1927 Ford Model T Pickup-amazing Restoration-ready To Drive Or Show! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Recharge Wrap-up: Custom Nissan Leaf video, Shell's Arctic oil plans

A video shows a customized Nissan Leaf. An owner in Japan slapped a pretty spiffy body kit on his EV, along with some Forgiato custom wheels and brakes. There's no telling what effects these modifications have on the car's aerodynamics or driving range, but it definitely gives the leaf a unique and sporty look. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Ecomento. Shell has big plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean. With 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil resting beneath those frigid waters, the company sees this new frontier as promising, despite the challenges involved in exploiting it. So far, Shell has spent $7 billion on Arctic operations without having extracted any oil yet. Of course, the idea of Arctic drilling has loads of opposition from concerned individual and organizations concerned with the environmental hazards of extracting oil in the icy north. Read in-depth about Shell's plans at Bloomberg. Ford has won the Altair Enlighten Award for its lightweight technology in the F-150. The award program honors automotive innovations in weight reduction. Ford was recognized for shaving 700 pounds off of the F-150 while improving performance and safety. "It's encouraging to see Ford implementing a holistic lightweighting strategy, which resulted in impressive weight savings that were incredibly significant to the judging panel," says Altair's Vice President of Global Automotive, Dave Mason. General Motors was the runner-up, with its weight savings in the Cadillac ATS and CTS. Read more at PitchEngine. The Diesel Technology Forum has outlined environmental improvements in heavy-duty vehicles at a rulemaking hearing in front of the EPA and NHTSA. Between 2010 and 2014, clean diesel technology reduced carbon emissions equal to that of 2.4 coal-fired power plants, and NOx emissions equal to 158 coal plants. New rules would help further improve the environmental performance of diesel engines. "Advances in diesel engine technology will continue to contribute to the overall efficiency gains of vehicles under this proposed rule," says Diesel Technology Forum Executive Director Allen Schaeffer. "As a result we expect diesel technology to remain the primary power-plant for commercial trucks into the foreseeable future." Read more in the press release below. Clean Diesel Power Key Part of Achieving Future Truck Efficiency Gains, EPA Officials Told -- Diesel Technology Forum CHICAGO, Aug.

U.S. auto sales in April expected to drop despite big discounts

DETROIT — U.S. auto sales in April likely fell nearly 8 percent from the same month in 2017 despite big discounts for consumers, industry consultants J.D. Power and LMC Automotive said on Thursday. For much of the past two years, the discounts offered by automakers have remained at levels that industry analysts say are unsustainable and unhealthy in the long term. April U.S. new vehicle sales will likely be about 1.31 million units, down from 1.42 million units a year earlier, the consultancies said. The forecast was based on the first 17 selling days of April. Automakers, including Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, will release April U.S. sales results on May 1. Earlier this month, No. 1 U.S. automaker General Motors said it will stop reporting monthly U.S. sales because the 30-day snapshot does not accurately reflect the market. GM will instead issue quarterly sales reports. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017 to 17.23 million units after hitting a record high in 2016. Sales are expected to drop further in 2018 as interest rates rise and more late-model used cars return to dealer lots to compete with new ones. LMC expects full-year 2018 U.S. new vehicle sales to come in at around 17 million units. "Uncertainty and unfavorable factors appear to be mounting for autos, including a volatile stock market, rising interest rates, rising oil prices and potential trade roadblocks," Jeff Schuster, LMC's head of global vehicle forecasts, said in a statement. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales for April will be 16.6 million vehicles, down more than 2 percent from 17 million units in April 2017, the consultancies said. Retail sales to consumers, excluding lower-margin fleet sales to rental agencies, businesses and government, were set to decline about 9 percent in April. The level of consumer discounts, which can erode profit margins and undercut resale values, "remains the larger concern," the consultancies said. The average discount was $3,698, up $187 from April 2017. Discounts on trucks and SUVs were up $426, but down $226 on passenger cars. Reporting by Nick CareyRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Earnings/Financials Chrysler Ford GM JD Power

Alan Mulally talks about why Ford's Falcon had to die

When Ford made the decision to end production of the Falcon sedan and Territory CUV in Australia, it wasn't a popular move Down Under. The large, four-door Falcon had been in production for 50 years, and while Ford has reaffirmed its commitment to the Australian market, it's understandable that some people still aren't all that crazy about the Blue Oval's decision.
Speaking to CEO Alan Mulally after Ford's Go Further event in Sydney, Australian site Go Auto reports that the decision was not one made lightly, and that the automaker is doing everything possible to respect the Falcon and Territory's "stakeholders." It's an interesting piece that shows a softer side of a corporation, while demonstrating that Ford is doing everything in its power to make the end of production as smooth as possible for all parties.
Head over to Go Auto for the full series of remarks from Mulally, and then let us know what you think of Ford's handling of the Falcon and Territory discontinuations, in Comments.