Malaysia will finally get Ford’s D-segment sedan entry, the new Ford Mondeo sometime next month. Sime Darby Auto ConneXion has revealed that the Malaysian spec Mondeo will get a 161 PS 2.3 liter Duratec engine mated to a 6-speed Durashift torque converter automatic transmission (would be nice if it was a PowerShift instead though). The Ford Mondeo will be a CBU unit imported from the Ford production plant in Genk, Belgium. AutoConneXion will be organising a series of exclusive preview sessions for members of the public leading up to the official launch in October. You can get your own personal invitation by calling Tania of AutoConneXion at 03-77181223 or 03-77181216.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

We all know that the Chinese automotive industry is booming and we are also familiar with some Chinese cars with designs that we have seen elsewhere. Here is an interesting piece of news regarding the topic. It has been reported that a former Ford engineer is being charged for selling company secrets to Chinese auto makers.

The person in question is Xiang Dong Yu who served for Ford between 1997 and 2007. Yu was recently arrested at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport after returning from an overseas trip. Apparently, Yu made copies of nearly 4,000 documents before leaving the Mustang maker. A year later in 2008, he tried to secure a job with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation by offering vital information from Ford. Yu eventually found a job in Beijing Automotive Corporation but it is unclear if he leaked out any information to the company.

He now faces five counts of theft of trade secrets, attempted theft of trade secrets and unauthorized access to a protected computer. The damage? Well, Mr Yu could be sentenced to 5-10 years in prison as well as a $250,000 fine for each charge.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The Fiesta is now in its 6th generation but the 5th has been rehashed for India as the “new” Ford Figo. Its name means “cool” in Italian. The Figo will be built at Ford’s plant in Chennai, which is currently undergoing a massive upgrade costing US$500 million in order to become a regional centre for Ford compact car production.

The Figo looks like a car that could be suitable for sale here in Malaysia. It’s a low cost car for developing markets and in Malaysia it could be positioned like the Hyundai i10. I’m pretty sure one of its main competitors in India is the i10 as well, and our i10’s initial CBU imports and CKD packs also come from India. According to Ford, the Figo will be exported to Asia Pacific and African regions.

I’m not sure the new “kinetic design” language and the old Fiesta’s boxy body completely agree with each other. It’s definitely not a looker when compared to the 6th generation Fiesta, but what it lacks in looks it will make up in terms of price, which is an important factor in developing markets.

There’s nothing revealed about the engines in the press info but you can expect them to be low-end carry-overs from the 5th gen Fiesta. The engines will be made in the Chennai plant too, and both diesel and petrol versions will be available.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the “new” Figo.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The Ford Focus BEV is a prototype zero emissions full electric vehicle, using the Focus as the base. The electric drive systems were supplied by Magna, and previews a future production car based on the next generation global C-segment Focus platform.

For now, a total of 15 Focus BEVs will be built and evaluated day to day in Europe to see if it is suitable for European road and driving conditions.The electric drive system uses a lithium ion battery with a capacity of 23kWh powering a chassis-mounted 100kW electric motor with 320Nm of torque.

This will give the Focus BEV a range of about 120km, which should be enough to get you to work and back in time for you to charge up again at night. Charging is expected to take between 6 to 8 hours using a regular 230V wall socket – no quick-charge figures were provided.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The Ranger XL now gets the same facelift as the Ranger XLT and RM3k bump in price to RM72,888 and RM76,388 in the Peninsular and East Malaysia respectively, up from the previous prices of RM69,888 and RM73,388. These prices do not include road tax, registration and insurance.

The new facelifted Ranger XL has an MP3-capable CD player, 16 inch alloy wheels, fog lamps, electronically controlled side mirrors, an immobiliser and a tilt-adjustable steering wheel. The XL’s front grille is made of plastic. Just like the promotion that Sime Darby had when the Ranger XL was first launched as the pre-facelift model, they are giving out a free bedliner and sidesteps during the introductory period.

Not much changes in the engine bay – the same 2.5 liter 12 valve SOHC indirect injection turbodiesel engine producing 109 PS at 3,500rpm and 257Nm of torque at 2,000rpm. This is a less sophisticated engine compared to the XLT’s twin cam direct injection engine with a VGT turbo that makes 143 PS. It comes with a 5-speed manual transmission only.

There are no airbags and I don’t think I see ABS anywhere on the spec sheet. 6 colours are available – Winning Blue, Cool White, Arizona Gold, Titanium Gray, Black Mica and Silver Metallic. If you’re looking for cheap trucks for work purposes only thus want to save some money by removing some equipment and having an older and less complicated engine, you can consider this Ranger XL.

