World Auto News & Reviews

The police car wars are heating up: Just weeks after General Motors announced it will import the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle, Ford confirmed today that it is planning to produce a purpose-built Police Interceptor to replace its dated but loved Crown Victoria.

The development officially confirms the demise of the Crown Victoria, as well as its Panther platform Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car cousins, in late 2011. The Crown Victoria has long been a favorite of police officers in North America for its durability.
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George Pipas, Ford’s top sales analyst, is as entertaining as he is astute. He said that he once hoped to be a controller, a serious numbers guy, but they wouldn’t let him because he smiles too much. He was in Chicago this week to reveal to members of the Midwest Auto Media Association what he and presumably the Ford team are thinking about what the future will bring in terms of product trends.

He began by establishing his credentials and credibility. In 2003 in a speech to the Lehman Brothers auto analysts he predicted “the best days for SUVs are behind us.” That prediction came at a time when gas was $1.38/gallon and Ford had just sold 433,000 Explorers in one year. Most saw no end in sight for big SUVs. But Pipas did.
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DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD
WITH CAREY RUSS

2010 Ford Fusion SEL

How’s your memory? Do you remember the time before SUVs? Back then, “car” likely meant sedan, and most likely it was mid-sized. From its introduction in the mid-1980s, the Ford Taurus was the class benchmark.

And then from the early 90s, it seemed that Ford, like its domestic competitors, was more of a truck company that made cars as a sideline. The Explorer was the franchise, and on the car side the Taurus was dethroned by import-brand competitors. When it came time for a third-generation Taurus, the car was noticeably larger an debuted under a new name, 500, although that nameplate was short-lived and quickly reverted to the familiar Taurus.
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One year after its debut, more than half a million customers have purchased the new Ford Fiesta, marking an important milestone as Ford Motor Company prepares to bring the fuel-efficient, global car to the U.S. and other key Asian Pacific markets next year.

The new Fiesta, the first in a wave of stylish vehicles being brought to world-wide markets under the ONE Ford plan, went on sale in Germany in October 2008. It quickly became the second-best-selling car for all markets in Europe and the leader in the European small car segment. The new Fiesta has also been a key driver behind Ford of Europe’s market share gains, which are up 0.5 percentage points this year through September to 9.2 percent, the highest since 1999.
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Many would agree that at 300-hp, the 2009 Ford Focus RS is already one of the hottest high-performance hatchbacks on the road. However, if you’re Loder1899, the Focus RS could use a little more horsepower.

Loder1899’s 2009 Focus RS pumps a total of 345-hp from the 2.5L turbocharged 5-cylinder engine, an increase of 45-hp over the base model.
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