1999 Ford F450 Bucket Truck With Versa Lift on 2040-cars

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Focus ST diesel variant coming, just don't look for it here

A few years back, Volkswagen made some waves when it announced the Golf GTD - a diesel-powered car that, aside from its ultra-efficient, ultra-torquey engine, was identical to the gas-powered GTI. That meant cosseting sport seats, larger wheels, sportier suspension, larger brakes and a body kit that made the GTD indistinguishable from the GTI, except for the three little letters on the back and in the grille.
Now, Ford is looking to replicate VW's success, with a diesel version of the Focus ST. According to Motor Trend, the diesel-powered ST will use a 2.0-liter, 182-horsepower four-cylinder. With an unspecified amount of torque on offer (we'd guess around 280 pound-feet), the diesel hot hatch should hit 62 miles per hour in about eight seconds.
The report, which originally comes from Auto Express, claims the ST Diesel was confirmed by Ford Chief Marketing Officer Mark Fields during this week's Geneva Motor Show. Not surprisingly, it doesn't appear there are any plans to bring a diesel-powered Focus of any kind to the US, let alone one that uses the suspension, steering and other items from the ST. Of course, if there's an official confirmation from Ford, we'll be sure to report on it.

Fewest vehicles ever found eligible for Most American survey

Once again, the most American car on the market is from an American brand. The Ford F-150 retained its number one spot in Cars.com's annual survey of the most American vehicles, trumping the Toyota Camry, which remains at number two.
Ford taking the top spot is small consolation, though, as the Detroit Three aren't too well represented here. General Motors scored a win at number seven, with the Chevrolet Corvette, while Chrysler squeaked in at number ten, with the Dodge Viper. Outside of those three vehicles, Toyota and Honda dominate the top ten.
What's most remarkable, though, is that there were so few cars available for this year's list.

Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator recalled for fire risk

Owners of some 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs are being urged to park their vehicles outdoors and away from structures until they can be taken to dealers for repairs. Ford issued a recall covering 39,000 vehicles due to engine fires under their hoods, and it's not certain at this point what's causing the flames to start. According to documents posted on the National Highway Safety Administration's website, "The remedy is still under development." Ford says it has reports of 16 under-hood fires, with 14 of those happening in vehicles owned by car rental companies. The fires can happen even while the engine isn't running. According to Ford, "Some customers have reported a burning smell and smoke from the front passenger engine compartment while driving." The fires seem to be starting "in the rear of the engine compartment near the passenger side of the vehicle." Despite the under-hood fire risk, Ford is not at this time recommending that owners stop driving the vehicles. "We are working around the clock to determine the root cause of this issue and subsequent remedy so that customers can continue to enjoy using their vehicles," Jeffrey Marentic, general manager of Ford passenger vehicles, said in a statement. Ford says the fires appear to be limited to SUVs built from Dec. 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021 and says it has no fire reports from vehicles built before or after those dates. In a separate recall, Ford is also calling in about 310,000 heavy-duty trucks because the driver's air bag may not inflate in a crash. That recall covers certain 2016 F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 trucks. According to documents posted by NHTSA, dust can get into the airbag wiring in the steering wheel, which can cut electricity to necessary components. To fix the problem, dealers will replace the steering wheel's wiring. And in a third recall, Ford announced it is bringing in 464 Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs from 2021. A software problem in the electric vehicle can cause unintended acceleration, deceleration or a loss of drive power in all-wheel-drive vehicles. NHTSA documents say that the powertrain control computer may not detect a software error. The problem will be fixed by dealers or by an online software update.