2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Rare Mandarin Copper Color on 2040-cars

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Ford to announce Mulally retirement, Fields CEO as early as May 1

Ford CEO Alan Mulally may be about to announce his long-rumored retirement from the Blue Oval, according to a pair of insiders who spoke to Bloomberg. An official statement on the succession could arrive as soon as May 1. Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields is rumored to step up as the new CEO. The company is said to be readying the announcement soon to ensure an orderly transition of power, according to the insiders.
Mulally's retirement from Ford has been a hot topic for a while. He was seriously rumored last year to be leaving the automaker to take over as the CEO of Microsoft. The board even said at one point that it was okay with them if he stepped down early. However, the CEO maintained he would stay with the business through at least the end of 2014. Fields has been rumored as a frontrunner to take over the top spot at the company since he was promoted to COO.
For the moment, Ford isn't officially confirming any of these plans. "We don't comment on speculation. We do have succession plans in place for our key leadership. We take succession planning very seriously," said Susan Krusel, Ford Global News Manager, to Autoblog.

Ford's Simple Suit Makes You Feel Like A Drunk Driver

We've all heard about the dangers of drunk driving for practically our entire lives. Whether it's from PSAs on TV or lectures in school, no one can claim ignorance of drunk driving being extremely dangerous. However, that doesn't prevent some people from still doing it. Ford is trying to take the safety message directly to young drivers with a special suit that allows them to simulate driving under the influence. It is all part of Ford's Driving Skills for Life program that gives free driving education to young people. The program is meant to "train kids in skills they don't learn in driver's ed," said Kelli Felker, Ford Safety Communications Manager, to Autoblog. The drivers don a few items to impair their senses and make them off-balance to simulate having a few too many drinks and then go out on a closed course with an instructor to see the effects. Felker said that the suit is a new part of the program, and Ford just received the outfit in the US. It will be incorporated into the training here in the late spring or early summer. Scroll down to see the effect it has on drivers in Europe. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Are you Ford's next Bullitt Mustang? [w/poll]

Ford has a long history of offering special editions of its legendary Mustang. One of the most vaunted of those trim packages, though, has only been offered twice. The first time was in 2001, and then again in 2008. Yes, we're talking about the Bullitt.
Named for the infamous Dark Highland Green Mustang Fastback driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 cop melodrama Bullitt, the car was famous for not just its pilot, but the high-speed chase it took part in during the movie. Now, we think we have images of the next Bullitt.
According to our spy photographers, the paint is a "dead-ringer" for the Dark Highland Green that has signified these special edition Mustangs. While we're inclined to agree, it's also worth pointing out that this shade looks very similar to one of the 2015's other new colors, Guard. We've yet to see one on the road (let alone in such dreary conditions), so it's tough to say for certain.