Ford Fiesta Sport in Europe

Ford is expanding the Fiesta’s European lineup with the Sport+ limited edition based on the three-door variant, and boasting several exterior and interior appointments, plus a tweaked 1.6-liter gasoline engine in order to attract more performance-oriented customers.
On the outside, the Sport+ (dubbed Sport S in Germany and S1600 in the UK) is set apart from its more mundane siblings by the custom Performance Blue or Frozen White paintjob with contrasting racing stripes and comprehensive bodykit that includes a new front bumper, wider side skirts, roof-mounted spoiler and rear diffuser with integrated twin-pipe exhaust. The special Fiesta rides on 17-inch alloys, also finished in white.
Inside, the driver and passenger get sport seats with blue stitching, while the leather steering wheel, handbrake handle and gear knob, side airbags and Motorsport-branded floor mats and scuff plates are all part of the standard equipment list.
However, the biggest change is the spiced up 1.6-liter Duratec Ti-VCT four-pot, delivering 134HP and 160 Nm (118 lb-ft) of torque or 14HP and 8 Nm (6 lb-ft) more than the regular engine. While this doesn’t seem like a major improvement, the Fiesta Sport+ sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.7 seconds, 1.2 seconds faster than the 120HP 3-door variant. Top speed is pegged at 195 km/h (121 mph).
With a base price of €18,090 (US $24,440 at today’s exchange rates) in Germany, the Sport+ is also available in the UK, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium.

 photos

Read more In Cars

Mustang Race 2011 (vídeo)

2011 Ford Explorer

Ford's freshly launched 2011 Explorer SUV has received its first safety recall for a problem concerning the second row of seats. The recall affects approximately 1,658 Explorers made between July and December of last year.
According to a filling with federal safety regulators, the manual recliner mechanisms of the second row seats may "have components that are out of dimensional specification". The NHTSA said that in the event of a crash, "the seat back may not provide the required strength, increasing the risk of injury." The Detroit automaker said that as of January 21, 2011, it is not aware of any reports of this condition on vehicles in customer service.
Ford said it will notify owners and dealers will repair the seats free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about February 14, 2011. Owners of the affected models may contact the company's customer service at 1-866-436-7332.

 photos

Read more In Cars

ford focus 2011

Ford has presented, before the opening of the the Detroit Motor Show, the first information and pictures of the new generation Focus, a model that, this time, will be the same both in US and Europe.
Ford presented the first official pictures of the new generation Ford Focus 2011 that will have its world premiere during the day, at the Auto Show in Detroit. Unlike the previous generations, the new Focus is a global model, planning to have the same form in the US and Europe, which is also why the model is presented to anauto show in its native country. Moreover, Ford has chosen – for this very reason – to present, in the same time, both the hatchback and the sedan versions of the new model, the US market being accustomed to rather choose the ordinary four-door version than the Focus hatchback so present on the European streets.
Aesthetically speaking, the new Focus highlights a very clear belonging to the new line of models of the Blue Oval, being practically a larger version of the Fiesta subcompact model. Focus’s design is purely European, the car being  developed at a design center in Germany that the Michigan brand owns. The dimensions remained the same both for the sedan and the hatchback, the dimensions of the chassis and the suspension’s hardware being also borrowed from the old generation, with the necessary improvements.

The chassis and the entire suite of mechanical elements that make up the new model will be the basis of a series of 10 different models of the Focus family, models that will be lounched by 2012. At the engines chapter, the great new appearance will be represented by a Ecoboost 1.6-liter turbo unit that will rise to the same performance as the 2.0 liter engine that it replaces, provided that consumption will be, say the guys from Ford, “an exceptional one”. The Duratorq diesel engine will not escape the improvements, but these will be presented only in March, when the newFord Focus 2011 will make its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Both in U.S. and Europe, the new model from Ford will have a new automatic transmission with six-speed dual-clutch that promises, just like the 1.6-liter Ecoboost, interesting consumption figures.
The new generation Focus will be made in parallel in the Ford plants in Saarlouis (Germany), Michigan (USA) and Chongqing (China), following that, later, production sites in Spain and Russia to enter the game, too. The new Focus will go on sale in 2011.

 photos and video

Read more In Cars

Vídeo del Ford Focus Electric

Ford Focus Electric 2011