Ford has exhibited its newest state-of-the-art automobile communication technologies at the simTD (Safe Intelligent Mobility - Testfield Germany) field operational test near Frankfurt. This is the first large-scale testing procedure of car-to infrastructure and car-to-car communication on German roads. Engineers at Ford's European Research Centre in Aachen were engaged in the progress of the simTD testing platforms, which permit at least 20 capabilities to be shown and tested under real-life situations together for the first time. simTD is a combined research project that started in 2008 with the goal of creating car-to-infrastructure and car-to-car communication solutions that could help improve road safety and as well as boost efficiency from current traffic infrastructures -- possibly enhancing traffic movement and decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.  More...

Earlier today we told you that if the labor pact between Ford and the UAW is ratified, the American manufacturer will green-light the production of the supercharged 5.8-liter V8 engine. Well, it appears that the good news keep coming as the UAW may also bring a small-displacement V6 engine. According to UAW, an industry leading small V-6 will be added to the Ford’s Lima, Ohio, engine plant at an investment of $400M. Although Ford did not confirm anything, a spokesman agreed that this engine would make sense with firm’s downsizing scheme, says Caranddriver.  More...

According to the latest reports from Autocar, it seems that Ford is ready to launch a new sub-brand in China in order to accelerate its growth in the region. Although there are no details regarding the new brand (even the name is kept secret), it appears that Ford will develop it with Chinese joint venture partners Mazda and domestic carmaker Chang’an Motors. Moreover, the new sub-brand will be launched in the next three years. This move comes after Chinese government rules demand that joint venture companies must develop homegrown brands if they want to build new car plants in the country.  More...

Ford Motor Co. will be exporting its new Ranger pickup truck from South Africa to Europe and other worldwide markets. Joe Hinrichs, head of Ford in Asia and Africa, stated that the Ranger is the truck for Ford all over the world, except for North America. The brand new Ranger is being showcased in the auto show Johannesburg, the biggest city in South Africa. It will soon be delivered to 148 markets from South Africa, where the company is raising its output of the pickup truck to 110,000 annually. Hinrichs didn't declare how many of the utility truck the company plans to market, says Autonews.  More...

September sales in the U.S. for Ford Motor Co. increased by 9% to 175,199 vehicles, with the help of pickup and crossover sales. Meanwhile, the industry had a 10% sales increase. Due partly to the low inventory of the Ford Focus, Ford’s total auto sales fell by 9% to 49,876 units. In a conference call, Ken Czubay, Ford's vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, said that its officials are focused on reversing the trend. He added that Ford is “very confident” that it will have a “strong across-the-board Focus, Fiesta and Fusion month.”  More...

Ford Motor Co. announced that the V-6 engine and hybrid-powertrain versions will no longer be available for the redesigned 2013 Escape crossover, which will arrive in early 2012. What the next generation Escape will have instead are three engine options, which are all four-cylinders. The Escape Hybrid's powertrain will be used on the C-Max Hybrid, which will be launched next year. This refreshed Escape will be based on the Vertrek concept revealed at the 2011 Detroit auto show. A production version of the 2013 Escape is set to be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show this fall. The base engine to be used for the 2013 Escape is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine. In addition, the Escape will be available with a 1.6- and a 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection EcoBoost engine. Ford's Edge and Explorer crossovers also offer the 2.0-liter engine.  More...

FoMoCo and the UAW yesterday agree to a new 4-year contract that will add an investment of $6.2 billion to U.S. factories. Now we’re not really interested in that type of news but details of the agreement reveal some interesting news about the upcoming 2013 Ford Shelby GT500. According to documents, the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 will be powered by a new 5.8 liter supercharged V8.  More...

Despite the economy being on a rough patch, Ford Motor Co. is optimistic that Russia’s sales growth will hold up. Ford also believes that the government will support Western involvement in the industry even after the upcoming elections have passed. These statements were given by Ford’s new chief in Russia, Ted Cannis, at the launch of Ford-Sollers. Last month, Cannis took over as the new CEO of the joint venture between Ford and Russian carmaker Sollers. He also said that the demand in Russia remains “strong.”  More...

Beginning 2012, Ford Motor Co. will be offering a high-performance, bi-fuel version of the F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickups. And to accomplish this, Ford has partnered with Westport Innovations Inc., which is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It manufactures natural gas engines. This Canadian firm builds the bi-fuel Westport WiNG power system, which runs on natural gas or regular gasoline. In a statement, Westport said that the WiNG system is an advanced, integrated bi-fuel system for passenger and commercial vehicles that are aimed at fleet customers.  More...

The low emission ECOnetic engine from Ford is now available for the top-of-the-line Titanium and the mid-range Zetec models. The ultra-economical ECOnetic Fiestas now only emits 95g/km carbon dioxide, a decrease by 3g/km. With the addition of Titanium and Zetec models to the current Edge ECOnetic, customers now have three models to choose from in the "green" lineup. All the three ECOnetic models are equipped with the Dagenham-built, specially calibrated variant of the 1.6-liter, 95PS Duratorq TDCi engine with Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), giving a combined 78.5 mpg.  More...