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Kawei K1 pickup blatantly copies Ford F-150

The Chinese auto industry used to be looked at as a joke full of products blatantly copied from foreign vehicles. However, companies like Qoros and others show that the country's automakers have taken big steps in terms of original design. It doesn't look like every automaker there is ready to put down the tracing paper yet, though. Case in point: The Kawei K1 pickup pictured above, which is an obvious rip-off of the Ford F-150. In fact, the company isn't even hiding it. Kawei deserves a little credit for its openness. In describing the new model, it says: "No matter the black net grille and the outline of the headlamp, even if the styles of fog lamp and engine cover, it looks the same as Ford Raptor." It also admits that spelling out the model name on the hood is inspired by Land Rover. It's available with either a 2.4-liter, gasoline-fueled four-cylinder producing 141 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque (elsewhere it also lists it as having 162 lb-ft) or a 3.2-liter six-cylinder diesel with 106 hp and 181 lb-ft. Regardless of engine, power is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. The trucks cost around 100,000 Yuan ($16,033). So at least the K1 is a reasonably priced knockoff. According to Car News China, the K1 is actually selling in small numbers. The company made 10,000 of them last year and even exported some to Africa and the Middle East. Kawei's factory is doubling in capacity this year to build even more. You can read more about the truck on the company's website in some very mangled English. Featured Gallery Kawei K1 Pickup View 11 Photos News Source: Kawei via Car News ChinaImage Credit: Kawei Beijing Motor Show Ford Truck Diesel Vehicles Beijing 2014

2013 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists announced [w/poll]

2012 is almost in the books and automakers are spending December gearing up for the 2013 auto show season, which tips off next month at the Detroit Auto Show. Traditionally, the latter opens up with the announcement of the North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards, and this year figures to be no different.
But up until this moment, we didn't know which six vehicles would be parked ahead of the stage as finalists, with executives and engineers waiting for the winners to be disclosed. Whittled down from October's "short list" of nominees (11 cars and 10 truck/utility vehicles), the finalists are as follows:
2013 North American Car of the Year:

Final 2015 Ford Edge performance and fuel economy data released

Ford unveiled the brawny look and heap of new tech of the all-new 2015 Edge last summer, and confirmed some of the pricing in November. However, until now buyers couldn't be entirely sure what they are getting for that money in terms of power and fuel economy, but the Blue Oval is finally spilling all the beans. For customers looking for performance, the Edge Sport is the place to be with its stiffer suspension and plusher interior. The trim level uses a version of the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 found in the latest F-150, but in this case the engine is tuned to 315 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. That's a 10 percent jump in power and 25 percent improvement in torque compared to the naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V6 in the last-gen model, according to Ford. The mill should be a bit more useable too with peak twist coming on at 2,750 rpm, rather than 4,000 rpm in the previous Edge, and the Active Noise Cancellation system should keep it quiet inside, too. Front-wheel-drive versions of the Sport get EPA-estimated economy of 18 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined. Opting for all-wheel drive reduces the figures to 17/24/20, respectively. Of course, not everyone is looking for the power of the Sport trim. In a first for Ford, the standard engine for the Edge is a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder with 245 hp and 275 lb-ft. In front-wheel-drive form, it's rated at 20/30/24 mpg or with all-wheel drive at 20/28/23. For something in the middle the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 brings 280 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque and carries EPA estimates of 18/26/21 with front-wheel drive or 17/25/20 when powering all four wheels. Every powertrain gets a six-speed automatic. Sales for the latest Edge begin this spring starting at $28,100, plus $895 destination on all models. Upgrading to the Sport pushes the price up to $38,100. Performance and Power: 2015 Ford Edge Sport Certified as Highest-Performing Edge Yet • 2015 Ford Edge Sport is the most powerful Edge yet, thanks to a 2.7-liter EcoBoost® V6 making 315 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque • All-new Edge Sport, re-engineered from the ground up, features special sport-tuned suspension, specific Sport styling for exterior and interior, and a long list of available driver-assist technologies • Scheduled to go on sale this spring, pricing for 2015 Ford Edge starts at $28,100; Edge Sport starts at $38,100 – only a $500 increase from 2014 DEARBORN, Mich., Feb.