Ford Fiesta 2011 to launch on April 14 followed

FORD
It has been conformed by some media reports that the 2011 Ford Fiesta in Chennai will be launched on April 14, 2011 in New Delhi, but there is no official word yet. As per media reports, Ford to host an event in Delhi on April 14, 2011 and in presence of media reporters along with few company personals this 2011 New Ford Fiesta to be launched.

There are rumours in the air that this 2011 Ford Fiesta will be facelifted version and will be served to Indian buyers on the celebration of 1 lakh sales mark cross. This new car is an expected answer to Hyundai Verna RB which is waiting for launch and major competitors of another popular sedans like Fiat Linea, Maruti SX4, Volkswagen Vento, Tata Indigo Manza and Toyota Etios.

One more good news for cars lovers that this new 2011 Ford Fiesta will be available in two engine variants like Petrol and Diesel same as the old one and there are chances to enhance the power of the new cars. To make competition with upcoming Maruti SX4 diesel variant the company is getting ready this new beast.

It is expected that the petrol variant of this new 2011 Ford Fiesta will carry 1.6 Litre VVTI MPFI engine with maximum power of 118BHP while the diesel version of the car will have 1.6 Litre TDCI Duratorq Turbocharged CRDI powerplant which ensure to produce top power of 90 BHP. It will have 5 speed manual transmission gear box will be available in both the petrol and diesel engine variants. But an Automatic transmission version is also expected. In terms of safety features the car would be loaded with ABS (Antilock Braking System) which make it more reliable in the segment. Meanwhile another new change which are expecting in the car are new exterior and interior appearance, headlights, side grill, and indicators. The expected price for petrol variant is 7.2 Lakhs at ex-showroom New Delhi and price for diesel version is expected.

But an Automatic transmission version is also expected. In terms of safety features the car would be loaded with ABS (Antilock Braking System) which make it more reliable in the segment. Meanwhile another new change which are expecting in the car are new exterior and interior appearance, headlights, side grill, and indicators. The expected price for petrol variant is 7.2 Lakhs at ex-showroom New Delhi and price for diesel version is expected

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Ford to 'hold back' on discounts, Bill Ford says

Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford, introduces the Ford Focus Electric car at the Detroit auto show in January. The automaker plans to hold back on incentives, Ford said, despite moves by some rivals. With gas prices surging, Ford said he expects to see consumers shift to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. plans to hold the line against price discounts in the U.S. market despite pressure from competitors who have spent more heavily on incentives to boost sales in the first months of the year, Executive Chairman Bill Ford said on Thursday.

"One of the things that comes with having a better portfolio is the ability to hold back on discounts," Ford said in an interview at the Wall Street Journal ECO:nomics conference in Santa Barbara.

"We've planned our production very conservatively so we're not caught in the game of cranking out too many vehicles and then figuring out how we have to push them out the door."

Ford's rival General Motors Co. logged an industry leading 46 percent sales gain in February, stoked by incentives that also led the industry. Ford's sales were up 14 percent for the month.

"You can't be completely immune to what your competitors are doing, but we've shown a lot of restraint in the marketplace, and I think that's appropriate," Ford said.

With gas prices surging, Ford said he expected to see consumers shift to buying smaller, more fuel-efficient cars -- a market Ford is better able to serve than it was the last time oil prices spiked in 2008.

U.S. oil prices were near $102 a barrel on Thursday, the highest level in nearly 2-1/2 years.

"You will see a shift, I believe, to smaller cars, smaller SUVs," Ford said. "We are very prepared. I love our portfolio because it plays right into our strategy, which is to be the fuel economy leader."

Ford is making small, more fuel-efficient cars more attractive to consumers by incorporating premium-priced features, including electronics and navigation systems, that also help boost the margins on those sales, Ford said.

"If you look back at what used to be considered Green vehicles, it really meant very small vehicles that were no fun to drive and that were stripped of all content ... you were lucky if you got an FM radio," Ford said.

"What's different today, though, is that our smallest cars in many cases have more technology than some of the bigger cars. We choose to introduce technology first into that segment. As content goes into the vehicles we can price for it."

Ford rolled out the early version of its Sync audio and phone system developed with Microsoft Corp. on its Focus small car for the 2008 model year.

Ford executives have said repeatedly that the automaker's intent is to compete by offering vehicles that hold their value without big, up-front incentives -- a strategy that Honda Motor Co. and others have long followed in the U.S. market.

