Autoblog

The window sticker on a 2008 Navigator shows a mighty low 12 mpg in the city and only 18 on the highway, so Ford went back to the drawing board to improve on that number for this year. The Blue Oval's blinged-up luxury sled boasts a fuel friendlier average of 14/20 for 2009, a marginal improvement, but an improvement nonetheless. Ford says those numbers are good enough to put the Blue Oval at the head of the luxury SUV space that includes the Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX570 and Nissan QX56. Ford was able to increase fuel economy by almost 15% on the big SUV by implementing some of the same engineering tricks employed on the 2009 F-150, which itself gets up to 15/21 in SFE trim. Changes were made to the idle speed and the transmission, as well as some fancy software engineering that regulates gas consumption by using aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off.

Ford also made standard several items that were previously only available as options, including a power lift gate, heated and cooled front seats, PowerFold third-row seats, cap-less fuel filler, Rear View Camera, flexible fuel-capable V-8 engine, SYNC and the stunning 14-speaker THX II-Certified audio system. The 2009 Navigator will also be available with Ford's new and improved navigation system with Travel Link. Ford hasn't announced any improvements for the Expedition, but we'd expect Ford's blue collar version of the Navigator will receive similar fuel economy enhancements. Hit the jump to view Ford's press release, which includes the full list of now standard features.

[Source: Ford]

The Detroit Free Press laid out ten industry-redefining cars, and we're, well, a little perplexed. This is the definition, in the paper's own words: "a handful of new vehicles that debut over the next 12 months may shape the future of automakers around the world. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some break new ground for their manufacturers. Others aim to reassert companies' dominance in market segments they created."

We don't believe they are ranked in any order, but first up is the Audi A4, with a "beautifully balanced chassis" and bargain price that could put the shakes into everyone from BMW to Acura. The Chevy Traverse might outsell the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and Buick Enclave combined. The new Dodge Ram will be ultra smooth, the new Ford F-150 will be more frugal. And so on...

While all of these are worthy accomplishments, none of them -- not even the 2010 Prius nor the 2010 Lincoln MKT -- appears to have any claim to redefining the industry. But follow the link and see for yourself. Maybe we missed something.

[Source: Detroit Free Press via Chevy Traverse Forum]

Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, has confirmed that the Lincoln MKT crossover is due to be reveal this January at the Detroit Auto Show, while a refreshed MKZ will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Show in November.

We already knew the Ford Flex-based CUV was headed to Detroit, with power provided by either a 3.7-liter or a 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6. Both six- and seven-passenger seating arrangements will be offered, along with Blind Spot Monitoring and a Cross Traffic Alert system which utilizes two sonar modules to notify drivers that a vehicle has moved into their blind spot by shining a light on the corresponding outside mirror. Sales are expected to begin later in 2009 and Ford is insistent that the MKT won't share any body panels with its platform sibling.

The facelifted MKZ sedan will sport the new split-wing grille originally found on the MKR concept. New taillights are also rumored to be part of the package and sales should begin later this year or early in 2009.


[Source: MotorTrend]

Automotive News sat down with Derrick Kuzak, Lincoln's product development chief, to discuss what lies ahead for Ford's erstwhile luxury marque, and Kuzak was quoted as saying, "We do think that there is room for a smaller car in the Lincoln brand," but he was unable to provide any hard details on what – if anything – is planned.

Lincoln surely has a slot to fill below the MKZ sedan (think 1-series or compact Caddy competitor), but Kuzak said in the past that Mercury will be repositioned to fill the gap between Ford and Lincoln, with a focus on smaller, premium cars. If that plan has any chance of success, Lincoln has no business getting into the compact marketplace. Ford's mid-level luxury brands are in desperate need of definition, but brand overlap seems to be de rigueur for the domestics, and if a compact Lincoln comes to fruition the cannibalization will continue unabated.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

2008 has been a historically woeful year for the auto market, but Ford dealers have been in the crosshairs of a sales decline for over a decade. That brutal reality, along with financial incentives of up to $700,000 or more from the Blue Oval, has lead to the closure of over 500 dealers since mid-2006, and over 150 so far in 2008. To close still more dealers while giving remaining stores a heads-up of future happenings, Ford is embarking on a series of meetings with Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers. Among the topics of discussion will be future products, product volume and market conditions.

Though Ford isn't stating publicly how many dealerships it wishes to close, the Blue Oval is hoping to have enough departures to make the remaining dealerships healthy. Ford would like to see Ford brand dealers with 1,500 sales per month and Lincoln Mercury dealers with 600 sales per month, which is far higher than what Ford's 3,900 stores are averaging now. To help entice dealers to hang up their plaid sport coats, Ford will be offering cash incentives, but Ford Market Representation Director David Kelleher is hinting that those deals won't last long.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd, Photo by Scott Olson/Getty]

Only a few days after Ford officially confirmed that the seven-seat crossover everyone already knew was coming was indeed coming, a preproduction mule of the Lincoln MKT has been spotted in the wild. Ford promised that the MKT would look nothing like its Ford Flex sibling, and a quick glance at these spy pics prove that to be the case. In fact, the well-covered MKT development vehicle looks an awful lot like the MKT concept from the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.

Up front the new Lincoln split grille is visible under the bra, along with the same headlight shape as the concept. The concept's love it or hate it belt-line also appears to be carry over to production, as well as the curvy C-pillar. The production MKT also appears to have a glass roof, though it doesn't look as dramatic as the concept. One thing the MKT appears to have in common with the Flex is its relatively low ride height and massive wheels, which helps the Lincoln crossover keep the retro Ford's wagon-like stance.

Spy photographers also got a shot of the MKT's interior, which shows off some good looking blonde wood and the familiar Lincoln center stack. Its material quality should be at least as good as the Flex, if not better.

The MKT is expected to hit production next year with power coming from Lincoln's exclusive 3.7L V6 that also does duty in the new MKS sedan. Ford has also announced that the MKT will receive an Ecoboost engine, which should give the unique-looking crossover upwards of 340 horsepower.

[Source: Automobile Mag]

Click on the pic above for our high-res 2009 Ford F-150 gallery

As staggering as it may seem, the 2008 Ford F-150 pickup can be ordered in billions of different combinations. That's all going to change for 2009. In an effort to reduce complexity and cut spiraling costs in the process, Ford will be slashing the number of possible F-150 configurations by 90 percent. The automaker isn't leaving the rest of the lineup alone either. The Ford Expedition goes from 250,000 combos down to fewer than 10,000. The 2009 Lincoln MKS debuts with about 300 combinations, and the 2010 Ford Focus will offer only about 150, which is 95 percent fewer than the current model. Are you in the market for a 2009 Ford F-150 and worried that you won't be able to get it exactly the way you want? Don't fret, Ford will still offer more than 9 million combinations for next year's model, including a brown one we presume.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

Ford has been touting Ecoboost as an economical alternative to hybrid technology, and word from Automotive News is that the price tag could be $700 per vehicle. Ecoboost is said to deliver 20-30% fuel economy gains by combining turbochargers and direct injection technology with down-sized engines. The automaker also estimates that owners will pay off their Ecoboost premium in two year's time at $3.25 per gallon gasoline and 15,000 miles of driving per year. Since $3.25 is at the optimistic end of the gas equation, we're thinking Ecoboost could likely pay for itself before that. While hybrids might be able to post higher fuel economy numbers than vehicles equipped with this off-the-shelf technology, consumers should pay less for each mile per gallon they gain going with a similarly sized Ecoboost-equipped Ford.

Brett Hinds, Ford's advanced engine design manager, said the 3.5L V6 Ecoboost slated for F-150 duty in 2010 would produce "significantly more" than 340 hp and 340 lb-ft, which easily bests the 300 ponies delivered by the truck's current top shelf 5.4L V8. A similar story will unfold with boosted four-pots, as V6 power is attainable with small displacement fuel economy. We've also learned that Ecoboost engines with a V6 will receive two turbochargers, while four cylinder models will only get one. Throw that 3.5L V6 Ecoboost in a Mustang and hand us the keys, then we'll decide.

UPDATE: Ford has not officially announced Ecoboost pricing.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lincoln MKT concept.

As reported earlier, Lincoln has given the MKT crossover the green-light, with the production version set to debut in Detroit this January and sales beginning sometime next year.

The MKT is built atop the same platform as the Ford Flex, but Lincoln insists that the two models won't share a single body panel. Power will be provided by either a 3.7-liter V6 or a 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, equipped with direct-injection and a turbocharger, however a hybrid drivetrain will not be offered. A six-speed automatic gearbox, complete with paddle shifters, will be standard, along with seven-passenger seating, a power-folding third-row seat, heated and cooled, first- and second-row thrones and the SYNC in-car entertainment system. Options will include a new sat-nav, Sirius Travel Link, an auto-park feature (similar to that found on the Lexus LS460) and a Cross Traffic Alert system that alerts drivers to obstacles when backing out of a parking space.

Make the jump for the press release.


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Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lincoln MKT concept.

We've been waiting for an official production announcement of the Lincoln MKT since the concept was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, and according to Automotive News and the Wall Street Journal, that confirmation comes today. The Ford Flex-based crossover will give Lincoln a seven-seat CUV to compete with the Acura MDX and the Audi Q7, while providing customers a more fuel efficient alternative to the Navigator. The production MKT will share none of the Flex's boxy sheet metal, but the mechanicals will be very similar. The MKT will launch with either the 3.5L V6 from the Flex or the bored-out 3.7L version from the MKS sedan. The MKT will get Ecoboost at some point in its production run, but Ford hasn't released a date yet. Ford plans to build approximately 25k Lincoln MKTs annually, and production is slated to begin next year.


[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]