1968 Ford Bronco on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Auto critic calls out Corvette, Mustang and Cherokee faithful

Most automotive purists fear change, but not without reason. Change, after all, did kill big-block V8s, along with most station wagons and manual transmissions. But change has also brought with it far more performance, safety and fuel economy - not to mention ridding the world of shag carpet interiors, bias-ply tires and those horrible motorized seatbelts of the early '90s.
By this time next year, the Chevy Corvette, Jeep Cherokee and next-generation Ford Mustang will all be on sale and will all, in some way, have angered or offended purists. To those critics, Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press is preemptively telling them to stop complaining - at least until they've all been driven. From the Corvette's square taillights and the Cherokee's radical nose to whatever pony car purists will harp on the 2015 Mustang for, Phelan's column points out the positives of automotive evolution and the negatives of staying the course for too long. That's fair enough, but do you think Phelan is on point, or all wet? Head on over to the Detroit Free Press to read his words, then have your say in Comments.

Weekly Recap: Auto execs face life in prison for recall delays under proposed legislation

The stiff punishments are part of broader transportation legislation, but clearly McCaskill has automakers in her sights.
Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill threw down the gauntlet this week, proposing a bill that could send auto executives to prison for life if they were found to have delayed a recall. She also wants to eliminate the limit for fines for auto safety violations, which are currently capped at $35 million.

Ford Focus RS will go global, come to US

"We are transforming our approach to performance." – Mark Fields Ford will launch a new high-performance Focus RS around the world, including the United States, company CEO Mark Fields confirmed at a press conference Thursday morning. It is expected to debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show, though launch timing is unclear. "We are transforming our approach to performance," Fields said. The RS will serve as a hotter variant of the Focus, which will be redesigned next year as part of Ford's 16 product launches. Our spy photographers have already captured images of a purported RS, which you can see above. Ford last sold a Focus RS in Europe in 2009, and it continues the long lineage of RS-badged performance cars, which dates to 1968. "The RS has a significant heritage and pedigree," Ford product chief Raj Nair said. The Focus RS will slot above the Focus ST, which will continue, a spokesman said. The ST runs a turbocharged, 252-horsepower four-cylinder that's paired with a six-speed manual transmission. It also has chassis and design upgrades to reinforce its athletic dynamics. The most recent intel suggests that the new RS could use Ford's 2.3-liter turbo-four, tuned to anywhere from 325 to 350 hp. All-wheel drive is also rumored to be part of the new RS formula. Meanwhile, Ford announced it is putting all of its sporty units under the umbrella name of "Ford Performance," which will be led by Mustang chief engineer Dave Pericak. Ford Performance will include Ford Racing, SVT (which is responsible for the Raptor and Shelby GT350) and RS. "We're changing Ford's performance business," Nair said. Ford is placing a renewed emphasis on performance, as the customers tend to be younger, wealthier and better educated, Nair said. In other news, Nair said the company is working on a Raptor version of the new, aluminum-bodied F-150, which launched this year. "I want to get it out as quickly as we can," he said.