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Ford is first to introduce Spotify in-car integration
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Music, Transportation
Ford and Spotify have announced a partnership that sees the popular streaming music service make an appearance in Ford vehicles. Spotify is now compatible with Ford SYNC AppLink, streaming its catalog of over 20 million tracks over the car radio. You'll need to download the new iOS or Android Spotify apps to take advantage of the new hotness. You be able to access your songs, playlists, and custom stations, and can even control things with voice commands. Aside from Spotify, Ford SYNC AppLink allows you to access other service, like Pandora, Amazon Cloud Player, MOG, Slacker, and Rhapsody.
Read More 
| Ford
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Amazon MP3 integration comes to Ford SYNC
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, Software, Transportation
Ford and Amazon have announced that Amazon MP3 for Android has been updated with Ford SYNC support, which means that you can use your Android device with Ford's admittedly awesome infotainment system to access all your tracks stored in your Amazon Cloud Player. As is typical with SYNC, you can even control playback with voice commands. Amazon MP3 2.8 for Android also includes the typical bug fixes, and the store has been redesigned to show more search results.
Read More | Amazon
2012 Ford Focus Electric review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Product Reviews, Transportation
The 2012 Ford Focus Electric is the very first all-electric car released by the company, and is marketed as America's most fuel-efficient five-passenger vehicle, what with it's 110 MPGe city rating (99 MPGe highway) and up to 76 mile range on a single charge. We were able to spend a week with the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, and we're here to report back with our thoughts. Is it a worthy contender in the electric car movement? Read on.
Click to continue reading 2012 Ford Focus Electric review
Bleeding Edge TV 458: 2013 Ford Taurus Active Park Assist
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Podcasts, Transportation, Videocasts, Videos
In this episode we give you a look at the 2013 Ford Taurus Limited, focusing on the Active Park Assist feature. With Active Park Assist, the car takes car of parallel parking for you. That's right - THE CAR CAN PARK ITSELF! You simply hit a button to let the car know that you are looking to park, and it uses its sensors to find a space you'll fit into. Once it does, you're in charge of the gas and brake pedals, while the Taurus steers itself into the spot with perfection. Definitely a feature from the future that you can get on your Ford today.
[Camera credit: Eric Vitolo]
How Ford measures space in the new Ford Escape using ping pong balls
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Transportation
This week Ford unveiled its unique approach to measuring the interior space of its new Escape vehicle. The company didn't do away with the more conventional methods, as the ping pong measurement accompanied high-tech laser-scanned CAD renderings as well.
So, why ping pong balls? As vehicle interiors have become more modern, there are a lot more curves and swooping areas in a vehicle. Umbrella holders tucked away in the door, for example, make it more difficult to use the traditional tape measure. So the Vehicle Architecture team headed by Eric Jackson came up with the unorthodox approach.
Click to continue reading How Ford measures space in the new Ford Escape using ping pong balls
DC Fast Charging with Combined Charging System is the future of EV power
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Transportation
In the world of EVs, the quicker you can charge your vehicle when on the go, the better. That's one stark difference between the electric cars and their gas counterparts--while you're saving money from not having to visit the pump, you're certainly losing out on time. Well, that's about to change, as several EV manufacturers have agreed on a new 20-minute fast-charging standard that'll take you from empty to full within 20 minutes. It's called DC Fast Charging with a Combined Charging System, and the folks over at Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche, and Volkswagen has all agreed that this is the future.
Oh, and to be clear, this really is the future. As in, don't expect to see vehicles that support the stndard for another year or so. Heck, over in Europe, the ACEA isn't even guaranteeing that you'll see charging stations adopting the standard over there until 2017. Hopefully things pick up a little quicker than that here in the US.
Track N Go offers alternative to snow chains and studded tires
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Transportation, Videos
For those that live in areas plagued by long winters, icy roads, and the ever-accumulating snow fall, you know how obnoxious driving can get. Chains are great, but putting them on is a hassle. There's also the option of studded tires, but as soon as you hit deep snow, well, you’re outta luck. So what other options are there? You could just wait out the snow, but that could take awhile. Or you could buy a pair of Track N Go treads.
The designers of the Track N Go system are AD Boivin. They’re better known for marketing power-sport products for snowmobiles and motocross bikes, and now they're bringing that expertise over to automobiles. Track N Go is basically a treadmill system for your 4x4 pickup truck. You simply drive onto them, lock them, and get on your merry way. To us it looks like it’s a universal application, as it’s used by a Ford and GMC in the video below.
Though we’re not sure when the Track N Go system will be available for purchase, it’s something worth watching for. Pricing is still up in the air as well.
Click to continue reading Track N Go offers alternative to snow chains and studded tires
Ford may be ditching the retro-bodied Mustang with next redesign
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Design, Editorial, Rumors, Transportation
There are rumors floating around that Ford maybe ditching its retro-designed Mustang in favor of a modern look. Wall Street Journal’s Matt Ramsey is a proponent of this theory.
In his article, he suggests that Ford is doing so due to decline in retro-looking car sales. He also suggests Volkswagen suffered the same fate with its New Beetle, which also saw a decline in sales. However, Autoblog brings up two valid counterarguments. One is the Mustang did not have competition for years, and now competes against Dodge. Secondly, both manufacturers where hit by the recession, thus sales suffered.
Both arguments hold true. Ford has announced that it's going to take the Mustang global. Though the retro-looking Mustangs are popular here in the States, they may not be everyone’s cup of tea in Europe. They’re not big on large, bulky vehicles roaming the streets. We don’t blame them either, since most of their city streets aren’t wide enough for pedestrians to walk on.
The speculated predecessor for the retro-Mustang would be the Evos. The Evos is geared with Generation Y in mind. It also fits well with Ford’s overlapping theme set by the Fusion or the Aston Martin look, as we like to call it. Though we’re not opposed the redesign, we’d be sad to see the retro-bodied Mustang go to pasture.
Top 10 vehicles with highest male ownership percentage
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Transportation
Here’s a look at the top 10 vehicles with a high male ownership. We’re not all too surprised with the list of cars, minus a couple of choices.
The Ferrari 458 Italia finds itself on the top of the list with 95.3% of its owners bring men.
After you’re done thinking about who might own the other 4.7% of the 458, the list continues with the BMW 1 Series M taking second followed by Audi R8, Mercedes SLS AMG, and the Ferrari California. We’re not surprised to see all these high-performance, lead-footed fun cars hitting the list. I know that most these cars are on my list of must drive cars before I die.
Number six goes to the Porsche 911, a classic, if you ask us, followed by the Nissan GT-R with 87.9% male ownership. Number eight is were the list take a turn for the worst, the all-ever, cookie-cutter-remixed-Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra pickup trucks; following closely behind it the Ford F-Series. Number ten goes to the ever-classic, mid-life crisis Chevy Corvette.
What leaves us bogged are the number eight and nine slots, is there really nothing better out there other than pick-up trucks?
Read More | InsideLine
Standing mile record broken by the trio from Hennessey
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Transportation, Videos
The guys over at Hennessey have always had a knack for speed, power, and record breaking. So it doesn’t come to us as surprise that they broke the standing mile record down in Texas. The trio used their Ford GT to reach the record setting speeds at 257.7 mph.
Beneath the wildly wrapped GT lies the beast that powered it all: a twin-turbo charged motor. Their previous setup included a supercharger as well, but that was scrapped and swapped with a more efficient twin turbo setup. What the video above to see the record setting run from the cockpit.
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