2001 Ford Crown Victoria - Cng on 2040-cars

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Toyota fears supplier pressure in Australia with GM pull out

With Ford and General Motors both announcing an end to production in Australia, the country's auto industry is in a bad way. With the exit of two big players, there's increased concern that a third Australian manufacturer, Toyota, will be forced out, as well.
"We are saddened to learn of GM Holden's decision. This will place unprecedented pressure on the local supplier network and our ability to build cars in Australia," Toyota Australia said in a statement. The GM closure of Holden production will be the direct end to 2,900 jobs, but will also force a dramatic reduction in the size of the country's supplier network, as there will simply be fewer cars to build.
In the same statement, Toyota Australia said it would work with suppliers and local government to figure out whether continuing production Down Under was even feasible. According to Automotive News, a representative for the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union told reporters it was "highly likely" that Toyota would also close up shop within the next few years.

2014 Ford Transit Connect Taxi hopes to fare thee well

New York City may have selected its taxi of tomorrow, but there are still plenty of municipalities across the US with citizens that depend on yellow livery cars to get them across town in a jiffy. That's why Ford is going ahead with this, the new Transit Connect Taxi.
Based on the 2014 Transit Connect, the TC Taxi boasts a number of features designed to make the compact van appeal to discerning taxi drivers and their fares, with the most notable upgrade being a standardized prep package to convert the 2.5-liter four to run on liquefied petroleum or compressed natural gas. The clean-burning fuel options will allow operators to save on fuel costs and cut down on pollution without sacrificing performance.
A lower load floor and a new twist-beam rear suspension are meant to improve the riding experience for passengers, while the longer 2014 Transit Connect sports extra cargo space as well. In addition to the CNG/LPG conversion, the Transit Connect Taxi can also be easily modified for wheelchair access. Drivers, meanwhile, will have access to optional goodies like Sync with MyFord Touch and a rear-view camera.

2015 Ford F-150 specs revealed, EcoBoost 2.7L to make 325 hp and 375 lb-ft [w/video]

Our new man Greg Migliore is in attendance at a Ford media event at the Blue Oval's Dearborn, MI headquarters today, and he's reported in with a handful of the 2015 F-150 stats that we've been dying to know. Ford is slow-playing the news release here, but we can still offer up some interesting output and performance figures after half-year of waiting.
We have all be quite aware that Ford's shift to aluminum construction would save a lot of weight for F-150 models, and the results we're hearing now are duly impressive. For instance: in Super Crew trim, a 2015 F-150 is a whopping 732-pounds lighter than was its closest 2014-model-year equivalent. That's like hauling three middle-aged dudes to your bowling alley's league night for free. Polish your balls, guys.
Ford isn't willing to offer up any actual curb weights just yet, but if we take that 732-pound loss and extrapolate with the 5,128-pound curb weight of the 2014 F-150 Super Crew with the 3.7-liter V6, we can guesstimate that 2015 models will measure out in the 4,400-pound range. That's impressive.