2015 Ford F250 Xl on 2040-cars

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Ford hybrid sales rebound following MPG controversy

Ford hybrid customers apparently have very short memories. With two EPA fuel economy reratings in the last year, sales of the C-Max, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ haven't been too terribly dented, Ward's Auto reports.
All three vehicles saw sales dips following the August 2013 rerating, although sales of the MKZ Hybrid had begun to rebound as early as November of that year. C-Max sales, meanwhile, took slightly longer, with sales on a steadily improving course as early as February of this year.
The second rerating, in June of this year, has had an even smaller effect on the Blue Oval's hybrids. The C-Max has actually been subject to a sales increase, while both the MKZ and Fusion saw minor sales drops (less than 400 units between the two in the month following the rerating).

1947 Chevy rat rod pickup leaves rubber and smoke in its wake

Cool comes in multiple flavors. One one hand, we have the sophisticated attraction of svelte design and the efficient use of power. Of course, on the other hand there is the allure of being the bad boy and going against the grain. That is part of the appeal of rat rods. Ideally, they are built without rules to an owner's specific tastes, and this widened and heavily modified 1947 Chevrolet pickup rod is a perfect example of that spirit.
Coming down the highway with a bent grille, rusted body and pouring smoke, it looks like the pickup from hell. It backs up the looks with some very impressive mechanicals too. Owner Troy Gubser says that the truck packs a Ford Power Stroke diesel with to 42 pounds of boost that runs out of 8-inch exhaust stacks at the back. He claims it managed 505 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque on the dyno. To harness all that power, this hot rod has a ZF five-speed manual gearbox with a ceramic clutch and short-throw shifter. Plus, it has cool little features like a doorbell on the tailgate that operates an air horn.
You might not expect a truck like this to actually be useful, but it has a fifth wheel coupling to haul an RV around drag races and car shows. The air suspension also probably keeps the ride fairly comfy when Gubser wants it to be. Scroll down to check out this beastly rat rod pickup and watch it engage in some diesel drag racing. Warning, there is some NSFW language.

2016 Ford Fusion hybrid, plug-in getting $900 price cut

While the overall the green car market in the US suffered a slump in 2014 with a 6.5-percent drop in sales, the demand for electric vehicles and plug-ins actually jumped a healthy 28 percent. The Ford Fusion Energi plug-in was among the winners in the segment with a nearly 90 percent boost to 11,550 examples sold for the year. To keep the ball rolling in the face of low gas prices and updated challengers entering the field, the Blue Oval is slashing $900 off the cost of both the Energi and standard Fusion Hybrid to make them even more attractive to buyers. Ford's Monique Brentley told Autoblog that, the reduction was done, "basically, just to attract more customers and promote sales." The cut affects every trim of both electrically assisted versions of the Fusion for the 2016 model year, according to Cars Direct, and it comes without the removal of standard equipment. On the contrary, the Energi reportedly gets a new EcoSelect driving mode that activates additional regenerative braking and more gentle acceleration. The $900 pricing adjustment is only for these models and not available on the versions with only an internal combustion engine, which makes it clear Ford wants to tantalize green car buyers towards this pair. According to Cars Direct, the models should go on sale in late 2015. The least expensive 2016 Fusion Hybrid S will retail for $25,675, plus $825 destination on all of them, and a 2016 Energi start at $33,900. Autoblog's own pricing pages for them show the same numbers (here and here). Cars Direct also predicts for the Blue Oval to keep most incentives in place even after the adjustment. Assuming these figures don't change before the sedans actually go on sale, the price cut makes a 2016 Energi less expensive than a 2015 Chevrolet Volt starting at $34,345 (plus $825 destination). The cost of the updated 2016 model for the Chevy isn't announced yet.