1930 Model A Ford on 2040-cars

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Ford, Alcoa announce next generation of aluminum lightweighting for F-150

Ford likes what it has seen with the use of aluminum in its world-beating F-150 pickup trucks. Now, the Blue Oval is working with Alcoa to use that company's Micromill material to increase the amount of aluminum in Ford vehicles. In fact, Ford will start using Micromill on 2016 model-year F-150s later this year, and will double the material's use in 2017. The purpose, as you might suspect, is light weighting, which allows Ford to boost towing capacity while adding as little weight as possible. Ford will be the first automaker to use Micromill, and will use it in both structural components and exterior panels. Micromill's rolling-mill system cuts the time it takes to turn molten metal into coil to 20 minutes from about 20 days. Already, Ford has had positive results by using aluminum on its leading pickup truck model. In April, it was announced that the 2015 Ford F-150 achieved a five-star Overall Vehicle Score in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's testing. Safety features like inflatable seat belts, adaptive steering columns and a forward collision warning system helped matters. General Motors may have taken note of those results, even after running an ad campaign touting its continued use of steel over aluminum. Last month, GM said it would sink $877 million into its Flint, MI, truck factory. Reuters said much of the expense was to convert many of the bodies for models like the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups into aluminum. You can take a look at Ford's press release below. Ford Motor Company and Alcoa Inc. are collaborating to produce next-generation automotive aluminum alloys that are more formable and design-friendly. Ford will use Alcoa's Micromill® material in multiple components on the 2016 F-150 – becoming the first automaker to use the advanced automotive aluminum commercially. The companies entered into a joint development agreement to collaborate on next-generation aluminum alloys for automotive parts using Micromill™ technology. ''Light-weighting enables us to design vehicles with great customer attributes – like the F-150, which can tow more, haul more, accelerate quicker and stop faster than the previous F-150, and is more fuel-efficient than ever," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president and chief technical officer, Global Product Development.

Shelby GT350 to be auctioned for charity at Barrett-Jackson in January

If you just have to be the first person in the world to possess the latest Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang, then you need to be bidding during the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ, on January 17. That's because Ford is offering the chance to own the inaugural production example of its latest premiere pony car there. The buyer of the first GT350 gets to choose from any color and all of the available packages for their car. Although, the real highlight is probably being among the first to listen to the 5.2-liter V8 under the hood with its flat-plane crankshaft. Ford promises that the mill makes over 500 horsepower and more than 400 pound-feet of torque. To sweeten the deal even further, all of the proceeds of the sale go to the JDRF, a charity that funds type 1 diabetes research. There's no reserve on the auction for the GT350 but don't expect a bargain. Last year, the first 2015 'Stang raised $300,000 for the JDRF at the Barrett-Jackson sale, and the initial Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 brought in $650,000 for charity. You can read Ford's entire announcement about the event below. FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO SELL NEW SHELBY GT350 MUSTANG AT BARRETT-JACKSON SCOTTSDALE AUCTION TO BENEFIT JDRF First publicly available production unit of the all-new Shelby GT350® Mustang to be auctioned by Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, with all proceeds benefiting JDRF Winning bidder will be able to choose from available colors and packages for Shelby GT350 Ford-sponsored ride-and-drives during the auction will feature a full lineup of 2015 vehicles Ford Motor Company will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Shelby GT350 Mustang by auctioning the first production unit of the new-generation car available to the public for charity at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona. All proceeds will benefit JDRF, the country's leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. Live coverage of the auction of the Shelby GT350 will air on Velocity on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. The winning bidder of lot No. 3008 – selling at No Reserve – will become owner of the coveted first retail production unit of Ford Shelby GT350, and choose from available Shelby GT350 colors and packages. In January 1964, Carroll Shelby and Ford Motor Company forever altered the automotive industry with the introduction of the GT350. It was offered through Ford dealers from 1965 through 1970.

Edmunds ranks the best used cars for 2013

When people ask us what car we would recommend for them, it's usually not easy to answer. To make a useful recommendation we must consider which of the numerous vehicle segments fits their needs best, and then choose one of the many vehicles offered in each segment. For some people, new cars don't meet their expectations of value, because they lose so much of it the moment they are purchased and driven off the dealer lot. For them, there's always the used-car market, where great deals can be found, but cars' histories of reliability and maintenance records - and perhaps that Certified Pre-Owned warranty - become ever-important factors playing into purchase choice.
To help out, Edmunds has done us the favor of assembling a list of the best used vehicles money can buy, covering model years 2006-2011, according to what it considers the most important criteria when shopping for used autos: reliability, safety, value and availability. That means unreliable, unsafe, super-expensive or limited-edition models don't appear on the list, but instead cars from each segment that are more likely to satisfy the general population.
There are some real goodies on the list, including but not limited to vehicles such as the capable Honda Fit, the cultish Honda Accord coupe (which can be had with a 240-horsepower V6 and a six-speed manual transmission some years), and the powerful Chevrolet Corvette. While Edmunds' choice of the Volvo C70 for best used convertible baffled us at first (not that it's a bad car), it redeemed itself by stating that the Mazda MX-5 still is an unofficial top choice if you don't require more than two seats.