1929 Ford Roadster Body (unassembled) on 2040-cars

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Ford to show special edition Raptor on April 9

There are precious few details, but what we do know is that Ford will be revealing images of "appearance upgrades" for a special-edition 2014 F-150 SVT Raptor on April 9. The slideshow will happen during a Motor Press Guild luncheon at Ford's Design Center Showroom in Irvine, California.
Without photos or further details, we're left to wonder about the extent of these changes, but aren't expecting anything too significant given the venue. Ford is understood to be revealing a next-generation F-150 with a big weight loss - as much as 700 pounds - for 2014, though it isn't yet clear if that's the truck's model year or simply its on-sale year. For at least a couple of years, Ford forums have been suggesting changes will come with the 2014 Raptor, so there could still be a bigger surprise in store. Either way, we'll know what all this means in a little more than a week. The press release below has the official details, but for the moment, we'll content ourselves by ogling the 2013 model above.

Transit Courier completes Ford's new commercial van line, will we get it?

This week Ford rolled out the 2014 Transit Courier, the fourth addition to its Transit range. Ford says its the first time for the nameplate in the compact van segment.
"Ford has now completely transformed its commercial vehicle line-up, with four all-new, class-leading Transits for European customers," said Barb Samardzich, vice president of product development for Ford Europe. "With the all-new Transit range, we expect sales to grow to 400,000 units per year by 2016, well over 50 percent more than we sell today."
When the Courier goes on sale in the Spring of 2014, it will offer more than 1,400 pounds of payload capacity, multiple mounting points for racks or other framework and a rear cargo area that can carry items 5.3 feet-long. An optional folding passenger seat boosts the cargo length to 8.5 feet.

NHTSA closes probes on Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey

The Detroit News reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially closed its investigations into 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2004-2005 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey models. The separate probes found no issues that pose safety concerns. NHTSA began investigating certain Grand Cherokee SUVs over complaints that power steering hoses could detach during operation, thereby increasing the risk of a vehicle fire. Of the 24 reports of failure, none alleged smoke or fire in the engine bay, and Chrysler has since modified the power steering cooler assembly to reduce the likelihood of the failure.
Meanwhile, certain Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles garnered a government probe after receiving complaints that the models were equipped with faulty scissor jacks. The agency had received six reports of the jacks failing or causing injuries, including one incident that resulted in a fatality. But NHTSA says the jack failure rate is similar to those found in other vehicles. In those six cases, the government agency found the jacks were being used for something other than changing a tire, and investigators could not determine whether the emergency brake was set or the rear tires were properly chocked.