Two models, the Ford Explorer and F-150, reached historic 100,000 sales figures. This was thanks, in part, to new fuel saving engine technology introduced by our favorite American auto maker.

Ford revolutionized its EcoBoost powerplant in 2011 (the model has been out since 2007). They are now able to produce a 365-hp twin-turbo 3.5 liter V6. But Eco is still green – in 2012, Ford will launch an EcoBoost 1.6 and 2.0 liter to provide more mpg.

2011 also saw a resurgence in Mustang production. Can this classic pony remain as mean as its predecessors?

“Rumors swirled for a year about a 600hp + GT-500 with a larger engine. Stories speculated it would have twin turbos or a larger supercharger. EcoBoost? Well in the end Ford made the big announcement that the 2013 Shelby GT-500 would get an increase to 5.8 liters,” according to Mustang news.

Here’s to 2012, what is certain to be another great 365-days for Ford.

Source: MustangNews

Ranger’s nameplate started in 1965 as a much larger F-Series, and shrunk into the compact model in 1982. At one point, it was the nation’s top selling compact pickup, beating out Dakota and Tacoma.

Ford’s decision to cancel Ranger in America (but keep the vehicle going overseas) stems from poor sales of small trucks across the board, at their company as well as other automotive brands in North America. They will concentrate on producing fuel efficient engines for the popular F-150.

Ford sold 348,358 Ranger pickups in 1999, but only 55,000 in 2009. This is the end, beautiful Ranger:

Photo, stats: LeftLaneNews

Plumbers, church groups, and creepy old guys who prowl playgrounds will need to find a new vehicle for their daily use. Ford is axing the E-series Econoline.

The auto maker will replace Econoline with its 2013 European Transit van. These full-size vans will (possibly) debut at 2012′s Chicago Auto Show, and construction is set for Ford’s Kansas City plant.

Ford’s official announcement came in video form, which spoke of the new Transit van that currently serves Europe, Asia, etc. According to Jalopnik: “Ford’s corporate goal is to prove to Americans that the new global van will be tough enough for the kind of abuse U.S. companies throw at their trusty E-Series vans.”

Ford has marked a special occasion in the life of Explorer; the vehicle just sold its 100,000th unit this year!

According to the auto maker, those numbers are up 290% over 2010 totals. This makes Explorer the fastest-growing mid-size utility vehicle in the country. Explorer also hit this mark back in 2007.

Explorer was named 2011 North American Truck Of The Year, though the vehicle has seen a moderate amount of complaints, mostly due to its lacking and faulty MyFordTouch infotainment system. But that hasn’t seemed to stop Ford fans from driving one off dealership lots.

2012′s Explorer promises to attract just as much attention, if not more! Upcoming models will include a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, and Ford is claiming their sales figures will jump 15%, thanks to this environmentally friendly powerplant.

Source: Ford PR

Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Cars – 10 million Panther Platform vehicles have been built since 1979. This past Thursday, the last model ever built rolled off the line at Ford’s St. Thomas plant in Ontario, Canada.

“Production levels at the plant have declined by 60 percent in the last decade as customer preferences shifted to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles,” Ford remarked in a published announcement. Crown Victoria was available only for fleet sales since 2008, mostly in police, taxi and rental car form.

Since 1996, Ford’s Crown Victoria held a monopoly as the police pursuit vehicle in North America. Crown Victoria remained popular thanks to its rear-wheel drive layout and V8 powertrain.

“Though modern front-wheel drive vehicles have been popular with consumers, they failed to challenge the Crown Victoria’s supremacy as a taxicab, fleet vehicle and police car where durability and cost performance are valued over fuel efficiency.”

Ford is offering $100,000 in relocation offers for the workers at the St. Thomas Assembly plant, according to Peter Valdes-Dapena on CNNMoney.com.

Source: Torque News

2012′s F-150 Supercrew has now reached HD status. With an asking price yet to be revealed, the 2012 EcoBoost-powered two-wheel drive Supercrew (with a 6.5-foot bed) goes from a 2,000 pound payload capacity to 2,590 pounds, according to the 2012 Fleet Preview Guide by PickupTrucks’ Mike Levine.

Ford’s 4×4 version jumps from 1,890 pounds to 2,340 pounds maximum payload with 6.5-foot box.

Ford also bumped the 5.5-foot bed Supercar from 1,880 and 1,960 to 1,930 and 1,970, respectively, for 4×2 and 4×4 models. The Supercab with the 6.5-foot box also saw a 10-pound addition.

Keep the payloads coming, Ford F-150 knows how to handle them.

Source: LeftLaneNews

Source: wcf

photo: stangbangers

But maybe it is Ford lovers who will have that coveted last laugh. Online magazine Motor Authority says the redesigned car will feature “a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine and, possibly, a turbocharged 2.7-liter V6.”

Best of all, the 5.0-liter V8 will continue to be available, possibly outfitted with direct injection technology to improve fuel efficiency. Don’t celebrate yet, Chevy fans. We have you on this one.

Researchers at Ohio State University have teamed up with Ford to develop a dandelion-based rubber substitute. This rubber would be used to make floor mats, cup holders and other interior parts.

Auto makers are focusing more and more on biodegradable plastics. One day, the car you drive might be constructed not only out of dandelions, but also recycled water bottles, chicken feathers and old soup cans.

“The idea is to cut down on petroleum-based products wherever possible while lightening the vehicle to improve fuel efficiency,” according to blog Clean Technica. Ford has the potential to take a big chunk out of a vehicle’s carbon footprint. This will also give Ford a 1-UP on the green car battles, which seem to be getting more heated.

A milky white substance found in the roots of the Russian Dandelion will be the source of this sustainable rubber. This species was previously cultivated for rubber production on army vehicles during World War II. Ford adds other new materials being recycled into parts of their next generation of vehicles includes seat cushions made from soy foam, recycled carpet, and denim.

The European Union set up a research consortium to develop dandelion rubber. The consortium is also researching the use of guayule, a common Southwestern US found shrub, as rubber.

Ford will implement the new Google Prediction API (also known as Google Cloud) to analyze and custom-tailor your vehicle to  common driving routes. The result should offer optimal performance when it comes to engine and fuel use. This process will be first utilized in the upcoming Ford Focus Electric.

In an interview with DailyTech, Jóhannes Kristinsson (systems architect of Ford’s Vehicle Controls Architecture and Algorithm Design team, not a bad job title) comments that the “new project differs from Ford’s ongoing collaborations with university research teams to study traffic patterns.”

The Predictive API will be exclusively focused on the driver, logging and analyzing their driving history. By studying driving patterns, the system tries to “predict where the driver is going and then optimize the upcoming trip with respect to electric driving zones.”

The algorithm will only analyze on a single driver’s behavior for now. Data is collected remotely and transferred to dedicated servers as the history logging and route analysis is quite intensive, in terms of storage and processing power. Don’t worry, data sent to “The Cloud” would be made anonymous for privacy’s sake.

In the future, information for multiple users could be compiled to form better route-specific programs, allowing you to get semi-optimized performance for routes you haven’t personally driven yet.

Source: Daily Tech