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Ford to kick off F-150 campaign during College Football Playoff

The long-awaited inaugural College Football Playoff will feature the nation's best college teams, with the Oregon Ducks taking on the Florida State Seminoles, and Alabama Crimson Tide facing some team from Ohio. On top of that, though, it'll also see the launch of the very first advertising campaign for the 2015 Ford F-150. Viewers from across the country will see a trio of ads featuring the all-aluminum truck, with two half-minute spots and a full 60-second commercial, all voiced by Denis Leary, touting the F-150's feature set and towing capacity, but passing on mentioning the new truck's class-leading fuel economy. That, Automotive News reports, isn't a miscue by Ford. The company simply didn't have enough time between the EPA's fuel economy announcement and the 2014-2015 Bowl Season to prepare a spot. Expect plenty on the F-150's fuel efficiency in future spots. Interestingly, though, AN is reporting future F-150 advertising won't include a Super Bowl appearance. Ford has made the decision to focus its new truck ads on college football rather than during the NFL championship. "From our point of view, there's no bigger stage to debut the F-150 creative than the College Football Playoff," Keith Koeppen, Ford's US marketing communications boss, told AN. "It's so closely aligned with the passions of our customer." It's those passions that are pushing Ford to kick off its ad campaign for a new truck so much earlier. Speaking to AN, Doug Scott, Ford's truck marketing manager, said that the automaker typically doesn't begin ad campaigns until its dealers have at least a fifty-fifty mix of old and new models, but that it's pushing the 2015 F-150's ads to fit with the college football playoffs. While Ford's focus is on the two semifinal playoff games on New Year's Day and the National Championship Game on January 12, the ads will actually air for the first time on New Year's Eve, when the TCU Horned Frogs face off against the Ole Miss Rebels in the Peach Bowl. The three spots will also be shown during other bowl games, as well. Featured Gallery 2015 Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost at Davis Dam News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Ford Marketing/Advertising Ford Truck ncaa

Translogic 180: Zombie 222 Electric '68 Mustang

Translogic heads to Austin, TX for a chance to drive the all-electric Zombie 222, a 1968 Ford Mustang converted by Mitch Medford and his team at Blood Shed Motors. "I wanted to start a company that would do nothing but specialize in converting vintage iconic cars into supercars," said Medford. The Zombie 222 has classic looks, but modern performance with over 800 horsepower and 1,800 ft-lbs of torque, making it the fastest electric car we've ever driven on Translogic. Those mind-blowing specs helped the Zombie 222 conquer the Texas Mile, setting the electric speed record at 174.2 miles per hour. "The Zombie 222 has been breaking electric records, said Medford. "Now it's time to break records—gas or electric." Next up for Medford and his Zombie 222 is a Kickstarter-funded attempt at 200 miles per hour. But first, we take a turn behind the wheel. Have an RSS feed? Click here to add Translogic. Follow Translogic on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley. Green Ford Alternative Fuels Coupe Electric Performance Translogic Videos Original Video

NHTSA closes probes on Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey

The Detroit News reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially closed its investigations into 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2004-2005 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey models. The separate probes found no issues that pose safety concerns. NHTSA began investigating certain Grand Cherokee SUVs over complaints that power steering hoses could detach during operation, thereby increasing the risk of a vehicle fire. Of the 24 reports of failure, none alleged smoke or fire in the engine bay, and Chrysler has since modified the power steering cooler assembly to reduce the likelihood of the failure.
Meanwhile, certain Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles garnered a government probe after receiving complaints that the models were equipped with faulty scissor jacks. The agency had received six reports of the jacks failing or causing injuries, including one incident that resulted in a fatality. But NHTSA says the jack failure rate is similar to those found in other vehicles. In those six cases, the government agency found the jacks were being used for something other than changing a tire, and investigators could not determine whether the emergency brake was set or the rear tires were properly chocked.