An alternative would be the Triton Lite which has an even simpler diesel engine (with no turbocharger) but costs much less at under RM60k.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Everyone knows the Ford Everest as the 7-seater SUV companion to the Ford Ranger, being based on the same ladder frame chassis and TDCi engines, so when the Ranger gets a facelift it’s not surprising that the Everest follows suit in keeping the same family look at the new Ranger.

This facelifted 2009 edition of the Ford Everest continues to be available with either a 2.5 liter turbodiesel with 143 PS, or a 3.0 liter turbodiesel with 156 PS. Both engines are available with 5-speed automatics while the 2.5 liter engine also has the option for a 5-speed manual. All variants feature a shift-on-the-fly 4WD-2WD selection system.

The retail prices for the new facelifted Ford Everest (imported from Ford’s Rayong plant in Thailand) in Peninsular Malaysia are RM145,888 for the 2.5L XLT (Manual), RM156,888 for the 2.5L XLT (Automatic) and RM169,888 for the 3.0L XLT (Automatic). The 4X2 version seems to be missing from the new line-up.

The prices for Sabah and Sarawak are RM149,388, RM160,388 and RM173,388 for the 2.5 M, 2.5 A and 3.0 A respectively. All prices quoted exclude road tax, insurance and registration.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Remember the hot babe above who appeared together with the Ford Verve Concept that previewed the production new Ford Fiesta? Her name is Antonella and she’s a 28 year old woman who lives in Rome. Apparently she’s not real.

Antonella was also a “concept”, she was what Ford envisioned the Ford Fiesta’s consumer to be like. She was the personality for the Ford Verve Concept. She likes hanging out with friends, fun activities, clubbing and parties. And so did the Verve, or at least that’s what Ford says. It does look like a pretty fun car. The cellphone-like layout of the center dash area is meant to mirror her cellphone and the shape of the Verve’s instrument cluster pods are meant to mirror the kind of glasses she would wear.

You have to admit one thing though, the 3D rendering of her in the car above is pretty good! Look after the jump for one more photo of her.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Ford has announced a new 2.0 liter inline-4 EcoBoost (previously known as TwinForce) turbocharged engine that will begin sales in 2010. The 2.0 liter engine will feature turbocharging and Twin-Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT).

It will deliver power equivalent to a normally aspirated V6 engine but offer between 10 to 20 percent better fuel economy. No official power figures have been revealed yet but Ford says at least 230 horses can be expected, along with 325Nm of torque peaking at just under 2,000rpm.

“Today we see it as a premium engine. As we expand it will be the volume engine,” said Ford’s VP for global product development Derrick Kuzak, referring to Ford engines with EcoBoost, which other than this new 2.0 liter engine, also includes the previously announced 355 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 found in the Taurus SHO.

Volume means small, mass-market cars. What’s coming up next is likely a smaller displacement EcoBoost inline-4 engine like a 1.4 liter or 1.6 liter EcoBoost turbo. Many other manufacturers have easily used turbocharged engines of such sizes to produce a 2.0 liter equivalent power output. Volkswagen even has a 1.2 liter TSI inline-3 that produces 102 PS, equivalent to a plain-jane 1.6 liter engine. It looks like the next generation of Mustang could be an all-turbo line-up, featuring this 2.0 liter turbo and the larger 3.5 liter turbo V6!

The only question I have is, given that Mazda (that Ford has close technical ties with) has had a turbocharged direct injection four cyclinder engine for quite some time now (found in the Mazda 3 MPS, Mazda 6 MPS and Mazda CX-7), why didn’t this come sooner?

Look after the jump for an unbelievably boring 10 minute presentation on EcoBoost by Ford’s Derrick Kuzak, but it’s got some info in it. Kuzak could definitely take some pointers from Steve Jobs though.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The US Government has loaned US$ 5.9 billion to Ford, for the development of fuel-saving technologies including hybrid-electric systems, alternative-fuel power plants, direct-injection as well as other developments that are related to help reduce fuel consumption such as dual clutch transmissions, vehicle weight reduction and aerodynamic efficiency.

On that note, Ford has revealed more information about its electric car programs. First on the list, is a ‘pure battery electric’, or (BEV) Transit Connect commercial van that would be introduced next year. Ford will be working hand in hand with Smith Electric U.S on the development of the electric Transit.

Next on the list is something that is more interesting, which is the production of a BEV Focus. The emissions-free Focus would be co-developed with Magna, and can hit the streets by 2011. Both the BEV Transit Connect and BEC Focus are expected to deliver up to anywhere between 160 and 257 kilometers in terms of driving range.

Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally revealed, “This green partnership between Ford and the U.S. Government will help accelerate the development of advanced technologies for even better fuel efficiency and emissions. Ford is absolutely committed to fuel economy leadership with every new model we introduce. In fact, we plan to invest nearly $14 billion in advanced technology vehicles in the next seven years.”

FoMoCo will also work on plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) as well as “next generation” hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). Both the PHEV and the HEV could be introduced by 2012.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Lee Iacocca’s name may pop up more frequently these days in Chrysler-related matters, but it’s clear his heart still lies with the other one-third of the Detroit Three – Ford. Iacocca, designer Michael Leone and California-based coachbuilder Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters have came up with this Iacocca Silver Mustang, limited to a 45 unit production run.

At first sight you may notice a ilttle difference – this is more than just a kitted up Mustang. Its actually a whole new custom made body installed ontop of the 2010 Mustang chassis. It’s the most obvious from the side profile – the roofline is alot more like a fastback, rather than the 2010 Mustang’s rear section which has a more prominent boot.

Two engine options are available – a 320hp 4.6 liter V8 (up 20 horses from the standard V8 Mustang, let’s not talk about the V6 Mustang), or a supercharged version of the same engine putting out 400 horsepower. The engines are available exclusively with a 5-speed manual for these cars.

And why a Mustang? He was deeply involved in the production of the first Ford Mustang, which was launched in 1964. It so happens that 1964 is also the same year he became president of Ford’s Ford Division (yes it sounds weird, but as opposed to Ford’s other brands) after joining Ford way earlier in 1946.

Look after the jump for more pix of the Iacocca Mustang.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The new Ford Escape 2.3 XLT is now in Sime Darby Auto Connexion Sdn Bhd showrooms. It is priced at RM134,837.00 without insurance, road tax and registration. There is only one engine option this time, a 146 PS 2.3 liter Duratec petrol engine with variable valve timing, mated to a 4-speed automatic.

The engine makes its peak power at 6,000rpm with peak torque of 196Nm at 4,000rpm. Fuel efficiency is rated at a claimed 10.5 liters per 100km. That’s actually not very high peak power and torque for a 2.3 liter engine but the reason for this is because it is tuned for SUV usage with better low-down power. A relatively low 9.1:1 compression ratio could also be a contributing factor. Another variation of this 2.3 liter in the previous generation Mazda 6 made 169 PS and 211Nm of torque.

The facelift has been facelifted with a design that was first previewed at the Tokyo 2007 show. No Kinetic Design here, for that you’ll have to go for the Kuga. This is actually the Asian version of the car, as there is also a US version that has a different exterior and interior. This new Asian model’s interior is largely the same as the older one except for minor changes, and the shifter has been moved to a more traditional position of between the two front seats. Based on a car chassis with struts at the front and multi-link at the rear, it offers a more car-like ride and handling which should bode well with urban commuters. There is also auto cruise control and auto climate control.

Other than the front end which is completely new with a signature three-bar grille, the rear tail lamps also sport a new horizontal design and are lit up with LED technology. The wheels are 16 inch cast aluminium units wrapped with 215/70R16 tyres. It’s got 200mm front and 242mm rear ground clearance, and a 28.5 degree approach angle and 30 degree departure angle.

In the safety department, the Escape is equipped with dual front airbags and side airbags for a total of four, 4-wheel ABS with EBD and the Control Trac II system detects wheel slip and automatically splits power between the front and rear wheels to maintain traction. Control Trac II can be manually overridden to full time 4×4 mode at the push of a button.

Look after the jump for more photos of the facelifted Escape, including a few more detailed shots of the modified interior.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

A new facelifted Ford Escape will go on sale at Sime Darby Auto Connexion showrooms from the 12th of June 2009. A single model will be offered – the 2.3 liter inline-4 engine mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission which Sime Darby says will be priced at below RM140,000 OTR with insurance. The official price will be unveiled sometime this week.

The V6 model has been dropped for this generation of Escape, which actually differs from the new American market model that was unveiled in 2007 and showcased on this blog previously. Ford decided to split the Escape into two models, with Malaysia getting this Asia-Pacific model which was previewed at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show as the Ford Escape Adventure Concept, while the US gets one with a more traditionally truck-like look.

Tech-wise, the US Escape gets some new changes this year – the 2.3 has been replaced by a 2.5 and the V6 gets a 40hp boost to 240 horses, along with an upgrade from a 4-speed to a 6-speed auto transmission. There is even a hybrid model mated to a CVT. Our Asian market version continues with the 2.3 liter and the 4-speed auto.

The new facelifted Ford Escape will come with a 3 year or 100,000 km warranty. Initial specs are revealed to include ABS, EBD, a sunroof, cruise control and a imported leather interior (not wrapped locally).

