Ford Focus Electric

All-new Ford Focus Electric is the first fuel-free, rechargeable passenger car from Ford and one of five new electrified vehicles Ford will deliver by 2013 in North America and Europe.

Leno's Electric Focus: Green Car Challenge

Take a look behind the scenes with Jay Leno and pro race driver Justin Bell as they preview the Green Car Challenge debuting on The Jay Leno Show

Ford Focus Electric Revealed at CES

Ford revealed the all-new Ford Focus Electric at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The all-new Ford Focus Electric is the first fuel-free, rechargeable passenger car from Ford and one of five new electrified vehicles Ford will deliver by 2013 in North America and Europe

2011 Ford Super Duty Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Tutorial

Information on Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), how to properly fill your DEF tank and when the proper time is to fill it according to the message center in the instrument cluster.

Teams Selected, At-Home Play Begins For Focus Rally: America, Ford's Interactive Reality Show

 

• After nearly two months of searching, the final cast has been chosen for Focus Rally: America, a five-week interactive reality show featuring the 2012 Ford Focus, which begins airing on Hulu™ on Feb. 1
• Six teams of two were cast based on the vibrancy of their personalities and their social networking abilities
• Starting today, fans can register online at www.focusrally.com, and sign up to be a virtual team member joining their favorite team on the rally. By using the web or mobile devices, virtual team members will assist their team in challenges through earning points, rewarding selected players along the way with amazing experiences as well as eight 2012 Ford Focus vehicles
• Focus Rally: America will be hosted by World Cup and Olympic gold medal winner Jonny Moseley; it will be produced by Ford and seven-time Emmy Award-winning reality producer Elise Doganieri

Focus Rally

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 6, 2011 – After poring through more than 1,000 applications and conducting hundreds of interviews, the final cast has been selected for Focus Rally: America, a five-week interactive reality show featuring the 2012 Ford Focus. And starting today, fans can begin participating in the game from home.

Focus Rally: America will be produced by Ford and seven-time Emmy Award-winning reality producer Elise Doganieri. The program – which begins airing on Hulu^™ on Feb. 1 – will be hosted by World Cup and Olympic gold medal winner Jonny Moseley, who most recently starred on the prime-time show Skating with the Stars.

The 12 participants (six teams of two) have diverse backgrounds and come from different parts of the country – from New York to Washington state. Some are friends. Others are couples. But all have something very important in common, says Jeff Eggen, Ford Experiential Marketing manager. 

“They are all adventurous, funny and very entertaining,” he said. “And all of the teams have great chemistry with each other.” 

Those qualities were key factors in the selection process, according to Eggen, because unlike other reality shows where content is filmed all day and then edited down for broadcast, contestants competing in Focus Rally: America will be featured in daily webisodes on Hulu and in streaming video segments that will be broadcast in real time on http://www.focusrally.com/ and other social channels.

“Focus Rally: America is essentially running around-the-clock for five weeks so the teams need to be engaging for people to want to tune in,” Eggen said. 

The social vibrancy of the candidates also factored into the selection process.

“Focus Rally: America is different from other reality programs in that the teams will enlist fans from social channels like Facebook and Twitter to help them compete against other teams. These fans will then be able to interact with the teams throughout the race, developing real-time ‘life lines,’” said Eggen.

“The teams will reach out through various social networks to their online friends, fans and followers for help deciphering clues and solving challenges, so we looked for people whose social vibrancy could serve as a natural base for them to build their team of supporters,” he said.

Introducing the cast of Focus Rally: America

Six teams will compete against each other to win the title of Focus Rally: America champion. The winning team will receive a grand prize of $100,000, and both team members will receive a new 2012 Ford Focus. The teams, named after the color of the Focus they will be driving, are:

• TEAM INGOT SILVER: Jeff Nash, 29, and Margot Baill, 27, both from Chicago; dating. Margo is a product development manager and Jeff owns his own bar.
   
• TEAM YELLOW BLAZE: Bryn Drescher, 33 originally from Essex, U.K., and Donna Ruko, 33, both now reside Los Angeles; friends. Bryn is a lifecoach and Donna is a lounge host/supervisor.
   
• TEAM RED CANDY: Brittany Boddington, 25, from Northridge, Calif., and Matt Farah, 28, from Redondo Beach, Calif.; friends. Brittany is a writer, model and bartender and Matt is an automotive video host.
   
• TEAM BLUE CANDY: Adam Lustick, 27, and Clayton Early, 28, both from Brooklyn, N.Y.; friends. Adam is a comedian and caterer and Clayton is a director of student affairs.
   
• TEAM BLACK: Benjamin Kemp, 28, from Philadelphia, and Michael Pericolosi, 25, from Lumberton, N.J.; friends and band members. Benjamin is in marketing and event planning and Michael is a bartender and trainer.
   
•  TEAM STERLING GREY: John Jung, 28, and Carolyn Bee, 24, both from Seattle; co-workers. John and Carolyn are both advertising account managers.

