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Ford pranks unsuspecting blind dates with Mustang GT and stunt driver

There's 'speed dating,' that ludicrous get-to-know-you ritual devised by The Inquisition of Mating, and then there's 'dating at ludicrous speed,' which is a better description of what Ford has done in this latest video for the 2015 Mustang GT for your Valentine's Day enjoyment. The Blue Oval used a professional stunt driver to hook six guys into going on a little car trip, but the setup is the key – she pretends she's not that good at driving, until she's really good at it. You can check it out above. Kudos to the guy who goes from "You might want to shift again" to "That's what I'm talking about!" without any question. And the ninja.

Translogic 177: Ford Research and Innovation Center

Translogic heads to Ford's Research and Innovation Center in Silicon Valley for a peek behind the scenes at the latest tech being produced by the Blue Oval. We hear why the automaker moved some of its R&D operations from Dearborn, MI to Palo Alto, CA, and get an early look at the all-new Ford GT supercar with Ford CEO Mark Fields. "Coming here to Silicon Valley, we really want to make a lot of progress on mobility, autonomous vehicles, [and] using analytics," said Fields. "So coming to Silicon Valley was ... to go to where the talent is, but also, importantly, to be a part of the community here." As for the GT, Ford's top boss is pleased with the tech driving the forthcoming supercar. "It's really a decades worth of innovation in areas of light-weighting, in areas of EcoBoost engines, and in areas of aerodynamics." Have an RSS feed? Click here to add Translogic. Follow Translogic on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley. Ford Technology Emerging Technologies Translogic Videos Original Video Mark Fields

Ford making Fusion production moves to challenge Camry on volume

The Ford Fusion may already beat the Toyota Camry in terms of models offered, transaction price and sales increase so far this year, but if the Fusion wants to make a run at the title of best-selling car in the US, Bloomberg reminds us that volume is key. Opening a second production line at the Flat Rock, MI assembly plant will reportedly allow Ford to produce around 350,000 Fusions annually, which compares Toyota's ability to crank out 475,000 Camrys and Honda's capacity to build around 450,000 Accords.
For the Fusion, that's an extra 100,000 units compared to the car's current pace, and the article adds that the Fusion is "Ford's best shot" to regain the passenger car sales crown - a title it (or any other US automaker, for that matter) hasn't held since the mid-1990s. Despite hiccups with recalls and fuel economy numbers, the Ford Fusion is still red hot when it comes to sales. Fusion sales are up 13 percent so far this year (compared to a 0.6 percent decrease for Camry), and its average transaction price of $26,343 is about $2,300 more than its rival from Toyota.
The Fusion's popularity has helped Ford improve its sales in California; the Dearborn-based automaker has a market share of 18 percent in the state, which is just a fraction of a percentage behind Honda. And this popularity should continue as Ford ups Fusion production and expands the model lineup even further for 2014 with a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine soon to become an option.