What you’re seeing here is nothing less than a revolution in sport/utility vehicles, and not just for Ford.

Make no mistake: The Ford Explorer America concept to be shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit will become the production Ford Explorer when the next generation of America’s best-selling ute arrives in 2010 as a 2011 model.

While the next Explorer retains its SUV silhouette, the America concept indicates that just about everything else changes–along with America’s concept of an SUV.

Start with the chassis, which switches from the tried-and-true body-on-frame formula to a unibody design.

continue reading "2011 Explorer: Ford rewrites SUV playbook:"

INTERACTIVE EDITOR DALE JEWETT: This thing left the factory in full Darth Vader mode–black paint job, wheels and interior trim. The only exceptions are the gray-colored headliner and the silver-painted plastic in the center of the instrument panel. So this Dakota’s got that menacing, stealthy look on the outside.

But it’s what’s on the inside that counts for the younger generation. My 14-year-old son proclaimed the Dakota “awesome” after just a couple of minutes in the shotgun seat. Why? Because the big black box jutting from the back of the center console into the rear of the cab is actually a giant subwoofer–the key part of the optional 508-watt premium audio system. That subwoofer chews up a healthy chunk of the limited space behind the front seats, especially since our particular test truck was just an extended-cab model and not a pile-everybody-in crew cab. But it will send shock waves through everyone who does get inside and the folks in the car the next lane over, too. Best moment: stumbling onto Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” on the classic-vinyl satellite radio channel and cranking the volume up to unsafe levels.

continue reading "DRIVER’S LOG: 2008 Dodge Dakota Sport Extended Cab:"

Talk about contrasts.

Next week’s Detroit auto show features fuel-sipping hybrids, zero-emissions fuel cells and a healthy dose of rubber-burning performance cars.

Five Chinese companies will set up shop in Detroit’s Cobo Center to woo potential dealers — and, looking ahead, future buyers.

Green concepts include the Cadillac Provoq fuel-cell crossover and the Chrysler ecoVoyager, a jelly-bean shaped vehicle. On the hybrid side, there’s the Toyota A-BAT pickup concept.

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, with more than 620 hp and more than 595 lb-ft of torque. The Mitsubishi Concept-RA concept hints at the next-generation Eclipse and packs a four-cylinder diesel with 309 lb-ft of torque. And the Mazda Furai concept has a 450-hp rotary engine.

continue reading "Detroit 2008: Sports cars and more green things:"

The 2009 Lincoln MKS will be the first Ford Motor Co. vehicle that uses a new performance and fuel economy boosting technology that features gasoline direct injection and two turbochargers. Ford calls the system EcoBoost and claims it will deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy.

Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development, says Ford will use EcoBoost on as many as 500,000 vehicles within the next five years.

The 2009 MKS will be available with an optional 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine that develops 340-horsepower. It will be an all-wheel drive sedan. Ford says fuel economy is improved by 2 mpg in the MKS with EcoBoost, while emissions are down 15 percent. Performance is about the same as a car with a 4.6-liter V-8. Ford expects higher fuel ecocnomy gains in vehicles that use smaller engines, such as the Focus.

continue reading "Ford EcoBoost: Better mileage, performance:"

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. took over Ford Motor Co. in U.S. sales in 2007, bumping the Detroit automaker to the No.3 spot.

Toyota last year sold 61,962 more cars and light trucks than Ford, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Toyota sold 2.62 million vehicles during the year while Ford sold 2.56 million.

General Motors remained No. 1 overall with 3.82 million vehicle sales with a market share of 23.7 percent.

Overall, the auto industry sold 16.15 million light vehicles in the U.S. last year, down 2.5 percent from 16.56 million in 2006.

Toyota’s total U.S. market share now stands at 16.8 percent to Ford’s 16.4 percent.

continue reading "Toyota overtakes Ford in U.S. sale: Chevrolet is top brand; Camry wins car title; F-series No. 1 truck"

OUR TAKE: As big bad muthas go–and this has to qualify as one of the biggest, baddest muthas on the road today–the H2 is a highly civilized vehicle. The drive quality is surprisingly smooth and steady, making this big hunk of truck easier to drive than its appearance might suggest. Inside, the story is more of the same, with comfortable heated, leather power seats, a strong audio system, navigation and rear-view camera and nice fit and finish throughout.

Two design problems: The rounded chrome running boards are an invitation to disaster–if you or your passengers don’t make a point of stepping on the square tread part you’ll be lying on the ground quicker than you can text message “wtf?”; and the backup camera is mounted inboard and below the spare tire, making it appear your bumper still has plenty of clearance from an obstacle long after the spare tire has made solid contact.

continue reading "2008 Hummer H2:"

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. took over Ford Motor Co. in U.S. sales in 2007, bumping the Detroit automaker to the No.3 spot.

Toyota last year sold 61,962 more cars and light trucks than Ford, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Toyota sold 2.62 million vehicles during the year while Ford sold 2.56 million. Toyota’s total U.S. market share now stands at 16.8 percent to Ford’s 16.4 percent.

But that doesn’t bother Ford marketing chief Jim Farley, who left Toyota last fall to join Ford.

The company’s focus is on restructuring operations to be profitable at lower demand levels, Farley said in a conference call to reporters and analysts.

continue reading "Toyota overtakes Ford in U.S. sales:"

General Motors has canceled plans to build a new advanced double overhead-cam V8 for its luxury cars.

The move means the future for Cadillac’s V8 car engines is unclear.

In January 2007, GM said it would invest $300 million in its Tonawanda, N.Y., engine plant for the new V8 engine, which was scheduled to start production in 2009 and be used in luxury cars.

GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read said Thursday that the project is dead. That engine likely would have replaced Cadillac’s long-running Northstar V8, which is scheduled to end production in 2010.

Cadillac could switch to high-powered V6s in its cars, except for the Corvette-based XLR.

continue reading "GM cancels V8 program for luxury cars:"

Mercedes-Benz will take the wraps off a new compact sport/utility model at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The little ute we’ll see in Detroit will be a concept called the Vision GLK Freeside. The production version bows at the Beijing show in April.

“All the compact SUVs look exactly the same,” said Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche, “and we wanted to be different.” Mercedes definitely accomplished that. The GLK, codenamed X204, doesn’t look like any other compact ute on the market; the edgy vehicle looks like a miniaturized Mercedes GL. At 180 inches long, the GLK is nearly two feet shorter than a GL.

continue reading "Mercedes GLK Freeside: Itty-bitty Benz: Mercedes unleashes a compact SUV"

For the team that won the 2003 title, the 2007 Champ Car World Series season was something of a mixed bag as Forsythe Championship Racing could count a victory, some podiums, numerous top-10 finishes and few DNFs in its year-end tally.

But for the operation whose driver dominated in 2003, the 2007 seasonal results fell below those extraordinary standards.

FCR stalwart Paul Tracy found himself teamed with Mario Dominguez again when the season opened in the streets of Las Vegas and Tracy opened the era of the DP01 by winning the provisional pole and earning the right to start on the front row. Tracy and pole winner Will Power swapped the lead in the early laps, but Tracy fell victim to a malfunctioning fueling apparatus and would ultimately wind up third behind Power and rookie Robert Doornbos. Dominguez, who had started seventh, soldiered home to ninth place.