Look after the jump for a gallery of the Asian market Escape.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Ford shot this TV commercial featuring all of their new Kinetic Design cars, but despite having various locations for the scenes in reality the cars never left the shooting studio. This was done on purpose and highlighted as part of the main message delivered by the TVC – they want to say their cars look dynamic as if they are moving even when in reality they are staying still in one spot. Nothing beats having the car really out there though – in the virtualised landscape some of the lighting on the car doesn’t feel like they match properly. Watch the TVC after the jump.

And below you have “the making of”…

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Ford’s new “kinetic Design” theme that it’s been putting on all of it cars started back in 2004 when Ford executive design director for Ford Europe Mr Martin Smith was tasked with formulating a new design language for the company. And it’s not just limited to Europe – the next generation Fords will strive harder to be global cars and kinetic Design has also found its way onto the American Taurus.

It’s what I perceive to be Ford’s own take on flame surfacing, but in Ford’s Martin Smith’s own words: “it is the form language is communicated through bold, dynamic lines and full surfaces. When you look at it, you can see that it visualises energy in motion.”

The new design language was first shown on the Ford SAV Concept shown above. The front face stayed relatively conservative but the sides of the car began to feature deep creases to create lightplay and add a dynamic touch.

Ford later built on some of the ideas presented with the SAV Concept with the 2005 Ford iosis concept car. It was with the iosis that Ford started trying to put a visualisation of “energy in motion” onto sheetmetal.

The iosis eventually became the Mondeo we have today and I reckon a two door version that looked closer to the iosis could serve well as a new Cougar or Capri.

The Ford Verve Concept shown in 2007 continued the kinetic Design language and it showcased how the future Ford Fiesta which has since already been unveiled (look at the first photo above) would look like.

This created quite some excitement because kinetic design on a Fiesta would mean that the stamping for the sheet metal would be more costly because of the way it curves, and this was not something that many car manufacturers choose to do on a B-segment “my first car” type of car that the Fiesta is meant to be.

Kinetic design was later applied to the Ford Kuga which was basically a compact SUV built on the Focus, and the latest concept car featuring kinetic design is the Ford iosis-MAX shown at Geneva 2009 earlier this year.

The iosis-MAX is what Ford calls a “multi-activity vehicle” and features regular front doors, rear doors and slide backwards, and a design without a B-pillar for better ease of access into the interior. This concept hints at the design language for the next gen Focus and/or Focus C-Max.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

What better time for rumours of a revival of the Ford Capri to surface than the year of the 40th anniversary of the Ford Capri coupe. The Capri was born in 1969 and production ended in 1986, with a total of 3 generations built and sold.

Click for enlarge image

Ford can take an idea or two from the Volkswagen stables. After all, they made a new Scirocco from the Golf platform, so Ford could easily produce a new Capri from the global Focus platform if they wanted to.

They seem to be already heading that “more models than before from one platform” way by spawning the S-MAX and the Kuga, both new models that are variations of the Focus platform.

Click for enlarge image

In fact Ford just issued a long release with many product shots and a history of the Capri a few weeks ago, as if hinting to us that a new Capri concept will be shown this year. Of course the company’s last modern interpretation of the Capri was the Ford Visos Concept back in 2003, of which pictures you can find after the jump.

The shots in this article is an artist’s rendering by Theophilus Chin in line with Ford’s new “Kinetic Design” styling.

VIDEO: Ford Visos Concept Promo

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

First unveiled as the Ranger MAX Concept at the Thai Motor Expo in November last year, the new Ford Ranger facelift is now on sale in Malaysia as a CBU import from its regional production center in Rayong, Thailand.

The Ranger’s 2.5 liter Duratorq turbodiesel engine with lag-free VGT puts out 143 PS and 330Nm of torque, mated to either a 5-speed manual (RM83,888 Peninsular and RM86,388 East Malaysia) or a 5-speed automatic transmission (RM88,888 Peninsular and RM92,388 East Malaysia). if you buy it now you can get a free accessory package worth RM2,000 while stocks last.

Ford seems to have abandoned its “a truck should look like a truck” stand that it took when it first launched this edition of the Ranger, as the new facelift now has alot more curves that was previously reserved for the Mazda Fighter. Much of the front is new, with new headlamps and new fender panels etc but most of the rear remains the same. The new look was designed by a team based in Melbourne.

On the interior there are 2 airbags, and an AM/FM and MP3-capable CD changer with AUX input. There are various conveniences in the interior such as a slide-out tray that can support up to 10kg and a two-level arm rest storage area. The rear bed has dimensions of 1,530mm by 1,456mm.

