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Lincoln Continental production likely to shift to Flat Rock

Lincoln production may be returning to Michigan, according to a new report from Automotive News. While the brand's current big sedan, the MKS, is built alongside the Ford Taurus, Ford Explorer, and their Police Interceptor counterparts at the Blue Oval's Chicago, IL factory, the production version of the Continental won't be screwed together in the Windy City. According to AN, "industry sources" claim the Continental will join the Ford Mustang and Ford Fusion – on which the big Lincoln is loosely based – at the company's Flat Rock, MI factory. The move isn't just based on convenience, though. Ford is selling a lot of Explorers, and shifting Lincoln production away from Chicago Assembly frees up production capacity for the popular SUV. "Chicago Assembly Plant is vital to our global manufacturing footprint and will continue to manufacture the Ford Taurus, Ford Explorer and Police Interceptor vehicles even after we phase out production of the MKS in 2016," Ford told Automotive News. "We will continue to match production to demand." Looking at the numbers further backs up the argument against Lincoln production in Chicago. Last year alone, Ford built nearly 285,000 Explorers and over 73,000 Taurus sedans, compared to just 8,300 Lincolns. Finally, as AN tells it, Ford is almost telegraphing the Continental's arrival in Flat Rock. The facility has a four-week shut down scheduled from June 15 through July 13, which is twice as long as the typical summer vacation, while there's another two weeks off slated for September. Related Video:

Ford Mustang SVT caught looking fierce on the 'Ring

The next-generation Ford Mustang SVT is one of the most anticipated performance cars of the moment. We've already seen it testing multiple times, but it has always been covered is some very heavy camouflage. However, Ford has just given us our best view yet of the new muscle car. According to our spy photographer, the Mustang was at the Nürburgring for high-speed testing, which meant that the Blue Oval had to remove most of the heavy obfuscation that the SVT has worn previously.
The stylish, more revealing camo makes picking out some of the more interesting details about the SVT rather easy. Starting from the front, there is the big hood scoop to feed cold air to its still mysterious engine. You can also immediately make out the model's new grille and lower front air dam. It has a vertical piece running from the bottom of the hood all the way to the ground. The aggressive styling almost gives the 'Stang the look of two fangs ready to bite down. The hood seam is even taped off here, which shows us its outline.
Around the side, it appears that the front and rear fenders are wider than stock, and the sills are certainly much larger. You can also just make out the SVT's bigger brakes behind its black wheels with a polished lip. Finally, at the rear, things appear mostly stock other than the diffuser that the exhaust outlets nestle into.

2014 Ford F-150 Tremor adds some sport to shake things up

Like most quakes, the 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor caught us by surprise. We weren't expecting Ford to offer up another version of its best-seller so soon before the truck's full redesign, but that's exactly what the company is doing.
While Ford calls the Tremor a "performance truck," the new pickup doesn't play on the same level as the SVT Raptor does on dirt, or even the long-gone SVT Lightning did on pavement. Think of it as a parts bin sport truck that probably does a better job looking the part than acting it. The Tremor utilizes the same twin-turbo, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 available across the F-150 lineup, producing 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, but matches it with a 4.10 rear axle - the shortest final drive ratio you can get in an F-150 - for the strongest possible acceleration.
The Tremor does do a decent job looking the part. Available only in short-wheelbase, regular cab configuration with your choice of two- or four-wheel drive, it struts around wearing the F-150's FX Appearance Package, flat black accents, 20-inch black wheels, HID headlights and a special exterior graphics package. The Tremor is the only regular cab F-150 with a flow-through center console, which means it also gets a floor-mounted shifter and bucket seats that are covered in black leather with red piping. Some brushed metal accents and steering wheel with red stitching round out the interior upgrades.