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Trump takes potshots at Ford in Flint

Doubling down on his general dislike of everything south of the Rio Grande, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump took aim at local favorite Ford during his first campaign visit to Michigan yesterday. "Ford is building a $2.5 billion plant in Mexico," Trump told a standing-room-only crowd in Birch Run, MI, yesterday evening. "I'll actually give them a good idea. Why don't we just let the illegals drive the cars and trucks right into our country?" This is not the first time real estate mogul turned reality TV star has whined about Ford's Mexican factory plans. Previously, he promised that if he were elected, he'd levy a 35-percent tax against Mexican-built Fords. Then, as he has here, Trump failed to address other automakers selling Mexican-built vehicles in the US, including Detroit-based General Motors as well as foreign brands like Volkswagen, Nissan, and Toyota. "I would say, the deal is not going to be approved, I won't allow it. I want that plant in the United States, preferably here," Trump said, with Bloomberg reporting his comments were meant with chants of "USA." Ford announced the $2.5-billion Mexican investment in April, saying it'd build two factories to produce transmissions and engines. In response to Trump's criticism of the deal, the Dearborn-based automaker was quick to point out that it hasn't exactly been stingy about building its business here in the US. "We are committed to leveraging our global manufacturing footprint and will continue to invest where it makes the best sense for our business," Ford spokesman Karl Henkel told Bloomberg. "We are proud that we have invested $6.2 billion in our US plants since 2011 and hired nearly 25,000 US employees." Related Video:

Why the 2015 Detroit Auto Show will be the best since The Crisis

The Detroit Auto Show clearly has its swagger back, and the 2015 edition will be a veritable feast for the enthusiast senses. We're talking serious performance, and it will be exhibited in a variety of forms. Sports cars. Supercars. Muscle-bound luxury cars. They're all set for splashy debuts in January in the Motor City. It's another signpost that companies have recovered from the global economic crisis that gripped the industry from 2008-09. For a while, automakers played it safe at Detroit and other shows. Environmentally friendly cars were important, especially for General Motors and Chrysler that were living on loans from Uncle Sam. Ford, Toyota and other companies generally focused on their best-selling or core models. With a few notable exceptions, recent auto shows have been a bit more buttoned-down than in the past. Boring probably isn't the right word, but austerity has been reality. That's changing. Car companies are making money. Sales are up. Aside from the many nagging recalls – and they are notable – the industry now has the time and energy to make performance cars a priority. That will be offered in hard evidence in Detroit. A year from now when we look back at this auto show, we'll sum it up with one word: Horsepower. But make no mistake, this isn't frivolous. Sports and luxury cars are expensive. They're profitable. They boost images and highlight strengths. With that in mind, here are five significant performance-oriented reveals to watch for when the show kicks off in less than two weeks. 2016 Acura NSX Acura's reborn NSX is a strong bet to earn plenty of votes for our Editors' Choice awards. It's one of the most anticipated – and strung-out – reveals of the year. Think back: we actually saw an NSX concept at the 2012 Detroit show, and Acura has spent the last three years teasing the car in a variety of ways. The slow burn, however, means we know a lot about the NSX. It's will use a mid-mounted twin-turbo hybrid powertrain and run with all-wheel drive. It will also wear an innovative zirconium e-coat paint, a new paint process that Honda says is more environmentally friendly. Honda has also said it will build the new NSX in Ohio, where a large part of the car's development work has been done. The original NSX was produced from 1990-2005 and helped establish Acura's performance credentials in the United States. It was a landmark car and a shot across the bow of Ferrari, Lamborghini and others.

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.