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Ford ditching Microsoft in favor of BlackBerry QNX for next-gen Sync?

Ask the average consumer - at least, those who follow the goings-on in the automotive industry - which carmaker they'd most closely associate Microsoft, and the answer you'd most likely get would be Ford. The Blue Oval automaker, after all, was at the forefront of bringing Microsoft technology into cars with its pioneering Sync system, and, though reality didn't turn out as such, Ford's CEO was recently touted as a potential future head of the Redmond-based software giant. But that relationship, according to the latest reports, could be coming to an end.
Alan Mullaly kiboshed the idea of leaving Dearborn for Redmond, but more importantly Ford is tipped to be ditching Microsoft in developing its next-generation Sync system. In its place, Ford is expected to partner with BlackBerry's QNX division.
Now, before you go balking "BlackBerry?! But they're finished!" consider that QNX is (or at least was) an independent entity that Research In Motion (as BlackBerry's Ontario-based parent company was then known) just happened to have bought back in 2010. QNX provides control systems to everything from nuclear power plants and UAVs to automakers like Audi, BMW and Porsche.

Cadillac Escalade gets $5,000 discount to ward off Lincoln Navigator

General Motors apparently isn't going to let early good reception for the redesigned Lincoln Navigator steal thunder from its own luxury SUV without a fight. It's offering a $5,000 discount on the purchase or lease of the Cadillac Escalade this month to any buyer who trades in a 1999 or newer Lincoln model, Bloomberg reports. GM spokesman Jim Cain told Bloomberg the incentive is being offered to keep prices competitive for the Escalade. The 2018 Navigator starts at $72,055, compared to $73,995 for the Escalade, but the outgoing version of the Navigator is selling for an average of around $53,000, compared with more than $80,000 on average for the Escalade, he said. The Escalade was the top-selling domestic luxury SUV in October and No. 4 in the segment, according to Motor Intelligence. It far outsold the Navigator, which last saw a refresh in 2015 and a full redesign in 2007. But Ford is hoping to gain back some ground with the new Navigator and updated Expedition, which also trails the Chevrolet Tahoe and Chevy Suburban in its segment. Bloomberg notes that one Morgan Stanley analyst estimates that GM owns a $2 billion annual pretax profit edge in the lucrative luxury sport utility segment. Our recent First Drive review called the new Navigator "far superior to its primary competitor, the Cadillac Escalade."Related Video:

A cool boost to turbocharger performance

Since the advent of the forced-induction engine, we have been looking for ways to get every drop of performance we can. There are many approaches to getting additional power using better intercooling, water injection, or even adding nitrous oxide. One take on a short instant burst of power is being researched by Mahle and involves providing supercooled air to an engine, which allows it to burn a leaner fuel mixture and produce more power. The supercooling idea is not new and was examined by Ford in 1993 on the Mustang Mach III concept car, then brought up again in 2003 with the SVT F-150 Lightning concept. Ford called its system the SuperCooler; it was designed to work with any turbocharged or supercharged engine equipped with a water-to-air intercooler. The system on the Lightning concept used a small tank of antifreeze that was hooked up to the truck air conditioning compressor. The air conditioning compressor cooled the antifreeze down to about 30 degrees. The other side of the tank was hooked up to the air-to-water intercooler, which usually had a temperature over 100 degrees. Once the antifreeze was circulated from the tank into the intercooler, it would lower the intercooler temperature and provide for a cooler, denser air charge into the engine; the result was around 50 extra horsepower for a burst of about 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the size of the tank. The system for the Lightning was to be offered as a $750 option and would have been targeted towards drag racers and the like, as it could be used for a run down the drag strip and then re-cooled by the time the truck was back in line. The system was fairly non-intrusive – it only weighed about 25 pounds and did not require a new compressor or intercooler. But as with many concepts, it was ultimately scrapped. The technology was always stuck in the back of my mind, but with larger and more powerful engines being produced it could not find its place. With the advent of new fuel economy standards, we have seen small-displacement turbocharged engines pop up and they seem like the perfect candidate for this type of technology. Ford's EcoBoost 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine, as used in the Fiesta and Focus, is one such candidate for this technology. It would add a negligent amount of weight but could provide a boost of 10 to 20 horsepower when needed, like merging onto the highway or catching up to traffic.