2014 Ford Focus Titanium on 2040-cars

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eBay Find of the Day: 25-station video gaming trailer w/ bonus Ford F-250

Why, you might be asking yourself, is Autoblog showing me an eBay Motors listing for a 2006 Ford F-250 and a box trailer (with a badly cropped photo to boot)? It's not because we're highly interested in this blue-collar rig, to be sure, but rather because we're interested in throwing the greatest Forza party of all time. Housed in that innocuous white 26-foot trailer is a gamer's delight, with 25 Xbox 360 systems connected up to 25 high-definition monitors and 24 headsets to keep everyone locked into the action (one of the stations is outside the trailer). When connected up to one of two included generators, the setup allows for two-dozen combatants to square off, back-to-back and head-to-head. Sure, the Buy It Now price of $79,000 seems steep considering the trailer will need about ten grand worth of Xbox One or Playstation 4 upgrades in the near future. But that doesn't mean you couldn't squeeze out a few more years of massive multiplayer fun. Check out the listing here, and do let us know if you buy it, we'd love to come over and game. Featured Gallery Video Game Trailer: eBay Find of the Day News Source: eBay Motors Toys/Games Ford Auctions forza motorsport xbox xbox 360 ford f-250 autoblog black

Ford Explorer problems gutted third-quarter sales

In early September, the Detroit Free Press published a feature noting numerous problems Ford's having with the 2020 Explorer and 2020 Lincoln Aviator launches. Issues with both SUVs, built at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant, were so rife and dire that the automaker was trucking the vehicles 275 miles away to Michigan for repairs. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Explorer's third-quarter sales dropped 48 percent compared to the previous model in 2018, with dealers unable to get enough units on lots for customers. Nor is the snafu over: Automotive News reports that another "batch of about 2,500 Explorers in need of repairs" arrived recently in Michigan, and sales through the first nine months of 2019 are down 31 percent. Sales dips during model changeovers are to be expected as old inventory gets sold down and new production ramps up, but this is different. Ford U.S. sales boss Mark LaNeve told Bloomberg earlier this month, "We’ve got adequate inventory in our stores. For Q4, availability wonÂ’t be an issue. WeÂ’ll be able to hit our stride with Explorer starting now." It's hard to know whether that's true, with thousands of Explorers still piling into Michigan; the batch AN mentioned represents about 5 days of sales during an average month in 2018, before the drawdown and interruptions hampered matters. And when Consumer Reports tested the Ford Explorer it bought this summer, it titled the review, "2020 Ford Explorer drives nicely but has many flaws / Poor interior quality and a high price overshadow the SUV's improvements."   On top of that, the AN piece mentions a new impediment to uncorking the Explorer sales stream: Worker strife in the Chicago plant. Allegedly, "Roving groups of workers are intimidating other employees, creating a hostile environment, the people said. ThatÂ’s driving up turnover and leaving some vehicle assembly unfinished, contributing to the company having to complete the work at the Michigan factory or at dealerships, the people said." Ford's been fined twice before for the same kinds of issues at its plants, once in 1999, again in 2017, but a spokesperson said Ford isn't aware of any such problems now. The pressure otherwise has got to be unpleasant for everyone on the Explorer team, from CEO Jim Hackett down. The automaker was meant to be "turning the corner" in April, but as of now, shares are down, credit rating is down, earnings are down.

2016 Ford Focus RS to start at $35,730? [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, Ford declined to comment on the pricing shown on the consumer page, with spokesman Aaron Miller telling Autoblog that the Blue Oval does "not comment on pricing speculation." The webpage showing the $35,730 figure has since been pulled down. We love it when automakers make little, tiny mistakes. You know, not the big stuff that leads to recalls, but the small things, like accidentally releasing pricing of a hotly anticipated model via its US consumer website. Such a thing has apparently happened to Ford, as Jalopnik's Car Buying sub-blog has uncovered a page on the site listing the starting price of the 2016 Focus RS. The cost of entry for the 345-horsepower, all-wheel-drive, torque-vectoring hot hatchback is $35,730, according to the website. That's $1,035 more than the base Subaru WRX STI, although it's $865 less than the Volkswagen Golf R. Considering the RS outguns both models by a very significant margin – 40 horsepower over the STI and 47 over the Golf R – that price seems very agreeable. If it's correct, that is. Aside from showing the RS' starting price, the page also gives us a glimpse into the options sheet. There's an RS2 equipment level that adds $2,795 to the base price along with navigation and leather Recaro seats, an $895 sunroof, and a 19-inch wheel and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tire package for $1,990 (or just $1,395 for the 19s alone). Some fiddling with the quite incomplete configurator – there are no images and the overall design is rather glitchy – revealed a max price of $42,275. We've reached out to Ford for confirmation of the pricing information displayed. Head into Comments and let us know what you think of the pricing. Has Ford hit it out of the park by slotting in a more powerful competitor between the Subaru and Volkswagen? Were you expecting a higher price (like your author), or is this still too much money for a jumped-up Focus? Related Video: