Owners Clubs: A Passion for the Pony - Mustang Countdown

Getting behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang is like having a vacation every day. The joy of driving a Mustang has inspired tens of thousands of owners to gather themselves into clubs that span every continent on the globe but Antarctica.

Clubs get together on a regular basis for road rallies, shows and swap meets where owners can find parts for their classic pony cars. In August 2013, more than 1,000 Mustangs participated in the annual Mustang Memories show organized by the Mustang Owners Club of Southeast Michigan at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn.

Ford F-150 Earns Highest Truck Score Ever as Ford Trucks Sweep AutoPacific 2015 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

DEARBORN, Mich., July 8, 2015 – The most satisfied owners of full-size pickups chose Ford trucks, according to the automotive researchers and consultants at AutoPacific. The all-new Ford F-150 – the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever – and the Ford F-Series Super Duty have swept the firm’s 2015 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.

The 2015 Ford F-150 – with best-in-class towing, payload and EPA-estimated gasoline fuel economy, along with the government’s top five-star crash test rating for every cab configuration – won the Vehicle Satisfaction Award for light-duty pickups with the second-highest owner score ever recorded by AutoPacific and the highest rating ever for a truck.

Ford F-Series Super Duty – with best-in-class diesel horsepower and standard torque – won the Vehicle Satisfaction Award for heavy-duty pickups, giving Ford a clean sweep in both truck classes measured by AutoPacific.

AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards objectively measure owner satisfaction with 50 separate attributes ranging from fuel economy and performance to interior comfort and styling.

“The Vehicle Satisfaction Awards look at the big picture, including owners’ experiences with overall quality and safety,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, “but it goes deeper than that. We also take into account the heart of the ownership experience to determine those vehicles that are extremely satisfying to their owners.”

AutoPacific’s press release is available here.

New F-150 Raptor Wraps Up Initial Desert Durability Testing

DEARBORN, Mich., July 7, 2015 – The 2017 F-150 Raptor – Ford’s toughest, smartest, most capable off-road truck ever – recently completed more than 1,000 miles of testing in the southwestern United States.

Over 1,028 miles of desert trail designed to parallel the Baja race course in Mexico, the 66-mile route featured a wide range of surfaces including fast sandy washes, deep-rutted silt beds, steep climbs in deep sand, and slow meticulous crawls through tight trenches. The truck topped speeds of 100 mph in places, slowing to 10 mph in others, for an average speed of approximately 50 mph. The 2017 Raptor is 25 percent faster than the current truck based on lap times.

At the end of each lap, the new Raptor completed a tabletop jump consisting of a steep ramp up to a two-foot plateau, then a step-off back to level ground. The vehicles tested were early build prototypes made from a mix of 2015 F-150 and 2017 F-150 Raptor components.

As is the case with all Built Ford Tough trucks, Ford engineers pushed the new Raptor harder in a few days than it will be pushed over the lifetime of a typical vehicle – far exceeding what an owner would do on the trail.

Testing of the next Raptor, first revealed earlier this year, continues into 2016. The 2017 F-150 Raptor goes on sale in fall 2016.

SYNC 3 | Hot Dog Challenge

How well can you use the new SYNC 3 voice commands with a mouthful of hot dog? We decided to find out!

Innovative Use of 3D Printing Helps Ford on the Job

Innovative Use of 3D Printing Helps Ford on the Job

Ford SYNC 3 Voice Recognition Demo: You Drive, SYNC Listens

See William and Yvonne, a Voice-Recognition Engineer with Ford, talk to SYNC 3 as they search for some very unique party supplies. In real time, see how SYNC 3 gets the job done without Yvonne ever taking her hands off the wheel. SYNC 3 available soon on the 2016 Escape, Fiesta, F-150 and Transit.

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing You and Your Family a Very Happy and Safe 4th of July!

This Hedge Fund Manager is Getting Deals Done. Can Focus Help Him win the Pitch? | 2015 Ford Focus

Renowned Anthropologist, Genevieve St. Jermaine, Ph.D., goes deep undercover as a tough-as-nails hedge fund manager to see if the smart tech in the 2015 Ford Focus can keep his business running while he's on the road.

