timing for intake and exhaust valves. Drivers of the 2011 Mustang GT will notice abundant torque and class-leading fuel economy. An additional benefit of Ti-VCT is a reduction of emissions, especially in situations when the throttle is partially open.

Independent adjustment of intake and exhaust valve timing allows maximum fuel economy at part-throttle, while delivering optimized power in full-throttle situations. An added benefit is improved drivability and responsiveness across the torque curve.

How Ti-VCT works
The new 5.0-liter V-8 in the 2011 Mustang GT is a double-overhead-camshaft configuration that employs two camshafts per cylinder bank – one camshaft to operate the intake valves and one camshaft to operate the exhaust valves. Ti-VCT rotates the camshafts to advance or retard the cam timing, based on several measures including throttle opening.

An element unique to the Mustang GT 5.0-liter V-8 application is that Ti-VCT is actuated by camshaft torque, with assistance from pressurized oil. Using camshaft torque energy provides faster throttle response and maximizes use of existing energy, to aid fuel economy. Camshaft torque energy Ti-VCT actuation is a Ford innovation, introduced first on the 3.0-liter V-6.

Working like a ratchet, the one-way valves allow precise timing of camshaft events, continually optimizing timing to provide maximum thrust or fuel economy, based on driver input.

Quotes
“Ti-VCT is a win-win-win technology. It helps our new range of engines to deliver high performance with unsurpassed projected highway fuel economy of 25 miles per gallon and reduced emissions.”
– Barb Samardzich, Vice President, Global Powertrain Development

“Ti-VCT technology will continue to proliferate across the Ford powertrain portfolio. By 2013, you can expect to see this advancement available on 90 percent of our nameplates.”
– Barb Samardzich, Vice President, Global Powertrain Development

Ford all but confirms four-cylinder Ecoboost for next Explorer
by Sam Abuelsamid



Last summer, during a preview of what was coming from Ford in 2010, the company officially announced that a 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder Ecoboost engine would debut this year. Unfortunately, that's about all we were told at that time. Like the 3.5-liter V6 Ecoboost, the four will be direct injected and turbocharged. We expect it will be rated somewhere in the 230-250 horsepower range, similar to a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6.

At a pre-Detroit Auto Show preview Friday morning, the 2.0-liter Ecoboost was again shown on a list of nine new engines that will debut this year, along with a new six-speed automatic for transverse applications. When asked, Ford officials told us that they were not ready to announce the product that the engine would go into. However, when we asked if it would be the new unibody Explorer, they smiled and repeated, "we're not ready to announce that yet."



Since the new Explorer is expected to be based on a platform derived from the Flex, it would make perfect sense to use this engine with the corresponding transmission. We're also expecting the 3.5-liter Ecoboost that is already available in the Flex and other models to be the optional engine, potentially giving the Explorer an all-Ecoboost lineup.

by Sam Abuelsamid


Ford's all-new 5.0 V8

A few years into what would become the nearly quarter century-long life-cycle of the "Fox" body Mustang, a fresh engine option revived the moribund pony-car class. It was known as the 302 when it was last seen in the late Seventies, but Ford was giving metric displacements to its motors by 1982 and the Mustang GT was fitted with new 5.0 badges on its front fenders and rear deck.

With an actual displacement of 4,942 cc, Ford was a bit optimistic in its rounding, but no matter. Over the next 14 years, the 5.0-liter V8 grew from a two- to a four-barrel carburetor and later added fuel injection to produce progressively more power and torque. The evolution of the 5.0 made it a legend in the realm of affordable performance and after a 15-year hiatus, during which Ford's 4.6-liter modular V8 served as the heart of the Mustang, the 5.0 is back and looks better than ever. Make the jump for deep dive into at the 2011 Ford Mustang GT's all new powerplant.



Gallery: 2011 Ford Mustang 5.0 V8


Just a year after getting a thorough refresh, the 2011 Mustang is finally getting the new powerplants it deserves. The base Mustang's new 3.7-liter V6 debuted just before the LA Auto Show, but while the V6 option represents the majority of Mustang sales, the GT's V8 is the motor Mustang fans crave. The new 5.0 really is an all-new engine sharing virtually no parts with the prior 4.6-liter. Only the bore spacing and deck height were carried over, allowing the block and heads to be machined on the same transfer lines with less re-tooling. Ford Racing has also offered a 5.0-liter crate engine for the last several years, but this new engine doesn't share anything with the race-ready mill other than its fundamental architecture. Unlike the historic 5.0, which was a cam-in-block pushrod two-valve, the new motor has dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder.



