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Ford Mustang Mach 1 Spied, Audi debuted the 2017 TT RS in Beijing | Autoblog Minute

A quick recap of some of the weeks hottest stories. Eddie Sabatini reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. Audi Ford Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video mach 1 ford mustang mach 1

There's an impending shortage of new trucks in America's heartland

URBANDALE, Iowa — Jerry Bill is worried the novel coronavirus could hurt business at the Des Moines auto dealership he runs, but not because of a shortage of buyers for the big Ram pickups on his lot. "Our biggest issue will be if we don't get more inventory," said Bill, general sales manager of Stew Hansen Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, which sells around 2,700 new vehicles a year in Urbandale, a suburb of Iowa's capital Des Moines. After a drop in sales in April when consumers stayed home, Bill expects pickup truck sales to end May similar to where they were a year earlier. And if demand remains strong, Bill said he will run out of popular models in June. Fiat Chrysler began slowly restarting Ram truck assembly lines on Monday after a two-month shutdown. The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession of 2007-2009 because of lockdown measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Economists warn the second quarter will be much worse. Still, far from the lockdowns of states like New York, Michigan or Ohio, dealerships like Stew Hansen have provided FCA and Detroit rivals General Motors and Ford a rare bright spot: strong sales of pickup trucks in America's heartland. Overall U.S. sales of cars and light trucks crashed to the weakest pace in 50 years last month. But sales of big Detroit brand pickups, particularly in southern and western states less affected by the outbreak, significantly outperformed the market, industry executives and analysts said. Pickup trucks are one of the most profitable automotive segments in the world. They account for a huge portion of the Detroit automakers' profits and formed a huge lure for Peugeot, which expects to merge with FCA by early 2021. The pressure is now on to boost pickup truck production and send vehicles to dealers in parts of the country with dwindling supplies. That is particularly true for GM, which is running short of certain truck models after losing 40 days of production to a strike last fall. "If you don't have what someone wants, they can choose to go to another brand," said Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs. 'Easiest swap ever' Detroit automakers in March rolled out large discounts — such as interest-free loans for seven years — to keep vehicles rolling off dealer lots.

Ford GT gets sexy shape and EcoBoost power [w/videos]

American automakers make vehicles of all shapes and sizes, but the one thing they almost invariably share in common is their front-engine layout. Niche offerings from the likes of SSC, Saleen and Vector (and the almost anecdotal Pontiac Fiero) aside, the most notable exception has been the Ford GT. And now it's back. Launched on the floor of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, the new Ford GT picks up where the last one left off the better part of a decade ago – similarly taking its cues from the original, Le Mans-winning GT40, but in a less retro, more modern form. Instead of the atmospheric V8 in the original or the supercharged one in the retro revival, the new GT packs a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 nestled in the middle of its wheelbase and driving "more than 600 horsepower" to the rear wheels. Although Ford hasn't revealed the specific output or performance figures, it says the engine – derived from its Daytona Prototype unit and mated to a seven-speed DCT – is its most powerful production EcoBoost ever. Fortunately it's got carbon-ceramic brakes to keep it all in check, packed into 20-inch wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 rubber. The discs aren't all that's made from carbon on the new Ford GT, though: it's built around a carbon monocoque with structural carbon-fiber body panels, but with aluminum sub-frames front and back. Ford designed the new GT with a narrower canopy than its predecessors, cutting the frontal aerodynamic profile and tapering towards the back. It's also equipped with active aero elements including an active rear wing. Upwards swinging doors ought to make ingress and egress easier to and from the cockpit that's fitted with fixed seats, adjustable pedals and F1-style steering wheel and a fully digital instrument cluster. The new GT is set to enter production next year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the GT40's famous 1-2-3 finish at the 1966 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. By the time it does, we're sure Ford will let us know just how fast America's newest supercar will be.