When you’re in the business of managing hedge funds, the go-go never stops. Big business is happening even when you’re in your car! Does the available SYNC with voice-activated technology in the new 2015 Ford Focus mean more for hedge fund managers? Watch Dr. Genevieve St. Jermaine’s latest experiment to find out.

New Camera Technology Helps Drivers See Around Corners; Next Super Duty to Offer Ford’s Most Advanced Cameras Yet

• New split-view camera debuts on new Ford Edge and Explorer in the United States and China, helping customers see obstacles coming around corners
• Next Ford Super Duty to feature the company’s most advanced camera technology yet – up to seven cameras and all-new digital architecture – helping customers see more angles around a truck and trailer than ever before
• Ford plans to make rear-view cameras standard on all its North American light passenger vehicles by 2018 and front cameras available on a majority of its vehicles globally by volume by 2020

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 23, 2015 – Ford is introducing new vehicle camera technology that can help see around corners even when drivers cannot, aiding in reducing driver stress and potentially averting accidents.

The new available split-view camera feature helps drivers see traffic and obstacles that enter the vehicle’s path from the side by displaying a 180-degree view of the area in front of or behind a vehicle. It is the latest example of how Ford is using camera technology to help make driving easier.
Split view uses real-time video feeds from 1-megapixel wide-angle lens cameras in the grille and tailgate. A tri-panel display in the 8-inch screen helps customers understand quickly whether an obstacle is coming from either side or straight on. Split view is activated at the touch of a button and automatically shuts off when vehicle speed reaches 6.2 mph (10 kph).

Ford introduced split view on the 2015 Ford Edge and 2016 Explorer in the United States and China. Front split view is offered on Edge. Front and rear split view comes standard in the United States on the 2016 Explorer Limited on sale now and Explorer Platinum, on sale soon. Front split view is coming to the all-new Ford S-MAX and Galaxy in Europe, available to order now. Split view will be offered on nearly all Ford SUVs globally by 2020.

A tiny telescopic jet washer keeps the front camera clean on every vehicle with split view. Explorer also incorporates a washer for the rear camera.

More cameras rolling out across Ford lineup
 
Ford plans to make rear-view cameras standard on all of its North American light passenger vehicles by 2018 – and front cameras available on a majority of its vehicles globally by volume by 2020 – meaning the company plans to put more than 2 million new cameras a year on the road.

Ford introduced rear-view cameras in the 2007 Expedition and now offers an available backup camera in every Ford car, SUV and light truck in North America. Backup cameras are standard in Focus, Fusion, Explorer, Escape, Edge and Mustang.

Next Super Duty to feature Ford’s most advanced camera tech yet
 
Ford announced today the next Ford Super Duty will offer the company’s most advanced camera technology, helping with lane-keeping assistance and enabling customers to see more angles around a truck and trailer than ever before.

The next Super Duty is featuring up to seven cameras and all-new digital architecture, making Ford an industry leader in advanced camera technology and helping customers better maneuver alone and in tight spots.

The 2016 F-150 has up to five cameras available, the most of any vehicle in the Ford lineup. Four cameras in F-150 are mounted in the outside mirrors, and rear and front of the vehicle to enable a 360-degree view and backup view functions.

A forward-looking camera mounted behind the rearview mirror is used to activate auto high beams and lane-keeping assist, which looks for lane deviations. The driver never sees the image from this camera, but the vehicle’s computer uses the visual signal to operate the rest of the system.

Camera technology also is a key enabler in Pro Trailer Backup Assist available on the 2016 F-150, which helps a customer steer the trailer with a control knob while the truck steers its wheels.
Dynamic Hitch Assist is another F-150 feature that uses cameras. It provides a center sight line in the display that helps the driver properly line up the truck to the trailer to hitch up.

Ford cameras are tested under extreme conditions – beyond what they will endure during a typical vehicle lifetime. Each camera component is subjected to more than 1,000 hours of testing to make sure it can withstand temperature changes, humidity, dust, salt and more. Ford engineers also immerse cameras to confirm the casing does not let water leak in.

Driver-assist features are supplemental and do not replace the driver’s attention, judgment and need to control the vehicle. 

Ford Smart Mobility | MoDe:Flex eBike

Ford Senior Creative Designer Bruce Williams discusses the MoDe:Flex eBike.