2005 Ford E-250 Std. Cargo Van No Reserve E-series E250 4.6l V8 2-door on 2040-cars

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Ford turns Navistar from truck business customer to rival

There is a showdown brewing in the medium-duty truck segment next year as Ford prepares to launch its all-new, in-house engineered 2016 F-650 and F-750. It finally marks the end of the Blue Diamond joint venture between Ford and Navistar and, making the two entities direct competitors instead of partners.
Ford announced the end of the joint venture in an investor report in 2011, but it didn't reveal the new F-650 and F-750 until the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, IN, in March. Unlike the current, Mexican-built models, the new generation will be built in Avon Lake, OH, starting in mid-2015.
The challenge from Ford comes during a rough patch for Navistar. The company had a $248 million loss in the first quarter, according to The Wall Street Journal, and its medium-duty truck market share is currently down to 26 percent, from 36 percent in 2011. Building the previous-generation Fords brought in about $400 million a year to Navistar, according to the WSJ. To take on its former partner, Navistar plans to offer its International brand of medium-duty vehicles with more engine and transmission options to customers. It even struck a deal with Cummins to put its diesels in some of the models.

Camaro chief: 'rock-star' 4-cylinder set for Mustang fight

It was inevitable, the 2016 Chevy Camaro had to have a four-cylinder engine. The archrival Ford Mustang packs a spunky 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-banger, and everyone from BMW to Subaru uses four-cylinders to great effect to power their sports cars. Now it's Chevy's turn. Again. The Camaro ran the infamous Iron Duke four-cylinder with 88 to 92 horsepower in the 1980s. It was a fuel-economy play at a time when performance was not a priority. After the 1970s muscle-car era, output even for the V8s didn't top 200 hp again until the mid-'80s. Thankfully for enthusiasts, things have changed dramatically in the last 30 years. The gen six Camaro will offer a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder with 275 horsepower. It's the standard engine, slotting below the 335-hp V6 and the 455-hp V8. But don't mistake the new I4 for an Iron Duke encore. Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser called it a "rock star" and said cars equipped with it feel lighter than V6 models. The four-cylinder (295 pound-feet at 3,000-4,500 rpm) also summons more torque in quicker fashion than the V6 (284 lb-ft at 5,300 rpm). Chevy expects the Camaro to hit 60 miles per hour in "well under six seconds," according to press materials. The Mustang EcoBoost (310 hp, 320 lb-ft) clocks times in the low to mid five-second range. "We're not doing it just so we have one," Oppenheiser said. "We're not doing it because like in gen three you're forced to do it because of fuel economy. We're doing it because it belongs in the car. It has a distinct character." Speaking with Autoblog recently at the Detroit Grand Prix racecourse on Belle Isle, Oppenheiser said he expects the I4 to attract a younger crowd to the Camaro and will put up stiff competition against the V6 for sales. "I've read blogs where younger folks won't buy a Camaro because it doesn't have a 2.0-liter turbo or a turbocharged four-cylinder," he said. "So we're going to excite them." While we talked a lot about four-cylinder engines, Oppenheiser also elaborated on the V6 (It's pretty damn good, too. We drove it.) and the new Alpha platform that the Camaro borrowed from Cadillac. Here's the rest of our edited conversation. Autoblog: Talk a little bit about the four-cylinder – the first turbo four-cylinder ever for Camaro. Do you have any idea what the take rate's going to be? Al Oppenheiser: I think it's going to surprise a lot of people. It's actually a fun car to drive. It's got a really good balance of turbo noise and exhaust note.

Ford rolls out Vignale Mondeo for upscale European buyers

North American buyers looking for a luxury automobile from Dearborn know to turn to Lincoln, but overseas, the Ford brand itself appeals to upscale customers with its own products. The Blue Oval automaker unveiled a premium take on the Taurus for the Chinese market at the Shanghai Motor Show this weekend, and in Europe it's rolling out the Vignale sub-brand with the model you see here. Previewed in concept form a year and a half ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Vignale line revives the name of a storied Italian coachbuilder that Ford acquired (together with Ghia) back in 1973. Now ready for production, the first Vignale model upgrades on the Mondeo (which we know as the Fusion) with a number of high-end features. The cabin space is altogether more luxurious, featuring high-end, laser-cut leather trim with hexagonal quilting and "tuxedo" stitching. The multi-contour front seats have a massage function, and occupants are better isolated from the road via upgraded sound insulation and active noise cancellation. The Ford Vignale Mondeo benefits from all the latest safety-convenience and infotainment technologies, including an optional Sony digital audio system with twelve speakers. The exterior is made to look more upscale as well, with unique metallic paint finishes, special chrome trim, 18-inch alloys and the requisite special badging to set it apart from ordinary Mondeos. Buyers will be able to choose between sedan or wagon body styles, front- or all-wheel drive and from a number of engine options. There's a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four with 237 horsepower, a 2.0-liter turbodiesel available with 177 or 207 hp, and a gasoline-electric hybrid system with 184 hp. Each vehicle is hand-finished and individually inspected at the Vignale Centre at Ford's plant in Valencia, Spain, and will be offered through select dealerships outfitted with premium Vignale Lounges. Customers will also benefit from access to a dedicated "relationship manager," customer assistance operators on call 24 hours a day and a companion app, but of course none of these features come cheap: At around GBP30k in the UK, the price of a Vignale Mondeo comes close to that of an Audi A6 or Jaguar XF, and it'll be up to individual buyers to decide whether the spruced-up Fusion is worth the premium. Look for a Vignale version of the S-Max to follow.