Ford News - Mulally already shaking up Ford

, Jaguar, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury, Volvo

Even though Alan Mulally hasn’t officially taken the helm at Ford yet, he is already making waves. The former Boeing CEO has taken the reigns already, acutely focused on becoming the company’s new leader. In a report by The Detroit News, the details of Mulally’s actions are coming to light. He is cutting through executive meeting schedules, eating at the company cafeteria instead of the executive dining room, and dumping his Lexus for a Ford. Mulally’s goal is simple; revamp the Ford corporate culture into one that promotes honesty, directness, and most of all teamwork. Not to mention cutting out the bean counters’ influence on product development and, ultimately, the product content, a problem that has plagued Ford for a long time.

Bill Ford Jr. thinks that Mulally will sharpen Ford, and we think he may be its only hope at this point. FoMoCo has a lot of potential, as we all know, and would definitely be the feather Mulally needs in his cap to prove himself as one of the greatest business leaders of our time.

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Source: www.autoblog.com

[tags]ford cars, ford news, ford models, ford[/tags]

Honda News - Forbes Top Four best vehicles for college students

, Sedans/Saloons, SUVs, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai

Talk about tough standards. When Forbes compiled vehicles for its annual “Best Cars for College Students” list, they found only four vehicles qualified to meet its criteria of being affordable, safe, and reliable. Interestingly, the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry, which they deemed the “standard” by which similar vehicles are measured, failed to make the list. According to Forbes, both did poorly on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests, with the Accord receiving the lowest rating of “poor” for rear-crash protection and the Camry receiving a “marginal” rating in the same test.

So who are the fortunate foursome? They are:

• Chevrolet Cobalt - $13,590
• Ford Escape - $19,780
• Honda Civic - $14,560
• Hyundai Sonata - $17,195

How each vehicle scored in the IIHS safety test, Consumer Reports, and J.D. Power can be found on each slide. What do you think? A+ to Forbes on their choices? Or back to school for them? Seems like no one at Forbes even considered keg capacity, the degree to which a car’s stereo can annoy neighbors, or maximum number of friends that can be squeezed in for a trip to Windsor.

Related:

• CNNMoney.com picks 7 best College Cars
• Used luxury cars as ultimate gift for your graduating kid
• Best Cars for College Students

[Source: Forbes]

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Source: www.autoblog.com

[tags]honda cars, honda news, honda models, honda[/tags]

We knew VW Bugs were air-cooled, but this is ridiculous… (Auto / Car Article)

, Economy, Etc., Volkswagen

The last time I saw wire construction like this, it was on a set of old patio furniture my grandmother had. This is considerably more impressive. Found on the Hemmings Blog, the details are… well… there are no details, but you know the phrase: a picture’s worth a thousand words.

This wiry little Volkswagen looks like it could be a runner (though the trailer in the background suggests it gets towed to gatherings), and to fully appreciate it, check out of the small details: the bumpers, the running boards, the taillamp mounts, the spiderweb rear windows and –my personal favorite — the wire-pattern vent placed exactly where it would be if the car had an actual engine cover. In the case of this car, it may be a bit redundant. Seriously, though, this is unbelievable. A tip of the cap to the craftsman who pulled it off.

Getting caught in the rain with it must be a real bummer, though.

(Additional photo after the jump. Head over to Hemmings for a look at the interior)

[Source: Hemmings Auto Blogs]

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Source: feeds.autoblog.com

[tags]auto articles, auto news, car stories, car articles[/tags]

6 + 7 = smitten: BMW 7-Series goes under the knife (Auto / Car Article)

, Sedans/Saloons, Euro, BMW

We just showed you spy shots of a heavily disguised 7-series a couple of weeks ago, but here is an artist’s interpretation of the new 7 in the raw. With an oh-so-sexy 6-series nose grafted to the formidable sedan, it makes quite an impression. Losing some of the flame-surfacing that Chris Bangle has made into a household joke name, at least among car geeks, the more subtly styled 7 appears to be taking the more conservative road, leaving rival Mercedes alone on the cutting edge, or the cutting room floor depending on your perspective. Indeed, with the new S-class now more closely resembling its big brother Maybach, this 7-series update might actually appear old-fashioned to some.

On the market since 2002, with a nip tuck in ‘05, the current 7-series has been praised for everything except its looks, and BMW has decided 2008 is the time to change that. Everybody seems to refer to this redesign as a toned-down shape for BMW, but the truth is that it is at the same time sexier and more elegant, making the 7 look more like the new 3- and 6-series, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Click the read link for more photos and info.

[Source: Auto Express]

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Source: feeds.autoblog.com

[tags]auto articles, auto news, car stories, car articles[/tags]

Penske gets Detroit Grand Prix back on track! (Auto / Car Article)

The Detroit Grand Prix appears to be returning to the schedule thanks to Roger Penske. Penske is going to be holding a press conference today along with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. AutoWeek is reporting that the race will return to Belle Isle, which last hosted a race in 2001. That was a CART race. This will be an IRL race. Plus ALMS. By including ALMS, there will be more corporate sponsorship opportunities for the race and hopefully more funding available to make it work.

Detroit first had a Grand Prix in 1982. That was a Formula 1 race that continued until 1988 when CART took over. Belle Isle replaced that original Renaissance Center street course in 1992, but slipped off the schedule in 2001. Belle Isle itself is a park complex that has fallen into a certain state of disrepair and it is hoped the new interest will allow the park to be refurbished to not only better accommodate the racers, but to service Detroit residents better.

Although a City Council vote scheduled for tomorrow still stands in the way of final approval, several local authorities will be on hand for the news conference today, lending credence to the notion that the race will get the go-ahead. Penske had been instrumental in securing the Super Bowl for Detroit in the past, but knows that an annual event that keeps people coming back year after year is vital to the ongoing success of an urban renewal project.

[Source: AutoWeek]

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Source: feeds.autoblog.com

[tags]auto articles, auto news, car stories, car articles[/tags]

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