As for off-road capability, Ford claims a 34 degree approach angle and a 33 degree departure angle, with an underside that is said to be well armoured. The rear suspension uses leaf springs with oversized 32mm gas shocks, while the front uses a double wishbone with torsion bar spring design. The fuel tank, transfer case, engine and transmission are protected by steel plating.

There is a low-range gearing reduction of 2.48:1 for the auto and 2.02:1 for the manual. The rear differential is a torque-sensing multiple LSD to help split torque balance optimally between the left and right rear wheels whenever the situation calls for it.

Look after the jump for a gallery of the Ranger.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

As the recession still wrecks havoc in the US and Europe and pretty much all parts of the world, increasingly price and cost conscious consumers continue to downsize one segment down with their new car purchases.

The Volkswagen Golf has just lost its number one selling car title in Europe to the Ford Fiesta, which is one size smaller and a competitor to the Volkswagen Polo. Ford sold 52,805 Ford Fiestas in Europe in March 2009, compared to 46,415 Volkswagen Golfs. However the Golf still tops the Fiesta in total Q1 2009 sales figures – 119,651 units versus 113,576 units.

Sales of the Fiesta were especially boosted by the new scrapping plans offered by European governments, which offer up to 5,000 Euros to scrap an old car for a new model, which usually ends up being a small car. 5,000 Euros is seriously alot of money for a small car in Germany, where a Polo starts from under 13,000 Euros. So it is really quite a real incentive there.

It makes our measly RM5,000 scrapping incentive look like pittance, which is what it is really, I don’t know why they keep comparing our scrapping scheme to other countries. The scrap incentive got translated dollar to dollar when the car prices are not.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

This is Ford’s new Ford Focus X Road. It’s essentially a wagon Focus with a 125 horsepower 1.8 liter Duratec engine fitted with an offroader-like bodykit. There’s no all-wheel drive even, just the standard front wheel drive system.

For some reason only 300 will be built and it will be sold in The Netherlands only, or at least that’s the plan for now, which explains why Ford picked the Dutch 2009 AutoRAI show to showcase it.

A small photo gallery after the jump, if you’re interested.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

American-based auto maker Ford has revealed that it will present a tri-fuel Ford Mondeo at the Leipzig Motor Show which will run from March 28th till April 2009 this year. This tri-model, as the title suggests, can be fueled with a mixture of gasoline, bio-ethanol (E85) as well as LPG or Liquefied Petroleum Gas. This means that the standard Mondeo with its 2.0 liter Duratec gasoline engine comes fitted with an additional 48.8-liter tank to supply LPG, while gasoline and bio-ethanol shares a 70-liter tank.

Ford also revealed that the Mondeo with the tri-fuel feature can deliver up to 1,300 kilometers in terms of driving range when all three fuel types are used. Out of the 1,300 kilometers of range, 460 kilometers is contributed by LPG while the balance is contributed by a mixture of gasoline and bio-ethanol. Power output wise, the auto maker mentioned that with a mixture of gasoline and bio-ethanol, the 2.0 liter powerplant is able to produce 145HP, and while running on LPG, it can output 141HP, which is pretty decent actually.

Available in sedan, five-door liftback and in station wagon forms, the Tri-Fuel Ford Mondeo will go on sale in selected European markets from April this year, with prices in Germany starting from 27,500 Euros, which means this fuel efficient variant is cheaper by 250 Euros than the diesel-powered Ford Mondeo TDCi with 140HP.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The 2009 Ford Ranger which is expected to hit the local market was also present at the Geneva Motor Show. The new Ranger which will also hit the European market features two engine options including a 2.5 liter or 3.0 liter DuraTORQ TDCi with common rail direct injection and variable geometry turbocharger technology.

Europe and our friendly neighbor up north Thailand will get both engine options however whether we will get the 3.0 liter unit or not is yet to be confirmed. Both the 2.5 liter and 3.0 liter power plants are able to produce 143PS with 330 Nm of torque and 156PS with 380Nm of torque respectively. Both engines can also be coupled with a 5 speed automatic transmission or a 5 speed manual option.

Design wise, its heavily influenced by the Ranger Max show truck which was previewed at the Thai Motor Expo last year.

Click here to view an image gallery of the 2009 Ranger.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Ford will be previewing the Ford iosis MAX Concept at the Geneva Motor Show which is set to kick start in a couple of hours time. Although the hot hatch concept is officially called a “compact multi-activity vehicle or MAV”, it is said to preview the next generation Ford Focus. It was also revealed that the next Ford Focus will also be sold in the United States, meaning the same vehicle for both continents. The front which highlights Ford’s Kinetic styling language does seem to look like the out going Focus which was recently launched for the Malaysian market.

