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Ford Ranger-based 7-seat SUV spotted testing

Ford looks to be working on a new SUV version of its global Ranger pickup truck. An early prototype of a seven-passenger SUV based on the Ranger has been spotted testing in Australia, and word has it buyers in the region could expect to see the model in showrooms as soon as 2014, where it could sail under the Endeavour or Everest badges. Ford Australia currently sells the Territory SUV, so there's some chance that this model could be a successor to that throne, as well.
Whatever it's called, the long-roof Ranger will feature a shorter wheelbase and more ground clearance than its pickup twin, giving the machine a bit more off-road functionality. (And here we thought we couldn't want the global Ranger any more than we already do.) While this particular vehicle sports a Territory back half grafted onto a Ranger front end, odds are a public reveal of the finished product could occur as soon as the second half of 2014, making it a 2015 model. Head over to Carsguide.com.au for a closer look.

Yearly auto recall record demolished in 6 months

With nearly 40 million vehicles under repair campaigns and counting, 2014 will almost certainly go down as the year of the automotive recall. At just past the halfway mark, we are already at record levels, and there aren't any signs that the epidemic is slowing. General Motors' latest 8.4 million vehicle recall in the US puts the industry over the top for the title of the most cars with fixes pending from automakers ever. That's a prize no one ever wants to receive. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the US recall total has hit 39.85-million vehicles to surpass the previous record of 33.01 million in 2004. Perhaps more surprising, with over 26 million repairs pending, it's still quite possibly that GM could recall more vehicles by the end of the year than the 27.96-million unit total of the entire US auto industry last year. With over 40 campaigns under its belt in 2014, the roughly one million cars it would take would hardly come as a surprise at this point, especially with increased government scrutiny into the Detroit automaker's processes. The pace of recalls started off relatively normal this year, with just a smattering of campaigns. The most surprising early on was Aston Martin calling in about 75 percent of its output since 2007 due to counterfeit plastic, but with just a few thousand cars, it was relatively tiny in pure numbers. GM really kicked things off soon after, but we didn't know it at the time. It issued its first bulletin for 778,000 Cobalt compacts in early February. Things only ballooned from there as more models were added to its growing ignition switch problem. The onslaught of announcements from every major automaker hasn't abated since then. Some industry executives are trying to put a positive spin on the situation. "With what's transpired (in recent months), there's a higher level of scrutiny," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of the Americas, to TheDetroitBureau.com. He believes that automakers are looking at data much more thoroughly than before, and it means better customer safety. Still, many consumers probably wish these problems had been found before their car went on sale.

2021 Ford Escape PHEV finally reaches dealers

Last October – which feels like both five minutes and five years ago – Ford had to push the Escape PHEV sales date back to this year. The holdup arose because Ford had to recall the Escape's European twin, the Kuga PHEV, over a fire risk thought to center on the high-voltage battery. At the time, a Ford spokesperson said, "We are moving full scale production of Escape PHEV to the 2021 model year. The first Escape PHEVs will be sold next year." With just three months left in 2021, a Ford spokesperson confirmed to Ford Authority that the Escape PHEV has finally made it to dealer lots. The end of the Escape PHEV's long and winding road comes about a week after the Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring reached dealers. The compact luxury plug-in hybrid debuted at the 2019 LA Auto Show and was intended to go on sale in the summer of last year. But because it uses the same powertain as in the Escape, Ford had to delay the Lincoln as well.  Now that you can finally buy them, here's the quick recap. Both start with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-4 and an electric motor powering the front wheels, and a 14.4-kWh battery providing juice. The Escape makes 200 horsepower, can go 37 miles on all-electric driving, is EPA-rated at 105 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe), and returns a combined 40 mpg if the battery's dead. It starts at $34,320 before incentives. The Lincoln adds an electric motor with a single-speed transmission to power the rear wheels, as Toyota has done with the all-wheel-drive Prius, RAV4 Hybrid and Lexus UX250h. Output in the Lincoln is 266 ponies, it manages 28 miles on pure electric driving, is EPA rated at 78 MPGe, and returns a combined 33 mpg on gasoline alone. It starts at $51,485 before incentives. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.