According to chief engineer Mike Harrison, VP of global product development Derrick Kuzak tasked him with developing a new engine for the Mustang just over two years ago, and in that time his team has gone from clean sheet to production. That makes this one of Ford's fastest engine development programs ever. The basic parameters were laid out as such: 5.0 liters of displacement and 400 horsepower. The end result is an engine with 92.2mm bore and a 92.7mm stroke. For the mathematically challenged, that works out to 4,952 cubic centimeters and now properly rounds to 5.0-liters while still equaling 302.2 cubic inches. As for the power requirement? Mission accomplished, with 412 hp at 6,500 rpm and 390 pound-feet at 4,000 rpm.



The new 5.0 also has a brand new aluminum cylinder block and heads designed to maximize performance while keeping weight down. Both have been carefully designed using both finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. The FEA tools have allowed the engineers to design in strength where it's needed while removing material where it's not. The result is a block that's heavily ribbed for rigidity and a deep crank-case that extends down to the bottom of the crankshaft. The 5.0 has four-bolt main bearing caps and the deep crank-case allows the side bolts to fit through the wall into caps that add extra rigidity and support. The configuration happens to be similar to that used on General Motors' LS9 and LSA engines in the ZR1 and CTS-V. Cast-iron cylinder liners, meanwhile, are pressed into the aluminum block to insure a good wearing surface.

The crankshaft is made of forged steel and is fully counter-weighted to aid smoothness. The connecting rods are forged powdered metal and the pistons are hyper-eutectic (translation: they contain a higher concentration of silicon, which helps reduce thermal expansion). As a result, the tolerances between the piston and bore can be tighter and allow for better sealing. Another change made to improve reliability and durability is cast-in coolant crossovers. In the past, a separate tube was inserted to provide a path for coolant to cross from one bank to the other, which added an extra assembly process as well as increasing the potential for leaks.



Looking at the top of the 5.0's bare block, one thing that's immediately apparent is the size of the oil drain back ports. These help ensure that oil gets back down to the sump as good lubrication is critical to a high performance engine. The 5.0 gets a heavily baffled sump with an eight-quart capacity and the baffles help to ensure there is always oil in the vicinity of the pick up no matter how aggressively the car is being driven.

Harrison explained that in a car cornering at 1g of lateral acceleration with a 90-degree block, the forces on the oil in the outboard bank are equivalent to the lower bank if the the engine is rotated 90 degrees around the crank axis. In fact, this is exactly what Harrison's team did in the dyno lab to ensure that oil could flow back to the sump – they mounted the engine on its side. The 5.0 also gets oil jets at the base of each cylinder that spray oil on the underside of the pistons to help cool them.

As any good athlete will tell you, the key to performance is respiration – get the air in and the exhaust out. When it comes to airflow, the best approach is a straight shot. Anytime the flow has to change direction it slows down. Ideally you also want the largest possible orifice to deliver air with minimal restriction. One of the weaknesses of the prior 4.6-liter V8 was its alternator mounted up on top of the engine between the cylinder banks, right where you'd intuitively want a throttle body to be located. As such, the 4.6 used a two-barrel throttle body in order to clear the top of the alternator. On the new 5.0, the alternator has been moved down to the side of the block leaving the valley completely unencumbered for a large 80mm single-barrel throttle body.



From the throttle body, the air flows into a new composite manifold, and like with many current engines, the use of a composite intake manifold has several advantages. It reduces the mass at the top end of the engine, which lowers center of gravity, and the internal passages are also smoother, thus lowering the flow restriction and aiding breathing. The top half of the 5.0's composite manifold is molded in gray to match the aluminum blocks -- a nice aesthetic addition considering the tubes are left exposed by the engine trim. Rather than cover the entire engine, Ford opted for what is essentially a frame for the very attractive intake tubes with a big 5.0 badge on the front.

