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Former Cadillac boss Butler takes Ford tech job

When Don Butler made the surprising decision to leave his post as Cadillac's VP of global strategic development, it was a surprise. Citing a desire to "recalibrate, reassess my priorities" in that August announcement, it wasn't entirely clear where Butler - a virtual General Motors lifer after spending nearly 30 years with the company - would end up. Turns out he took a trip to Dearborn.
Butler has taken a position in the newly created position of Executive Director of Connected Vehicles and Services at Ford, where he'll be responsible for the Blue Oval's global connectivity strategy. "Not only does Don understand the connected car landscape, but probably just as important, he understands customer expectations," said Raj Nair, who, as Group Vice President of Global Product Development, is Butler's new boss. "Having a leader with technology experience both inside and outside the industry is a rare combination - we're excited to have Don join our team."
As Ford has received its fair share of flak for the sometimes recalcitrant MyFord Touch infotainment system and its Sync voice-controls, it appears that Butler has his work cut out for him.

Second part of Forza Horizon 3 car list revealed early

We previously brought you the first portion of Forza Horizon 3's list of 350 cars last week, and today we're bringing you part two. Apparently Fairfax Media in Australia had the list and images early and published them on The Sydney Morning Herald's website . We say early because the publication's story reveals that Playground Games, the developer of the game, plans to make the official announcement on the Forza website this Wednesday. This set of virtual machinery brings us closer to the full list, which will continue to be revealed over the coming weeks. While this part is smaller than the first one, it still features a number of notable automobiles, including the Bugatti EB110 Super Sport, GMC Syclone and Ferrari Dino 246 GT. This list also adds more vintage Aussie machines, including the very cool 1974 Holden "Sandman" HQ panel truck. Fans of the Mad Max movies may remember Max's Sandman truck from the original film. Check out the list of new cars from The Sydney Morning Herald below and take at look their article for new images and insight on what the developers' goals were for the game. 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione 1970 AMC Rebel "The Machine" 1998 Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600 2011 Audi RS 5 Coupe 2011 BMW X5 M 1981 BMW M1 1992 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport 1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 1966 Chevrolet Nova Super Sport 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR 1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT 1968 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 2011 Ferrari FF 1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra 1956 Ford F-100 1991 GMC Syclone 2016 Holden Special Vehicles GTS Maloo 1951 Holden 50-2106 FX Ute 1974 Holden Sandman HQ panel van 2012 Infiniti IPL G Coupe 2015 Jaguar XFR-S 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV 2014 Lamborghini Urus 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged 2005 Lotus Elise 111S 2013 Mazda MX-5 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II 2013 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR 2000 Nissan Silvia Spec-R 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 2010 Renault Megane RS 250 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Related Video: News Source: The Sydney Morning HeraldImage Credit: Playground Games/Microsoft Auto News Bugatti Ford GMC Holden Technology video games forza motorsport forza horizon 3

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.