Ford Boosts Police Interceptor Sedan Performance and Fuel Economy with New 3.7-Liter Ti-VCT Engine

• Ford Police Interceptor sedan now available with 3.7-liter twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) engine offering increased power with fuel efficiency
• Standard all-wheel-drive sedan with 3.7-liter Ti-VCT engine offers EPA-rated 25 mpg on the highway, 18 mpg in the city and a combined 21 mpg – an improvement over current powertrain lineup
• Both Ford Police Interceptors, sedan and utility vehicle, recently earned top safety ratings in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program testing, which combines vehicle performance in frontal and side-impact crash tests and resistance to rollover

 

 

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 13, 2012 –The new Ford Police Interceptor is getting another boost under the hood with the addition of the 3.7-liter twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) engine, offering law enforcement agencies fuel economy with more power.

 

The 3.7-liter V6, now available on the Police Interceptor sedan, delivers a performance increase to 305 horsepower and 279 lb.-ft. of torque while also achieving increased fuel economy of 25 mpg on the highway, 18 mpg in the city and 21 mpg combined. The horsepower and torque ratings are the highest of any naturally aspirated V6 engine offered for pursuit-rated sedans.

 

“This combination of great performance and top-notch fuel economy means law enforcement agencies won’t have to compromise power or fuel efficiency while getting the job done,” said Bill Gubing, chief engineer for Police Interceptor.

 

A tough lineup
Ford’s Police Interceptor engine strategy provides a V6 lineup that performs better than V8 engines of years past. The Police Interceptor sedan lineup now comes with three powertrain options, allowing police to choose the powerhouse that best meets their patrol requirements. The Police Interceptor sedan is available with a standard 3.5-liter V6, the new 3.7-liter V6 and the performance powerhouse 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost^® engine.

 

The 3.7-liter engine now available on the sedan was already available on the Police Interceptor utility vehicle.

 

To develop the all-new Police Interceptor, Ford engineers worked hand-in-hand with Ford’s Police Advisory Board of law enforcement professionals, who provided input on key vehicle attributes such as safety, performance, durability, driver comfort and functionality.

 

Safe, durable, functionalBuilding on Ford’s safety leadership, Police Interceptor is engineered to pass 75-mph rear-end crash testing.

 

Both sedan and utility Police Interceptors recently earned top safety ratings in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program testing, which combines vehicle performance in frontal and side-impact crash tests and resistance to rollover.

 

Throughout its development, Ford’s new Police Interceptor has been put through the paces, undergoing a battery of torture tests to ensure its individual components can hold up to the rigorous driving styles of police professionals.

 

To meet the rigors of durability testing, the unique police brakes have been increased in size and performance for confidence. The cooling package is purpose-built as well, featuring a heavy-duty alternator and larger radiator. Its honeycomb grille is designed to work in harmony with the interior components, offering more airflow throughout the vehicle. Plus, the standard 18-inch steel wheels are vented, designed to work in concert with the enhanced brake system.

 

Front seats have been specially designed, with a lower bolster removed to better accommodate officers’ utility belts. Inserted into the seatback are anti-stab plates, designed to protect front-seat occupants.

 

The Police Interceptor second row also has been optimized to address police-specific needs. The vinyl seats are specially sculpted and set back to improve second-row space and maximize legroom. The back door hinges are modified to open up another 10 degrees versus traditional rear doors.

 

The Ford Police Interceptor also is equipped with a column shift specifically designed so the console area is free for the ever-increasing amounts of aftermarket police equipment necessary for officers to do their jobs.

Ford Names Date Idea Suggestion Service, Dates.fm, As Winner of Second SYNC AppLink Developer Challenge

• Ford SYNC AppLink Developer Challenge, held during the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon, offered the developer community an opportunity to create new mobile apps that will be compatible with the voice-activated Ford SYNC^® system

• Startup BeCouply used the opportunity to create Dates.fm, an app that allows couples to “tune in” to relevant location-based date options; it was selected as the winner and will be considered for future integration with Ford SYNC AppLink^TM

• As the winner, the Dates.fm team will travel with Ford to the International CES in January 2013 and showcase the app as part of Ford’s presence at the show; they also received $1,000 from Nuance Communications for being the best use of in-car voice recognition

 

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 11, 2012 – Ford, in a continuing quest to support app developers working with the industry-leading SYNC^® connectivity system, today announces Dates.fm, a location-based date suggestion service, as the winner of the Ford SYNC AppLink Developer Challenge held this past weekend during the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon in San Francisco.

