Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re a loyal Ford owner, then you might like to know that 2012 is shaping up to be another great year for the company. Ford announced today that it’s on track to hit 2.2 million US sales in 2012, marking the second consecutive year it settles above the the 2 million mark. That isn’t bad at all, especially when you consider Ford’s claim that it’s the only manufacturer to hit 2 million sales in the US since 2007.

Ford’s announcement shoveled a lot of praise on the Focus, which is the best-selling nameplate of 2012 according to Polk new vehicle registration numbers. Those numbers show that 737,856 new Ford Focus cars were registered in the period between January and September, so the number of new registrations might be a touch higher here in December. In addition, Polk named the Ford Fiesta the world’s best-selling B-car, racking up 560,061 new registrations in the same period.

The accolades don’t stop with just the Focus and the Fiesta, though, as the F-Series’ 576,339 new registrations was enough to make it the world’s fourth best-selling nameplate of the year. This means that Ford has three cars in Polk’s top ten for 2012, making it the only company to pull that off this year. Not too bad, Ford.

Finally, Ford says that total EcoBoost-powered car sales should top 520,000 by the time everything is tallied up. This figure counts all of the sales since EcoBoost was introduced back in 2009, so no, Ford didn’t sell more than half a million EcoBoost cars in 2012 alone. Still, those a pretty encouraging numbers for environmentally-minded consumers, so let’s hope Ford keeps it up!

Ford on track to hit 2.2 million US sales in 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The next generation Ford Lincoln MKC compact crossover vehicle has been tipped to be appearing for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show 2013. This vehicle has been said to be appearing by the Detroit Bureau where they’re confident that this downsized crossover-utility vehicle will be one of many similar vehicles to be showing their face for the first time officially. The MKC has been said to be sharing many features with the Ford Escape (as pictured below) save for many luxury features that’ve been cut out to make this machine more affordable for the mass market.

The Ford Motor Company will be bringing four new Lincoln luxury vehicles to the market between here and 2014, the MKC being one of them. There’s also a new MKZ planned, so says the same source, this being accompanied by a replacement for the larger MKS. The fourth vehicle has been tipped to be a complete replacement for the full-sized Navigator SUV.

The 2013 Lincoln MKZ that’s been out in the public eye for some time now is set as a precursor for the MKC, both vehicles said to be working with many of the same features, top to bottom. The MKC is said to be working with the same horizontal grille as its predecessor and will have the same C-segment platform as the Ford Escape and the Ford Focus. The new Lincoln MKZ has been tipped to be working with several different powertrain options including the Ford 2.0-liter EcoBoost or possibly the 1.6-liter turbocharged EcoBoost.

We’ll be seeing this vehicle within the next few weeks if not straight up in-person at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. This show also goes by the name North American International Auto Show and is set to be a massive display of excellence from car and truck brands from left to right, as always. Stick with SlashGear for the full scoop!

Lincoln MKC compact crossover tipped for Detroit Auto Show 2013 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Ford has been in the news quite a bit lately, with reports of recalls, malfunctions, and questionable gas mileage estimates, among other things. On December 1, we reported that Ford had initiated a voluntary recall of select 2013 Escape and Fusion vehicles due to issues with engine overheating, which could result in fire. Now, a little over a week later, the company has announced that the problem has been identified and will be corrected with software updates.

The overheating problem is caused by an issue with the cooling system, which was not capable of recognizing and adjusting to loss of pressure. To correct this issue, Ford will issue a series of software updates specifically for the cooling system, which it says will fix the issue. The problem, according to the press release, was identified by a “cross-discipline engineering team.”

The Ford Group’s Vice President of Global Product Development Raj Nair offered this statement. “We remain absolutely committed to continuously improving and providing the highest-quality vehicles to our customers. When a potential issue is identified, we act promptly on behalf of our customers, as we did this time.”

The recall only affects Fusion and Escape 2013 SE and SEL 1.6-liter models sold in the United States and Canada. While waiting for the updates to be released, owners are encouraged to take their vehicles to their local Ford dealership to get alternative transportation (for free) until the problem can be corrected. Continuing to drive one of the recalled models could result in an engine fire.

[via Ford]

Ford to correct Fusion and Escape overheating issue with software updates is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Consumer Reports has published a piece calling out Ford on its inflated miles-per-gallon estimates for its hybrid lineup. It specifically pinpoints the Fusion and C-Max hybrids, which have an estimated rating of 47mpg in the city/on the highway. User reports tell a different story, however, with the average MPG falling somewhere in the mid-to-high 30s.

Of course, the mileage listed for a vehicle is only an estimate, and often is a bit higher than what the average user will experience. Still, consumers generally prefer the estimate to be somewhere in the range of what they can expect after purchasing the vehicle, and when real-life numbers fall substantially below the claims, there is sure to be an outcry.

Consumer Reports is currently testing the mileage on both vehicles, and has not officially published the results. It has, however, offered preliminary experiences with both vehicles’ MPG ratings. The C-Max tended to stay between 33mpg and 39mpg, while the Fusion averaged about 40mpg. Consumer Reports will publish the official numbers in the near future.

Meanwhile, user reports on FuelEconomy.gov, an Environmental Protection Agency website, show the average mileage of 14 C-Max owners at 40.5mpg, while the average mileage of five Fusion owners is 37.1mpg. Potentially, Ford could end up going the same way as Hyundai, which was ordered to refund buyers’ excess fuel usage and change the MPG estimates for 23 models. In this case, the over-estimated MPG figures cost Hyundai about $100 million a year.

[via Consumer Reports]

Ford’s hybrid MPG claims inflated, reports show is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In an effort to distance itself and stand independent, Lincoln has been re-branded as the Lincoln Motor Company. Of course, Lincoln is a division of Ford, and all of its vehicles are thinly-disguised Fords. This will make it difficult to set the division apart, yet the change is no small matter, and gives Lincoln the edge it needs to prove it is its own unique brand.

Lincoln was founded by Henry Leland in 1920; he sold it to Ford after a couple years. Before it was sold, however, it was known as the Lincoln Ford Company. The division aims at the high-end of the market, offering cars that are supposed to outshine anything Ford offers. By changing its name, the Lincoln Motor Company hopes to be viewed as a source of luxury vehicles all on its lonesome.

This name change comes alongside the company’s plan to launch a new luxury vehicle, the MKZ sedan. The sedan is priced at a hefty $35,925, which climbs higher as you configure it to meet your specifications. Says the company, this is the first of several refreshed or new Lincoln vehicles that will be available over the next two years.

The MKZ features a push button transmission, panoramic glass roof, a split-wing grill, as well as a wider and longer body. Back in the early 1990s, Lincoln was a best-selling luxury brand in the United States. This popularity declined as Ford amassed additional luxury brands, including Volvo, while at the same time neglecing Lincoln. Sales numbers are low, with only 69,000 Lincoln vehicles having been sold in the US this year.

[via Digital Trends]

Lincoln becomes the Lincoln Motor Company is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.