2012 Ford Escape Xlt on 2040-cars

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Chevy Camaro is a good sport, wishes Ford Mustang Happy 50th

It was 1966 when Chevrolet launched its challenger to the wildly successful Ford Mustang, the Camaro. While the competition between the two brands was already healthy, the arrival of the Camaro set off one of the most intense, model-to-model rivalries in the industry.
That competitive spirit hasn't stopped Chevy and the Camaro from wishing Ford's iconic muscle car a Happy 50th Birthday as the Ford's April 17 anniversary rolls around. These two cars have been linked over the years, and while the rivalry took a break for a few years in the 2000s, today's competition between the Camaro and Mustang is as fierce as it's ever been.
You might recall that this friendliness when it comes to major milestones isn't too rare. Ford put on quite a display for General Motors' hundredth anniversary back in 2008. As the Camaro's fiftieth birthday approaches in 2016, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Mustang sending its best wishes to its Bowtie rival.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Mark LaNeve named head of Ford US sales and marketing

Ford continues to rework the positions of its top marketing executives as Jim Farley moves to take over the Blue Oval in Europe and Stephen Odell becomes head of global sales. The latest shift brings Mark LaNeve in as the new vice president of US marketing, sales, service and dealer relations, effective February 1. LaNeve replaces John Felice, who is retiring. Felice was with the automaker for the last 30 years and held his most recent job since November of 2013. In addition to coordinating marketing and sales, LaNeve's other duty is to build "innovative new digital communications and transforming the retail experience for customers," according to the automaker's press release announcing the change. He reports to both Odell and Joe Hinrichs, Ford's boss of the Americas. LaNeve has a long history in the auto industry. He spent a portion of his early career with Cadillac but eventually was hired as the CEO of Volvo Cars North America. He also headed up US marketing at General Motors for several years in the 2000s. Since 2012, LaNeve has been the chief operating officer at Global Ford Team, which is responsible for the company's worldwide advertising. There's an interesting challenge ahead of LaNeve in leading the Blue Oval's US marketing and sales in 2015. Ford was the bestselling auto brand here in 2014 but overall sales fell about 1.1 percent. According to Automotive News, the company's market share dropped to 14.9 percent, a one-percent reduction and the lowest level since 2008. Read below for the automaker's official announcement of LaNeve's new job. JOHN FELICE RETIRING AFTER 30 YEARS; FORD NAMES MARK LANEVE TO LEAD U.S. MARKETING, SALES AND SERVICE TEAM John Felice is retiring as vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, after 30 years of service Mark LaNeve, named vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service and elected a Ford Motor Company officer; former chief operating officer at Global Team Ford brings nearly three decades of automotive marketing and sales experience to Ford Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] announced today changes in its senior leadership team as it continues to deliver and accelerate the company's One Ford plan while driving for product excellence and innovation. John Felice, vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, has elected to retire after 30 years at Ford, effective Feb. 1, 2015.