Ford's average incentive spending per vehicle in the U.S. market in 2011 has been just under $2,800, less than the amount spent by GM, Chrysler and Nissan Motor Co., according to market research firm Autodata Corp.

Ford's 2012 Focus, set to be launched shortly, is the first real test of Ford's strategy of using fewer platforms and fewer suppliers to reduce costs.

In addition, Ford is marketing the Focus with a first-of-its kind global ad campaign that will highlight technology available for the small car, including a rear view camera and rain-sensor wipers.

Bill Ford said it was a sign of the company's progress that it was manufacturing the fuel-efficient Focus at its Michigan Assembly plant outside Detroit and making money on it.

"That's not something that would have been possible years ago," he said.

Ford also said that the economic recovery, albeit "fragile," appeared to be continuing despite higher fuel prices.

"Any time you see inflation, whether it's in basic commodities or oil or food, they all cumulatively become an issue," Ford said. "So far it looks as if the fragile recovery that we've been in is still continuing. So I think that's a good sign. But who knows? Who knows what next political event may trigger another dislocation in price."

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Rest of 2012 Ford Focus line tops out at 38 MPG

2012 Ford Focus – Click above for high-res image gallery

The fuel economy wars have heated up in the hotly contested C-Segment. The latest salvo from Ford comes in the form of the Focus SE SFE (Super Fuel Economy) capable of 40 miles of highway travel on a single gallon of petrol. That ties the similarly new 2011 2011 Hyundai Elantra (40 mpg) and it's close to the 42 mpg from the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze ECO. But like its competitor from Chevrolet, most Focus models won't be able to keep pace with the big four-oh.

According to Kicking Tires, the rest of the Focus lineup will return a slightly less exciting 38 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg around town (31 mpg combined) when equipped with a six-speed automatic gearbox. The manual transmission Focus will hit 36 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg in city driving (30 mpg combined). Not best-in-class, but not too shabby, either.

It would have been a big win for the Focus if it could best the Elantra at the pump. On the other hand, the Focus does pack 12 more horsepower than the Hyundai and we're thinking it looks every bit as good. It's a good time to be in the market for a compact car.

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Next Mustang to undergo global design inputw

, Ford says

Ford's next-generation pony car will be the first Mustang with styling themes proposed by studios in Europe, Australia and other regions. Previously, Ford's U.S. studio was solely responsible for Mustang design.

GENEVA -- Ford Motor Co.'s design studios worldwide will provide styling ideas for an American icon: the next generation Mustang.

"It is a common process we [now] use on every vehicle," Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president for global product development, said today at the Geneva auto show.

Ford's next-generation pony car will be the first Mustang with styling themes proposed by studios in Europe, Australia and other regions. Previously, Ford's U.S. studio was solely responsible for Mustang design.

"When we embark on a new product, particularly one that is all new, it involves all of the studios. Then J [Mays] and the design team pick the best of those themes," Kuzak told Automotive News. Mays is Ford's global design chief. Ford adopted the global design approach three years ago.

Kuzak did not say when the redesigned Mustang is due. However, industry sources say the new sports coupe will debut in the 2014 or 2015 model year.

While the final styling theme might come from outside the United States, he said, Ford's Dearborn, Mich., studio will have responsibility to turn the selected styling theme into a production vehicle.

Kuzak said the new Ranger pickup is the latest example of product cooperation undertaken by Ford's studios.

"The Ranger was done by the Australian studio with input from the European studio," Kuzak said during an interview at the show. The Ranger is the first global Ford vehicle designed by the Australian subsidiary.

The Ranger pickup was introduced last year and will be sold outside North America beginning later this year.

Kuzak said the Mustang "is not just an icon in North America, it is an icon globally."

Ford has conducted Mustang clinics in Asia and Europe. He said men and women within a wide range of ages were shown photographs of celebrities and asked, which person represents the Mustang?

The No. 1 person selected was Steve McQueen.

McQueen appeared in the 1968 movie "Bullitt," which included a high-speed chase sequence involving a Mustang driven by McQueen on the hilly streets of San Francisco.

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Stangpede Ford Mustang

http://impressivecars-impressivecars.blogspot.com/

This Ford Mustang will appear in Fast and Furious 4. The car has a Saleen 550 HP supercharger engine under the hood which sounds impressive, a new body kit which was slightly modified and the finishing touch was installing lambo doors. Probably the most important fact about this modified car is that the guys from Stangpede turned this ride from a stock into show car in just 6 hours.

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