2004 Ford Svt Focus, Euro Package, Ford Warranty on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jeep Grand Cherokee, BMW i8, Ford F-150 win 2015 Green Car Awards in DC [w/video]

There were three shiny trophies handed out at the Washington Auto Show last week by Green Car Journal, and they went to three different examples of what "green" means in the automotive industry today. The Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel won the award for the 2015 Green SUV of the Year, the BMW i8 was named the 2015 Luxury Green Car of the Year and the Ford F-150 took the 2015 Green Car Technology Award honor. There is a case to be made that the aluminum body of the new Ford truck will make a bigger impact in the overall fuel usage in the US than almost any other vehicle, given the numbers of F-150s that Ford sells each year. The B20 biodiesel-capable Jeep gets up to 30 miles per gallon on the highway. And the i8 puts all sorts of new, fuel-saving technologies into an attractive package. Looking over the winners, and the list of finalists you can see in our photo gallery, and you can see that the definition of green is expanding every year. You can watch Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan hand out the 2015 awards in the video below and we'll for sure be paying attention to what wins next year. 2015 Luxury Green Car of the Year, Green SUV of the Year and Green Car Technology Winners Announced WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Car Journal has named the Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel its 2015 Green SUV of the Year™ and the BMW i8 its 2015 Luxury Green Car of the Year™, with the aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 earning the magazine's 2015 Green Car Technology Award™. Winners were determined by a jury of Green Car Journal editors and automotive experts. The prestigious awards were announced in Washington, D.C. today at a Green Car Awards™ press conference held during the Washington Auto Show's Public Policy Day at the Washington Convention Center. "These are truly commendable vehicles representing the 'best-of-the-best' in so many ways," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com. "The auto industry's very early focus on small cars and efficiency-for-environment tradeoffs has evolved to now include a more dynamic field of 'greener' models in all vehicle classes. Those wanting greater efficiency or better environmental performance are no longer constrained by limited choices or vehicle types that fall outside their top purchase preferences.

Autoline streaming live from Detroit Auto Show right now

As you can already see, the Autoblog team is digging deep to bring you everything from the Detroit Auto Show media days today and tomorrow, with obsessive coverage of all of the new sheetmetal, hot concepts and industry news. But we're hardly alone in Cobo Hall, and our friend John McElroy and his Autoline team have fired up a live video webcast with interviews from the show floor that you can watch right now by scrolling below. The daily streaming broadcasts start at 1:00 PM Eastern today and tomorrow, with a large number of A-list executives, designers, and product planners from both domestic and foreign automakers are expected to sit in. Interviewees scheduled to appear include Al Gardner, President and CEO of Chrysler; David Zuchowski, brand-new President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America; Doug Scott, Truck Group Marketing Manager at Ford; and Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer at Kia. For the live feed and a full list of guests for both days, scroll below. Live broadcast by Ustream [Pop-out Chat Window] Day One Al Gardner, President and CEO, Chrysler Brand Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America Doug Scott, Truck Group Marketing Manager, Ford Tim Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer, Global Chevrolet Heiko Schmidt, Head of C-Class Product Planning, Mercedes-Benz USA Filip Brabec, Product Planning Manager, Audi of America Day Two Bob Ferguson, Senior Vice President, Global Cadillac Dave Zuchowski, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor America Mike Manley, President & CEO, Jeep Brand Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer, Kia Tom Kearns, Chief Designer, Kia Design Center America Jim Lentz, COO, Toyota Motor NA Tony Nicolosi, President & CEO, Volvo Cars North America Jose Munoz, Executive VP & Chairman, Nissan Americas Auto News Detroit Auto Show Audi BMW Chrysler Ford Kia Videos Detroit Autoblog 2014 Detroit Auto Show autoline Peter Schreyer

Ford Mondeo classes up with premium Vignale trim

Back in the day, Vignale was a carrozzeria of the highest order, alongside the likes of Pininfarina, Bertone and Zagato. But like Giugiaro-ItalDesign and Ghia, it has since been subsumed into a larger auto group. Ford ended up with it under its umbrella when it took over De Tomaso, and has since used the moniker for a number of concept cars. Now the name is back in the form of a new upscale sub-brand for the European market.
The first new model to receive the Vignale treatment is the Mondeo, which Ford unveiled here at the Frankfurt Motor Show in both sedan and wagon forms. Positioned above the Titanium trim, the Vignale model gets such special touches as chrome trim and a quilted leather interior, Vignale badges replacing any mention of the Mondeo on which it's based. It also gains an ownership experience - including free car washes for life! - to befit the upscale positioning.
Under the bright spotlights above the show floor, the Nocciola metallic brown paint might not be the most photogenic, but will likely give the Vignale edition a more premium look when it hits European dealers and roads in 2015. Whether it'll be worth however much Ford asks for it, however, remains to be seen. Scroll down below for the official press release.