2000 Ford Crown Victoria on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Inside Ford's high-tech climate chamber

There are two ways an automaker can test its vehicles in extreme climates: it can send said vehicle around the world – from Death Valley to the Arctic Circle – in search of the harshest weather, or it can recreate those conditions in an enclosed environment. We're sure that many automakers undertake some combination of both, but in this latest video clip, Ford shows us around inside it's state-of-the-art climate chamber. At its Driveability Test Facility in Allen Park, MI – inaugurated in 2010 just across the street from the Roush Technology Center – Ford can simulate all sorts of extreme conditions. It can drop the temperature down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit or raise it up to 130, and take it up to a simulated 12,000 feet above sea level or drop it down to 280 feet below. blast it with 150-mile-per-hour winds. It can control the level of humidity, approximate the intensity of the sun and even blast the test vehicle with artificial snow, just like your favorite ski resort. The facility strikes us as an engineering feat as impressive as some of the vehicles it's used to test, but don't take our word for it – scope it out for yourself in this brief two-minute video clip, which even includes some helpful tips for winter driving this holiday season and beyond. News Source: Ford via YouTube Plants/Manufacturing Ford Videos Michigan winter

Ford exec downplays idea of aluminum-intensive cars

Ford certainly made waves when it rolled out the all-new 2015 F-150 made primarily out of aluminum. But while trimming weight off its vehicles is a top priority for the Detroit automaker, we shouldn't expect the lightweight metal to be used as widely on passenger cars as it has been on its new pickup. Speaking at the Automotive News World Congress on Wednesday, top Ford exec Joe Hinrichs said that using aluminum in passenger cars isn't as beneficial as it is in trucks – primarily because the weight savings isn't as dramatic, or as deeply needed. Though improved fuel economy is certainly one advantage of aluminum construction in a truck like the F-150, low prices at the pump have prompted Ford to highlight another advantage, and that's capability: With less weight on its own, a lighter-weight truck can carry and tow more than a heavier one, because it all comes down to combined weight ratings. Ford is expected to make the new F-Series Super Duty largely out of aluminum for the same reasons, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the next Expedition use the material as well. But while certain components in Ford passenger cars will be made of aluminum, we shouldn't expect entire chassis and bodywork assemblies to use the material as extensively as on the F-150, or on more upscale passenger cars from the likes of Audi or Jaguar. Dearborn is, however, investing in other lightweight materials. It has a joint venture with Dow Chemical to put carbon fiber into mass production, much as BMW has with its i3. The Blue Oval will use a combination of carbon and aluminum on its 2017 GT supercar, and it has stripped weight by removing amenities from the 2016 Mustang GT350R, but apparently neither is a method Ford can practically apply to its volume models. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Ford F-150 View 36 Photos News Source: TheDetroitBureau.com, Automotive News - sub. req.Tip: Ford Green Ford aluminum joe hinrichs

Hear the 2015 Mustang GT V8 roar for the first time

Our combined knowledge of the 2015 Ford Mustang continues to deepen, as spy shooters have begun to compile video and audio of the upcoming sixth-generation car.
Case in point is this latest series of video clips, which not only gives us a great vantage point of the Mustang in motion, but also allows us to hear the Ford V8 engine and exhaust. After perusing the aural delights of this short video, which, admittedly, doesn't catch the Mustang GT at full song, we can at least say that the throaty exhaust isn't disappointing.
Chances are good that the 2015 Mustang GT will debut with some version of the current (and excellent) Coyote 5.0-liter V8 engine, though we're unclear as to whether or not the motor has been massaged for its next-gen debut, or what may have been done to exhaust plumbing. At this point, we're just happy to hear the pony run. Scroll below to hear for yourself.