Fw: Study: Female buyers not considering many domestic vehicles

 

From: Chris Shunk

Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 3:02 PM

Subject: Study: Female buyers not considering many domestic vehicles

Filed under: Car Buying

We don't have a demographic breakdown for Autoblog's core audience to share, but we can tell you that the overwhelming majority of our readers are men. That said, women tend to be very specific about which vehicles they choose, and according to R.L. Polk, Asian automakers ranging from Toyota to Kia are winning over women on a grand scale.

Take a look at the graphic above, which shows the top five vehicle selections by (non-Caucasian) ethnic group. The Toyota Camry takes the top spot, scoring the number one spot in five ethnic groups. The Corolla, Civic, Accord and CR-V round out the top five, which makes sense due to the fact that those five vehicles are typically among the top-selling passenger vehicles each month. But where are the domestics?

The bottom of the chart shows the top domestic model as chosen by each ethnic group. Ford dominates the list, taking the top spot in seven of the eight ethnic groups, though judging by Polk's data, it's apparent that domestics are very low on the priority list. The only ethnic groups to choose a domestic in the top 10 are African-Americans (Malibu) and Hispanics (Ford F-Series).

[Source: R.L. Polk]

Study: Female buyers not considering many domestic vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fw: The Ultimate in Super-Duty Expedition Vehicles

 

From: Mike Levine

Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:32 PM

Subject: The Ultimate in Super-Duty Expedition Vehicles

By Mark Williams

We've seen some well-built Super Duties in our day, but this one had us stopping in our tracks at the 2011 Overland Expo in Amado, Ariz.

Built by Global Expedition Vehicles, this UXV 550 starts with a Ford F-550 crew-cab dually frame and makes quite a few body and suspension modifications, putting military-grade airbags at all four corners with military spec rims and tires as well.

Body camper construction can be customized to order. This S84 model includes a small dining area, an oversized Teak wood bathroom, an overhead sleeping deck, all the kitchen amenities and two large swing-out windows.

The outer body uses bullet-train and marine-grade technologies to mold, support reinforce the structure and skin. Under the hood is a 6.7-liter Power Stroke engine. Two full-size spare tires are in back, with a small winch-operated bike rack held out of harm's way.

Racer (and self-described outlaw) Jesse James heard about this vehicle being built and thought it would be perfect as a support vehicle for his race team, as well as the ultimate base camp explorer. Global Expedition Vehicles doesn't sell a lot of vehicles — just a few a year — but when they do, it's something special. And it's not limited to Fords. Current models are also built on Unimog, International and Mercedes-Benz chassis.

As you might expect, these units are not cheap. Many models start at several hundred-thousand dollars and build from there. It all depends on what you want, what you need, and how deep into the backcountry you want to explore.

Fw: Ram, Mopar to Sponsor TORC Racing Series

 

From: Mike Levine

Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 5:34 PM

Subject: Ram, Mopar to Sponsor TORC Racing Series

Rendering courtesy of Chrysler Group LLC

By Dave Lee

The deal puts five PRO-class drivers at the wheel of a Ram truck during the 14-race TORC series, which is the one of the fastest and most punishing short-course racing series in the world. Ram and Mopar will be sponsoring the Traxxas Racing team, led by Mike and Mark Jenkins, as well as the Menzies Motorsports team owned by Steve Menzies.

Under the partnership, Ram will be the official vehicle of the series, and a Mopar Ram Runner will serve as the official pace truck. Fans at the races will have the chance to experience an off-road test drive.

"From the drag strip to the circle track, the Mopar brand has a proud heritage in racing," Mopar President and CEO Pietro Gorlier said. "We are excited to extend our presence into off-road racing, where many of our Mopar fanatics reside."

Mopar offers a conversion kit for the Ram Runner, which debuted last April at the Moab Easter Jeep Safari. The kit turns a half-ton Ram 1500 pickup truck into a hardened desert racer using components inspired by Baja trophy trucks. It includes custom body and suspension pieces such as 3-inch diameter Fox Racing internal bypass dampers at all four corners, custom upper and lower control arms for the front suspension and flared widetrack fenders.

The five drivers sponsored by Ram and Mopar are Rob MacCachren and Samuel Hubinette of Traxxas Racing and Ricky Johnson, Bryce Menzies and Luke Johnson of Menzies Motorsports.

The first race kicks off Memorial Day weekend in Buchanan, Mich.

Ford Raptor Off-Road Experience this Weekend

 

From: Mike Levine

Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 12:44 PM

Subject: Ford Raptor Off-Road Experience this Weekend

If you want to try a Raptor before you buy or if you own a Raptor and want to learn how to use its full capabilities, the Vegas Off Road Experience Raptor Tour is for you.

VORE is conducting their second Raptor Owners two-day off-road tour this weekend near Las Vegas. It's not a "driving school" but an "off-road driving experience". VORE has two Raptors that can be rented as well as tricked out VORE Challenge Race Trucks -- Ford V-6 powered race trucks with 25-inches to 30-inches of suspension travel.

Raptor Owners can also bring their own trucks, at a reduced rate, and learn everything their truck is capable of with the security of chase trucks and guides.

For more information, contact the off-road experts at VORE: 702-622-7770.

Ford's New Big Gun in Small Car Engines

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Ford's New Big Gun in Small Car Engines

By Bill Visnic March 25, 2011

Ford invited media this week for a deep dive on the new Duratec 2-liter gasoline direct injection (GDI) 4-cylinder engine that is the standard powerplant for the just-coming-to-showrooms 2011 Focus. Ford is clearing out the prior-generation Focus – despite its 11-year-old platform, for moved more than 172,000 Focus' last year – to make room for the all-new 2012 version and the Duratec 2-liter GDI is a key feature for the Focus, but this small engine will be a big player in a fuel-efficiency initiative started a half-decade ago.

