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Weekly Recap: Ford GT inspires guitar, foosball table, sailboat

Ford design vice president Moray Callum had just wrapped up a briefing on the interior of the Ford GT last month, but something seemed out of place. He grinned and pointed behind him, "You might be wondering why I have a boat behind me," he said mischievously. It was there because Ford set its designers on a mission to stretch and showcase their talents: design non-automotive objects inspired by the interior of the GT supercar. Callum received quite a response, too. His team produced a guitar, a foosball table (yeah bro!), a racing sailboat, a Wi-Fi speaker and some furniture. As the veteran design chief explained, "It's a really great exercise both to highlight our designers' talents, but also to really see how our design philosophy can work and how you can use it and get a common response back from a worldwide design team." Guitar View 25 Photos The objects have been on display this week at the Salone del Mobile furniture and fashion design fair in Milan, Italy, where Ford has had a presence for three years. There's also a light exhibition that apparently was inspired by the GT, as well. While this might seem a little far-fetched for the automaker, Ford said exhibitions like the Salone del Mobile give its designers another way to be creative and ultimately produce striking interior style. Ford wants this to be a differentiator, as research shows consumers are placing emphasis on the layout and features inside when they're making a decision about buying a new car. It's a little light hearted – but it's also potentially big business. Other News & Notes Cadillac CT6 platform could be used for Buick General Motors product chief Mark Reuss said the Cadillac CT6 platform could be used for a large Buick, though "not yet," Automotive News reported. The underpinnings can accommodate rear-wheel or all-wheel drive and would give Buick the large flagship it lacks. The report jibes with comments Reuss made at a roundtable with Autoblog and other reporters at the New York Auto Show. When asked if Buick had space for a large car on the CT6 chassis, he replied, "Yeah, I think it does. Yeah, I think we do." Buick has revamped its lineup in recent years with attractive crossovers and small and midsize sedans, but hasn't added the proverbial flagship that's yearned for by enthusiasts. Buick surprised industry observers with the stylish Avenir concept at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year that raised the possibility of a halo sedan.

This Ford F-150 might have a Land Rover turbodiesel V6

Our spy photographers just caught this Ford F-150 driving around Dearborn, wearing camouflage around the bed – not so unusual near Ford's headquarters. What's interesting with this particular mule is that it might be packing a Jaguar-Land Rover turbodiesel V6. As with the Super Duty, the F-150 prototype pictured here sports a Venturi exhaust tip popping out the side of the rear bumper behind the wheel, which – along with the sound reported by our shutterbug – suggests that it's burning oil up front. That could mean Ford has found another application for the 3.2-liter, five-cylinder Power Stroke diesel that it just federalized for the Transit van. However our sources suggest what the mule is actually powered by the 3.0-liter Lion V6 diesel that Jaguar Land Rover – once subsidiaries in Ford's Premier Automotive Group – is bringing over for the Td6 models of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The engine produces a respectable 254 horsepower and a healthy 443 pound-feet of torque, and is tipped to be mated to the same ten-speed automatic transmission as the new Raptor. That could give the F-150 the kind of fuel economy and muscle it would need to challenge the likes of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and the heavier-duty Nissan Titan with the Cummins engine. With gas prices as low as they are, however, and sales of diesel-powered vehicles lagging, Ford could just be trying to keep up with the competition by offering a light-duty diesel pickup. With its lightweight aluminum body, the diesel F-150 could even surpass the Duramax diesel-powered Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon for frugality at the pumps, according to Mark Williams of PickupTrucks.com. He told Autoblog that, "it makes perfect sense for Ford to do a diesel. It seems like everyone is pushing them to do a Ranger, but if they can get the F-150 to push 30 mpg it can challenge the Ram Ecodiesel and even the Colorado Duramax." Reached for comment, Ford spokesman Mike Levine sent us the following statement: "We do not speculate about future products. While diesel is a solution, it is not the solution. EcoBoost offers the ideal combination of performance and fuel economy that over 60 percent of F-150 customers are choosing." Featured Gallery 2017 Ford F-150 Diesel: Spy Shots Image Credit: Brian Williams / SpiedBilde Green Spy Photos Ford Land Rover Truck Diesel Vehicles jaguar land rover ford f-150 diesel

Jaguar to sell all-electric cars by 2030, and six electric Land Rovers coming in next five years

Jaguar is making a big transition to become an electric-only car company. The switchover is meant to kickoff in 2025, and by 2030, Jaguar says 100% of its vehicle sales will be of electric models. Land Rover is taking a similar route, but to a lesser extent. The British off-roading brand says that it will introduce six pure electric variants in the next five years, with eyes on 60% of its sales being of electric models by 2030. Its first all-electric model will arrive in 2024, JLR said. An Automotive News report cites CEO Thierry Bollore, saying he expects "almost zero" production of cars with internal combustion engines by 2039, making that the theoretical end date of Land Rover vehicles with ICEs.  JLR, owned by India's Tata Motors, said on Monday the Jaguar brand will lead the way with a fully-electric model range built on a brand-new electric platform. The Land Rover EVs are to be built on a separate electric vehicle architecture to provide for "two clear unique personalities." The Land Rover EVs are said to be finding homes on both the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) and Electric Modular Architecture (EMA). Both support combustion engine layouts and full EV layouts, but the latter is said to be more biased toward EVs and to exclusively support "advanced electrified ICE." Both brands will be taking advantage of technology from within the Tata Group (JLR's owners) to make this transition happen. There's limited information on the future of certain models for the time being, but Jaguar did say that its previously-planned XJ replacement will no longer have a place in the brand's lineup. That said, Jaguar says the nameplate might stick around, with the assumption it could be used on an all-new future EV. Additionally, Automotive News reports that Jaguar will transition away from SUV-style vehicles, citing Bollore — the theory being that Land Rover takes over and completely fills that space in the future. We'll be wondering about what will become of the F-Pace and E-Pace. Our biggest Jaguar question concerns the F-Type, though. Will we get a fully electric version of the sports car in the future? Jaguar didn't address it, but we certainly hope so. JLR said that as it electrifies its model range, it will keep all three of its British plants open. But Bollore, who took over as chief executive in September, said the carmaker's Castle Bromwich plant in central England would focus on "non-production" activities in the long term.