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2015 Ford Mustang earns Five Stars from NHTSA [w/video]

We already know that the latest Ford Mustang is a pretty potent pony car in terms of its performance potential, but according to the government, it's a safe choice too. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released its New Car Assessment Program crash test results for the 2015 'Stang coupe, and it came away with top five-star overall ratings in every evaluation. The Mustang received a five-star overall score and five stars for its frontal, side and rollover ratings. The only minor ding was a four-star result just for the backseat in a side barrier crash. According to NHTSA, "Although not included in the star rating, the rear passenger's thoracic rib deflection was elevated." You can check out the full NCAP evaluation, here. According to Ford, the latest Mustang has twice as many airbags and crash sensors as the outgoing model. NHTSA also likes that the pony car offers a rearview camera and forward collision warning – two of the technologies that the agency recommends buyers getting for added safety. Watch the car crash in the video below. 2015 MUSTANG EARNS HIGHEST VEHICLE SAFETY RATING FROM NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awards the all-new 2015 Mustang a five-star Overall Vehicle Score in its New Car Assessment Program All-new Mustang has twice as many airbags, twice as many peripheral crash sensors and additional pretensioning safety belt technology compared to the outgoing model The new Mustang is the first car to offer four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines that each produce at least 300 horsepower – a 300-horsepower 3.7-liter V6, a more powerful 435-horsepower 5.0-liter V8, and an all-new 310-horsepower 2.3-liter EcoBoost® engine DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 11, 2015 – The 2015 Ford Mustang received a top safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The 2015 Mustang earned a five-star Overall Vehicle Score in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) testing. The New Car Assessment Program is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's evaluation program for new vehicle designs established to test for performance against safety threats. Now on sale at Ford dealers, the all-new 2015 Mustang received five stars in the frontal crash test, five stars in the side crash test and five stars in the rollover crash test. "The new Mustang was built from the ground up," said Carl Widmann, Mustang chief engineer.

Ford cleans up painting process with cameras

Knowing how the bacon gets made rarely entices us and, in the same vein, the same usually goes for knowing about how new cars get painted. But in both instances, however, quality - or a lack thereof - is instantly obvious. In terms of the latter, Ford is showing off its new paint quality process with 3D Dirt Detection Technology to find imperfections in vehicle paint more easily and more quickly.
This process - being performed on the F-150 SVT Raptor above - uses 16 computer-controlled cameras to create a three-dimensional model (inset) of the vehicle to detect flaws in the paint including dirt particles, which can then be buffed out manually. Ford says this new technology cuts down on time spent looking for paint flaws and gives workers more time to correct those that are discovered.
Currently, Ford only uses its 3D Dirt Detection Technology system at three factories (the Dearborn, MI facility, along with those in Louisville, Kentucky and Valencia, Spain), but it will soon spread to five more plants in North America. Ford has released a video and press release for this innovative and unexpectedly interesting process, both of which are posted below.

Ford GT successor to debut in Detroit and go racing

Anticipation for all of the exciting reveals at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show just a few weeks away is building to a fever pitch, and rumors are mounting that Ford has a big surprise in store in the shape of a future performance halo model. Insider sources speaking to Autoweek claim the next Ford supercar is definitely going to be revealed at the Detroit show in early January. However, the model is not necessarily the next-generation Ford GT in terms of its name or design aesthetic. Instead, one of these people indicates that the new halo model might drop retro styling altogether. If the latest reports are to be believed, Ford's high-performance project goes beyond something to just grab headlines and rocket down the street. According to Autoweek, the automaker is also reportedly employing Chip Ganassi Racing to run a two-car racing effort in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship in 2016. That would allegedly include a trip to the 24 Hours of Le Mans to race on the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT40's win in 1966. The speculation goes that at least the racing version might use a twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 for power. However, the motorsports part of the program may not be announced during the auto show reveal. Rumors about the new halo car from the Blue Oval and its racing intentions have been percolating for months. The company might have considered an LMP2 entry, but speculation popped up later about the production supercar. A more recent report suggested that Ford might show a new Shelby GT350R Mustang, a successor to the F-150 Raptor and next Ford GT in Detroit.