2013 Ford Edge Sel Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Trump threatens huge tax for Mexican-built Fords

Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president on Tuesday. So what would be one of the first things he would do if elected? Tax the heck out of Ford. According to The Detroit News, Trump advocated instituting a specific tax against Ford products built in Mexico during a speech in New York. Rather than incentivize US production, the outspoken billionaire's proposal would penalize Mexican-built Ford vehicles and parts by 35 percent upon purchase. That would ostensibly raise the base price of a Mexican-built Ford Fiesta from $13,965 to over $18,800, and a Lincoln MKZ from $35,190 to over $47k. He apparently made no mention of applying the same or a similar penalty to other vehicles or products imported across the border, or from other countries, raising serious questions about the legality and feasibility of instituting and enforcing the proposed measure. Trump's remarks arrived against the backdrop of a shift in automobile production from the United States into Mexico – and specifically Ford's recent announcement that it was investing $2.5 billion and creating 3,800 jobs for its Mexican operations. Of course the Blue Oval isn't the only automaker shifting production across the border and still invests heavily in its US operations. "We are proud that we have invested $6.2 billion in our U.S. plants since 2011 and hired nearly 25,000 U.S. employees," Ford spokesperson Christin Baker told The Detroit News. "Overall, 80 percent of our North American investment annually is in the U.S., and 97 percent of our North American engineering is conducted in the U.S." Though Trump has generally stood against over-taxation, he's been a staunch critic of free trade agreements like NAFTA that shift American jobs overseas. Fortunately for Ford, though, America's combover-in-chief stands about as much chance of being elected to the White House as Dearborn stands of reviving Mercury or Edsel. Related Video:

Surprise! More Ford and Lincoln cars found with marijuana

Ford is starting to have a serious problem on its hands. Today, ABC 7 in Detroit reported that another batch of Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ cars were found packed with 227 pounds of marijuana. This is a little over a week after Fords in Ohio were found stuffed with marijuana and only about two months after Fords in Minnesota were found full of weed. All of the cars traveled on train from Mexico to their destination. All in, several thousand pounds and several million dollars worth of marijuana has been discovered. According to the report, Immigration and Customs Enforcement found the cars at the Ford Rail Distribution Facility in Woodhaven, Michigan, just south of Ford's world headquarters in Dearborn. ICE became involved after a Ford employee reported the cars to Woodhaven police. It's unclear when and where the cars were packed with marijuana. With the cars in Minnesota, it's believed that the weed was added after leaving the factory but before being loaded on the train. Spare tires were removed and the space was used to smuggle the marijuana. Related Video:

The big dune jump and the damage done

The Silver Lake sand dunes see their fair share of well-built trophy trucks executing impressive jumps. Drivers build insane pieces of machinery for the express purpose of sailing through the air like mad men and women.
Mike Higgins is no stranger to the area. His heavily modified Ford trophy truck has gone flying through the sky on more than one occasion, but he recently bit off more than he could chew. After hitting a particularly lofty dune, Higgins went airborne for a ridiculous 180 feet before becoming intimately familiar with the finer points of gravity.
While Higgins nailed the jump, his landing fell short of wowing the judges. The impact very nearly broke his truck in two. Despite the mechanical mayhem, the driver walked away without a scratch, proving that occasionally miracles really do happen. You can check out the jump and the subsequent destruction below for yourself. Be warned: there's a fair bit of foul language.