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Ford Mustang GT350, GT350R order guide leaks online

Nary a day after the end of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show media days, a bombshell has been dropped in the form of the order guides for the new Shelby GT350 and GT350R. A draft of the complete guide for both track weapons popped up in the forums of Mustang6G, offering the car's biggest fans the most detailed look yet at how the new models can be outfitted. Arguably the most notable news is that Ford lists both cars not as 2016 models, but as 2015s. Wearing the codes 900A and 920A for the GT350 and GT350R, respectively, Ford lists eight available colors, including standard Mustang shades, like Oxford White, Race Red and Competition Orange, as well as a pair of exclusive hues, in Avalanche Gray and Shadow Black. Notably, neither vehicle can be optioned in the gorgeous Liquid Blue of the GT350R show car. Stripe packages are aplenty on the hottest Mustangs, with black, white and blue stripes available on both models. The R cars, though, will be distinguishable by red accents on its optional stripe groups. The standard model will feature an ebony interior, while the high-performance 'Stang will have an ebony cabin with red accents. Aesthetics aside, this order guide gives us the deepest look yet at the available equipment on both models. Not surprisingly, the options list is quite small, with the standard GT350 offering just two packages, racing stripes and a black roof (which we bet will be mutually exclusive with the stripe jobs). The standard car's Technology Pack adds MagneRide, "heavy-duty" front springs, navigation with Sync 3, leather-wrapped, climate-controlled power seats, satellite radio, dual-zone climate control and selectable driving modes. The Track Pack, meanwhile, adds the same driver-selectable modes, MagneRide and the stiffened front springs as the Tech Pack, along with coolers for the engine oil, trans and diff and a strut-tower brace. These two packs are mutually exclusive. Of course, if you're in the market for the GT350R, your only option is the Electronics Pack, which basically adds features deleted by your high-performance trim, such as a stereo and climate control. On top of that, you'll get Sync 3 with navigation and satellite radio. Head over to the Mustang6G forums for a look at the entire order guide.

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW tests AdBlue pumps, Drivr is a Tesla taxi service

BMW is testing AdBlue pumps in Germany. AdBlue fluid is used to remove NOx from diesel exhaust, and it is stored in its own tank within the vehicle. Filling AdBlue is easy enough for drivers to do it themselves, and with the proliferation of diesel vehicles in Europe, a pump filling system could make more sense than using the current hand-held containers. BMW is testing AdBlue pumps at three fueling stations in Munich and Berlin to help develop further AdBlue dispenser technology. Read more at Green Car Congress. Drivr Green Personal Transportation is a Tesla taxi service in Cincinnati. Two former employees of Tesla Motors founded the startup, which bills itself alongside ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. Customers book a ride online, and are picked up by a Tesla Model S. The ride costs $2.50 per mile with a $15 minimum. Drivr currently operates three cars with seven drivers, with plans to lease another 10 Teslas and employ up to 30 drivers. The service will also be expanding to Denver soon, according to the website. Learn more at the Drivr website, or read more at Clean Technica. Ford is opening a research and development facility in Silicon Valley. The Ford Research & Innovation Center, which will be located less than three miles from Tesla Motors headquarters in Palo Alto, California, is expected to be one of the automotive industry's largest R&D facilities. "We're driving to be both a product and a mobility company, and ultimately to change the way the world moves," says Ford CEO Mark Fields. Read more at Automotive News. Law firms advising Fisker Automotive have been denied a $2.50-million fee enhancement in the car company's bankruptcy. Brown Rudnick LLP and Saul Ewing LLP were denied the extra fees, as a Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled there is "no evidence" that the firms provided anything more than what they originally expected. In denying the fee enhancement, the judge cited a "very high bar" for such awards. Read more at Law360. Featured Gallery BMW Tests AdBlue Pumps in Germany Related Gallery Tesla Factory News Source: Green Car Congress, BMW, Clean Technica, Drivr, Automotive News Green BMW Fisker Ford Tesla Transportation Alternatives Diesel Vehicles Electric recharge wrapup

Jaguar design boss admits X-Type was a mistake

History has a way of repeating itself, especially in the auto industry. When Jaguar was owned by Ford, the British brand attempted to field a competitor for the BMW 3 Series, called the X-Type. Based on the bones of a Ford Mondeo, it aped the styling of Jaguar's flagship model, the XJ, while borrowing liberally from the Ford parts bin. That was 2001.
Now, in 2013, Jaguar is planning a new 3 Series challenger based on the platform previewed by the C-X17 Concept, while Ford is attempting to take the latest Mondeo upmarket. The moves have both brands recognizing where, why, and how the X-Type failed. "It didn't look mature or powerful or anything. It was just a car," Jaguar's current head of advanced design, Julian Thomson, told PistonHeads. Basing the X-Type on a front-drive car while giving it styling that was meant for a rear-driver lead to proportions that "were plainly wrong," Thomson told PH. Ford's European head of quality, Gunnar Herrmann, added that the X-Type was "a fake Jaguar, because every piece I touch is Ford."
For what it's worth, the X-Type's successor in the segment will sport rear-drive, with plenty of input from Ian Callum. Thomson described the new model, which would challenge the 3 Series as having, "Big wheels right to the ends of the car, low bonnet, short overhangs, very low cabins." Sounds good to us.