Henry Ford racing Alexander Winton, crazy hot headed young hooligans, they must have reached speeds in the 40's (whoopee!)

found on http://edwardianera.tumblr.com/page/67

the drastic effect of the assembly line technique

The large-scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by Ransom Olds at his Oldsmobile factory in 1902. The assembly line style of mass production and interchangeable parts had been pioneered in the U.S. by Thomas Blanchard in 1821, at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. This concept was greatly expanded by Henry Ford, beginning in 1914.

As a result, Ford's cars came off the line in fifteen minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, increasing productivity eightfold (requiring 12.5 man-hours before, 1 hour 33 minutes after), while using less manpower. It was so successful, paint became a bottleneck. Only Japan black would dry fast enough, forcing the company to drop the variety of colors available before 1914, until fast-drying Duco lacquer was developed in 1926. This is the source of Ford's apocryphal remark, "any color as long as it's black". In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay.

Ford's complex safety procedures—especially assigning each worker to a specific location instead of allowing them to roam about—dramatically reduced the rate of injury. The combination of high wages and high efficiency is called "Fordism," and was copied by most major industries. The efficiency gains from the assembly line also coincided with the economic rise of the United States. The assembly line forced workers to work at a certain pace with very repetitive motions which led to more output per worker while other countries were using "less productive methods". (higher quality work from master mechanics, master carpenters, master craftsmen were forced out of auto manufacturing, replaced by unskilled labor at drastically less per hour) http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2007/07/changing-times-in-auto-industry.html

In the automotive industry, its success was dominating, and quickly spread worldwide seeing the founding of Ford France and Ford Britain in 1911, Ford Denmark 1923, Ford Germany 1925; in 1921, Citroen was the first native European manufacturer to adopt the production method. Soon, companies had to have assembly lines, or risk going broke; by 1930, 250 companies which did not, had disappeared.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile

US Government offers Concessions to Detroit Big 3's Trucks Models

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the US government is willing to allow carmakers to lower the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) of their future trucks and SUVs at a slower rate than normal cars.
In return, the Obama administration wants to reach a deal by early next week that will allow the government to improve mileage standards from today’s target of 35.5 mpg (6.6 lt/100 km) by 2016 to 56 mpg (4.2 lt/100 km) by 2025 for both cars and light trucks, leaving the automakers a longer period of time to bring their large trucks, pickups and SUVs in line.

New Gen Y Buyer Survey Spells Trouble for Detroit

Auto pricing website TrueCar studied the car buying behaviour of four million Gen Y (18 to 27 year-old) over a twenty-four month period and here’s what they found.
Scion took the crown for top brand, with 37.4% of the market and for top model (the tC coupe), with 21.2%, while second place went to Mitsubishi (32.1%) and their Lancer sedan (20.3%).
Mazda was the third most visited brand for Gen Y buyers, though only 17th in terms of model. The top four vehicle choices were Japanese, with a German in seventh place and a South Korean in ninth.

It Came From eBay Hell: Mercury Cougar Based Bugatti Veyron Replica

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. Of all the cars I’ve featured in “It Came From eBay Hell”, this one takes the cake. It’s a 2002 Mercury Cougar with 120,000 miles (193,120 kilometres) on the clock, though that’s not what makes it special. No, what makes it special is the composite and fibreglass Bugatti Veyron body draped over it.
That’s right: it’s a Cougatti Vercuryon! Not only does this modern masterpiece come with (Walmart™ Brand) 20-inch rims, two-tone paint and leather everything, it also comes with all the stuff that made the Mercury Cougar the modern classic it is today

Union of Concerned Scientists Releases 2011 Hybrid Scorecard: Prius = Good, Touareg Hybrid = Bad

The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology’s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans.
A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called “forced-feature premium”. The latter is features that don’t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.

Ford Mustang Exotica Hides an Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Under its Hood [with Video]

We’re pretty sure that, during the time Aston Martin was under the ownership of Ford, the thought of stuffing an exotic V12 powerplant under the bonnet of a Mustang must have crossed the mind of a few company engineers.
And while we never saw something of the sort officially from Ford, an independent custom shop actually realized the idea with the 2005 Ford Mustang 'Vanquishd' show car that was presented at the 2006 SEMA aftermarket gathering.
Built by Western Motorsports, this one-of-a-kind Mustang gets a 6.0-liter V12 engine with 600 ponies from a 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish. Power is sent to the chunky rear wheels through a 6 speed manual Tremec T-56 transmission.

