mackinaw

Hard to tell because the vehicle was on a turntable and you could only look inside as it rotated on by. My first overall impression is that the Interceptor, and the Lincoln MKR, are not as long as they appear in pictures. Both are over a foot shorter than the current Crown Vic but with a 6" greater wheelbase. Should make for a decent amount of interior room.

I made it to the NAIAS yesterday and came away very impressed with both the Interceptor and the Lincoln MKR. Both have a real "presence" that stood out from the other concepts by other manufacturers. Crowd reaction, at least those standing near me, was very positive. Both drew a lot of people to the point it was hard to get up close to see either vehicle. I hope Ford was taking notes.

From the Left Lane News: Toyota says Diesels too Expensive While diesel proponents often dismiss hybrids as less cost-effective, Toyota R&D boss Masatami Takimoto says diesels are now the less economical technology. Takimoto said strict clean-air regulations in the United States make diesels too expensive to be worth the fuel savings. "I won't deny that we won't be offering a diesel in the United States some time in the future," said Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto, who overseas Toyota's research and development. "But right now we think hybrids are much more cost competitive," he told reporters on the sidelines at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Full article at: http://www.leftlanenews.com/2007/01/09/toy...-too-expensive/

About 40% of the vehicles in the employee parking lot at work are "foreign" cars. All of them are owned by good ol' born-in-America white folks.

Most likely what will happen, probably in late 2008, Ford will sign another exclusive contract with Microsoft for the next generation version of Sync that will come out in 2009. This Sync thing is the tip of the iceberg guys. Later iterations will change how we drive our cars. Imagine sticking a USB thumbdrive into the steering column and having your car set itself up just for you (seating position, heater/AC, radio stations, iPod playlist, voice mail, e-mail...the possibilities are endless).

Looks like they took a page from the (old) Jaguar playbook. Change the interior and improve the mechanics, but leave the exterior pretty much the same. Not the great leap forward, styling-wise, we were lead to believe, but I'm sure it drives well.

I read someplace last year that a diesel Focus would probably cost more than $25,000. The big question is how many people would plunk down that much money for a 50mpg Focus. I'd definitely consider it, but wonder how many miles I'd have to drive for the diesel engine to pay for itself.

Sync video just put up on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiUiJaIlLRg

Ford has exclusive rights through 2008. Ford Synch will be available on the 2008 Ford Focus, Fusion, Five Hundred, Edge, Freestyle, Explorer and Sport Trac; Mercury Milan, Montego and Mountaineer; and Lincoln MKX and MKZ.

Expedition had a good month, sales up over 12%. Not sure how the Tahoe did, at least yet.

Peter Horbury would be pleased. More than once he's stated that it's his intention to come up with designs that "polarize." That fact that some people love this Lincoln concept and others hate it means he's suceeded.

How soon we forget. Back in the early 1980's Ford was the acknowledged U.S. styling leader with designs that were recognized as being bold, brash and innovative. By the mid-to-late 1980's Ford was gaining market share, mainly from GM, and was clearly the only Detroit automaker that "got it." How quickly things change. I still remember the buzz that Ford products generated back then. Be it the '83 Bird, 84 Tempo, Aerostar and the Taurus, these were cars that turned your head when you saw them on the street (especially when you consider that the dominant design theme of the day was the boxy look exemplified by the K car). I hope Peter Horbury can generate the same kind of buzz with future Ford products.

Jack Telnack used to say that a new design should leave a person "uncomfortable" when first viewed. If it didn't, then the stylist didn't stretch far enough. For those who don't know, Telnack was Ford's Chief of Styling before J. Mays. He was responsible for the aero 1983 T-Bird, the then-radical Temp/Topaz and, of course, the original Taurus.

While I'm hardly a fan of Wall Street analysts, David Healy, of Burnham Securities, says that Ford is now at bottom and will spend the next few years in the "trough" before rebounding. My guess is we're looking at 2009 before we see a measurable improvement.

Just shows you what the so-called experts know. Now that the Taurus is history, I suspect that year-to-date comparisons for the upcoming year will be dismal. You can't walk away from that much fleet volume without an impact.

I often wondered what would have happened if the Cardinal had been produced. This was a distinctly non-conventional car that just may have endeared itself to the baby-boomer generation and become their vehicle of choice, much like what happened to the VW Beetle. Successive generations of the Cardinal, if still FWD, would have been ideally postioned to capitalize on the first "energy crisis" of th 1970's. Well never know.

No argument here, but let's not forget that the 1983 Thunderbird which was really the car that seperated Ford from the pack in regards to styling. Arguably this was the first of the modern day American-designed aero cars. It's also hard to overlook the European Sierra introduced back in 1982 which eventually showed up in the U.S. as the Merkur. The Sierra was a ground-breaking design penned by stylist Patrick le Quement who eventually went on to head the styling studio at Renault (which gave us the delighful little Twingo). Bob Lutz ran Ford of Europe back then, and even today, he considers the Sierra one of the cars he's most proud of. The early-to-mid 1980's were an exciting time for Ford when it came to styling. They werent afraid to go their own way and be trend setters, which is a quality they sorely need now.

I said this a few weeks ago. The most important and inlfluential car magazine in the U.S.A. is Consumers Reports. Forget C&D, RT, MT or Automobile, when America goes car shopping, they grab a copy of CR.

As JW pointed out, the last major re-engineering for the Ranger was back in 1997. Prior to this, all Rangers used a downsized version of the old-generation F150's Twin-I beam front suspension (coil springs) and used a conventional recirculating-ball steering. In 1997 the Ranger 4 X 2 front suspension went to conventional upper and lower "A" arms, with coil springs, while the 4 X 4 utilized a torsion bar set-up. Steering for both models was rack and pinion. The frame on the 97 Ranger was also revised with the front section being boxed. Actually a fair redesign that the automotive press totally ignores.

The C30 is headed our way. Youll be able to buy this car in NA somtime in 2007.

Considering the European C1 Focus' somewhat conservative styling, it probably would sell in significant numbers in the U.S. Im stlll of the belief that European-looking Fords' could be successfully sold in the U.S. and Canadian markets. Maybe not in great numbers, but enough to make it economically viable. BMW has had (relatively) great success with the Mini, and I bet Ford could have like success with the next generation Ka. The key here is not to try and sell a mass-market, high-volume car like the Mondeo sedan, but a niche vehicle of some sort (the next generation Mondeo wagon comes to mind).

Don't know about this. Could they move 25,000 S-Maxs' a year in the U.S. and Canada? Probably so, but I don't know if that volume would make it profitable. I got to believe that if Mr. Mulally gets his way, at least some future vehicle programs will be "internationalized." There are vehicles being produced by Ford in other parts of the world that would sell in the U.S. and Canada. Indeed, look at Volvo. To my knowledge the sell the same vehicles all over the world. It can work, if you do it properly.

A few weeks back on "Autoline Detroit" one of the guests suggested that Ford (as a company) become a totally global and sell only brands that have a world-wide presence. He suggested that Ford Motor Company axe Mercury and Lincoln and sell only Ford, Jaguar and Volvo (again, think world-wide and not just the U.S. market). I first thought the guy was daft, but the more I think about what he said, the more I think he might be on to something. With Mullay as CEO and looking at everything wih a fresh, non-Detroit pair of eyes, I got to believe that anything is possible.

Agreed. The "Big Four" buff books are just that, books that cater to the so-called enthusiast. In reality, the most important car magazine out there is Consumers Reports. When America goes car shopping, they grab a copy of Consumers Reports, not MT, C&D, R&T or Automobile.

Agreed. Phelan normally writes pretty good stuff, but he's way off the mark on this one.