 

“Picking a winner was harder than ever, but Dates.fm stood out as an area that has tremendous opportunity in the context of the car. If you think about it, the car is an integral part of any relationship, and Dates.fm can ensure a romantic date night with the help of SYNC,” said Julius Marchwicki, SYNC AppLink^™ global product manager. “We’re excited to see developers embracing SYNC AppLink to deliver new ideas that add voice-activated convenience and value for our customers.”

 

The Dates.fm team now has the opportunity to further develop a SYNC AppLink-enabled version of their app and travel to the International CES in Las Vegas in January 2013 with Ford, where they will be able to demonstrate their app as part of Ford’s presence at the show.

 

Dates.fm was created by the start-up app and service, BeCouply. The free BeCouply app, currently in private beta, makes it fun and easy to discover great date ideas, capture special moments, and connect with other couples. The BeCouply subscription service, also in private beta, works with local venues and national partners like EMI/Capitol Records to send couples on amazing, all-inclusive dates each month.

 

The team behind BeCouply (http://becouply.com) and Dates.fm (http://dates.fm) is a couple in real life, Becky Cruze and Pius Uzamere. Cruze has a degree from The George Washington University in political communications and Uzamere holds a degree in computer science and engineering from MIT. Uzamere has fond memories of summer 2002 when he interned at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich. for the PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles) team working on bringing hybrid vehicles to market.

 

“I had a blast working with Ford as a college intern and I’m incredibly excited that now, 10 years later, I’ll have the opportunity to work with them again, this time as a partner integrating my startup’s product.”

 

“We had just planned to come and work on our core product for fun during the Hackathon, but when we saw the opportunity to hack on the Ford SYNC AppLink platform, we couldn't stop thinking of cool integrations we could do with it. The AppLink API (application programming interface) lets you start thinking outside the box about things that previously seemed impossible,” Cruze said.

 

“Given the breadth of features available,” Uzamere added, “integrating with SYNC AppLink was surprisingly easy. I built the first version in a single night.”

 

Uzamere went on to describe what drew them to hack on Ford SYNC. “Our startup, BeCouply, has a mission of helping couples have epic social lives. Well, for so many couples, great dates begin in their car. So we thought to ourselves, how could we extend our app concept to the car and build a truly magical experience for couples?”

 

Cruze explains how Dates.fm could work, “One of the things our BeCouply mobile app allows couples to do is find fun date ideas nearby and ‘heart’ ones they want to return to later. What if they could ‘tune in’ to a service that would push great, relevant date options to them as they drive and let them make plans on the go? That didn’t exist, so we decided to build it.”

 

“It's a huge opportunity for us to make the lives of millions of couples more fun,” Uzamere added.

 

BeCouply, based in San Francisco, has previously had a round of angel investment led by Mitch Kapor, creator of Lotus 1-2-3.

 

The Ford SYNC AppLink Developer Challenge was designed to help stimulate ideas amongst the mobile app developer community and give them the opportunity to “hack” using the AppLink API. Teams participating in the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon were given the opportunity to submit ideas, become a licensed SYNC developer to gain access to the SDK (software development kit) and TDK (technology development kit) to build and integrate their app with SYNC AppLink, then travel to CES and showcase their app as part of Ford’s presence at the show.

Ford Opens New Era at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Source of 1,200 New Jobs and U.S. Production Home of All-New Fusion

• Ford celebrates opening of a new era at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, new U.S. production home of the 2013 Ford Fusion as well as the iconic Mustang

• Supporting its Fusion production growth plans, Ford is adding 1,200 jobs, a second production shift, and investing $555 million, taking full management control of the former AutoAlliance International plant

• Upgraded Flat Rock Assembly Plant will feature a state-of-the-art, fully flexible body shop and an upgraded paint shop with an environmentally friendly 3-Wet paint process when production begins in 2013

• On sale this fall, the 2013 Fusion offers customers the power of choice with the broadest selection of fuel-efficient powertrains in the midsize car segment

 

 

FLAT ROCK, Mich., Sept. 10, 2012 – Ford Motor Company and its employees today are opening a new era at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant, complete with a new name, 1,200 additional hourly jobs coming next year and plans to produce the 2013 Ford Fusion midsize sedan.