Compared to both the 5.0 "Cammer" crate engine and the 5.4-liter GT500 engine, the new five-point-oh's cylinder heads have also been redesigned. Both the intake and exhaust camshafts have been shifted outboard relative to their previous positions. This made room to reconfigure the intake ports so that they now run virtually parallel to the intake valves, providing the air flow a nearly straight shot into the combustion chamber. The engineering team spent hundreds of hours experimenting with CFD models to optimize the flow of air and exhaust, which included designing the manifold, the combustion chamber and the exhaust.

Air flow and efficiency is further enhanced by twin independent variable cam timing. Like Ford's 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and revised 3.0-liter V6 that were introduced in 2008, cam-torque actuation (CTA) is incorporated on the 5.0. The CTA system utilizes the energy that builds up inside the camshaft itself as the lobes ride up on the valve followers. The resistance of the valve causes twisting force to build up within the camshaft. As the peak of the lobe passes the valve, the force is released causing the camshaft to "spring" back. This energy is captured in a phasing mechanism mounted on the end of the camshaft that makes adjustments much faster and to a greater degree than traditional systems. The mechanism contains an electronically controlled spool valve to manage the flow of hydraulic fluid into a pair of chambers. Check valves maintain the oil pressure built up within those chambers and that pressure is used to adjust the relative angle of the camshaft adjusting the timing.

Even without using direct injection, Ford was still able to achieve an impressive 11:1 compression ratio while allowing the engine to still run on regular gas. According to Harrison, a lot of effort was expended on the engine management system. The adaptive spark control system keeps the engine running right on the knock sensor all the time, continuously adjusting the spark advance to avoid detonation regardless of the fuel used. The control system has a high bandwidth air-fuel control algorithm to make sure that it's both responsive and efficient. The 5.0 has also benefited from work done on the Fusion Hybrid by incorporating aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off. Whenever the throttle is released, fuel flow is shut off completely to improve efficiency.



Once the fuel is burned, it's just as important to get the exhaust gases out of the engine as it is to get air in. With this in mind, the 5.0 has tubular stainless steel exhaust headers. The design of the headers features two secondary tubes that flow into two primary tubes, which then flow into a common collector. The tube lengths are tuned to ensure that there are no exhaust pulses pushing gases back into adjacent cylinders. Engineer Adam Christian developed the headers using a CFD program, but when the design was sent out to a local prototype shop for fabrication, the parts performed poorly on the dyno. After seeing the results, Christian requisitioned some tubing, took it home and fabricated a set of headers using his own tools. These performed perfectly on the engine and were used to correlate the model. The production units are being supplied to Ford by Benteler Automotive.



Keeping the cost down and improving reliability were also both important criteria in the new design. One of the interesting features is a compact roller follower. A compact assembly consisting of a hydraulic lash adjuster linked with a roller rocker arm is simply inserted into the bore adjacent to the valve stem. The same part is used for both the intake and exhaust valves and no adjustment is required during assembly. When the heads are bolted to the block, a three-layer metal gasket provides sealing between them.

Harrison claims the new 5.0 has best-in-class airflow compared to similar V8 engines. The result is a five-percent improvement in low end torque and two-percent better top end torque compared to the former crate engine. While torque peaks at 4,000 rpm, it's well above 300 pound-feet throughout most of the rpm range. The redline of the 5.0 has also been moved up an extra 500 rpm compared to the prior 4.6-liter to a full 7,000 rpm, and judging by the curves we were shown, it will probably be worth using all of them. Thanks in part to the higher compression, the engine is also more efficient than the 4.6-liter V8. In spite of producing 31 percent more power and 20 percent more torque than the old 4.6, the new engine achieves four-five percent better efficiency across its operating range. As such, the 2011 Mustang GT is expected to score at least 25 mpg on the highway from the EPA.



The 5.0 will be built at Ford's Essex engine plant in Windsor, Ontario starting early in 2010. The tighter tolerances, reduced friction and increased precision in manufacturing will help Ford increase the oil change interval on the new engine to 10,000 miles using conventional 5W20 oil. Fully dressed (minus the A/C compressor) and filled with oil, the new engine weighs in at 430 pounds. That's about the same as the outgoing 4.6 in spite of the extra valve train hardware. By comparison, a non-dry-sump GM LS3 used in the Camaro or Corvette weighs a bit over 400 pounds, which is not enough to make up the difference in overall vehicle weight between the Camaro and Mustang. The 2011 Mustang GT goes on sale in spring 2010, and based on the engine tech alone, we're itching for our chance behind the wheel.