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Next Ford Falcon will be less ‘Australian’

Thursday, September 25th, 2008 by admin

The Ford Falcon is all Australian. It has always been driven by the rear wheels, and it has always been designed, engineered, and built Down Under. The automotive world is rapidly changing, though, and Ford is one of many OEMs that are driving towards global vehicle architectures and a less diversified corporate parts bin. What does that mean for the Falcon? Nothing for quite a while, as the once hot-selling Aussie special just received major rework in April, and another redesign is many years away. When it does go under the engineering knife it will likely have more in common with the Ford Taurus than anything native to the Outback.

Ford product chief Derrick Kuzak is working towards what the Blue Oval calls “One Ford.” That means, for example, that there will be only one C-segment platform for like-sized crossovers, wagons, hatchbacks, coupes, and sedans, and that platform would be used in all regions around the globe. Ford will still have a rear-drive platform for performance vehicles, but the rabid push for fuel efficiency and weight reductions means that the chance of future Falcons being motivated by the rear wheels is slim. Plenty can change between now and 2015, so we’ll keep our dimming hopes for a RWD Falcon for all alive, but the prospects look less rosy by the day.

VIDEO: 2008 Mustang commercial is dreamy

Sunday, April 27th, 2008 by admin

2 2, Camaro, Challenger, Ford, Ford Mustang, FordMustang, Mustang GT, MustangGt, Pony Car, PonyCar, RWD

With all the hype surrounding the upcoming production versions of the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro, it’s easy to forget that the Mustang is still king of the hill when it comes to pony car sales. We’ve had the very competent current model since Fall 2004, while any competition continues to be stuck in future-tense. Even without any direct competition, Ford has stayed on top of its RWD V8 American icon, and the 2+2 pony car is still the stuff of dreams. The marketing geeks at Ford picked up on the phenomenon, and the result is a :30 spot with some lucky Joe performing power slides and donuts in a red Mustang GT while the fuzz give him the thumbs-up. Ford added a hot brunette driving a Mustang convertible for good measure, and you’ve got the ideal REM of many-a-man. Check out the spot after the jump.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

With all the hype surrounding the upcoming production versions of the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro, it’s easy to forget that the Mustang is still king of the hill when it comes to pony car sales. We’ve had the very competent current model since Fall 2004, while any competition continues to be stuck in future-tense. Even without any direct competition, Ford has stayed on top of its RWD V8 American icon, and the 2+2 pony car is still the stuff of dreams. The marketing geeks at Ford picked up on the phenomenon, and the result is a :30 spot with some lucky Joe performing power slides and donuts in a red Mustang GT while the fuzz give him the thumbs-up. Ford added a hot brunette driving a Mustang convertible for good measure, and you’ve got the ideal REM of many-a-man. Check out the spot after the jump.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!
With all the hype surrounding the upcoming production versions of the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro, it’s easy to forget that the Mustang is still king of the hill when it comes to pony car sales. We’ve had the very competent current model since Fall 2004, while any competition continues to be stuck in future-tense. Even without any direct competition, Ford has stayed on top of its RWD V8 American icon, and the 2+2 pony car is still the stuff of dreams. The marketing geeks at Ford picked up on the phenomenon, and the result is a :30 spot with some lucky Joe performing power slides and donuts in a red Mustang GT while the fuzz give him the thumbs-up. Ford added a hot brunette driving a Mustang convertible for good measure, and you’ve got the ideal REM of many-a-man. Check out the spot after the jump.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

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Friday Fun: RWD Scion xB with Chevy V8 power!

Sunday, April 27th, 2008 by admin

v8_xb_450.jpg

Forget about body kits, custom fiberglass enclosures for your woofer and LCDs in the headrests. This is the only way to make the Scion xB entertaining in our humble opinion. Oh yeah, Scion wants you to think its cars are more fun than a box of rocks, but like Flava Flav said, don’t believe the hype. We’ll even forgive the fact that there’s a big, dumb carburetor sitting atop the Chevy-based small block. This first-generation xB is owned by a guy named Rick, who apparently knows his way around plasma cutters, nibblers and welders. It’s not quite finished yet, as evidenced by the photos showing a stripped interior and lots of zip ties, but Rick’s Scion is already quite the sleeper.

Peering inside the engine bay, it’s the tidy dimensions of the small block FTW. A transmission hump/center tunnel had to be added, and the chassis was converted to rear-wheel drive, too. Keep in mind, this is the smaller, original xB. The overinflated second-generation would have even more space in the engine room for this sort of chicanery. There’s obviously some time and money spent to give this ho-hum little box a big infusion of epic cool, and we bet that’s all worth it when you can take in the looks of discongruity as you blow the doors off the unsuspecting.

[Source: Carscoop]

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