1996 Ford F-250, 4.9ltr V6 Gas/cng Engine, White, Single Cab, New Tires, on 2040-cars

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Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.

Chip Foose tastefully enhances his personal Ford GT

Typically, we'd expect a vehicle from 2006 to fall well short of a more modern vehicle, both in terms of performance and style. Of course, the Ford GT is not your average offering from the Bush era. That's doubly true when the 2006 GT in question belongs to one Chip Foose.
Purchased by his wife as a 50th birthday present, Foose is showing his custom, personalized GT at the 2014 SEMA Show. The 5.4-liter supercharged V8 breathes a bit easier thanks to a full Magnaflow Performance exhaust, but Foose's GT isn't all about the performance.
Instead, the car customizer extraordinaire has focused on tasteful aesthetic enhancement, tweaking the rear end by removing the bumper and trimming the frame extensions. The wheels, meanwhile, are one-off aluminum alloys, designed by Foose himself. Like the stripes, the wheels feature orange accenting.

GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler set target date for restarting production

The parking lot stands empty at Fiat Chrysler's sprawling Belvidere, Ill., assembly plant. / Getty Images   General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are targeting May 18 to resume some production at their U.S. factories after shutting down plants in March due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Wall Street Journal reported. Executives from the companies in recent days tentatively settled on the timeline following talks with United Auto Workers (UAW) leaders and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office, the Journal said on Monday, citing people familiar with the plans. The head of the UAW union last week warned it was "too soon and too risky" to reopen auto plants and Michigan's economy in early May, citing risks to workers. The companies are working with the union on drawing up safety protocols for reducing exposure risk for workers, but haven't finalized those terms yet, according to the WSJ report. GM, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and UAW did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.   Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Fiat Ford GM coronavirus