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Global buyers prefer red, black Ford Mustangs

As sales of the new, 2015 Ford Mustang kick off across the globe, Ford is uncovering some interesting data about its long-lived muscle car, and some of the most interesting stats focus on the color palette. Not surprisingly, buyers have a thing for a red Mustang. Race Red, a bright, glossy color, is the number one shade among Mustang owners in both Europe and China with 20 percent of Europeans and 35 percent of Chinese owners opting for the shade. Ford's Ruby Red paint was the third most popular color among American consumers. That's because Mustang owners in the land of the free and home of the brave prefer a literal dark horse, opting for the glossy Black. Magnetic, a dark gray shade, was the second favorite among American Mustang owners. That's right, America's favorite color overall, white, didn't even crack the top three (although Oxford White hit number two in China). Black remained popular in other markets, as well. Absolute Black, a metallic shade, tied Race Red in Europe, appearing on 20 percent of vehicles. Just under 20 percent of Chinese buyers, meanwhile, opted for the same gloss black Americans preferred. Check out Ford's full press release for more detailed stats on how customers in three of the company's largest markets are designing their Mustangs. Related Video: MAR 12, 2015 | DEARBORN, MICH. EARLY DATA INDICATES UNIVERSAL PASSION FOR MUSTANG EXTENDS TO COLORS AS ICONIC PONY CAR GOES GLOBAL; RED, BLACK RULE As all-new Ford Mustang officially arrives in global markets for the first time, customers worldwide are opting for red and black as their top exterior color choices Approximately 1.1 million Mustangs configured online by pony car enthusiasts throughout Europe; more than 18,000 consumers in China signed up to take all-new Mustang for a test spin U.S. Mustang sales up 32 percent in February – making it the best-selling sports car in America DEARBORN, Mich., March 12, 2015 – Red and black clinch the top spots as the most popular exterior paint colors for the first global Mustang, according to initial consumer data. Mustang demand has been high, with the car reaching dealer lots in the United States late last year and China in early 2015. It's set to go on sale in Europe midyear, with nearly 1.1 million pony cars configured on Ford's European websites just a month after ordering banks opened.

Consumer Reports says Toyota, Ford, Honda and Chevy are big winners in brand perception survey

According to Consumer Reports, the automotive brands that stand out in the minds of car buyers are, in order: Toyota, Ford, Honda and Chevrolet. This news comes after the magazine polled its readers, asking them to take into account vehicle quality, safety, performance, value, fuel economy, design/style, and technology/innovation - which are the factors that car shoppers are most influenced by.
It's important to note that this award is only about perception. In other words, it's perceived quality, not actual quality. "Often, perception can be a trailing indicator, reflecting years of good or bad performance in a category, and it can also be influenced by headlines in the media," said Jeff Bartlett, Consumer Reports deputy automotive editor.
The brand that made the biggest jump in perception amongst Consumer Reports readers is Tesla, which posted an impressive 47-point gain to finish in fifth place. Subaru is also notable for finishing in the top 10, despite being one of the smaller manufacturers doing business in the US. Scroll down below for all the details from Consumer Reports, if you're so inclined.

Ford bringing adaptive steering to the masses [w/video]

Within the next year, Ford will offer a brand-new adaptive steering system (unimaginatively dubbed "Ford Adaptive Steering"), and this week, the automaker invited us out to its proving grounds in Dearborn, MI to get a taste for how its new setup works. In function, Ford's system doesn't greatly differ from the majority of other adaptive steering units already on the market from companies like Audi or BMW, but consider this: Ford will be the first non-luxury automaker to offer this technology, and uniquely, the whole system fits inside the car's steering wheel.
Ford's engineers have worked hard to create a system that can be tacked on to the company's full lineup of cars, trucks and utility vehicles, and says that the adaptive steering will be uniquely tuned for each specific vehicle. The automaker will not confirm exactly which vehicle will launch with this technology, but for the purpose of our preview, we tested the technology in a 2014 Fusion - a vehicle with already-good behind-the-wheel feel, one that the company says best demonstrates its current steering efforts.