Ford Improves Year After Year According to J.D Power

J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information firm which was started in 1968 by the founder James David Power III. It accomplishes assessment of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to restaurants.

It conducts annual surveys in the automotive industry including the world's third largest automaker the Ford Motor Corporation. The survey shows that vehicle brands from Ford have improved its quality at a rate faster than any average car model. According also to this customer based quality study; Ford is the sole brand with continuous improvement since 2004.

On its 2008 Initial Quality Study (IQS) it shows that Ford has improved by eight points as compared to last years study.

Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "Last year we tied with Toyota, and this year our quality performance is as good as industry-leading Honda's too. Our world-class quality is one of the most important aspects of our turnaround in North America. This consistently strong quality improvement should offer today's customer renewed confidence, setting the stage for important new products like Ford Flex, which is launching this summer.”

The Fords complete result shows that it received 10 credits for their products including three Ford models that ranked the highest in their respective category. This proves that Ford continues to make significant quality gain year after year.

The study shows other reports such us, Mercury brand which has improved by four points over last year, and the Lincoln brand exceeded the industry average. Mazda is the study's most improved brand jumping 36 points from the 2007 study.

Ford Focus Coupe Unveiled at 'American Idol'

The Ford Focus is a small family car made by Ford. The Ford Focus came on the roads for the first time in 2000.

A new version of the Focus was launched in Europe in January 2005 and a face lifted version in January 2008. While the 2009 Focus Coupe was lately unveiled (Wednesday broadcast which airs at 9 p.m. EST.) on American’s hottest television show – “American Idol.” It is the first time the automaker will take advantage of the show's 20 million viewers by unveiling a new model on live television.

The 2009 Focus is a 2- or 4-door, 5-passenger family coupe, or family sedan, available in 6 trims, ranging from the S Coupe to the SES Sedan.

“Both trims are equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 140-horsepower engine that achieves 24-mpg in the city and 35-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.” It gets good reviews for its engine power and better reviews for its handling and driving dynamics.

"The new coupe looks really sporty," said Thomas Tang, co-founder of focusfanatics.com. The new front fascia, 17-inch sport wheels and fog lamps provide a sportier appearance for the new car.

Ford is also making its Sync voice-activated communications and entertainment system available with this new Ford model. SYNC is a voice-activated communications and entertainment system for use with their Bluetooth cell phones and digital media players.

It is said that 2009 Focus coupe will carry a starting price of $15,920 later this summer.

2008 Audi A4

Audi revealed a redesigned A4 sedan for the 2008. It was unveiled to the public at the Frankfurt Auto Show last September 2007. But the first official pictures were released in August 2007. The 2008 A4 is a 2- or 4-door, up to 5-passenger luxury vehicle.

“It is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 200-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 20-mpg in the city and 31-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard. The 2.0T SE Avant Quattro Tiptronic is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I4, 200-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 19-mpg in the city and 27-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.”

The A4’s body is 10 percent lighter than that of the old model but it is surprisingly larger. It is caused by the use of new grades of steel that combine exceptional strength with low weight. With its larger size there is plenty of space for luggage and passengers. The interior is now 0.8 in. longer than the previous. The Headroom and width at shoulder height have also been increased.

Sitting on this new vehicle will give you the comfort and content that everyone is looking for. One of the features of this car is the Audi drive select, a system which can vary the engine, auto transmission, steering and suspension damping characteristics to suit the driver’s need.

The Lexus LF-A concept

The LF-A is a 2-door exotic concept car. It debuted at the 2005 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). A revised version with more completely furnished interior was unveiled at the 2007 NAIAS. The goal of the new LF-A is to build a supercar with world-class performance that is uniquely Lexus.

The design of the LF-A is based from the design direction called L-finesse. Lexus has improved the styling of the new LF-A to enhance its glamour. The LF-A measured five inches shorter in than the Porsche 911, but had a wheelbase that was nine inches longer. The roof is slightly lowered one and a half inches compared to the Mercedes-Benz SLR The exaggerated proportions emphasizes the new styling design of the L-finesse.

In this concept we can expect a V10 engine, a spec that puts the LF-A comparable to other notable exotics like the Lamborghini Gallardo and Porsche Carrera GT. The revised styling of this concept makes a top speed of 200 mph possible. Its front mid-engine placement, along with a rear-mounted transaxle and rear-mounted radiators, allows for excellent weight distribution.

Such a sweet machine! Another great car concept design. It looks very much like Japan product take on a Lamborghini Diablo. Although already in its last stage as a concept car, the final production of the LF-A cant is expected within this month. But I’m glad their in their process for production. In a recent interview, Lexus' Australian chief executive confirmed that "the LF-A is still being readied for production, although it may not reach showrooms until 2011.”

Volvo Reaches Milestone

Ford's Swedish marque Volvo recently reached a milestone. Eighty years ago, the Swedish company produced its first car, the OV4. It is called the OV4 because the letters OV in Swedish stands for "Open Car". Thus, it is interesting to note that the 15 millionth vehicle to be produced by the Swedish marque is also an open car in the form of the Volvo C70 convertible.

Volvo reached the 15 million production milestone last February 20. Production for the Swedish automaker has increased exponentially through the years. During its first year of operation, the automaker produced 297 cars. Twenty-three years later, the Swedish automaker has finally produced 100,000 vehicles.

According to Ford's newsletter, that hundred thousand production figure is now easily attainable in just three months. It is not really surprising as the demand for vehicles has increased exponentially with the rise in population.

What is remarkable is Volvo's power to stay in the very competitive auto market where they are positioned against such heavyweights as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus.

Although Volvo is not exactly known for the "luxury appeal" of its cars, the safety of their vehicles have made the automaker's vehicles very popular among consumers.

Apart from that, Volvo has also made a mark in the industry for its durable vehicles. In fact, a survey conducted years ago put the S80 at the top of its class because of its dependability even if it was pitted against vehicles which are priced higher.

The production of the 15 millionth vehicle for the Swedish automaker is not just as simple as manufacturing the umpteenth radiator hose because it entails a lot of processes. Thus, we can expect Volvo to continue production of high quality vehicles.

Three Ford Fusions In Top 10

The NASCAR Nationwide Series Race last Saturday was apparently ‘Fusioned’. Four of Ford Racing’s drivers and their respective Ford Fusion race cars with performance engine mounts finished leading the pack! According to Ford.com, Matt Kenseth of No. 17 Kraft/Ritz Ford Fusion, finished in 5^th place and qualified in 14^th, Greg Biffle of No. 16 CitiFinancial Ford Fusion notched 7th, and last but not the least,

David Ragan of No. 6 Discount Tire Ford Fusion ended at the 9^th spot.

“It was a good race, we made it through without wrecking anybody. It was pretty cool and I’m excited about it. No, not really anymore, but it never hurts to be on track. It’s a whole different car, different aero package and tires, so there’s not much that you can transfer,” says Matt Kenseth.

“Well, my car was kind of tight in one and two all day, so I found my line and stuck to it and a lot of guys bailed out and went to the bottom. We got a good push from that 41 [Bryan Clauson] car and got back up there.”

ARE YOU PLEASED WITH THE RESULT? “I’m really pleased. Our car wasn’t that great most of the day, we made some adjustment and got a decent finish,” explained Kenseth when asked about the change of shuffle.

“We knew our CitiFinancial Ford Fusion was not the best race car out there, but my crew guys did an awesome job making adjustments to keep us near the top. They worked real hard and the car was starting to come around near the end and we just ran out of time. I brushed the wall on the one caution that caused some damage to the right rear, but it wasn’t enough damage to take us out of the race. The guys fixed it and we didn’t have any problems after that. We had a good top 10 run and that’s a good way to start the year,” explained Greg Biffle.

"It was a fun day. I got to run on the top, the middle and on the bottom some. Hopefully, it will help me a little bit for tomorrow. Our Discount Tire pit crew did an excellent job. I think we picked up a spot or two every time we came down pit road. That makes it tough when the cars are so equal out there on the race track. A good pit crew really helps a lot. It was a lot of fun. There was a lot of slippin’ and slidin’ out there and I can only imagine what July is going to be like when we come back here. It should be a good race tomorrow,” says David Ragan.

Kudos guys!

A Glimpse Of The 2010 Ford Focus

About 10 years after its first launch, Ford is now gearing towards the production of the fourth generation Ford Focus which would be made available in the market by 2010.

The Ford Focus, a compact car sold not only in North America but also in Ford markets worldwide, has gained lots of commendations. According to wikipedia, in 2001 and 2002, the Ford Focus was the world’s best-selling car while in 2007, it ranked third among the best-selling domestic nameplate cars in North America, and was 16^th among the Top 20 United States Vehicle Scorecard as published in Reuters.

This small family car, which is also known as Mazda Focus, originally comes in four body styles: the 3 and 5-door hatchback, the 4-door sedan, the 5-door station wagon and the 2-door coupe. However, in North America, the second generation Focus dropped the sedan and coupe versions. In Europe, it replaced the Ford Escort while it preceded the Ford Laser in Asia and Oceania.

Sleeker looks, bigger space and better driving experience are only some of the much-anticipated designs of the 2010 Ford Focus. The fourth generation Ford Focus will be “chunkier and sportier,” as described in drive.com. The Verve concept that is divided into 3 and 4-door body styles has inspired the Focus’ new “face.” It is also equipped with light-emitting diode headlamps and L-shaped lights at the tailgate. Furthermore, the 2010 Ford Focus is expected to come with a small upper grille, neat roof spoiler, and a windscreen that will allow more light to enter the car cabin.

Aside from that, the new Focus will deliver keyless entry and starting. Inside, it boasts of more spaces and classy appeal beginning with satellite navigation along with Internet access and Bluetooth connectivity.

A wheel hub may help decrease a car’s weight but in this 2010 Ford Focus, composite materials used in its interior system reduced its weight and its emissions.

The 2010 Ford Focus is said to be a symbol of Ford Motors’ “One Focus, One World” idea.