With sliding rear doors, the iosis MAX Concept is also treated to a glass roof finish as well as a two-piece rear hatch opening. On the outside, it looks really good, the only thing I would prefer not to have is the huge lower grille up front, however the rest is spot on. The outrageous, edgy interior is treated to lightweight “floating” seats which are designed to look like humans.

The centre console surface acts as a touch-screen display to control the vehicle’s infotainment systems, like a three-dimensional version of the approach used on the latest touch-screen mobile phones. Information such as sat-nav instructions or details of an incoming phone call are displayed on the console when required using projectors mounted beneath the surface.

To control these functions, there are; a rotary control at the bottom of the console as well as a mouse-like controller in front of the central armrest. Even other controls such as indicators or wipers can be activated by voice. Images from the rear-view camera system are presented in a colour display in a separate binnacle at the top of the console. There is also ample space for the trunk area, while the rear seats can be folded down to increase the space.

Under the hood of hatch which sits on 19 inch wheels, there is a 178HP 1.6 liter EcoBoost 4 cylinder petrol power plant with turbocharging and direct injection which is said to be more efficient in terms of fuel economy by 20% over an engine of a similar displacement.

The engine is fitted with an auto-Start-Stop system and an intelligent alternator. It is also mated to a 6 speed Ford PowerShift double-clutch automated manual gearbox. No other performance figures were released but Ford mentioned that the engine releases 125 grams of harmful emissions per kilometer.

In the production form, expect front-hinged rear doors, and tamed head light and tail light design. Also expect the interior to be fully replaced by a more modest looking one. Thus far, it looks great! Continue reading to view a high-res image gallery.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Fifth Gear, our good old U.K-based auto review television show has got its hands on the most powerful Focus ever, the 2009 Ford Focus RS and host Jason Plato, who also races in the British Touring Car Championships was given the task of bringing out the best, and the worst out of the powerful hot hatch in beautiful but challenging mountainous roads.

The Focus RS with its 300HP inline-5 “Duratec RS” power plant that is also capable of a massive 440Nm of torque received an excellent review overall. Plato also mentioned that the turbo lag which was evident actually helped improve the handling. A front wheel drive car with a 300HP engine should suffer from a great deal of torque steer during hard acceleration, something which was expected with this new RS.

However according to the Fifth Gear host, the slight turbo lag actually helped keep torque steer at bay, especially when exiting a corner with a heavy foot on the accelerator. Anyway I will say no more. Please continue reading to watch the 4 minute 11 second-long review.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The new Ford Ranger facelift can already be seen at Ford Thailand’s website, so its only about time before the Thai-sourced pickup truck makes its way onto Malaysian soils. The styling for the Ranger facelift is of course derived from the Ranger Max show truck at the Thai Motor Expo last year. In Thailand, its powered by either a 2.5 liter or a 3.0 liter unit, putting out 143PS/330Nm and 156PS/380Nm respectively. Towing capacity is rated at 2,250kg and 3,000kg respectively. Both are DuraTORQ TDCi units with common rail direct injection and variable geometry turbocharger technology, mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual transmission with dual-mass flywheel. Have a look after the jump for more detailed shots of the new Ranger.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

You wanna know why the pickup trucks we have in Malaysia that we already have difficulty parking sometimes are called “compact” trucks? Well, it’s because of trucks like the Ford F450, one of the few large pickups that you can find in the US. These shots of a Ford F450 were snapped by reader T P L at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. It’s seriously massive and probably used mostly for fleet purposes, though I’m sure there are some that’ll buy one for the purposes of going to a casino. This behemoth is powered by a range of engines from a 5.4 liter V8 petrol with 300 horsepower, a 6.8 liter V10 with 362 horsepower or a 6.4 liter V8 turbodiesel with 350 horsepower and a massive 650Nm of torque. Its sheer size and power makes our Mother Trucker Navara look tiny in comparison! Just see how it looks like next to the 7-Series in the photo above!

Look at more photos after the jump.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Now this is quite interesting, an American Ford that at first sight looks rather appealing! Other than the Mustang of course, but even then the real eyeball-drawer is the supercharged Shelby GT500 version and not the plain vanilla version that barely manages to squeeze 210hp out of a massive 4.0 liter of displacement.

But anyway, back to this interesting Ford. It’s a large car, the Ford Taurus SHO (pronounced “show”). It’s size and wheelbase is in the range of the likes of the E60 5-Series. It’s also got Ford’s new Kinetic Design front end styling.

Under the hood is Ford’s EcoBoost engine, a twin turbocharged 3.5 liter V6 that churns out 365 horsepower at 5,500rpm and 475Nm of torque at 3,500rpm. This is where the SHO moniker gets its justification as it stands for Super High Output. This power gets sent through a torsen-equipped all-wheel drive system, through a Ford SelectShift automatic’s 6 gear ratios, which will also blip the engine on downshifts if needed.

