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2016 Ford F-150 Limited 4x4 to start at nearly $62,000

The starting price of the top-of-the-line Ford F-150 has crested the $60,000 mark. This was, to be entirely honest, a long time coming, as consumers have shown a willingness to gobble up increasingly lavish pickups over the past five to ten years. According to Cars Direct, the four-wheel-drive-equipped 2016 F-150 Limited rings up at $61,905, or just $15 less than Ford's previous range-topping luxury model, the Lincoln Navigator. Of course, you can get a cheaper Limited if you really needed to. Opting for just rear-wheel drive will lower the price to $58,480. Not only do these figures eclipse the price of any other F-150 before them, they easily exceed the starting figures of competitive luxury pickups. The previous top-of-the-line, F-150 starts at just $52,780, while the two-wheel-drive competitors from GMC, Chevrolet, and Ram – the Sierra Denali, Silveardo High Country, and 1500 Limited – start at $51,210, $49,810, and $51,870, respectively. The new F-150 model adds plenty of bling – there's "LIMITED" lettering on the hood and big, bold, 22-inch wheels – along with power running boards, a panoramic roof, heated/cooled/massaging Mojave leather seats, blind-spot monitoring, and a 360-degree camera. Related Video:

Ford preparing camera-based Front Lighting System

Ford's European Research and Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany is in pre-development on two new lighting technologies that Ford expects to be available "in the near-term." The Camera-Based Advanced Front Lighting System uses GPS and a video camera in the rear-view mirror housing to move the adaptive headlights with the road terrain. When the car detects a roundabout or an intersection, for instance, the light beam widens to offer a bigger view of what's coming from the side. If GPS detected the intersection, the location is tagged so that the beam automatically widens when it is encountered again. The Spot Lighting system uses an infrared camera behind the grille, and is similar to but less complex than systems employed by Mercedes-Benz and Audi. When the infrared camera detects a potential hazard like a person or an animal in or near the road up to 390 feet ahead, it can shine one of two LED spotlights on the danger. A display in the dash cluster will highlight the object with a yellow or a red box, depending on the how close it is and how dangerous it might be. Even though there are only two spotlights, mounted next to the fog lights on the lower front bumper, the system can detect up to eight objects at a time. Don't expect to see these features come to the US, though. Our regulations remain opposed to such headlight trickery, so until that changes, Ford says it's focusing these developments on the European and Asian markets. The video above shows how it works, the press release below has more details. FORD DEVELOPING ADVANCED HEADLIGHTS THAT POINT OUT PEOPLE, ANIMALS IN THE DARK, AND WIDEN BEAMS AT TRICKY JUNCTIONS - Ford is developing advanced lighting technology that enables drivers to more easily see potential hazards when driving at night - Camera-Based Advanced Front Lighting System widens beam at junctions and roundabouts after interpreting traffic signs - GPS-enabled system uses forward-facing camera to remember roadways and direct lighting to help drivers better see bends in the road – effectively lighting the way home on previously travelled routes - Spot Lighting uses infra-red camera to detect pedestrians, cyclists, and animals, and highlight the potential hazards; system can detect up to eight potential hazards and highlight two highest priorities using specially designed headlights and on-screen display AACHEN, Germany, July 17, 2015 – Driving at night, particularly on unlit roads, can be a nerve-wracking experience.

Ford director says company has big efficiency plans, but no dedicated EV

The annual autofest known as the North American International Auto Show previews a plethora of exciting new products that we'll see and drive later in the year, from tiny urban commuters to family sedans and crossovers to hard-working big pickups and SUVs. It's also a once-a-year cornucopia of auto executives and leaders from around the world. "There will be some really fun stuff that you'll hear about in the future" - Ford's Kevin Layden So, in-between dozens of cool new-product unveilings on rotating stages during the two press days preceding the public show, we auto scribes grab what planned and impromptu interviews we can. Sessions with top industry leaders can be hard to get, but I was able to score a seat in a group session with then-General Motors North America president (now executive VP of global product development) Mark Reuss, and I also managed brief one-on-ones with a trio of vehicle electrification leaders, one each from Ford, BMW and GM, and what they said then remains relevant now. First up is Kevin Layden, Ford's Director of Electrified Powertrain Engineering. ABG: Where will Ford go beyond its current Focus EV and hybrids, and will there be a Ford EV and/or hybrid on its own energy-optimized platform one day. KL: We don't want to do a dedicated electric vehicle with all the development costs borne by a niche product. At the Michigan Assembly plant right now we're building the Focus electric, PHEV and EcoBoost on the same assembly line. Also the C-Max, with both a hybrid and an Energi plug-in, and we use that same power pack in the Fusion Hybrid and Energi. We want to be, "The power of choice" [a Ford marketing slogan], so having that choice for customers is very important. And if I want to sell the Fusion, Focus and C-Max globally, we can use these power packs wherever it makes sense. So as we go forward, you'll see us proliferating the power packs we have today. Then the question is, what do we do next? There will be some really fun stuff that you'll hear about in the future. ABG: Is the efficiency difference between a dedicated ultra-efficient vehicle platform and a shared multi-use platform getting smaller as all platforms get more efficient? KL: Exactly. Were going through aero studies now on wheels and tires and hood sealers on base vehicles. We have full aerodynamic wind tunnel studies going on with the base Focus and C-Max, so all of that [aerodynamic improvement] will be there for EVs.