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Images of 2015 Ford Mustang Convertible Leak Out

Official debut of ragtop planned closer to pony car’s 50th anniversary.

by on Dec.05, 2013

A teaser image of the new Ford Mustang Convertible is leaked from Dearborn.

There was something notably absent from the wild, six-city media extravaganza Ford staged on Thursday for the preview of the 50th anniversary Mustang: a ragtop.

Long-time fans will recall that the convertible was launched right from the start when former Ford Pres. Lee Iacocca unveiled the original pony car at the New York Auto Show on April 13, 1964. And there’s been a ragtop version of every generation since then.  So, shouldn’t Mustang fans expect another one once the 2015 screeches into showrooms?

Absolutely, and Ford gave a first hint of what’s to come when it included this terse mention in its press release for the 2015 Mustang, noting, “Mustang convertible drivers will appreciate the standard multilayer insulated cloth top that gives the car a more upscale appearance and a quieter cabin. The new top lowers twice as fast as before, and has a sleeker profile when folded for open-air motoring.”

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We’re expecting to see the convertible in the sheet metal sometime early next year, perhaps during the New York Auto Show which comes a lot closer to the official Mustang 50th anniversary celebration.  But if that seems far too long in the future, don’t fret. Ford’s Scott Monty issued an unexpected tweet today, the Mustang Convertible briefly sitting in where the coupe model was later revealed to the world.

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New 2015 Ford Mustang Had to Balance Old and New

New platform, new engine, new technology – but look still familiar.

by on Dec.05, 2013

The new 2015 Ford Mustang takes a bow.

She was just 22 years old, a fresh graduate from a teacher’s college and excited about life, so when Gail Wise went to the Ford showroom near her family’s home in suburban Chicago, she told the salesman she wanted something new, youthful and special.

He wasn’t supposed to show her the car tucked in the back of the showroom under the tarp. The official introduction wasn’t for two more days, but for some reason, he lifted the covers and then sold the powder blue 1964-1/2 Ford Mustang to the entranced young woman.

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It was the same Mustang that Wise, now retired, proudly showed off during the ceremonies marking the debut of an all-new, sixth-generation pony car designed to mark the 50th anniversary of the Mustang’s launch. (more…)

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Race-Inspired Q50 Concept Coming to Detroit Auto Show

Show car could hint at future performance plans for luxury brand.

by on Dec.05, 2013

Infiniti offers a glimpse of the Q50 Eau Rouge concept coming to Detroit next month.

Hoping to burnish its performance image – and emphasize its return to Formula One racing – Infiniti plans to reveal a high-performance concept based on its new Q50 sedan at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show.

The show car will be dubbed the Q50 Eau Rouge, its name a reference to the world-famous turn on the F1 track in Spa-Francochamps – one known for its ability to trip up even the most skilled veteran race driver.

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The maker isn’t saying much about the specifics of the Eau Rouge, though in a release, Infiniti suggests the “concept blends road car technology and a thoroughbred motorsport vision.”

The Q50 introduced earlier this year is the latest version of the old Infiniti G sedan – but it’s more than just a simple product update, and coincides with some major changes at the Nissan luxury brand.

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First Look: 2015 Ford Mustang

“A contemporary interpretation” designed for a global market.

by on Dec.05, 2013

Ford takes the plunge with an all-new, 50th anniversary remake of the Mustang.

At 50, most folks are clearly showing signs of middle age, but when it came to developing an all-new Mustang, Ford Motor Co. designers and engineers knew they had to target a youthful audience with a spry and sporty “pony” car that would not only remain an icon in the U.S. but take the rest of the world by storm.

Whether they succeeded will depend upon how potential buyers react to the all-new, sixth-generation Ford unveiled today.  Developed under the maker’s One Ford strategy, it’s the first Mustang specifically designed to be sold around the world, overseas markets expected to generate at least 10% of the iconic muscle car’s future sales volume.

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The basic look of the 2015 Ford Mustang will be familiar to fans, especially nose-on, where the coupe maintains the distinctively muscular appearance that dates back to the original pony car unveiled by then-Ford President Lee Iacocca on April 13, 1964 at the Ford Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair.

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Ram 1500 Wins Motor Trend Truck of the Year – Again

Chrysler’s big rig delivers body blow to new Chevy Silverado.

by on Dec.04, 2013

The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.

The full-size Ram 1500 pickup has been named Motor Trend Truck of the Year – a doubly significant victory not only considering all the tough competition this year but for the fact that the Ram is the first-ever back-to-back winner of the widely followed award.

Well, that’s not entirely accurate.  The magazine focused its attention this year on the new EcoDiesel V6 version of the Ram 1500, the market’s first light-duty pickup to offer a high-mileage oil-burner under the hood.

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“Not only did (the Ram diesel) withstand our rigorous testing, it thoroughly impressed our judges with its vast array of standard and optional equipment, and, most notable, its fuel-efficient, segment-exclusive EcoDiesel V-6. With 420 pound-feet of torque and up to 28 ‘Real MPG’ highway, the EcoDiesel is a true game-changer,” said Motor Trend’s Editor-In-Chief Ed Loh.

