2014 Ford Fusion Se on 2040-cars

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Ford will keep Escape and MKC plant open an extra week to meet demand

Crossovers keep selling like popular pastries, and for Ford, that means it needs to keep production going. The company announced that, rather than the usual two-week shutdown, its Louisville, Ky., assembly plant will be open for one of those weeks. The plant builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC, which Ford reports have had record sales. According to Ford, Escape sales through May are up 3 percent, and MKC sales are up 10 percent compared with last year. In total, the Escape has sold about 130,000 units through May, and the MKC has sold around 11,000. Keeping the Louisville plant open will allow the company to build an additional 8,500 vehicles. Ford stated that all other assembly plants will continue with the two-week shutdown as scheduled. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Ford Escape: First Drive View 24 Photos Image Credit: Drew Phillips Plants/Manufacturing Ford Lincoln Crossover SUV Economy Cars Luxury lincoln mkc

Ford Focus RS ready to make our hot hatch dreams real

Ford's current hot hatch siblings the Fiesta ST and Focus ST are already two pretty great entries into the segment, but there's always a desire for a little more. Thankfully, it looks like the Blue Oval is ready to satiate that need because it's continuing to test the even more powerful Focus RS around Europe. According to our spy shooters, these shots come from near the Nürburgring.
As with previous photos, Ford engineers continue to heavily camouflage the front end of the RS prototypes, but there's a big difference here. Unlike earlier ones, this example appears to have a closer-to-production-ready front bumper rather than just a horizontal strip for the license plate. That may point to development getting somewhat closer to wrapping up. Although, this one lacks the larger rear wing from prior testers, and the exhaust also appears to be a work in progress with the rear diffuser covered in mesh in these latest shots.
The RS is rumored to be using the 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the 2015 Mustang, but power is reportedly turned up from 310 horsepower in the 'Stang to somewhere between 325 hp and 350 hp for the Focus. Routing all that just through the front wheels could be a recipe for serious torque steer, and all-wheel drive is potentially being used for better traction.

Daily Driver: 2015 Ford Flex

The Ford Flex has been around. It's not T-Rex or even Model T old, but still; it's been hauling people and stuff since 2008 without a major redesign. That's quite a long time in the car world. Sales have been sliding the last couple of years, and the Flex is now considered a niche player in the crossover-centric US auto market. But that doesn't mean it's still not a pretty good vehicle for its purpose: If you need to haul people and stuff, there are few better choices. Some even think it's a guilty pleasure. I spent a winter afternoon tooling around suburban Detroit in a handsomely equipped Flex Limited. We're talking the 3.5-liter EcoBoosted V6 with 365 horsepower and all-wheel drive. Inside, there were big comfy seats, lots of leather, acres of storage space and even a built-in refrigerator. The drive ended up being surprisingly fun. If there's such a thing as a hot-rod minivan, this is it. I also got noticed. The Flex's boxy design has aged well. It's still polarizing, but there aren't many contemporary vehicles that look like a Flex. So if you've ever seen a Flex on the road, and thought: "Man, that thing is big. I wonder what it's like to drive that?" Now's your chance to find out.