The company claims it owns the leading model for fuel economy in 12 segments (we didn't have the time – or the attention span – to obtain a rundown of all 12). Ford also says it now sells four models that are rated at 40 mpg or better. "It's inevitable that long-term, fuel prices can only go in one direction: up," said Bob Fascetti, Ford's director of large gasoline and diesel engine engineering. And yes, Fascetti said in aligning what seems like a mismatch between his title and the Duratec, a 2-liter engine soon will be considered "large" in the global scheme of things.

More Than A New Injection Strategy
The Duratec 2-liter GDI is Ford's first direct-injected (DI) engine not carrying the Ecoboost designation that indicates the coupling of turbocharging with DI. Scott Makowski, manager of North America I-4 engine programs, said the Duratec GDI – a derivation of the port fuel-injected 2-liter 4-cylinder in the outgoing Focus – isn't just about that 2,000-psi direct-injection setup that markedly improves efficiency while delivering a 20-horsepower boost (to 160 total horsepower) and 146 pound-feet of torque.

Both camshafts feature variable timing control, GDI enables an economy-optimizing 12:1 compression ratio on regular-grade (87-octane) unleaded and there are oil jets to cool the undersides of pistons, curbing the potential for "knock." The latest Duratec is an oversquare engine, with a bore of 87.5 mm and stroke of 83.1 mm. Don't fret about deposits on the back of the intake valves that have plagued some other manufacturers' direct-injected gasoline engines, said Stephen Russ, the Duratec GDI's technical leader for combustion.

Although he called intake-valve deposits "a fact of life" for GDI engines because the lack of raw gasoline sucked in over the intake valves of a conventional port-injected engine to "wash" the valves, Ford's figured out the proper injection-timing calibration to help eliminate the problem. But he also said the technology of injection components – particularly the high-pressure solenoid injectors – has quickly matured, meaning excess valve deposits should be a thing of the past.

Russ said Ford's using the latest-technology high-pressure fuel pump – it's a single-piston unit driven by its own lobe on the exhaust camshaft – and new, 6-hole injectors that play a big role in avoiding intake-valve deposits. The system runs pressures 50 times that of conventional port fuel injection.

The 2012 Focus is EPA-rated at 28 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway with Ford's new dual-clutch 6-speed Powershift automatic and the SFE economy-optimized version ekes out a 28/40 score. Go with the standard 5-speed manual transmission and you have to wear the shame of a 28/36 rating.

The Duratec 2-liter GDI is built at Ford's Dearborn Engine Plant in Michigan, the Focus nearby at the newly renovated  Michigan Assembly Plant that boasts one of the largest solar-power arrays in Michigan. The high-tech Powershift 6-speed automated manual transmission comes from Germany. Despite once being a compact-car staple, manual transmissions will be only about 5 percent of the new Focus' production mix, said Makowski. "That's what the customer asks for."

Coming later this year is the Duratec 2-liter GDI adorned with a turbocharger and thus earning the Ecoboost designation to match the twin-turbo Ecoboost V6s already introduced. The 2-liter Ecoboost will make a reputed 247 horsepower for the Edge and Explorer crossovers.

Bill Visnic:  Edmunds' AutoObserver.com Senior Editor Bill Visnic joined Edmunds.com in 2007 and has for two decades covered and analyzed automotive technology and business.

Fw: Grown Ranger: Measuring the All-New Global Ford Ranger

 

From: Mike Levine

Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 3:32 AM

Subject: Grown Ranger: Measuring the All-New Global Ford Ranger

If you're wondering just how big and strong the all-new "global" Ford Ranger pickup is, we're here to help with a handy chart comparing its size and powertrains to the 2011 Ford F-150 and 2011 Ford Ranger that's sold in North America (and ending production later this year).

As we've previously reported. Ford says the new Ranger won't be available in the U.S. because it's 90 percent of the size of the F-150. We'll let you do the math and ponder the following: Compared to the global Ranger, the 2011 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab's overall length is three inches shorter, its wheelbase is the same and it's two inches wider. Toyota sold more than 100,000 Tacomas in the U.S. last year.

Fw: Tailgate Thefts a Pain in the Behind for Increasing Numbers of Truck Owners

 

From: Mike Levine

Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 11:22 PM

Subject: Tailgate Thefts a Pain in the Behind for Increasing Numbers of Truck Owners

By Colin Bird

Hood ornaments and alloy wheels are commonly known as attractive targets for thieves. If you're a pickup truck owner, add tailgates to the list. In the Detroit area, this utilitarian truck end has become the item of choice for many thieves, according to the Detroit News. The thefts often happen in clusters and have increased in frequency over the past seven years.

A random search of local police blotters shows such thefts are common. Many blotters have reports of tailgates taken off of brand-new trucks at dealerships. There are also reports of thieves caught trying to resell the stolen wares.

One advantage for the thieves is it doesn't take long to steal a tailgate – just a few seconds or a few minutes if the tailgate is locked. Taking a tailgate doesn't often require tools, either. The quick speeds make tailgate-napping an often elusive crime. We even found a story where thieves stole a tailgate while the driver was in his truck.

Tailgates can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to as much as $3,600 for those with backup cameras and other accessories, according to the Detroit News. The average tailgate costs $1,200 to replace. Typically, thieves try to sell their loot on websites like Craigslist for a few hundred dollars.

PickupTrucks.com Facebook reader Dave Woodmancy suggests tailgate thieves can be inexpensively deterred by putting a radiator hose clamp around the hinge that lifts to remove the gate. Most thieves don't have the screwdriver, ratchet or time to loosen the clamp and are likely to move on to something easier.

[Sources: The Detroit News via Kicking Tires]