2017 Ford F-350 Lariat on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ford tops GM in US vehicle sales in May, driven by fleets

DETROIT - Ford, bolstered by heavy sales to fleet customers, surpassed General Motors in US new vehicle sales in May, according to figures reported Thursday. Ford said May sales rose 2.2 percent from a year ago to 241,126 units. GM sales dropped 1.3 percent to 237,364. GM said it had been trimming sales of heavily discounted vehicles to car rental companies. Such fleet sales made up about 19 percent of its total sales in May. Ford's fleet sales rose 8.4 percent, representing more than 34 percent of total sales. The industry average is around 20 percent. Analysts had expected mixed results for the industry, with sales likely propped up by heavy discounts. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said May sales dipped 0.9 percent to 193,040. Toyota's US sales dropped 0.5 percent to 218,248. Nissan said US sales in May rose 3.0 percent, to 137,471. After demand fell in March and April, analysts estimated May sales at just over 1.5 million. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales in May was estimated at 16.8 million to 16.9 million vehicles, about the same as April. A year earlier, sales stood at 17.55 million vehicles. Early reports indicated that sales over the three-day Memorial Day weekend were helped by heavy discounts. "While demand for new vehicles is still relatively strong, it's a bit of smoke and mirrors," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds, the car shopping website. Manufacturers and dealers "really pushed the deals over the holiday weekend to prop up their May numbers," she said. "Incentives were up sharply, and it seems automakers are putting more cash on the hood to nudge car shoppers to buy versus lease." General Motors dealers were offering discounts of up to $12,000 on the full-size Chevrolet Silverado pickup, while some dealer discounts on Ford Motor Co's F-series pickups were more than $10,000 on 2017 models and more than $14,000 on leftover 2016 models. The 2017 model year started eight months ago. Reporting by Paul LienertRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Ford GM Nissan Toyota US

Wards names its 2015 10 Best Interiors list

Wards Automotive has named the winners of its 10 Best Interior awards, covering a wide but affordable array of vehicles. Where last year's list contained two six-figure vehicles, including the $372,800 Rolls-Royce Wraith, this year's is, well, a whole lot more reasonable. The publication lists the Mercedes-Benz C400 at $65,000 (which seems off), making it the most expensive vehicle here. That said, we'd argue that the entire C-Class line deserves to make this year's list, owing to its varied and high-quality selection of materials. The other vehicle to break the $60,000 mark, meanwhile, is the $60,675 Ford F-150 King Ranch, which has 327,000 pounds of leather lining its interior. Only one other German car, the BMW i3, and one other pickup truck, the GMC Canyon, managed to make this year's list. Here's the full list of this year's winners: 2014 BMW i3 ($52,550) 2015 Chrysler 300C Platinum ($51,175) 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch ($60,675) 2015 GMC Canyon SLT ($40,465) 2015 Honda Fit EX-L ($21,590) 2015 Jeep Renegade Limited ($33,205) 2015 Kia Sedona SXL ($43,295) 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring ($33,395) 2015 Mercedes C400 ($65,000) 2015 Nissan Murano SL ($41,905) See what we mean about the mainstream vehicles? Not only is there a distinct lack of luxury brands, it's the price of some of the vehicles that surprise. The Honda Fit, Jeep Renegade and Mazda6 are very reasonably priced, especially when you compare Wards price with the starting price. The Renegade Limited starts at less than $25,000, the Mazda at less than $22K and the Fit at under $16,000. Head over to Wards for a more detailed explanation of why each vehicle won. Featured Gallery 2015 Ward's Automotive 10 Best Interiors View 10 Photos News Source: Wards Automotive BMW Chrysler Ford GMC Honda Jeep Kia Mazda Mercedes-Benz Nissan Truck Crossover Hatchback Sedan nissan murano gmc canyon Interior jeep renegade WardsAuto kia sedona wards 10 best interiors mercedes c400

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.