Future Cars: Drafting a Modern Light-Duty Pickup Truck for Ford

Ever since the demise of the much loved Ford Ranger from U.S. soil, fans of the small pickup have been crying out for a replacement. Rather than taking on the Australian designed and developed 'global' T6 Ranger, the Dearborn-based manufacturer decided to pull out of the more compact pickup market altogether in its home market, leaving buyers little choice - go F-Series or go elsewhere.

This is all fine and dandy if you don't mind the size of the bigger F-150, however for many that vehicle is far too big for their needs. Ford's argument for not bringing in the global Ranger is that it's too close in size to the F-Series - a point that I tend to agree with. Having climbed over, sat in and prodded the world Ranger in the flesh, it's easy to see why Ford thinks it would cannibalize sales of its No.1 chart-topper.

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Do Check Out This Vintage Ford Video About Car Styling Philosophy in the 1960s

Some might say that the passion which used to go into designing and building cars is all-but gone nowadays, when each vehicle is designed to appeal to a very specific clientele, and corners are cut to get costs down and profits up. This results in many cars that look the same, like the freshly-revealed Toyota Corolla, which from the side reminds me of Kia’s Forte sedan. Read more »

Ford and Schaeffler Demonstrate Their RWD, All-Electric eWheelDrive Fiesta

Not too long ago, we’ve posted a story about how German company Schaeffler converted a conventionally-powered Ford Fiesta into an all-electric, rear-wheel-drive model, powered by two independent electric motors placed inside each of the rear wheels. Ford has now released more details and photos, plus a video showing how the electric Fiesta works. Read more »

Ford Revives Escort Name with New Concept Sedan in Shanghai [w/Video]

Ford really wanted an image change when it began phasing out the Escort, and replacing it with the Focus, a move that first happened in Europe in 1998 and the following year in North America. Once the striking Focus was revealed, people all-but forgot about the Escort, and aside from the hot Cosworth version, they don’t really arise that much interest today… Read more »

German Company Creates Rear-Wheel Drive, All-Electric Ford Fiesta

One direction cars of the future are going towards is modularity. Sure, everybody talks about platforms nowadays, but we still have a long way to go before the you'll be able to jump to the garage, and turn your pickup into a coupe, by lifting off the body and putting on a different one. The chassis could be adjustable in wheelbase and track, and therefore different handling characteristics could be obtained.

However, before we get there, we must first advance the technology for in-wheel electric motors. Without them, all of the above would be considerably more complicated. Thankfully, work is being done, and this rear-wheel drive Ford Fiesta, which was modified by Schaeffler, in Germany, is among the most advanced of its kind.

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Ford to Debut an All-New Concept Model at the Shanghai Auto Show

Ford has announced it will reveal an all-new concept car at the Auto Shanghai 2013 on April 20. The U.S. automaker hasn’t provided any additional details on the study other than the car will have its global premiere at the show. Read more »

Ford Atlas Named Autoweek's Most Significant Detroit Auto Show Debut, What Do You Say?

The new Ford Atlas Concept, which previews the future of America's best-selling pickup truck for the past 36 years and the best-selling vehicle overall for 31 straight years, the F-150, has been named by the editors of Autoweek magazine, the "Most Significant vehicle of the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)".

Bob Gritzinger, Autoweek executive editor, explains why:

“The Atlas Concept is clearly Most Significant winner for the things you don’t see, like hidden aerodynamic improvements and weight savings from high-strength steel and interior parts, like thinner seats. Those things add up to significant fuel savings for pickup trucks down the road. A next-generation EcoBoost with Auto Start-Stop technology also signals why Atlas is a real game changer.”

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Ford's New Atlas Concept Envisions the Next Generation of the F-150 [Photos & Video]

Ford yanked the covers off a new concept model at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show on Tuesday morning showcasing the brand's evolved styling language but more importantly, its future vision for pickup trucks and how they'll improve fuel economy.

The Blue Oval won't say (yet) if the new EcoBoost-powered Atlas Concept directly previews the next generation of its best-selling F-150 series, but the truck's size and overall presence suggests that it does.

“The Ford Atlas Concept previews the innovations that will transform what people expect from their pickup,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “With 36 years as America’s best-selling pickup, we are absolutely committed to setting the agenda in the truck market.”

While the exterior design of the Atlas Concept aptly evolves Ford's current DNA, the devil is in the details with the automaker making use of an assortment of active aerodynamic elements to reduce wind resistance.

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Ford Australia Strikes Again with Ranger Pickup Truck-Based Torque Transformer

After doing it the first time with the Falcatron and seeing all the attention it received from the automotive and gaming worlds alike, Ford's Australian subsidiary and High Moon Studios, the developer behind the "Transformers: Fall of Cybertron" video game, came together to create another Ford-based Autobot.

