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Performance CNG wants to crowdfund natural gas-powered Ford Mustang

Soliciting investments to develop a street-legal compressed natural gas (CNG) powered Ford Mustang that can deliver 470 horsepower certainly wouldn't make sense on a site called Indiestopstop. Nope, Indiegogo is the more-appropriately-named site that one Michigan entrepreneur is using to try and crowdfund his CNG 'Stang. He's looking to raise $55,000. Michigan's Daryl Patrishkoff and his company Performance CNG LLC showed off their converted 2003 Mustang last year at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Royal Oak, MI in an effort to get some exposure for the car, which can run on both gas and CNG. The company and its three-man team is looking to further develop the project in the name of a fueling source that is 40 percent cheaper than gasoline, throws off as much as 30 percent fewer tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions and makes the country less dependent on foreign oil. Performance CNG estimates that just 120,000 of the world's 15 million CNG-powered vehicles are in the US and is calling for more. As for the $55 grand, Patrishkoff estimates that more than half of that amount would be committed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing of emissions, fuel economy and horsepower. The problem? As of right now, only $150 has been raised. Check out Performance CNG's press release below and see the fundraising effort on Indiegogo here. Eco-Friendly Muscle Car? CNG vehicles save money, emit less pollution and creates jobs from American-mined fuel SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich., May 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Daryl Patrishkoff of Shelby Township, MI, has a vision for the American automotive industry. He firmly believes that our fuel of choice should be Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), not gasoline. Until the full CNG infrastructure is in place a Bi-Fuel vehicle, fueled by either CNG or gasoline upon the drivers command, is the bridge vehicle that can lead this transition. Patrishkoff heads up a (3) man technical team developing this technology. The advantages are: 40 percent savings in fuel costs at the pump 25-30 percent reduction in harmful emissions 100 percent US provided natural gas Meaningful employment for the US economy The most important benefit, however, is that a CNG-powered vehicle runs on fuel that can be mined in America, eliminating the need for foreign oil. "After decades of political rhetoric, these types of vehicles can truly lead the US to energy independence," he said.

Swedish car mag says Ford Mondeo is dangerously, illegally overweight [w/video]

Sweden's Teknikens Varld has a reputation for being very persnickety when it comes to auto safety testing, and its latest catch is the Mondeo Titanium Estate 2.0 TDCi 150 bhp S6 MPS (basically a station wagon variant of the Fusion). In addition to the model's mile-long name, it has another problem according to the Swedes, because its weight on the scales does not equal the official numbers for the vehicle. Teknikens Varld claims the wagon is dangerously overweight because it weighs in 4,145 pounds, while Ford officially lists its weight at 3,530 pounds. That 615-pound disparity means that if a family loads it to what they think is the model's gross vehicle weight, it will actually be too heavy, and therefore illegal to drive in Sweden. According to the magazine, when it tried doing this, the rear wheels scraped against the wells, and the estate failed the mag's legendary moose test. However, at 220 pounds over the limit, it passed the test. When reached for comment by Autoblog, Jay Ward, Senior Manager at Ford of Europe Product Communications, explained the reason for the deviation between the official numbers and the magazine's test: "We are aware of this, but this is not an issue that relates specifically to the safety of the Mondeo, but is in fact related to the way in which the cars are tested by the authorities. We provided an Ambiente model for the testing but the car that featured in the magazine test was a Titanium model which has a different weight. We are in discussion with the Swedish Transport Agency to change the framework so the real weight of the Titanium model is reported instead of the Ambiente model which will resolve the issue." Teknikens Varld is well-known for calling out automakers for perceived transgressions. Most recently it leveled criticisms against the all-wheel drive system in the Honda CR-V, and both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Porsche Macan failed its moose test. Scroll down for the magazine's video of weighing the Mondeo Estate and the model's test results. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The new Ford Mondeo is dangerously overweight The new Ford Mondeo is a great car, which Teknikens Varld's test shows, but there is one problem – the weight. Mondeo weighs 279 kg more than Ford claims. With big load (ie family plus luggage) the car therefore becomes illegal to drive.

The next steps automakers could take after sales drop again in April

DETROIT (Reuters) - Major automakers on Tuesday posted declines in U.S. new vehicle sales for April in a sign the long boom cycle that lifted the American auto industry to record sales last year is losing steam, sending carmaker stocks down. The drop in sales versus April 2016 came on the heels of a disappointing March, which automakers had shrugged off as just a bad month. But two straight weak months has heightened Wall Street worries the cyclical industry is on a downward swing after a nearly uninterrupted boom since the Great Recession's end in 2010. Auto sales were a drag on U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product, with the economy growing at an annual rate of just 0.7 percent according to an advance estimate published by the Commerce Department last Friday. Excluding the auto sector the GDP growth rate would have been 1.2 percent. Industry consultant Autodata put the industry's seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales at 16.88 million units for April, below the average of 17.2 million units predicted by analysts polled by Reuters. General Motors Co shares fell 2.9 percent while Ford Motor Co slid 4.3 percent and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's U.S.-traded shares tumbled 4.2 percent. The U.S. auto industry faces multiple challenges. Sales are slipping and vehicle inventory levels have risen even as carmakers have hiked discounts to lure customers. A flood of used vehicles from the boom cycle are increasingly competing with new cars. The question for automakers: How much and for how long to curtail production this summer, which will result in worker layoffs? To bring down stocks of unsold vehicles, the Detroit automakers need to cut production, and offer more discounts without creating "an incentives war," said Mark Wakefield, head of the North American automotive practice for AlixPartners in Southfield, Michigan. "We see multiple weeks (of production) being taken out on the car side," he said, "and some softness on the truck side." Rival automakers will be watching each other to see if one is cutting prices to gain market share from another, he said, instead of just clearing inventory. INVESTORS DIGEST BAD NEWS Just last week GM reported a record first-quarter profit, but that had almost zero impact on the automaker's stock. The iconic carmaker, whose own interest was once conflated with that of America's, has slipped behind luxury carmaker Tesla Inc in terms of valuation.