Other than the two turbochargers, the EcoBoost engine also has direct fuel injection. Ford claims a relatively flat torque band between 1,500 to 5,500rpm, but peaking at 3,500rpm of course. The SHO car also gets new shocks, springs, stabilizer bars and strut bushings, all in the interests of improving handling and agility. An optional performance package on top of the basic Taurus SHO gives you performance brake pads, a sportier electric power steering system programming, a Sports mode for the traction control system to allow a little leeway before it kicks in, large 20 inch wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres and a 3.16:1 final drive ratio (the standard is 2.77:1).

Even the interior is done well, it’s mostly grey and black but the various usage of piano black surfaces make it look quite classy. The only thing that looks rather out of place is the unwieldy boxy steering wheel design. With advanced technologies such as the new EcoBoost engine in Ford’s stable now, you’d wonder why Ford keeps an ancient 2 valve per cylinder SOHC 4.0 liter V6 in service in the Mustang. I suppose it’s purely in the interests of cost-cutting and making the V6 Mustang a “baseline model”.

Look after the jump for a full hi-res gallery of the Taurus SHO.

VIDEO: Taurus SHO Returns: Sporty Version of Ford’s New Flagship

VIDEO: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO On The Road

VIDEO: 2010 Ford Taurus unveiling at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The facelifted Ford Focus is now here in Malaysia as a fully imported unit from Sime Darby Autoconnexxion. Unlike the pre-facelift models offered by Ford, the entire new range consisting of both a 4-door sedan (Focus Ghia) and a 5-door hatchback body (Focus Sport) are powered by the 145 PS 2.0 liter Duratec engine, mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

This marks the first new Ford in Malaysia styled with the new “Ford Kinetic Design” style, Ford’s take on a more dynamic look to its cars. Other than a new look for the outside, the door mirrors are also now larger and there are now signal indicators on the side mirrors. The rear track is now wider, which can improve stability and also improve aesthetics.

The interior is done up in a dark colour, which Ford claims is deliberate to minimize windscreen reflection in the bright countries of South East Asia. The dash center stack illumination lights up in red at night.

Set between the two large binnacled RPM meter and speedometer is a multi-info display LCD which can show time, outside temperature, trip meter, odometer, distance to empty, average speed and average fuel consumption. shame there’s no real time fuel consumption, a feature that has moved down the segments and is even available on the City and the Swift.

Other creature comforts include a slididing fron armrest (slides forward 80mm), two cupholders with butterfly lids, dual-zone air conditioning including rear air cond vents, a 6-way power adjustable driver’s seat and a premium leather interior. Safety features include ABS brakes and 2 airbags.

The price? RM 112,888 for the 5-door and RM 111,888 for the sedan. Prices are for Peninsular Malaysia, without road tax, insurance and registration.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

The next generation Ford Focus due in 2010 will spawn an electric-only version that will share its platform. This new Focus platform is important for Ford as it will be a global platform, which means the ancient platform American market Focus (shown above) will also be updated. The Ford electric vehicle project has its roots back when its supplier Magna International secretly converted a Focus into an electric car without Ford’s knowledge and surprised them with it. Ford loved the car, and Project M began, a joint venture between Magna and Ford. The new Focus-based electric vehicle which is set to launch in 2011, a year after Chrysler and Nissan unveils their own pure electric vehicles, and after GM launches its Chevrolet Volt extended-range EV.

Unlike EREVs like the Volt which move with an electric motor on pure electric mode but use an on-board internal combustion engine to generate electricity for the electric motor to go further (rather than drive the car directly through a gearbox), the Ford EV will not have a range extender and will be able to go about 160km on a single charge, which Ford says is enough for the average American motorist.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Ford has revealed more information on the powerplant in the Ford Focus RS engine bay. The inline-5 “Duratec RS” engine puts out 305 PS between 6,500rpm to 7,050rpm (redline) and a massive 440Nm of torque between 2,300 and 4,500rpm, a good 40Nm more at the peak than the BMW M3. I believe one of the intentions of the press release are to dispel any talk that Ford simply took the easy way out and “rechipped” the Duratec ST engine to produce more power, as many had expected something more exciting such as maybe a twin turbo version with all-wheel drive.

“There was never an intention to try to ‘chip’ the ST engine. We evaluated several approaches using the ST engine and none gave us the combination of power delivery, character and durability that we wanted, so we opted to create an RS Duratec, using the ST unit as our base,” said Ford Team RS powertrain manager Len Urwin.

