1984 Ford Bronco Custom Sport Utility 2-door 5.8l on 2040-cars

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Is it time for American carmakers to give up on dual-clutch transmissions? [w/poll]

Last week, in the midst of Detroit's first days seeking relief in Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code, Automotive News contributor Larry P. Vellequette penned an editorial suggesting that American car companies raise the white flag on dual clutch transmissions and give up on trying to persuade Americans to buy cars fitted with them. Why? Because, Vellequette says, like CVT transmissions, they "just don't sound right or feel right to American drivers." (Note: In the article, it's not clear if Vellequette is arguing against wet-clutch and dry-clutch DCTs or just dry-clutch DCTs, which is what Ford and Chrysler use.) The article goes on to state that Ford and Chrysler have experimented with DCTs and that both consumers and the automotive press haven't exactly given them glowing reviews, despite their quicker shifts and increased fuel efficiency potential compared to torque-converter automatic transmissions.
Autoblog staffers who weighed in on the relevance of DCTs in American cars generally disagreed with the blanket nature of Vellequette's statement that they don't sound or feel right, but admit that their lack of refinement compared to traditional automatics can be an issue for consumers. That's particularly true in workaday cars like the Ford Focus and Dodge Dart, both of which have come in for criticism in reviews and owner surveys. From where we sit, the higher-performance orientation of such transmissions doesn't always meld as well with the marching orders of everyday commuters (particularly if drivers haven't been educated as to the transmission's benefits and tradeoffs), and in models not fitted with paddle shifters, it's particularly hard for drivers to use a DCT to its best advantage.
Finally, we also note that DCT tuning is very much an evolving science. For instance, Autoblog editors who objected to dual-clutch tuning in the Dart have more recently found the technology agreeable in the Fiat 500L. Practice makes perfect - or at least more acceptable.

Ford F-150 production hampered by frame shortage

If anyone has questions about how Ford's new aluminum-bodied F-150 will hold up, it's not buyers. Orders are so strong for the fullsize pickup that competitors General Motors and Ram are discounting their offerings to hold onto market share. It's a shame for the Blue Oval then, that it can't build all the trucks it needs because frame supplier Metalsa isn't delivering enough frames. Neither Ford nor Metalsa has said what the problem is, but Ford employees are at Metalsa's Kentucky plant trying to get it sorted out, Automotive News reports. Overtime shifts at the Dearborn Truck Plant and the Kansas City Assembly Plant have been canceled due to the shortage that's been a problem for at least two months now. The issue is exacerbated by this being the changeover period in production from the old model to the new, which comes with its own issues. That would help explain why even though Dearborn production finished ramping up in January, output in April was down 9.2 percent compared to last year, according to AN. Transaction prices are up for the new truck, but overall F-150 production in Q1 was down 40 percent, and missing product means missing profits. Combined with the production drop for the new Ford Edge, the company's Q1 bottom line was robbed of $1 billion. It isn't clear when the frame issue will be solved, but workers at the plants are ready to run "all-out" when it is. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Plants/Manufacturing Ford Truck kansas city assembly plant

2014 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids get deep, deep discount

Math-phobes may not appreciate all the price discounts available for potential buyers of the Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid. For everyone else, though, break out the calculators and celebrate. Because the plug-ins, or at least the 2014 model-year versions, can be had for as much as a third off. How? Start with $4,000 bonus cash from Ford (double what it used to be) and add another $1,750 in dealer discounts, according to Cars Direct. Additionally, the feds will provide a $4,000 tax incentive, while shoppers in the great state of California might get another $1,500 in clean-vehicle rebates. Add them all up – oh, and another $1,000 thrown in by some dealers – and the MSRP of just under $34,000 gets brought down to less than $22,000 out of pocket. It makes that recent $900 price cut for the model seem pretty minor by comparison, doesn't it. Ford is looking to unload a bunch of 2014 model-year C-Max Energi models after sales, which started strong last year, tapered off in recent months. While Americans boosted C-Max Energi purchases by 18 percent last year to 8,433 units, that year-over-year sales gain had been 58 percent through last June. Meanwhile, January sales were down 16 percent to just 395 units. Related Videos: Featured Gallery 2013 Ford C-Max Energi: First Drive View 20 Photos News Source: Cars Direct via Green Car ReportsImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips/AOL Green Ford Hybrid PHEV discounts