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Chevrolet Teases New Corvette Z06

High-performance model due to debut at the Detroit Auto Show.

by on Dec.04, 2013

Chevrolet offers just a tease of the new 2015 Corvette Z06 debuting next month in Detroit.

Chevrolet will up the ante for sports car performance when it unveils the new 2014 Corvette Z06 at the Detroit Auto Show next month.

Regular readers might be scratching their heads and wondering about the name of the new supercar as rumors had been circulating in recent months suggesting that for the 2015 iteration Chevy would upgrade the name of the Corvette spin-off by redubbing it the Z07.

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Apparently not, and we’ll be looking to find out why when we meet with company officials in the coming weeks, but there’ll be a lot of other questions to ask about the 2015 Corvette Z06 including performance specifics.

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Mitsubishi the Latest to Slash EV Pricing

Maker cuts i-MiEV battery car price by 20%.

by on Dec.04, 2013

Mitsubishi is cutting the price of its 2014 i-MiEV battery-electric vehicle by 20%.

Mitsubishi plans to drop the price of its little i-MiEV battery-electric vehicle by an “astonishing” 20%, making it the latest manufacturer to cut battery-car pricing in a bid to charge up demand.

Electric vehicle sales have been lagging well behind expectations this year in part, analysts say, due to declining gasoline costs that have made it less attractive to buy hybrids, plug-ins and full battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs. In fact, a new study of nearly 1,100 potential battery-car buyers indicates high pricing, rather than low range, is the single-biggest obstacle to building demand for the technology.

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A wide range of manufacturers, including Ford, Nissan and Chevrolet, have already trimmed their prices this year and there are signs that has helped turn on more potential buyers. (more…)

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November’s Movers and Losers

Even the weakest models are flying out of showrooms.

by on Dec.04, 2013

Demand for the new 2014 Range Rover Sport has made it a hot product this winter.

November delivered an early holiday present to the auto industry, sales surging by double-digits, driven by attractive Black Friday sales.  It was hard to find a manufacturer that didn’t have a good month, with the exception of Volkswagen and the Honda division. And industry analysts note that demand was strong in virtually every product segment – from minicars to full-size pickups, even minivans gaining traction after years of steady decline.

But reading between the lines can reveal a bit different story. Despite the big sales surge, industry inventories have been on the rise – one reason Ford has decided to trim a week’s production this month for the normally strong Fusion sedan – the second-largest domestic maker slicing its planned overall first-quarter production schedule by 2%.

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And while dealers had a tough time keeping some products – such as the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport SUVs – in stock last month, they were tripping over some other models.  There was an average 115 days of inventory for the Nissan GTR sports car, for example, roughly twice the 60-day industry norm. Jaguar dealers had 103 days worth of XKR models, and there was an 89-day supply of the Acura RLX, the luxury brand’s new flagship, according to a survey by Cars.com.

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First Images of 2015 Ford Mustang Leak Out

Gen-6 pony car pics leak out days before official debut.

by on Dec.03, 2013

Covered. The first images of the 2015 Ford Mustang leak out days before its official preview.

There are few secrets in the auto industry these days. And it doesn’t help if someone is planning to run a story on one of the most important debuts of the coming year on their front page.

These images of the 2015 Ford Mustang come to us through a series of connections but all trace back to the December 9th issue of Autoweek magazine.  What you see is the sixth-generation pony car set to make its official debut through an unusual, 6-city/1-day preview scheduled for this coming Thursday.

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There are plenty of reasons why interest in the new Mustang is running so high.  We don’t get a new version of the muscle car all that often, this being only the sixth all-new model since the car made its splashy debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair nearly 50 years ago. But the story gets more interesting.  While the Mustang has long been classically American, Ford has every intention of taking it global this time around.

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Struggling for Cash, the UAW May Raise Dues for 1st Time Since 1967

Membership down by nearly 75%.

by on Dec.03, 2013

The UAW is considering raising its membership dues for the first time since 1967.

Its membership tumbling sharply and a long-running effort to organize foreign-owned makers still in limbo, the United Auto Workers Union is looking at the possibility of raising its dues by 25% – for the first time since 1967.

While still considered the richest of America’s unions, the UAW has faced increasing troubled in recent years, with membership declining, organizing efforts stalling and rising costs forcing it to slash expenses. Despite an estimated $1 billion in assets, there have been ongoing concerns about the UAW’s long-term viability, as well as its political clout.

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According to a report from the Reuter’s news service, the Detroit-based autoworkers union would like to raise dues by as much as 25%. For the average worker, that would amount to paying the equivalent of 2.5 hours wages per month, up from the current 2 hours. Dues vary depending upon pay grade, however, so if the increase is approved, a veteran line worker at one of the Detroit Big Three would pay about $70.32 a month, while a recently hired employee on a second-tier pay scale would shell out around $39.45. (more…)

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