Pickup Trucks Inventories Rising, Manufacturers are Worried

It seems like US carmakers are beginning to worry about the rising inventory of their big pickup trucks. For example, General Motors has an inventory of 122 days (or 4 months) of its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra according to a report from Reuters, or 50% higher than the typical industry inventory of 80 days.
But GM isn’t the only automaker in distress. Chrysler, Toyota and Ford also are behind their projected sales, with 93 days inventory for the first two makers and 79 days for the third respectively.

2011 Australian International Motor Show Photo Galore

Even though it’s not as famous as its Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo or Detroit counterparts, this year’s edition of the Australian Motor Show, which takes place in Melbourne from July 1 to 10, has some interesting debuts including the Mad Max Concepts pictured above as well as a number of new production and prototype models from the local divisions of General Motors (aka Holden) and Ford.
You can take a look at all the vehicles in our comprehensive photo gallery right after the break. For those of you interested in learning more about the Ford-badged Mad Max Interceptor prototypes, check out our previous post here.

Ford KA 2012

FORD KA 2012

O COMPACTO MAIS VENDIDO DA MARCA DO OVAL AZUL GANHA CARA NOVA E VERSÃO ESPORTIVA!

A vida do Ka sofreu uma reviravolta em 2008. O antigo compacto de quatro lugares cedeu espaço para um modelo feito para atender as necessidades do consumidor de carros populares, com espaço para passageiros e bagagem. O Ka virou um sucesso e rapidamente assumiu lugar de destaque na linha de produtos da Ford.


Por isso, é fácil entender a atenção dedicada na primeira reestilização feita no modelo que hoje responde por 19% das vendas da Ford. As principais mudanças foram realizadas na frente, que ganhou novo para-choque e faróis com máscara negra. Atrás, as lanternas do Ka trocaram as lentes vermelhas por um conjunto transparente e o para-choque ganhou um aplique preto com dois refletores na parte inferior. As calotas e rodas de liga leve de 14 polegadas também são novas.

Olhando por dentro é mais difícil reparar nas alterações. A principal delas foi a adoção da iluminação branca, que substitui a antiga de tom esverdeado. O revestimento dos bancos e painéis de porta é inédito e algumas partes do painel receberam pintura prateada. As palhetas dos limpadores do para-brisa agora são do tipo flat-blade - mais eficientes e silenciosas - e o compacto também recebeu mudanças na suspensão, que ganhou borrachas no batente superior. Segundo a Ford, a alteração visa melhorar o isolamento acústico do veículo.

Mas a grande novidade do Ka 2012 é o reposicionamento da versão com motor 1.6. A partir de agosto, o propulsor é oferecido na versão Sport, equipada com spoiler dianteiro, saias laterais, aerofólio e rodas de liga leve de 15 polegadas. Chama muita atenção a decoração do carro, com a opção de uma exclusiva cor laranja e faixas decorativas em preto fosco (nas cores preta e vermelha as faixas são brancas) inspiradas no Mustang Boss. O interior tem acabamento exclusivo, com o logotipo Sport nos bancos.

No que diz respeito ao desempenho, o Ka 2012 também evoluiu. O motor Zetec RoCam 1.0 atinge a velocidade máxima de 162 km/h com etanol e 160 km/h quando abastecido com gasolina. No caso do propulsor 1.6, os números sobem para 181 km/h e 178 km/h. Os preços do Ka 2012 começam em 24.500 reais sem opcionais. A versão Sport custa a partir de 35.900 reais.

FOTOS:

O para-choque ganhou nova grade e entrada de ar trapezoidal

A mudança renovou o visual do Ka

As rodas de liga leve também foram modificadas

Na parte de trás, as lanternas translúcidas se destacam

O interior ganhou iluminação branca nos instrumentos

O painel exibe grafismo inédito

A versão Sport é a maior novidade do Ka 2012

As faixas decorativas foram inspiradas no Mustang

O aerofólio traseiro não nega o caráter esportivo

Os bancos são diferenciados e decorados com o logotipo Sport.

Fonte:Quatro Rodas

No doors needed when it looks this good

Ford Asks: What Should the Focus EV Sound Like?

So the all-electric Ford Focus EV is landing stateside in late 2011 to snub its nose at the likes of the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i MiEV with its utterly conventional name that’s not even an acronym.
Now Ford is asking its most important shareholders (the general public) what the Focus EV should sound like, as there are members of the world community that think silent cars are a danger to the blind and the deaf.