The engine gets a revised cylinder head gasket, metal-sprayed cylinder bores that are more durable, new pistons and a bespoke camshaft profile and conrods which allows bigger small-end bearings. The turbo has been uprated to a Borg Warner K16 that peaks out at 1.4 bar, double that of the Focus ST’s 0.7 bar boost. Ford says the turbo size was carefully picked to match the “bottom end responsiveness” of the Focus ST. The integration of the turbo to the exhaust manifold had to be strategically configured to optimise crash performance and minimize revisions to other components such as exhaust system, and oil and water pipes. It also has to take into account the car’s 20mm lower subframe.The engine’s larger intercooler can reduce air temperatures from 160 degrees Celsius at the compressor, to a maximum of 60 degrees Celsius at the intercooler outlet, in ambient temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius.

Urwin adds that Ford wanted to prevent the engine from feeling like it runs out of steam at the top end, something that turbo-ed engines with very flat torque curves sometimes exhibit. There is just so much of rush right from the start that you don’t feel the momentum of things picking up all the way until the end. Ford wanted to “reward” drivers who took the Duratec RS to the redline. In addition, the car’s rev needles can bounce up to 7,050rpm for about 3 seconds before it is rev-limited to 6,500rpm.

The 6-speed manual shares the same ratios as the Focus ST but has modifications to the bearing and clutch housing as well as had its differential strengthened to take the extra power and torque. The overall gearing is 1% longer than the ST thanks to the car’s larger tyres (larger rolling circumference), and this results in the RS being able to touch 100km/h in 2nd gear. To help manage 440Nm to the front wheels which also have to steer the car, Ford has employed the use of a Quaife helical LSD. This LSD is based on the one in the original 5-speed Focus RS from the year 2002, but revised for the new 6-speed 2009 Ford Focus RS. It now has a sixth planet gear and is stronger, with a more subtle intervention and torque transfer.

I’m sure when you look at the RS, you’ll notice the large gaping front bumper intake. This is actually part of the cooling requirement, in fact 80% of the engine’s external cooling is thanks to this front grille aperture, even down to the mesh density. The car also gets a 25% larger radiator, anda lso has a larger 14 plate engine-mounted water-cooled oil cooler. The bonnet louvres are also there for a reason, to help idle cooling especially after a high-speed run.

At the front, Ford uses a RevoKnuckle suspension. While regular suspension knuckles are a one-piece design; RevoKnuckle has instead two separate pieces. In place of the regular, inverted ‘L’-shaped lower suspension mount, RevoKnuckle features a ‘C’-shaped mount, connected to both the wheel hub, via two arms and to the strut, which is attached at its top. Apparently this allows greater flexibility in tuning suspension geometry to avoid torque steer. This is sort of a hybrid between a MacPherson strut and double wishbone design, which is good as it is cheaper than a double wishbone design.

Of course, you have to pay for performance not only in the price tag of a car, but naturally more power will burn more fuel so the Focus RS also has a larger fuel tank at 62 liters up from 55 liters in the Focus ST.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

Just months after the wet-clutch 6-speed Powershift dual clutch transmission was released by Ford (and available in Thailand on the Ford Focus TDCi), Ford has announced a new dry clutch version, which will be installed in small cars in North America. The dry clutch transmission is lighter as it does not require hydraulic pumps and fluids, cooling lines and external cooling, unlike its wet clutch counterpart which has clutches bathed in oil.

The Powershift transmission is essentially a manual transmission with two clutches, but has the following algorithms to help it perform as smoothly as a real automatic:

• Neutral coasting – The clutches will automatically disengage during coasting when the brakes are applied to reduce parasitic losses, helping with fuel economy.
• Precise clutch slip control – this improves NVH and smoothness at low engine speeds.
• Creep mode – Some twin clutch transmission do not creep. Creeping is when your automatic transmission car moves forward automatically without having to press the accelerator as long as you let go of the brakes.
• Hill assist – Automatically maintains brake pressure on slopes to prevent the vehicle from rolling back on a gradient surface.

Ford says it wants its vehicles to go nearly 100% 6-speed by the year 2013, and a large number of this will be twin clutch applications. The trucks will probably stick with a torque converter automatic, but with 6 ratios.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.

It’s easy to imagine how a monster like the 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 will perform on the track under heavy pressure from the driver, but how will the beast go under normal driving conditions? What will the people walking along Asian Heritage Row or Jalan P. Ramlee hear when you roll down the street with your machine? What kinds of sounds will the supercharged V8 produce in response to your clutch, shift and throttle work? The video after the jump might be one of the most boring performance car videos in the world, but it also answers the questions above somewhat. Watch the video after the jump.

Video: Ford Shelby Mustang GT500

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 05:32:25 +0800.