Starting today, fans can play from home

Focus Rally: America will offer virtual followers an unprecedented level of engagement before and during the race. Not only will viewers be able to follow along in real time when the race gets started, but they also will have the ability to impact the outcome of the game by playing along and participating online or through a mobile digital experience.

“Virtual team members play a huge and important role in the game. The drivers will lean on their digital teammates to help them compete in interactive challenges along the way,” said Eggen. “Also, by participating virtual teams qualify to win some amazing experiences plus eight 2012 Ford Focus vehicles.”

Starting today, fans can register at http://www.focusrally.com/, where they can meet all of the teams and join up to become a virtual team member of their favorite team through the duration of the rally. Throughout the rally, virtual team members will be notified via SMS when they are needed to participate in challenges. Virtual team members can also earn points through daily interaction on http://www.focusrally.com/, with selected players being rewarded along the way with amazing experiences as well as eight 2012 Ford Focus vehicles. Throughout, http://www.focusrally.com/ will be the insider spot for all the latest happenings real time. Fans can also watch episodes nightly on Hulu starting Feb. 1.

For more information, please visit http://www.focusrally.com/. 

Ford Of Britain At 100 Years & 1911 Photo

FORD OF BRITAIN 100: IMAGE OF THE WEEK – 1/52

BRENTWOOD, Essex, 05 January, 2011 – To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011, the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images.
Ford's British roots will be illustrated each week by a specially selected picture.
This week's image features the epic 1911 trek up Ben Nevis, Britain's highest peak, in a Ford Model T.

Ford Transit Connect Taxi - 2010 Chicago Auto Show

Tapping into its European product portfolio Ford has brought the small yet roomy Transit Connect to America. Delivery companies and small business are logical customers for the Transit Connect but Ford is hoping it will also find favor with taxi services. We had an opportunity to check out the Ford Transit Connect Taxi at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. This video provides an overview of what we discovered. For more new car reviews, interviews and automotive news visit http://www.kbb.com today.

Words Of Wisdom By Henry Ford

"Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly.

It comes as a by-product of providing a useful service."

-- Henry Ford

Ford Quick Lane Surpasses 1-Million Tire Sales In 2010; Remains Fastest-Growing Auto Service Brand

Quick Lane Service Center

• Ford Motor Company’s Quick Lane® tire sales have surpassed 1 million this year, the most ever in a calendar year for the brand
• Quick Lane’s network of 585 stores is on track to surpass $550 million in sales in 2010, representing a year-over-year increase of 25 percent
• Tire sales are up more than 37 percent year-over-year; battery sales up more than 16 percent versus a year ago
• Routine maintenance services for competitive make vehicles up 25 percent year-over-year as more customers migrate to Quick Lane for its convenient, no-appointment service

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 29, 2010 – Ford’s Quick Lane vehicle maintenance business – the fastest-growing service brand in the industry – sold a record 1 million tires in 2010 and is on track to post record sales of more than $550 million for the year.

“We are very pleased with the continued strong growth of Quick Lane,” said Frederiek Toney, president of Ford’s Customer Service Division globally. “As more customers are keeping their vehicles even longer, vehicle maintenance becomes even more important.”

Ford’s Quick Lane business remains the fastest-growing service brand in the industry and offers routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, and light repair services such as tire replacements and brake repairs – especially important during the winter driving season.

Tire sales to Quick Lane operators recently surpassed the 1 million mark for the first time ever in a calendar year. Quick Lane’s network of 585 stores is also on track to surpass $550 million in sales in 2010, representing a 25 percent year-over-year increase.

Strong tire sales are consistent across the entire U.S. Quick Lane network. Dawn Walston, general manager from Titus Will Ford in Tacoma, Wash., is experiencing the growth firsthand as tire sales in her Quick Lane shop are up 70 percent year-over-year.

“Our tire sales have been outstanding this year,” said Walston. “Tires are one of the smartest investments you can make when it comes to maintaining your vehicle, especially during the winter driving months. We continue to experience strong growth due to our ability to provide tires for all makes and models – with pricing that beats all competitors."

Quick Lane offers tires from 11 leading brands including Goodyear, Michelin and Continental, among others, and offers the guaranteed best price on all tires sold.

Increasingly competitive business
Quick Lane operators around the country also continue to experience an increase in routine maintenance services from vehicles other than Ford, Lincoln or Mercury products. Sales to competitive-make vehicles are up 25 percent nationally year-over-year as consumers continue to migrate to Quick Lane shops for fast and convenient services – all performed by factory-trained technicians.

Convenience with confidence
To deliver additional convenience, customers can visit http://www.quicklane.com/ to find a center that is closest to them, print savings coupons and review maintenance tips to keep their vehicle running at peak efficiency. The site also includes information on how to spot tire wear, how to jump start a battery, and even the importance of replacing a faulty oxygen sensor that could improve gas mileage by as much as 40 percent.

The Source Of The Ford Car (Ca. 1932)

Here's some great old footage circa 1932 from Ford Motor Company. There is no sound on this video.

National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 91645 / Local Identifier FC-FC-1159 - SOURCE OF THE FORD CAR, THE. PART I, ca. 1932 - Ford Motor Company.