U.K.’s Auto Industry to Young People: Be an Engineer!

Twenty-three of the U.K.’s car and component factories have opened their doors to teachers and students alike in a renewed bid to entice young people into automotive and manufacturing engineering. At the annual summit of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Tony Walker – Toyota Motor Manufacturing U.K.’s deputy managing director – said:
“The industry today is hi-tech. There are no oily rags. There are no smoke stacks. It is an inspirational and an aspirational place to be.”
In fact, carmakers are eager to point out just how fun and lucrative engineering can be. It’s all part of the U.K. government’s push to shift its focus away from financial services after the deadly Global Financial Crisis of 2007.

Only for Europe: New Ford Fiesta Sport Special Edition

Building on the success of the European market Fiesta Sport + (called the 1600S in the UK and Sport S in Germany) that was launched this past February, Ford has unleashed a new Sport Special Edition that includes further enhancements inside and out.
The latest sporty Fiesta is available with two engine options, the most potent of which is the 1.6-liter Duratec Ti-VCT petrol unit delivering 134-horses and 160Nm torque at 4,250rpm.

Finally another great Trans Am race car transporter

Found on http://www.gt40s.com/forum/original-gt40s/30147-original-race-car-transporters.html

Former U.S. Ford Police Interceptors find New Life in Britain as "Rare American Muscle"

You know what they say: “One man’s trash is another man's treasure”. While police forces in the U.S. are rapidly replacing their Ford Crown Victoria Interceptors with the latest batch of patrol vehicles from Detroit’s Big 3 including the Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Caprice and Dodge Charger, the Blue Oval’s geriatric model is finding a new life in the UK as a quirky alternative to those who want to stand out from the crowd.
The perpetrator in this case is a UK-based company named “USA Cop Cars Ltd”, which has recently started bringing fully refurbished 2009 and 2010 Ford P71 Police ‘Interceptor’ law enforcement cars into Britain.
The British firm describes the Crown Victoria as a rare “muscle car with a difference”. If that hasn’t put a smile to your face, maybe this will: the used Ford Police Interceptors carry a price tag between £23,000 and £29,000 or about US$37,000 and US$46,700!

FPV’s Murdered-Out Falcon GT Concept with Supercharged Boss 5.0 V8 Debuts in Melbourne

Not to be outdone by rival Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) unleashed its first-ever concept car at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne.
Unlike HSV and its Black Edition Clubsport and Maloo R8s, FPV went for an all-blacked out look for its bespoke GT muscle car, which is based on the local market, rear-wheel drive Falcon sedan.

Ford to Baby Boomers: We Get that You’re Old and Feeble and Can’t Read Small Fonts

*This article has been (patronizingly) posted in a larger-than-normal font for our older readers

From next year, the fonts in Ford’s Edge and Explorer SUV models will be some 40% larger as well as thicker. The reason? Baby Boomers have poor eyesight. No, really, Ford’s done a study and everything. The bigger fonts will extend to interior display screens control and A/C controls, and will gradually be rolled out onto other models in the Ford range in coming years.
In a statement on their website, Ford expressed its desire to make it, “easier for people of all ages, particularly aging Baby Boomers, to read display fonts.” Ah, like the little boy or girl who flat-out tells his grandparents that they’re old and wrinkly, Ford has snagged upon that babying / slow and loud way anyone under the age of 30 speak to anyone over the age of 50:
“YES, MRS. JOHNSON. THE WEATHER IS NICE TODAY. DO YOU THINK YOU’LL GO DOWN TO THE PARK?”

Ford: More than 50,000 Cars with 1.6-liter EcoBoost Engine Sold in Europe

Since its introduction in late 2010, Ford’s new 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine has proven to be a hit with European consumers having sold more than 50,000 units. The engine, which is manufactured in Ford’s UK Bridgend plant, is available in six different models (Focus, Mondeo, C-MAX, Grand C-MAX, S-MAX and Galaxy). The company attributes its success to its blend of performance, economy and low CO2 emissions.

Ford Gives Japan Special Edition Mustang V6 Sport Appearance

America’s second favorite muscle car after the Camaro (in terms of 2011 sales as Chevy’s model has outsold Ford’s pony car by around 33 percent through May, according to the latest data), is being offered in Japan in a limited edition version called the “Mustang V6 Sport Appearance”.