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Ken Block rally cars go blue in the face (and everywhere else)

Well at least we now know why Ken Block "just ain't care" about smashing up his Ford Fiesta rally car recently. It's because he's getting a full brand makeover including a new team name, new paint scheme and even a new headquarters. Formerly known as Monster World Rally Team, Block and his Fiesta will now be competing under the Hoonigan Racing Division name, which is based out of a new 12,000 square foot facility located in Park City, UT.
As you can tell in the image above, Hoonigan Racing will replace the familiar black, white and green paint scheme with a more colorful design featuring plenty of blue, purple and red; the Monster Energy logo retains some of the car's green. The new paint scheme was inspired by Block's love of skateboard graphics from the '80s and early '90s as well as "Miami Vice-era" speedboats.
Block will continue to compete in multiple rally racing series such as Global RallyCross, World Rally Championship and X Games. The new headquarters features office space on one side and a shop for the cars on the other side. The building features plenty of stuff you'd expect from a company designed around Ken Block, including a massive gaming station for racing video games, recycled shipping containers used throughout the facility and a black bear.

Ford Focus RS makes US debut in New York, hits dealers Spring 2016

Attendees at the 2015 New York Auto Show will be among the first American consumers to see the all-new, third-generation Ford Focus RS. The Blue Oval announced the super-hot hatch will make its US debut in the Big Apple next week and will arrive in dealers roughly one year from now. We've covered the raging Ford, which is being sold in the US for the very first time, ad nauseam. It debuted in early February, made its auto show debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and is finally crossing the Atlantic, complete with at least 315 horsepower from a 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder. A trick, torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system, an industry-first Drift Mode, a proper six-speed manual transmission and looks that can kill round out what we're wagering is a wildly entertaining package. On top of announcing the Focus RS will hit dealers in the spring of 2016, Ford gave us our first look at a production color. While the Geneva Focus RS was finished in the same Liquid Blue as the Ford GT, Mustang GT350R and SVT Raptor that showed up in Detroit, the hue on the NYAS car, called Nitrous Blue, is one of four that will actually be sold on the Focus RS. While we're waiting to see it in person to render our final judgment, based on pictures alone, we're smitten. Alongside Nitrous Blue, Ford will offer the Focus RS in Stealth Gray, Shadow Black and Frozen White. In other news, your author will be starting the official campaign to bring back the gorgeous green from the last-gen RS immediately. Check back next week. Until then, scroll down for the official press release from Ford. All-New Ford Focus RS Makes U.S. Debut in New York • All-new Focus RS makes North American debut at New York International Auto Show introducing advanced performance technologies for ultimate hot hatch experience; pioneers innovative Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring, industry-first drift mode, additional drive modes • Third-generation high-performance hatch features specially engineered 2.3-liter EcoBoost® engine producing more than 315 horsepower, most powerful RS brake system ever with Brembo front calipers • Ford Focus RS will be at dealerships in the United States in spring 2016 DEARBORN, Mich., March 25, 2015 – The all-new Ford Focus RS is set to debut on U.S. soil at the 2015 New York International Auto Show.

Ford and Mercedes join Renault in French emissions investigation

The French government is investigating certain models from Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Renault because they allegedly produce more nitrogen oxide than the country's pollution rules allow, according to Automotive News, citing a French newspaper. After VW's emissions scandal, French regulators began checking more vehicles for evidence of defeat devices and excessive real-world pollution. According to Automotive News, the Mercedes S350 allegedly showed inconsistent results across these tests, and a Ford C-Max had NOx levels five times over the limit. The Renault Captur crossover, Espace, and an unnamed utility vehicle also had results that were too high. The French testing for this investigation includes an on-road emissions check that's not part of the EU's normal evaluations, which some automakers claim is unfair. "Unofficial on-road testing has varying conditions and can produce significantly different results," a Ford of Europe spokesman told Automotive News. Renault representatives met with French officials on January 18 to explain the situation. The company later submitted a plan to recall 15,800 examples of the diesel Captur, and said it would offer a voluntary software upgrade for about 700,000 other vehicles, according to Automotive News. Representatives from Ford and Mercedes will meet with the government soon, too. Renault's stock price plunged last week after investors heard that French regulators searched three of the automaker's sites as part of the emissions investigation. The stockholders feared an environmental scandal like the one currently embroiling Volkswagen. There's one major difference – as of now, there's no evidence Renault equipped any of the polluting models with defeat devices. Related Video: