2013 Ford Transit Custom Cargo Van to Debut in Europe

Ford Transit Custom Cargo Van is perfect for you who often send goods between cities in your country, the Ford Transit Custom Cargo Van features a spacious interior, so that it can accommodate a lot of stuff.
Custom Tourneo passenger van to follow up shows earlier this year, Ford will introduce a new Custom Transit cargo van in Europe next week. Custom Transit makes its debut at the Birmingham Commercial Vehicles show in Britain, and went on sale in Europe later this year.

It's important to note that this is front-wheel drive van and rides on what Ford considered light-duty chassis. The new Ford Transit that will be sold in the U.S. market will be rear-wheel drive, boasts a tougher platform, and may have a more daring style that may echo that of the F-Series truck line. Ford said that more commercial vehicles to be launched in the coming months, and said that in 2014, the entire range of commercial vehicle brand will have been refreshed.

About 40 percent of the new Transit Custom body made of high strength steel, which helps make the vehicle both lighter and stronger. As a result, Ford said the new van is 37 percent stiffer than before, which will improve handling and reduce interior noise. There will be two different wheelbases, with good overall vehicle length of 195.7 inches or 210.2 inches.

Smart concession to be used as a cargo van starts a pass-through in the bulkhead, so long pipes or ladders to take part in the passenger compartment. The new sliding door Ford Transit is claimed is greater than the competition, and that the interior space between the fender is wider than in any other cargo van. There will also be folding roof rack, which can be easily stored when not in use, more convenient cargo area tie-down hooks, and "easy clean" surface of the floor.

Including improvements to driver comfort seats can be moved further to the rear, the new telescoping and tilting steering wheel, and Sync voice recognition software. Also new to Transit features such as backup camera, Lane Keeping Alert, and a feature that warns if it detects the driver's fatigue.
Power comes from Ford's 2.2-liter turbocharged diesel engine DuraTorq inline-four, with 98 hp, 123 hp and 153 hp flavors available. It's one most likely will be available in the United States-market Ford Transit; car maker has confirmed that the rear-wheel-drive Ford Transit we will show both an EcoBoost V-6 and diesel engines. European models also get the engine stop-start as standard.

Ford said that the service interval for the new Transit Custom is impressive for two years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first. Van has undergone a rigorous testing regime that involves slamming the door 250,000 times and driving at least 250,000 miles. These standards are significantly more punishing than the test using a Ford with a regular passenger car.

As previously announced, Ford reminds us that the American version of the new Transit, which is a model of a heavier-duty with a rear-wheel-drive, will be introduced before the end of 2012. That version of the Ford Transit will be sold globally. As a direct replacement for the aging E-Series/Econoline van, Ford said the new Transit will be 300 pounds lighter and 25 percent more fuel efficient than the E-Series.

Exterior and Interior 2013 Ford Transit Custom Cargo Van to Debut in Europe

 

Description: 2013 Ford Transit Custom Cargo Van to Debut in Europe
Rating: 3.5
Reviewer: Eman
ItemReviewed: 2013 Ford Transit Custom Cargo Van to Debut in Europe

Current Popularity of Hybrid Confuse Consumers

Rising prices of gasoline could be forcing many people to think about fuel economy when it’s time to buy a new car. And now, automakers are giving us more choices than ever.
Jessica Kartalija explains that hybrids are the hottest trend.
Everyone seems to be checking out the hybrid not just because the choice is environmentally sound, but also because it is easy on the wallet when it comes to prices at the pump.
If the cars showcased at the Motor Trend International Auto Show are any indication…
“More and more hybrids are going to be out on the road,” Mike Murphy of the Ford Motor Company said.
Hybrids like the Ford Fusion are drawing praise from consumers.
“You have a traditional electric charging station that will then power the engine through hybrid and then traditional gas,” Murphy said.

Drivers tired of riding the roller coaster at the gas pump say they’re looking to go green to save green.

“A lot of customers are frustrated and concerned and don’t know just where that top out is going to be with the gas, and this is great because you know how much you spend per kilowatt hour at home. It’s very clear on your bill,” Courtney Thomas of Nissan said.
The all-electric Nissan Leaf is one of the most popular cars on display at the Convention Center enticing consumers to help the environment. The IRS is offering rebates from $2,500 to $7,500 for consumers who buy green in 2012.
Additionally, almost all of the cars you see at the show this year are more fuel-efficient. They say 40 is the new 30 when it comes to gas mileage.
“If you walk around the show, you see very few V-8 engines any more,” Peter Kitzmiller, president of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association said. “They are all six cylinders or four cylinders. With the new technology given the same power but with significantly better gas mileage.”
With competition to go green heating up, automakers are getting competitive with pricing.
“It’s listed at $26,000 or $27,000, so I thought they would be more expensive,” said Dennis Woytowich, a driver who visited the Auto Show. “The Volt is considerably more for what I think is the same concept.”
Many luxury vehicles are also adding hybrids to their lines–Lexus, Mercedes and Porsche. We are also seeing a hybrid BMW.
The Auto Show is open to the public through Sunday.