 

“The new Flat Rock Assembly Plant symbolizes the growth driven by our One Ford plan,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. “Ford continues investing in people, products and plants to deliver the head-turning, fuel-efficient, fun-to-drive vehicles people really want, including the all-new Fusion.”

 

 

Previously known as AutoAlliance International, Flat Rock Assembly is now under the full management control of Ford. The plant continues to be owned by a joint venture that is split 50/50 between Ford and Mazda Motor Corp.

 

Following the end of Mazda6 production last month, the plant will continue to produce the Mustang before adding Fusion next year.

 

Flat Rock Assembly will be the U.S. producer of Fusion, employing 2,900 workers on both vehicle lines.

In addition to adding 1,200 new hourly jobs tied to Fusion production, Ford also is investing $555 million to build a state-of-the-art, fully flexible body shop capable of producing multiple vehicles. With each new major plant program, Ford is significantly increasing the flexibility of its equipment and facilities to build multiple vehicles at one location. By 2015, Ford will be able to produce 25 percent more derivatives per plant versus 2011 on a global basis.

 

Ford also is upgrading the plant’s paint shop with an environmentally friendly 3-Wet paint process. The 3-Wet process, which Ford is rolling out across more than 15 assembly plants globally, allows three layers of paint to be applied one after another while still wet, with less manual intervention, resulting in a superior product created with fewer pollutants and less expense.

 

“By fully incorporating Flat Rock Assembly into our manufacturing system, we are able to take advantage of internal efficiencies that will streamline our ability to produce vehicles,” said Jim Tetreault, Ford vice president of North America Manufacturing. “This is critical as we increase our capacity to meet growing customer demand for our products.”

 

Introduced six years ago, Fusion is part of the fastest-growing segment in the U.S. this year – midsize sedans. Ford expects the midsize sedan segment, which totaled 2.1 million vehicles in 2011, to continue growing. Fusion’s share of the segment has doubled to 12 percent since it was introduced, and the car has set sales records in five of the first seven months of this year.

 

On sale this fall, the 2013 Fusion offers customers the power of choice with the broadest selection of fuel-efficient powertrains in the midsize car segment – two EcoBoost-powered gasoline engines, a normally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. Fusion Hybrid’s 47 city mpg beats the 2012 Camry Hybrid LE by 4 mpg in the city. The Fusion Energi’s MPGe of 100 tops the 2013 Volt’s by 2 MPGe.

 

Fusion also offers consumers seven must-have technologies, including a Lane-Keeping System, adaptive cruise control, active park assist and MyFord Touch®.

 

Opened in 1987 as Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA, the plant in Flat Rock first produced the Mazda MX-6. In 1992, Ford purchased a 50 percent share in the plant and it was renamed AutoAlliance International. Over the years, the plant produced the Mazda 626, Mazda6, Mercury Cougar and Ford Probe. Mustang production was shifted to the plant in 2005.

2013 Ford Escape Hands-free Liftgate Commercial

Check out one of the newest features on the all-new 2013 Ford Escape. Open sesame. A hands-free liftgate, designed with a busy you in mind.

A Bit Of Humor

I was driving when I saw the flash of a traffic camera. I figured that my picture had been taken for exceeding the limit even though I knew that I was not speeding.

Just to be sure, I went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed.

Now I began to think that this was quite funny, so I drove even slower as I passed the area once more, but the traffic camera again flashed.

I tried a fourth and fifth time with the same results, and was now laughing as the camera flashed while I rolled past at a snail's pace.

Two weeks later, I got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt.

You can't fix stupid.

Ford Fusion MPG Challenge

These famed NASCAR drivers have mastered MPH, but can they master MPG? NASCAR drivers Trevor Bayne, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle recently got behind the wheel of our 1.6L Fusion EcoBoost for the Fuel Efficiency Challenge. Who do you think got the best mileage?

Yum! Summer Salad

Learn how to make this delicious summer salad! Perfect for these last few weeks of the season.

2012 Pink October Events

For the latest event schedule, here is the link:

http://www.pink-october.com/yuba/

Kia is Coming Soon!

Coming Soon to Geweke Auto Group...Kia! 

Hwy 99 in Yuba City

The Transit Connect Makes A Great Billboard!

  

Who knew this little van would become so popular! It's an awesome tool.