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2016 Ford Focus RS shows up in Geneva, still bound for America [w/video]

Representing the super-hot hatchback movement at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, we have the 2015 Ford Focus RS, the third-generation to wear the performance-focused designation. Bound for America for the first time, it's fair to say we're darn excited for the Focus RS and its 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder. With at least 315 horsepower under the hood and the long-awaited inclusion of an all-wheel-drive system, there's little arguing that the RS will be seriously quick off the line. It should be darn good through the bends, too. The all-wheel-drive system packs a Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control system that sends up to 70 percent of the power to the rear axle. On top of the AWD's torque vectoring ability, the Focus RS adds a brake-based torque vectoring system, which transfers power laterally, as needed. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires should only help keep the RS glued to the tarmac. A three-pedal setup is the sole transmission option, which should delight purists. According to Ford, both the clutch and the trans itself have been bolstered to handle the 2.3-liter's power. Ford also comprehensively upgraded the looks of the Focus RS relative to the lesser Focus ST. Its enormous rear wing and the back bumper's rear diffuser complement the car's menacing face. The ST's center-exit exhaust has been ditched for a meaty set of pipes, while the car on display in Geneva shows off a different set of alloys than what we saw during the car's original debut. Check out our full gallery of live photos of this hot Ford, available up top. And be sure to check out our Short Cut of the new hot hatch by scrolling down. All-New Ford Focus RS; High-Performance Hatch with Innovative All-Wheel Drive Set for U.S. Debut - Third-generation Ford Focus RS will be available in major markets around the world and for the first time in the United States; Focus RS follows the reveal last month of the new Ford GT supercar – a new era of Ford performance that will deliver 12 new vehicles by 2020 - All-new Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control paired with a powerful 2.3-liter EcoBoost® four-cylinder engine will provide impressive performance - Aggressive, functional design inside and out makes Focus RS the most powerful production Focus ever, with highly capable performance on both road and track - Professional rally driver and star of Gymkhana films Ken Block teamed with Ford as a consultant on development of Focus RS Cologne, Germany, Feb.

Ford will build Hackmobile out of Transit Connect Wagon

What you see in the above image is a rendering of the Hackmobile Transit Connect Wagon. What is that? It's a "mobile fabrication and hacking unit" that includes tools for metal- and woodworking, 3D and electronics fabrication, a three-axis CNC machine called "The Fabber," a video projector and screen, an air compressor, an 84x48-inch work surface that folds out like a Murphy bed and oh so much more. When not in use, all of the implements fold neatly into the back of Ford's award-winning van.
But perhaps the more important question is why is that? Because Make Magazine held an Ultimate Maker Vehicle Challenge in conjunction with Ford in which ten teams created were charged with creating "the ultimate Ford Transit Connect Wagon for the do-it-yourself enthusiast." Team Twin Cities Maker won the competition with the Hackmobile, and in addition to winning $10,000, Ford has declared it's actually going to build the thing - which is great, because if they can actually engineer a road-legal Hackmobile Transit Connect Wagon as envisioned, the inevitable A-Team movie reboot might need to think about including it.
Check out the video below for a cheeky walk-through of the Hackmobile, and get all the particulars in the press release below that.

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