Description: Current Popularity of Hybrid Confuse Consumers
Rating: 3.5
Reviewer: Eman
ItemReviewed: Current Popularity of Hybrid Confuse Consumers

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible: 650 Horsepower, 155 MPH Top Speed

Tomorrow during the first day of the 2012 Chicago Auto Show Ford, celebrating 20 years of SVT, will show off this: the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible.

As you could probably guess, this is the same basic car as the new Shelby GT500 we've been seeing for a few months now. It's got a 5.8-liter supercharged V8 cranking out an unbelievable-in-a-production-Mustang 650 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. (Rollin' in my 5.8 with the ragtop down so my hair can...abate? So much for my 90's rap career.) The

Ford says that the new Mustang is 3.5 seconds faster around Sebring International Raceway than the outgoing car when it is equipped with the Performance Package. The Performance pack includes SVT-designed Bilstein electronically adjustable dampers. A track pack is available on top of this wit an external oil cooler, rear diff cooler and a transmission cooler.

Once we got our heads around 650 horsepower in the GT500 coupe, we were thrown for another loop when Ford said it would do over 200 mph. The convertible won't do over 200; Ford has limited it to "only" 155.

Like the coupe, the only transmission available is a six-speed manual. We'll have more from the show floor tomorrow.

Description: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible: 650 Horsepower, 155 MPH Top Speed
Rating: 3.5
Reviewer: Eman
ItemReviewed: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible: 650 Horsepower, 155 MPH Top Speed

2013 Ford Fusion comes with a new style and new features

While Ford hasn’t revealed any new images of the upcoming Ford Fusion sedan, they have begun to leak some key features on the car.

For starters, we now know to expect a technology typically found on luxury vehicles, which Ford calls Lane Keeping Assist for its particular take on the concept. This technology is intended to help drowsy drivers in several ways to keep them from accidentally drifting into other lanes or off of the road entirely.

LKA works by utilizing a digital camera that is mounted in the rearview mirror attached to the windshield, detecting lane makers and monitoring the position of the car in relation to its respect lane. Should the system detect signs that the driver is possibly drowsy and drifting side to side in the lane, the system will first alert the driver with a chime sound, an icon on the dash and then a vibration in the steering wheel and a nudge back to the center of the lane thanks to the electric power assist steering (EPAS).

Should the system make an incorrect assumption or the driver to decide to continue with the lane change, the system can be overruled either with a manual steering input, braking or acceleration.

It is also worth noting that the system only comes on at speeds over 40 miles per hour and only if the system deems the road has sufficient markings for detections to be made. At that time, the vehicle will display a special icon notifying the driver that LKA is active.

“Fusion’s Lane Keeping System combines a digital imaging sensor with our own state-of-the-art control software to process images and determine what level of warning or assistance to provide to the driver,” said Michael Kane, Ford development engineer. “We’ve put a lot of effort into ensuring the accuracy of the lane detection and the smoothness of the assist.”

While the technology has been fairly popular amongst more expensive luxury vehicles as of late, Leftlane will withhold judgment of the system until after we get the opportunity to test it first hand and report back to you.

What else we know about the 2013 Fusion

Ford announced that it will be doing a digital reveal of the all-new 2013 Fusion midsize sedan by allowing owners of Apple iPhone and Android phones to download a special app which will activate by taking a picture of any Ford oval (digital, physical or printed) and then physically touching the oval on the touchscreen.

From there, app users will be able to take a virtual test drive of the new Fusion before its reveal at the 2011 Detroit auto show. The app will reveal special features about the car, exclusive video content, special interviews from the car’s creator and eventually reveal the car itself on January 9th.

Along the way there are a total of 19 tracks to unlock and enjoy, along with three different versions of the car. Want to try it for yourself? Download it to your phone here.

Ford has been remarkebly tight-lipped about the upcoming Fusion, and understandably so given how competitive and crucial the segment is. As a result, Ford hasn’t given spies or leaky employees a whole lot to share, except of course for some unverified predictions about the hybrid variant of the Fusion.

The folks at Ford Inside News say they have privileged information suggesting the next-gen 2013 model year Fusion Hybrid will be sporting an EPA city rating as high as 47 to 48 miles per gallon city, a six to seven mpg jump over the current model’s rating. The change will come from a combination of tweaks across the board – but mostly due to the switch from nickel to lithium-ion batteries.

Look for the next Fusion Hybrid to also gain a little but more differentiation from the rest of the Fusion models in the styling department, following a similar packaging strategy to the Hyundai Sonata lineup. The next Fusion will also be a global model, which will be largely the same as the European Ford Mondeo, aside from minor details and powertrain options. Both the Fusion and Mondeo will share the CD4 platform.

Ford believes its new Fusion will be such a strong product that it might even see sales rocket by 50 percent, potentially into the 30,000+ realm on a monthly basis. If the next-gen Fusion does come to market as inside sources describe, it very well could become one of the strongest contenders in an increasingly competitive segment vying for the sales leadership spot long-held by Toyota ’s vaunted Camry.

Be sure to check back frequently between now and January 10 as new details about this, and other vehicles will surely make its way into the news before finally being revealed in official channels.

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Description: 2013 Ford Fusion comes with a new style and new features
Rating: 3.5
Reviewer: Eman
ItemReviewed: 2013 Ford Fusion comes with a new style and new features