2001 Ford F-150 Super Crew 4x4 on 2040-cars

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Jaguar design boss admits X-Type was a mistake

History has a way of repeating itself, especially in the auto industry. When Jaguar was owned by Ford, the British brand attempted to field a competitor for the BMW 3 Series, called the X-Type. Based on the bones of a Ford Mondeo, it aped the styling of Jaguar's flagship model, the XJ, while borrowing liberally from the Ford parts bin. That was 2001.
Now, in 2013, Jaguar is planning a new 3 Series challenger based on the platform previewed by the C-X17 Concept, while Ford is attempting to take the latest Mondeo upmarket. The moves have both brands recognizing where, why, and how the X-Type failed. "It didn't look mature or powerful or anything. It was just a car," Jaguar's current head of advanced design, Julian Thomson, told PistonHeads. Basing the X-Type on a front-drive car while giving it styling that was meant for a rear-driver lead to proportions that "were plainly wrong," Thomson told PH. Ford's European head of quality, Gunnar Herrmann, added that the X-Type was "a fake Jaguar, because every piece I touch is Ford."
For what it's worth, the X-Type's successor in the segment will sport rear-drive, with plenty of input from Ian Callum. Thomson described the new model, which would challenge the 3 Series as having, "Big wheels right to the ends of the car, low bonnet, short overhangs, very low cabins." Sounds good to us.

Ford spotted testing new Focus RS at the Nurburgring

Ford is expected to be launching a revised version of the Focus ST soon, but the latest snapshots from our spy photographers at the Nürburgring suggest that the Blue Oval is already working on an even more potent example: the new Focus RS.
Though the partially disguised test mule is wearing an ST badge (along with a Dewey sticker that makes us wonder what adventures Huey and Louie are up to and what manner of duck-tail rear spoiler they may be wearing), there are several tell-tale signs that something else is afoot here. There's a larger front air dam, bigger brake calipers, dual exhaust tips (instead of the central exhaust on the ST) and a reshaped wing protruding from the trailing edge of the roof.
That may all be well and fine, but what's under the hood? We don't know yet for sure, but word has it that Ford is preparing to port over the 2.3-liter turbo four offered in the new Mustang, where it packs 305 horsepower and almost as much torque - potentially retuned to produce even more for the top-of-the-line Focus, which could channel it all to the front wheels like the last model or pack an all-wheel drive system. The Global C platform on which the Focus is based does, after all, also underpin AWD models like the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC.

Ford F-150 production hampered by frame shortage

If anyone has questions about how Ford's new aluminum-bodied F-150 will hold up, it's not buyers. Orders are so strong for the fullsize pickup that competitors General Motors and Ram are discounting their offerings to hold onto market share. It's a shame for the Blue Oval then, that it can't build all the trucks it needs because frame supplier Metalsa isn't delivering enough frames. Neither Ford nor Metalsa has said what the problem is, but Ford employees are at Metalsa's Kentucky plant trying to get it sorted out, Automotive News reports. Overtime shifts at the Dearborn Truck Plant and the Kansas City Assembly Plant have been canceled due to the shortage that's been a problem for at least two months now. The issue is exacerbated by this being the changeover period in production from the old model to the new, which comes with its own issues. That would help explain why even though Dearborn production finished ramping up in January, output in April was down 9.2 percent compared to last year, according to AN. Transaction prices are up for the new truck, but overall F-150 production in Q1 was down 40 percent, and missing product means missing profits. Combined with the production drop for the new Ford Edge, the company's Q1 bottom line was robbed of $1 billion. It isn't clear when the frame issue will be solved, but workers at the plants are ready to run "all-out" when it is. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Plants/Manufacturing Ford Truck kansas city assembly plant