2012 Ford Escape Xlt on 2040-cars

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Ford Australia goes miniature with Beachkhana 1.0 video

Ken Block's Gymkhana franchise may have started with Subaru, but it's most closely associated with Ford, which the rally star joined way back in 2010. That fruitful partnership has spawned a number of Gymkhanas, and Block even showed up to help introduce the new Focus RS. To honor this, Ford Australia has come up with an adorable parody (for lack of a better word), starring the hero Sun Block. Rather than a full-scale rally Fiesta piloted by a Vegemite-munching Aussie, though, Ford of Oz has gone tiny for its tribute. Really tiny. The product is Beachkhana 1.0 – Wild on the Beaches of Australia, is a funky little stop-motion feature using tiny, 1:43-scale cars in much the same manner as Mr. Block drives his Fiesta rally car. It even pokes some fun at Mercedes-Benz's hilarious Magic Body Control ad. Check it out. Related Video: News Source: Ford Australia Facebook, Ford Australia via YouTube Ford Hatchback Racing Vehicles Videos Ken Block gymkhana ford australia

Volkswagen could outsell GM in China for the first time in nine years

As of the end of November, Volkswagen had sold 70,000 more cars than General Motors in China in 2013, making it appear inevitable that VW will outsell GM there. The feat would return the German brand to the top of chart in China for the first time in nine years, but even the second-place getter won't be complaining too loudly: both automakers sold more than three million vehicles in a market pegged to hit 16 million sales this year.
Volkswagen said it could have sold more cars if it had had more production capacity in China. The arrival of a new-to-China Audi A4, a China-built A3 sedan, the VW Bora and Skoda Octavia, as well as an $18.2-billion-euro investment in the country to construct new factories, means VW should see its numbers grow in 2014. GM's lineup is expanding next year, too, adding four Chevrolet nameplates and two vehicles to its Baojun brand as it tries to get to five million in sales by 2015.
Among other automakers, Ford benefited from good product and woes for Japanese automakers over a territorial dispute with China, outselling Toyota by almost 32,000 units through the end of November. The Ford Focus is China's best-selling vehicle so far this year.

Driving a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle, and the 2021 Kia K5 arrives | Autoblog Podcast #634

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer and News Editor Joel Stocksdale. They start with what they've been driving this week, including the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 diesel, 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle. They move on to the news, covering the 2021 Kia K5, Geneva Motor Show (canceled again), Maserati's new engine and a new extended reality experience here at Autoblog. Finally, the guys spend some money for a listener who just had twins. Autoblog Podcast #634 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 diesel 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 1964 Volkswagen Beetle 2021 Kia K5 Geneva Motor Show cancelled Maserati engine Extended Reality with the Mustang Mach-E Spend your money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: