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Ford Focus 1.0-liter Ecoboost to only get manual trans in US

Photos of the 2015 Ford Focus leaked earlier today, but now we're able to tell you more details of the global five-door hatchback. Bucking automaker's troubling trend of ditching manual transmissions in favor of automatics, Ford says the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will come only in a six-speed manual in the US, because, well, American drivers aren't as sophisticated as our European brothers and sisters.
Ford didn't come out and say it that way, but it has found American drivers are more prone to complain about automatics in smaller-engine cars, Raj Nair, Ford's group vice president of global product development, said at a press conference last week. The recent JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study backs up Ford's claims, pointing out that drivers are complaining about rough transmission shifts, engine hesitation and lack of power, particularly in small cars. In Europe and other parts of the world, drivers seem to understand the quirks of these pint-sized engines, Nair said, so they'll have the option to buy an automatic. Ford is working on tuning its dual-clutch transmissions to make them more amenable to American driver's tastes.
Ford will show off the refreshed 2015 Focus at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. The car is due for an update, having been on sale in its current form since 2012. The automaker said it is jamming the car full of new technology - like a USB port that promises to charge your phone in half the time as a regular USB port. Features like Sync and a rear back-up camera will come standard. For a more in-depth look at the car, take a look at the full press release.

Saleen previews new 302 Mustang

The introduction of a new generation of a model like the Ford Mustang may be exciting enough in its own right for enthusiasts, but that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, because you know that Ford itself as well as numerous aftermarket tuners will soon follow up with even more desirable versions. And few Mustang tuners carry quite the same clout of Saleen.
Recently reunited after its previous split, Saleen is back on the map and hard at work on new aftermarket modifications for a wide array of muscle cars. We knew it would only be a matter of time before it would release a new 302 Mustang, and now it's sent out the first image to show us what to expect.
Details are scarce, but House that Steve Built says the 2015 Saleen 302 Mustang "is perfectly positioned as the next American exotic." And it should know, considering that it's the same outfit that produced the Saleen S7 that really was a true American exotic. From the teaser image above we can see that Saleen has given its Mustang a new front air dam, a very wide air scoop on the hood and of course Saleen's trademark slat grille.

NHTSA will investigate some Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ models for power steering issue

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening an investigation into the 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ, the 2012 MKZ Hybrid and 2011 Mercury Milan because the agency has hundreds of complaints of electric power steering failure in these models.
According to NHTSA's data, it has received 508 complaints of the power steering allegedly suddenly malfunctioning and resulting in increased effort to turn the wheel. In four incidents, these failures resulted in loss of control and crashes. According to the reports, in some cases a power steering warning message came on as the fault occurred, and other times the system restored itself by turning off and then restarting the vehicle. NHTSA said it has also received further field report data from Ford, but that information hasn't been publicly released yet.
For the moment, there isn't a recall for this failure on these models. NHTSA is just investigating them to "assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect," and the agency says an estimated 938,000 vehicles could potentially be affected.