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2015 Ford F-150 appearance guide takes the truck from mild to wild with options

We already know that the 2015 Ford F-150 has a base price coming in at just $395 more than the 2014 model, despite all of the new standard tech and aluminum-intensive construction in the upcoming version. Now the Blue Oval is finally giving us an idea of what that extra money actually buys customers, with the release of the appearance guide for its latest pickup.
The guide basically explains everything you could want to know about what changes occur among the multitude of trims on the 2015 F-150. There are five levels for the new truck. Although, that is something of a misnomer because most of them are also available with either Sport or Chrome packages, plus the FX4 Off-Road option with Hill Descent Control, an electronic-locking rear axle, off-road shocks and skid plates. With 13 available colors, including 4 new ones, and 14 wheel designs in various sizes, pickup buyers should have no problem specing one to fit their style.
The lineup starts out with the base XL with a black grille and fascia and 17-inch wheels. However, across most of the range the Sport and Chrome packages are also available to add either body-color or chrome accents, respectively. Next up is the XLT with a standard chrome grille but also available with a black, billet-style one with a body-color surround. Things really start getting plush with the Lariat model with leather trim, a three-bar front end and 18-inch wheels. The King Ranch sticks with that look but adds power running boards, 20-inch wheels and two-tone paint. Finally, the top-dog Platinum is all about bling with yet another frontal design, chrome door handles and mirror caps, a big logo running across the tailgate and more.

Martin Leach's secret EV startup revealed: NextEV

More details have surfaced about ex-Ford executive Martin Leach and the electric-vehicle start-up he's helping to lead. The company is called NextEV, and it's based in Shanghai, Reuters says. Among the fledgling company's investors is Hillhouse Capital, which also has a stake in San Francisco-based car-hailing service Uber Technologies. NextEV is also partnered up with first season Formula E champs China Racing, and that the team will be running a NextEV drivetrain this upcoming season. Late last month, Leach confirmed to Reuters that he was working with an electric-vehicle startup which had employees in both California and China, but he didn't get into the nitty gritty. Now, the company is said to include former BMW senior designer Juho Suh and former Tesla Motors senior program director John Thomas. And although no details have been disclosed about funding levels, there are hints that it may be substantial given possible Chinese backing and an effort to develop a high-end electric vehicle for in China for the domestic market. The group is working on an electric vehicle that it says may debut as early as next year. The supercar will have more than 1,000 horsepower, and will be able to go from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in less than three seconds, suggesting that the company – like so many others – is looking to out-Tesla Tesla. Leach left his post as chief operating officer of Ford of Europe in 2003, even after being named man of the year by Automobile magazine. He subsequently ran Maserati, then worked last year for Hong Kong-based Hybrid Tech Holdings. That company unsuccessfully put in a bid for the assets of then-bankrupt high-end plug-in vehicle maker Fisker Automotive. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Luca Bruno / AP Green Ford Electric Shanghai nextev martin leach

Watch Vaughn Gittin Jr. hit the ice in his 2015 Mustang RTR

There's more than one way to get a car to drift. You can set up a purpose-built drift car. Or you can put a car on a slick surface. But in this case, Vaughn Gittin Jr. has done both. In this latest video, the driftmeister extraordinaire reveals the new livery for his 2015 Ford Mustang RTR, and put it on a frozen track, flanked by snow banks. It's the perfect place to drift any car, and this custom pony car could very well be the perfect drifter. Call it a match made in heaven. A cold, frozen-over slice of heaven where rear-drive muscle cars put on one heck of a show. Gittin, for those unfamiliar, is one of the drifting scene's foremost showmen, and like Ken Block or Tanner Foust, he competes primarily in Blue Oval machinery. Vaughn will be challenging the Formula Drift series once again in the Mustang RTR, but whether the sideways-driving championship is coming to a circuit near you or not, you can scope out a piece of the action right here.