2007 Ford Mustang Premium on 2040-cars

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Ford, Renault have surprises in store for Le Mans

All those prototype and GT racers won't be the only attraction catching our eye at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend. Two major automakers have also confirmed that they've got new metal to unveil. And while they're not saying exactly what they'll be, we've got some pretty good ideas. First up is Ford, which has announced a "major Ford Performance news announcement" on Friday. Chairman Bill Ford, CEO Mark Fields, and product development chief Raj Nair will be on hand for the announcement set to take place on Friday at 10:00 AM Eastern. The Blue Oval isn't saying just what it has in store, but the widespread speculation has been that it will present a racing version of the new Ford GT at Le Mans a good half century since the original GT40 raced there. Meanwhile, Renault has announced that it is marking the 60th anniversary of the Alpine marque at Le Mans this Saturday. The French automaker has been working on reviving the dormant marque, and looks poised to finally reveal its new sports car at its iconic home endurance race this weekend. Tipped to be called the Alpine AS1, the new sports car will bring the marque back out of retirement in a more real way than the ELMS-winning LMP2 prototype ever could. Expect it to be based on the mid-engined chassis underpinning the Renault RS 01 spec racer, but built for the road. Related Video: FORD TO ANNOUNCE SIGNIFICANT PERFORMANCE NEWS THIS WEEK - Ford this week is making a major Ford Performance news announcement via live-streamed media conference - Bill Ford, executive chairman will host the event with Mark Fields, president and CEO; and Raj Nair, group vice president, Global Product Development COLOGNE, Germany, June 8, 2015 – Ford this week is making a news announcement regarding Ford Performance at 14:00 UK time on Friday. Ford Executive Chairman, Bill Ford; President and CEO Mark Fields; and Group Vice President of Global Product Development Raj Nair, will be joined by special guests for an event that will be live-streamed around the world. The news conference will be available to view live at http://bit.ly/FordPerformanceSpecialEvent where an automated calendar entry for the June 12 event is now available. Broadcasters please note the conference will be available from BT Tower at 15:00-15:30 CET/13:00-13:30 GMT (HD – ref: HD/LOG/C 113) (SD – ref: ARQIVA 71). ### Save the date: 60th Anniversary of Alpine To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Alpine, we have a surprise for you at the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

Hot Wheels Ford Transit Connect is worth more if we keep it in the box

If the 2014 Transit Connect is anything like it's utile current-generation predecessor, and we suspect it is, it will undoubtedly be one of the most functional vehicles in North America. Ford has used the occasion of SEMA to turn the TC in to things that both make use of that functionality, and occasionally sort of wreck it in the name of good old-fashioned fun. The Ford Hot Wheels Transit Connect most certainly falls into that second category.
Most TC owners might cite the vehicle's massive cargo capacity as its top positive trait, though in the case of this wide-bodied Transit said space has been sapped in the name of a 55-inch television screen, a massive Hot Wheels drag strip (continuing a popular theme at SEMA this year) and custom storage for dozens of models from one's personal hot wheels collection. Designers have also plucked the grippy Recaro seats from the Focus ST, and thrown in a pair of 18-inch tablet screens for connectivity on the go.
Naturally, the Transit Connect wouldn't be an appropriate SEMA vehicle, or Hot Wheels name-bearer, if it weren't wearing an eye-popping appearance package. Additional homage to the Focus RS can be found in the blazing blue and orange front fascia and bumpers, while 20-inch wheels make sure the wider (four-inches in front and six-inches in the back) Transit Connect sits just right. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder-engine that powers the Hot Wheels TC ensures that the concept is more show than go, but you probably had that pegged from your first look, anyway.

STUDY: Ford owns brand loyalty in 2009; Scorned Saturn, Pontiac buyers will look outside of GM

Ford buyers appear to love their cars more than customers of any other automotive brand, returning back to the American automaker when it comes time to purchase their next vehicle. According to a study by Experian Automotive, six of the top 10 vehicles for customer brand loyalty wear badges from the Blue Oval. That includes the Ford Fusion (62.4 percent), Ford Edge (57.9 percent), Ford Five Hundred/Taurus (56 percent), Ford Freestyle (51.9 percent), Ford Escape (49.4 percent) and the Ford Focus (47.57 percent).
Other vehicles making up the top 10 include the Toyota Prius (52 percent), Chevy Impala (51.7 percent), Toyota Camry (47.8 percent) and Toyota Corolla (47.56 percent). This brings up an interesting question: With the closing of automotive brands like Saturn and Pontiac, where are those buyers to turn for their next automotive purchase?
Apparently, not back to General Motors. According to Experian, Pontiac owners are most likely to look to the Ford lineup for their next car or truck and Saturn shoppers will switch to Toyota or Honda - not particularly surprising given that Saturn was meant to compete with import brands. Experian predicts that GM's overall market share will fall from 20 percent to about 17.5 percent, with most of the slack being picked up by Ford, Honda and Toyota.