2014 Ford Escape S on 2040-cars

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Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Report: GM struggling to market turbo technology

In the automotive realm, marketing can sometimes prove just as important as the actual product. Take, for instance, Ford's well regarded EcoBoost technology, which couples turbocharging with direct injection to produce more horsepower and reduce fuel consumption. Would it surprise you to hear that General Motors has had similar technology on the market for over three years?
It's true. GM's first turbocharged, direct injected powerplants hit the market for the 2007 model. The 2.0-liter Ecotec mills put down an impressive 260 horsepower and a matching 260 pound-feet of torque, and they were lauded by the press in the engine bays of the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Chevrolet Cobalt SS and Chevrolet HHR SS. But few people outside a core group of enthusiasts actually remember this fact.
Says Uwe Grebe, executive director of GM's global advanced engineering, "We didn't have a badge and say, 'This is the most important thing we will put on all our brochures.'" Ford, however, did just that, and it's EcoBoost engines are right at the tips of all our tongues when we discuss today's most advanced powerplants. So, how does The General fix its mistake?

Galpin Ford GTR1 supercar debuts in Monterey

Galpin Auto Sports has finally taken the wraps off the car we first previewed back in December, the Galpin Ford GTR1. A few weeks ago, we posted the first hints of just what the GTR1 would be capable of, with Galpin teasing that its 5.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 would produce in excess of 1000 horsepower, with a top speed of 225 miles per hour. Package all that in a coachbuilt body, and you have the recipe for one wicked supercar.
The price for the carbon fiber-bodied car is $1,024,000.
Now, we have all the glorious details. Galpin is targeting a production run of six cars, but if interest is strong enough, will expand its initial quote to 24 vehicles. The price for the carbon fiber-bodied car is $1,024,000. Opting for the aluminum bodywork could lower that, although it's not immediately clear by how much.