The new character is named Torque and is spun off the new generation of Ford's compact pickup truck, the Ranger in Wildtrak specification, which is not available for the North American market.

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New Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Concept Sports Twin-Turbo 5.0-liter EcoBoost V8 [w/Video]

There's a new racier pony car making its debut at Sin City's SEMA Show and it's called the Mustang Cobra Jet Concept.

It's a prototype version of Ford's factory-built turnkey drag racer that replaces the 2013 Mustang Cobra Jet's 5.0-liter V8 unit that's available with or without a supercharger with a new iteration of the V8 featuring a pair of turbochargers incorporating the brand's EcoBoost technologies.

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Ford Turns the SEMA Show Wick on the 2013 Escape and Explorer SUVs

The Blue Oval always takes the SEMA Shows seriously and this year's event from October 30 to November 2 is no exception.

After telling us about the four 2013 Fusion sedans and five Focus STs it has prepared, some on its own and others in partnership with known tuners, Ford has dropped images of three SUVs, including two 2013 Escapes (sold as the Kuga in Europe) and a 2013 Explorer.

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Ford Prepares Five New Focus ST Sport Hatches for SEMA Show

We were anticipating that Ford would bring several tuned examples of its new Focus ST hot hatch to the upcoming SEMA Show and now, the Blue Oval has released teasers and initial information on its offerings.

Joining the four 2013 Fusion concepts at the automaker's Las Vegas booth will be a total of five modified Focus ST project cars.

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Less Than Meets the Eye: Ford Falcon XR6 Gives Birth to Conceptual Falcatron Transformer

As much as Ford's Australian division would have liked to see one of its models taking a role in the popular world of Transformers, this won't be happening any time soon.

For now, however, Ford will make do with a design for a conceptual Transformers character named the "Falcatron" based on the Australian market Falcon XR6 Turbo, which in real life sports a 4.0-liter turbocharged inline-six that generates 362hp / 270kW of power.

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"Friend of Carroll Shelby" Build a Unique 850HP 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra in his Memory

On May 10, the automotive world mourned the death of one of its great icons, Carroll Shelby.

To honor the man that gave his name to some of the most well known cars in the American industry, Ford Motor Company, Shelby American, Ford Racing and many others came together under the umbrella of "Friends of Carroll Shelby" to create a one-of-a-kind 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra.

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2015 Ford Mustang GT Coupe Design Concept: A Look Into the Future

As the current life-cycle of arguably America’s most iconic automotive nameplates draws to an end, all eyes are looking towards the near future and locking on to the next Ford Mustang that will arrive in 2014 as a 2015 model, right in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the pony car.

Now in writing this I must confess to admiring the styling of the current Mustang, with its chiseled bodywork and retro throwbacks it does get my heart pumping - almost bordering towards cardiac arrest in GT500 form.

So where to from here for Ford and the global design studios that have a hand in penning the next Mustang; should they look to the past for inspiration or should they follow a clean slate approach that throws all previous retro elements into the shredder?

In protecting its loyal customer base, Ford will want this to be a home run, so expect some familiar cues combined with a more futuristic look incorporating the company’s Post-Kinetic design language.

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Identify This #3: Four Ford Production and Concept Models

For our third photo quiz, we picked out four models from the Ford brand and upped the difficulty level just a little bit since most of you were spot on with your answers last week.

Here are two clues to assist you on the Ford puzzle: a) there are two production vehicles and two concept studies seen in this collection and b) each car is from a different region.

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And the Winner of the SEMA Mustang Build Powered by Women is…

The voters have spoken and they chose the "High Gear" concept designed by Jennifer Seely of Ford Motor Co. for the first-ever SEMA Mustang Build Powered by Women. Read more »

Design Student Refashions the Ford Taurus Sedan

Having received a mild facelift only a year ago, the current generation of the Ford Taurus sedan that originally debuted at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show isn't due for a redesign for another few years.

Nevertheless, Tyler Bame, a 22-year old automotive design student from Lawrence Tech in Michigan, drew up a couple of sketches that represent his idea for what a next generation of the Taurus sedan could look like.

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Ford Sources Say Next Mustang will Look More Like the Evos Concept, Less Like the Original

As with everything else in this life, there comes a time when things must change for a vehicle series, and if we are to believe a report from the Wall Street Journal, that time has arrived for the Ford Mustang.

Citing unnamed sources that are familiar with Ford's plans, the newspaper reported that the sixth generation of the Mustang that is pegged to arrive in 2014 as a 2015 model on the 50th anniversary of the series, will abandon the current, fifth-generation model's retro-styling in favor of a far more modern design.

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