1962 Ford Fairlane 500 Sports Coupe on 2040-cars

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Ford will build Hackmobile out of Transit Connect Wagon

What you see in the above image is a rendering of the Hackmobile Transit Connect Wagon. What is that? It's a "mobile fabrication and hacking unit" that includes tools for metal- and woodworking, 3D and electronics fabrication, a three-axis CNC machine called "The Fabber," a video projector and screen, an air compressor, an 84x48-inch work surface that folds out like a Murphy bed and oh so much more. When not in use, all of the implements fold neatly into the back of Ford's award-winning van.
But perhaps the more important question is why is that? Because Make Magazine held an Ultimate Maker Vehicle Challenge in conjunction with Ford in which ten teams created were charged with creating "the ultimate Ford Transit Connect Wagon for the do-it-yourself enthusiast." Team Twin Cities Maker won the competition with the Hackmobile, and in addition to winning $10,000, Ford has declared it's actually going to build the thing - which is great, because if they can actually engineer a road-legal Hackmobile Transit Connect Wagon as envisioned, the inevitable A-Team movie reboot might need to think about including it.
Check out the video below for a cheeky walk-through of the Hackmobile, and get all the particulars in the press release below that.

Here are the best-selling cars and trucks from January 2015

Every month, Autoblog slogs through all the sales figures reported by automakers that do business in the United States, and, after a little bit of sorting, we put it into an easy-to-read chart in an attempt to make it as easy as possible to follow the ins and outs of sales and shipments. But that only covers the brands themselves, not the individual models they sell. And we think you'd all be interested in knowing which vehicles beat their rivals in sales from month to month, so we've put together this handy gallery to keep you in the know. While the leader of the pack may not come as much of a surprise, the order that the top ten finishes in changes frequently – due to automaker deals, the price of gas, etc. – and we've included some statistics to help you see how their current performance stacks up to month's past. Click here to see January 2015's Top Ten Best-Selling Cars And Trucks In America. By the Numbers Chevrolet Ford GM Honda Nissan RAM Toyota Car Buying

IIHS crash tests second F-150 bodystyle

Sometimes, being the king comes with some extra scrutiny. At the urging of Automotive News, the Ford F-150 is the first truck to have multiple cab configurations crash tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. According to Automotive News, IIHS was preparing to release the crash-test report on the 2015 F-150 after the safety watchdog evaluated the popular, four-door SuperCrew body. However, the agency learned from AN that configuration contained steel bars welded around the front wheels for added protection. Those reinforcements aren't on the other cab variants, and IIHS is now going back to check a SuperCab without the strengthening to check its safety performance, as well. While the added bars might help the SuperCrew score better in the vital but difficult small-overlap front crash test, there's no guarantee that's their sole purpose. As the head of the IIHS crash lab Joe Nolan indicated to Automotive News, if Ford were just trying to beat the system the company could only put the reinforcement on the driver's side where the agency does the small-overlap test. Also, when the National Highway Travel Safety Administration checked the latest F-150, the Feds gave all three cab styles top, five-star overall ratings. Due to the additional testing, IIHS won't have the F-150's scores ready until July, according to Automotive News. Starting next year, the cab variants of other trucks will also starting being crash tested by the agency. Related Video: