The Mustang Bullitt GT is the cherry on top, not of a cake, but a pile of bread-and-butter products at Detroit that could save Ford. The Blue Oval has unveiled an all-new mighty F150, a four-door US version of the Fiesta-sized Verve concept seen at Frankfurt and a range of turbocharged direct-injection petrol engines, dubbed EcoBoost.
Derrick Kuzak, group VP for global product development, told CAR Online that to truly reduce emissions you need a mass-production solution people can afford, and EcoBoost doesn’t need all the expensive and complex after-treatments for NOx and particulates needed by diesel to meet US regulations. Ecoboost will come in four-cylinder and V6 configurations and will offer up to 20 percent better fuel economy and more torque compared to larger displacement engines. The aim is to have 500,000 Ecoboost engines in the US within five years, starting with the 3.5 V6 Lincoln MKS in 2009.
Ford Verve Sedan concept
In Europe, the pretty Verve hatch is merely an interesting new look for the Fiesta. In the US this car has the tough mission to persuade customers that small doesn’t have to mean cheap or shoddy. For that reason, Ford is packing it with technology and taking every opportunity to mention the quality of its materials.
The three-door is here to gauge the reaction of the crowd, but in the US a hatchback is what Mom drives. So the main player at Detroit is this ‘contemporary notchback’ four-door which looks OK as a concept. However, insiders admit the 2010 production car will have a B-pillar and it won’t get the fancy glass roof. The roofline will have to go up to get full-sized people in the back. Add a stupid little opening for the boot and it seems a lot less attractive.
They say: Verve redefines the small-car segment
We say: The hatchback is better, pity the US demands saloons
CAR verdict: 3/5
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New Ford F150
Superstar bull riders, NASCAR truck and Monster Jam stars heaped praise on the all-new F150 at Detroit to frenzied whoops from workers shipped in from the F150 lines in Dearborn and Kentucky. The F-series has been the best-selling truck in America for 31 years, but it’s been losing ground to hungry competitors from Japan as well as the States.
This replacement had to be special, and it is. It’s handsome: bigger and squarer with muscular wheelarches and a three-bar grille echoed by grooves on the tailgate. For convenience it has fold-out steps, an extendable pick-up bed and a bigger crew cab with a flat load floor. It’s also more comfortable and positively plush inside, featuring hi-tech goodies including Ford’s Sync system.
Yet another upscale model tops the range, too, the Platinum now sits above King Ranch and Lariat. Prices should stay around the same, though, at $ 17-34,000. Mpg stays about the same, too.
They say: More choice than any other light-duty truck
We say: Just what Billy Bob the Builder ordered
Car verdict: 5/5
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Explorer America Concept
A tree-hugger in wolf’s clothes, the vault-like Explorer America showcases environmentally friendly features such as a 3.5 V6 EcoBoost engine, lightweight components and electric steering. A unibody construction replaces traditional body-on-frame, but they’re not calling it a crossover.
In fact, Ford is stressing that it’s still a four-wheel drive go-anywhere SUV. Design Boss Peter Horbury says: ‘It may leave a lighter footprint but it was still designed to look tough. We wanted a big grille and little mean eyes’. He reckons these slits could even go into production because LED technology is good enough to create the required light. It should hit the road by 2011.
They say: Perfect for a wildlife photographer deep in the brush.
We say: It should tempt a few moms out of their Hummers.
Car verdict: 4/5