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Ford increasing Super Duty production by 15 percent

Ford has announced a hefty $80 million investment in its Kentucky Truck Plant, which is responsible for building the F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 versions of the Super Duty pickup. The influx of cash will add 350 jobs to the factory.
The investment is also good for a 15-percent increase in annual production thanks to retooling and other facility upgrades, which equates to an extra 55,000 units of production. Considering that Ford makes even more money off its Super Duty than it does on the hot-selling F-150, this could mean some serious coin to Ford's bottom line.
Hop below for the full press release from Ford on its latest investment.

Hands on with Ford Sync 3

It's kind of funny (not funny) how the infotainment systems in our vehicles seem to lag behind the consumer products in our pockets. Long after we had easy-to-use touchscreens on our phones, the glass panels in the center stack of our cars remained obstinately mired in the muck of technology past. We are happy to report it's getting better. We had a chance to go hands-on with the new Sync 3 system from Ford at a technology event. Not once were we struck by the urge to reach out and offer a bit of knuckled encouragement. The processors kept swiping smooth, and the voice recognition could understand even our mumbly mouthings. The voice prompts were certainly fewer and less frustrating than in times past. Ask for the nearest Indian restaurant, and it quickly brought up a list to choose from, ready to offer directions. Want to listen to NPR, just say the word. Sync 3 also improved its ability to get along with others, by which we mean it nicely integrates a range of apps from your phone and can incorporate their individual areas of expertise. With Pandora installed, we could ask for a particular playlist and it would begin streaming. If we wanted a certain artist, it would pull it from the phone's memory upon request. To get a sense of what how the new system functions, check out the video above for a quick look at the improved layout and a demonstration of its smoothness and smarts. To get a look at how it integrates with music streaming services, scroll down for a Pandora-centered Short Cut below.

Ken Block is at it again in Gymkhana 6

If there's one thing we'll say about Ken Block and his latest installment in the Gymkhana family, it's that it's far more structured than previous videos, but that doesn't mean it skimps on the entertainment. Block is on a purpose-built course which was touted as "The... Ultimate... Gymkhana... Grid... Course" in last week's preview. Unlike Gymkhana 5, which took placed on closed streets in San Francisco, this course seems much more compact.
Block has an entire array of challenges to tackle in his 650-horsepower Ford Fiesta ST, and none of them look particularly easy. In fact, we'd argue that Gymkhana 6's grid course requires much more precise driving that previous titles. There are Segways, Lamborghinis and massive pieces of construction equipment that all must be dealt with.
We've got the entire 6:28 of Gymkhana madness for you down below. Scroll down for the video and then hit Comments and let us know how this installment compares to previous Block works.