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Ford dealer gives James Robertson new 2015 Taurus

James Robertson, the 56-year-old Detroit native famous for walking 21 miles to work each day for the last 10 years, is behind the wheel again thanks to a gift from a Ford dealer. Robertson became an Internet sensation when the story about his daily ordeal came to light, and a GoFundMe campaign initially hoped to raise $5,000 to buy him a new ride. As of this writing, it has reached over $300,000. He didn't have to dip into any of that money to buy the new car, though. According to The Detroit Free Press, Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, MI, heard about Robertson's story of never being late to work and having perfect attendance. The dealer is donating a fully loaded, red 2015 Taurus to him. It's not one of our choices, but certainly nothing to sneeze at. Robertson started walking to work in 2005 when his Honda broke down. According to the GoFundMe page, his job is about 23 miles away, but thanks to Detroit's poor bus network, he covers about 21 miles of that round-trip trek on foot each day. Related Video: News Source: The Detroit Free Press, GoFundMeImage Credit: Ryan Garza / Detroit Free Press / TNS / Alamy Live News Auto News Ford Car Dealers Driving Sedan Detroit Michigan charity

EPA says fuel economy test for hybrids is accurate

The EPA says it stands behind its fuel economy test for hybrid vehicles following controversy about the testing process after Ford C-Max Hybrid customers and automotive journalists alike struggled to achieve 47 miles per gallon, the advertised mpg number, Automotive News reports. Ford responded to the issue almost two weeks ago by claiming that a 1970s-era EPA general label rule was responsible for the inaccurate mileage numbers, rerating the C-Max Hybrid's mpg numbers and offering customers rebates. Ford later said it didn't overstate the C-Max Hybrid's fuel economy and that it was surprised by the low numbers.
Ford technically didn't do anything wrong because it was following the general label rule, but agency regulator Christopher Grundler says the automaker was exploiting a loophole when it came up with the hybrid C-Max numbers, and that the testing process remains accurate. The general label rule allows vehicles that use the same engine and transmission and are in the same weight class to share fuel economy numbers, but it doesn't take into account other factors such as aerodynamic efficiency, which affects hybrids more drastically than non-hybrid vehicles. Ford originally used the Fusion Hybrid economy figures for the C-Max Hybrid and claimed the engineers didn't realize that its aerodynamic efficiency would affect fuel economy as much as it did.

2016 Ford Explorer revealed with new 2.3-liter EcoBoost

A 2.3L EcoBoost four-cylinder takes over where the old 2.0 left off, making 270 hp and 300 lb-ft.
Right now, around 23 percent of all Ford vehicles sold in the United States is a utility vehicle. By 2020, Ford expects that figure to increase all the way to 29 percent. Put simply, SUVs and crossovers are very big business at Ford. So, when it comes time to update the Explorer, Ford's original sport utility vehicle, you can be sure that a whole heck of a lot of effort goes into the process.