Daimler, Ford, Renault and Nissan Sign Deal For Joint Development of Fuel Cell System

Ford Motor Company, Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler AG and the Renault-Nissan Alliance announced on Monday that they signed a three-way agreement concerning the joint development of a common fuel cell electric vehicle system.

The deal, which was signed in Yokohama, Japan, by Tomas Weber (Daimler), Raj Nair (Ford) and Mitshuhiko Yamashita (Nissan), aims to accelerate the development time of fuel cell technology, maximize design commonality and reduce costs through economies of scale.

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Ford Offering Huge Discounts on All-Electric Focus Due to Slow Sales

In 2012, the base price for Ford’s Focus Electric was US$39,995. Now, Ford’s website features a list price of US$37,995 for “cash-only” sales and a hefty US$10,750 discount on “Red Carpet leases” for delivery by April 1.

Moreover, the monthly payment for a 36-month lease with 10,500 miles per year has dropped from US$350 to US$285 and US$930 up front, and if the car is purchased through Ford Motor Credit, it offers a 1.9 percent financing rate.

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Euro NCAP Announces the Safest Cars of 2012 in Each Segment

Safety is something not to be taken lightly as far as cars are concerned. Euro NCAP, the independent organization that was established by seven European governments and has been conducting crash-tests since 1997, has been a key player in improving the level of passive and active safety offered by today’s new cars.

In 2012, it tested 36 new vehicles that became available in European markets. Most of them performed well enough to earn a five-star rating, though some did better than others in the four individual categories, namely adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems, and earned the “Best in Class” title for their respective segments (two of them tied in the Mini MPV class).

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New Ford Fiesta ST Priced from £16,995 in the UK

Ford has released UK pricing for the new Fiesta ST three-door hot hatch ahead of its market launch in March. It will be offered in two trims, with the base ST model starting at £16,995, which Ford says is "up to £2,000 less than the segment competitors", and the better-equipped ST2 grade, priced at £17,995.

The performance-orientated version of the updated Fiesta series features a 1.6-liter turbocharged EcoBoost petrol engine producing 180hp (182PS) and peak torque of 214 lb-ft (290Nm).

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Ford Atlas Named Autoweek's Most Significant Detroit Auto Show Debut, What Do You Say?

The new Ford Atlas Concept, which previews the future of America's best-selling pickup truck for the past 36 years and the best-selling vehicle overall for 31 straight years, the F-150, has been named by the editors of Autoweek magazine, the "Most Significant vehicle of the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)".

Bob Gritzinger, Autoweek executive editor, explains why:

“The Atlas Concept is clearly Most Significant winner for the things you don’t see, like hidden aerodynamic improvements and weight savings from high-strength steel and interior parts, like thinner seats. Those things add up to significant fuel savings for pickup trucks down the road. A next-generation EcoBoost with Auto Start-Stop technology also signals why Atlas is a real game changer.”

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Ford Says EPA May Revise Hybrid Testing Procedures, Promises to Fix MyTouch System

After advertising its new C-MAX Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid 47 mpg mileage, Ford faced a lot of negative publicity, along with a federal class-action lawsuit, when Consumer Reports published its own test findings that were 17 and 21 percent lower than the EPA-certified mileage.

During the Deutche Bank Global Industry Conference in Detroit on Tuesday, January 15, Ford’s product development chief Raj Nair disclosed that the EPA may change its testing procedures concerning the consumption of hybrid models.

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Ford Focus ST vs. Subaru WRX for the Final ST Session Video

For the past five months or so, Ford has been steadily releasing web episodes of its ST Session series featuring the new 250-horsepower Focus ST hatch and a number of direct rivals like the VW Golf GTi and Honda Civic Si, while even placing it against the much more expensive and powerful BMW M3 Coupe.

The time has come for the fifth and last episode of the series, named "Control Battle", which sees the Focus ST in the hands of professional rally driver Chrissie Beavis challenging her colleague Matthew Johnson in a Subaru WRX.

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Shelby Juices Up 2013 Ford Focus ST's Looks and Dynamics for the Price of a New Fiesta

The new Focus ST is the newest Ford vehicle to be added to the range of Shelby American. Revealed today at the Detroit Auto Show, the Shelby package for the Focus ST will be limited to 500 models year, each priced at a hefty $14,995, not including the car itself that starts from $23,700. That brings the total to 38,695, which is a whole lot of money, especially since it doesn't include any engine modifications. Read more »

Ford's New Atlas Concept Envisions the Next Generation of the F-150 [Photos & Video]

Ford yanked the covers off a new concept model at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show on Tuesday morning showcasing the brand's evolved styling language but more importantly, its future vision for pickup trucks and how they'll improve fuel economy.

The Blue Oval won't say (yet) if the new EcoBoost-powered Atlas Concept directly previews the next generation of its best-selling F-150 series, but the truck's size and overall presence suggests that it does.

“The Ford Atlas Concept previews the innovations that will transform what people expect from their pickup,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “With 36 years as America’s best-selling pickup, we are absolutely committed to setting the agenda in the truck market.”

While the exterior design of the Atlas Concept aptly evolves Ford's current DNA, the devil is in the details with the automaker making use of an assortment of active aerodynamic elements to reduce wind resistance.

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GM Surpasses Ford in Government Sales for the First Time Since the 2009 Bailout

Hard as it may try to put to rest the “Government Motors” moniker its opponents have coined since the 2009 bailout, General Motors will probably have to deal with it again.

This time the reason is the data published by the General Services Administration (GSA), which show that GM surpassed Ford in federal government sales for the first time since the bailout.

The U.S. government purchased 19,404 vehicles from GM in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, which accounts for a 3.6 percent increase compared to 2011.

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Factory 5 Shelby is Better than a Push-up Bra…

As you have most likely seen in the past, young ladies (preferably dressed in revealing outfits) tagging along in ridiculously powerful sports cars and the overly-enthusiastic crew from "High Tech Corvette" go hand in hand.

In their most recent filming venture, they placed an unnamed woman / model (prior experience tells us that at least one of you will be able to name her…) in the passenger seat of a wild and loud Factory Five Shelby coupe upgraded with "a 04 Cobra motor custom built by Gemini Motorsports in Houston".

If you enjoy these types of clips, then by all means, click through the jump to watch the video.

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Toyota Recalls the Most Vehicles in the U.S, Ford has the Most Campaigns in 2012

For the third time in the past four years, Toyota has been crowned the recall champion of the U.S. auto market, according to a Detroit News examination of all the data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) throughout 2012.

Overall, some 16.2 million passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles and recreational vehicles (RVs) were recalled in the United States (13.5 million of which from the seven bestselling auto brands), representing an increase of 4.5 percent over the 15.5 million vehicles recalled the previous year.

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Shelby to Debut Two New Models in Detroit, Including a Wide Body Super Snake

It's been almost 8 months since Carroll Shelby, one of America's greatest legends in the auto industry, passed away at the age of 89, but his legacy lives on through the company he founded and which today bears his name.

As life goes on for the company, Shelby is preparing to unveil two new models at the upcoming Detroit Motor Show.

In a posting on the brand's website, Gary Patterson, Shelby American vice president of operations, confirmed one of them and provided some hints about the other.

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U.S. Auto Market Records Nearly 14.5 Million Sales in 2012, Ford F-Series is No 1

As far as the U.S. automotive industry is concerned, 2012 was a great year. Scratch that: it was a great year and the best since 2007, thanks to nearly 14.5 million light vehicle sales, representing a 13 per cent increase over 2011’s 12.7 million units.

Ford’s F-Series pickup truck was, once again, America’s best-selling vehicle with 645,316 deliveries.

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This Mob is Not Doing What You're Thinking to Cop Car

We know what your first thought is upon looking at the above screenshot and then at the opening scenes of the video that follows, but that's not really the case.

While it may seem that there's an angry mob of people pounding on the Ford Crown Victoria patrol car, the reality is that all these men and women are actually helping out the officer!

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Ford to Sell 2.2 Million Vehicles in the U.S. this Year, Has 3 Best Sellers in the World's Top 10

The Blue Oval has announced that U.S. sales of its Ford brand will surpass the 2.2 million mark in the year that ends today, adding that it has three vehicle nameplates in the global top 10, according to the latest vehicle registration data from research firm Polk.

This is the second year in a row that the Ford sells more than 2 million vehicles in the States, the only brand to do so since 2007.

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Ford Faces Federal Class-Action Lawsuit Over C-MAX and Fusion Hybrids MPG Numbers

It was probably a matter of time before someone picked up the Consumer Reports review that accused Ford of misstating the 2013 C-MAX Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid fuel economy numbers and filing a lawsuit.

The publication contested the 47 mpg city/highway/combined figure and said that the two Ford hybrids had the “distinction” of recording the greatest difference between the EPA-approved mpg and the ones it achieved during its own tests.

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Facelifted Ford Fiesta Van Gains Aston Martin-Esque Schnozzle

Joining the refreshed range of Fiesta hatchbacks in Europe is the facelifted, commercial version of the series aptly named the Fiesta Van, which is available to order now in Britain, with customer deliveries from early January 2013. Read more »

CarScoop Wishes You a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Some say that editors and contributors on this site have petrol instead of blood flowing in their veins and that they’d rather show you the new Ferrari F150 or the Corvette C7 than spend a night with a bunch of Victoria’s Secret angels.

All we know is that everyone here at CarScoop wishes you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and that we will be taking some time off today (don't worry, we've planned some stories) before resuming normal operations.

Before we bid thee farewell and warn you to drive safely and, in case you intend to have a drink or two, designate a driver or just leave your car keys at home, there’s some breaking news we’d like to share with you.

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Ford Focus ST vs. VW Golf R and…Subaru BRZ in MT's Head2Head

What are the criteria for comparing one car against another? Well, basically, they should belong to the same category; have similar performance stats and, perhaps more importantly, be close in price.

The new 2013 Ford Focus ST and the soon-to-be replaced VW Golf R that are featured in latest episode of "Head 2 Head" from Motor Trend are a match in two out of these three criteria: they're both compact hatchbacks and each gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 256hp in the VW and 252hp in the Ford.

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