1990 F150 2wd on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Bill Ford op-ed argues we can't just build and sell more of the same cars

It's hardly a secret that the auto industry is undergoing an enormous, tectonic shift in the way it thinks, builds cars and does business. Between alternative forms of energy, a renewed focus on low curb weights and aerodynamic bodies, the advent of driverless and autonomous cars and the need to reduce the our impact on the environment, it's very likely that the car that's built 10 years down the line will be scarcely recognizable when parked next to the car from 10 years ago.
Few people are as able to explain the industry's many upcoming changes and challenges as clearly as William Clay Ford, Jr., better known as Bill Ford. The 57-year-old currently sits as the executive chairman of the company his great-grandfather, Henry Ford, founded over 110 years ago.
In an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Ford explains that the role of automakers is, necessarily, going to change to suit the needs of the future world. That means changing the view of not just the automobile, but the automaker. As Ford explains it, automakers will "move from being just car and truck manufacturers to become personal-mobility companies."

Driving the 2021 Genesis G80 and Toyota Sienna | Autoblog Podcast #652

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. They kick things off by talking about driving the all-new, 2021 Toyota Sienna hybrid minivan and Genesis G80 luxury sedan. Next, they talk about what of GM vehicles Autoblog staff members would like to restomod with the new Connect and Cruise eCrate motor and battery package. They also discuss the pros and cons of Ford CEO Jim Farley's decision to continue racing. Finally, they reach into the mailbag and help a listener pick a new car to replace a 2016 Mazda Miata. Autoblog Podcast #652 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 2021 Toyota Sienna 2021 Genesis G80 We really want to use an eCrate to restomod an old GM car. Here's what we'd build Jim Farley allowed to continue racing his 1966 GT40 even as Ford CEO Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Ford announces first non-pursuit-rated police car ever

Ford announced its first non-pursuit-rated Police Interceptor ever, based on the Taurus, which employs the smaller 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine in place of similar pursuit-rated Police Interceptors powered by naturally aspirated 3.5-liter and 3.7-liter V6s and the top-spec 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. Officially called the Special Service Police sedan, the car was commissioned at the request of law-enforcement agencies that desire a more fuel-efficient vehicle for detectives, administrators and campus police, who don't necessarily need pursuit-rated vehicles.
The 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine produces 240 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, but more importantly, it allows the SSP sedan to achieve somewhere in the neighborhood of 22 miles per gallon city and 32 mpg highway, which are the civilian 2.0-liter Taurus' official EPA ratings. Ford estimates that the SSP sedan will get 20 mpg city, 30 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined, with the help of Active Grille Shutters that open to allow more cooling air through to the radiator, or close to optimize aerodynamics and fuel economy. Those numbers compare favorably to the discontinued Crown Victoria-based Interceptor's 14 mpg city and 21 mpg highway and the newer Taurus-based cars equipped with V6s, the most fuel efficient of which gets 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway.
If it was driven 90,000 miles over the course of three years, a 2.0-liter SSP sedan would save law enforcement agencies $5,042.92 versus the Crown Vic, Ford estimates. The EPA is expected to post official fuel-economy numbers for the SSP sedan in December. Until then, read the press release below for more information.