Ford Sues Nissan Over Brazilian TV Ad that Ridicules the Focus for Being Overpriced [with Video]

Ford’s Brazilian arm has filed a criminal (!) lawsuit against the local division of Nissan for airing an aggressive TV commercial directed at the Focus sub-compact. To make a long story short, the parody-like ad points the finger at Ford for allegedly overpricing its Focus model.

The TV spot, which looks exactly like a rap video, shows two men dressed as Ford engineers living the big life with gold chains and rings, plenty of champagnes, and –the best part- an exotic assortment of sexy women in bikinis dancing around them. And oh, there’s also a silver Ford Focus on the background….

At the end, the commercial announces the price of Nissan’s Tiida sub-compact (sold as the Versa in the States), which in Brazil, costs around BR 3,000 or a little over US$1,800 less than Ford’s rivaling Focus.

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VIDEO: Ken Block Flips His Fiesta ahead of Rally of Portugal

Ken Block got off to a bad start before his third WRC event of 2011, crashing violently during the shakedown of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal yesterday. Even though the Ford Fiesta RS WRC was destroyed, lucky the American race driver and his copilot Alex Gelsomino managed to walk away from the incident without any injuries.

It's the first major crash for Ken Block in a World Rally Car and this means the Californian will have to watch this weekend's rally from the sidelines. The next WRC event for Block will be Rally Argentina (May 26-29). Check Block's unintentional stunt after the jump.

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New Video of Ford’s 2012 Focus ST Hot Hatch

Ford’s European arm has released yet another video of its upcoming Focus ST sport hatch that’s expected to hit the market early next year. There’s nothing new to see per se as the company has already published numerous teaser films in the months following the car’s introduction at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

As a reminder, the hottest version of the new generation Focus (that is, until Ford decides to resurrect the RS nameplate in the near future) will be propelled by a force-fed 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine cranking out 250 ponies and 360 Nm / 265 lb ft of torque. The show car was equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels, but there’s a good chance the production model will also be offered with a dual clutch transmission. Hit the jump for the video.

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Ford Releases Videos of the Ranger Wildtrak and B-MAX Concept in their Natural Environments

Ford's booth at the Geneva Motor Show hosted the world premieres of the Ranger Wildtrack series and the B-MAX, a pre-production concept version of the firm’s upcoming Fiesta-based small MPV. Now we have videos of both models that you can check out after the break.

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Ford Releases Videos of Its New Police Interceptors Taking on the Competition

Ford has released a series of six videos with the Taurus and Explorer-based police vehicles undergoing various tests performed by police officers. The performance, handling and durability of the Interceptors were tested in a series of real-world police maneuvers and driving conditions and then compared to those of the competitors. The six videos show Ford's police cars taking on the Chevrolet Tahoe PPV and Dodge Charger Pursuit in a series of tests to find out which are the most capable purpose-built police cars.

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Foxy Mustang vs. Tree: Tree 1, Mustang Nil [with Video]

What enterprising youth hasn’t hooned around an empty car park in a car? I think it’s safe to say that most motoring enthusiasts would have at one stage in their lives, before they had the bravado to exercise their “skillz” [sic] on the track (or, in some cases, a nasty accident that makes them take pause). Well, think of this video as the interim stage between, “Parking Lot Racer” and “Certified Track Demon”.

So we have this guy (it would have to be, yeah?) in a post-1987 Mustang. He’s participating in some sort of coned off track racing shenanigans. It’s all fun and games power sliding through the cones until the 1:05 minute mark. Then...BAM! On the plus side, the car hit on the passenger side, which appears from the video to be unoccupied.

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VIDEO: Ford Model T’s Assembly Process Still Looks Amazing Even Today

Few cars have revolutionized the automotive industry like the Ford Model T did. Besides being the first affordable vehicle, the “Tin Lizzie” is also known for its devilishly efficient mass assembly process, enabling Ford to build 15 million units in 19 years. Granted, it had a fairly simple design, but the rate at which workers were able to build one is amazing even today. The video we found shows how the front axle is built and attached to the frame. Hit the jump to watch the clip.

Polish Ford Mustang Club Shows how to YouTube America's Original Pony Car

It’s no secret that I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Mustang man. Though I acknowledge the gorgeous styling, sweet-as-syrup handling and raw power of cars like the Chevy Camaro, I know at heart I’d take a ’67 Mustang fastback over one of them any day.

So when the chaps and chapettes at the Mustang Klub Polska (Polish Mustang Club) release a video that not only features a dozen great Mustangs but also the cinematography to do these cars justice, you know I’m gonna pounce on this quicker than the news pounces on any story about Lindsay Lohan.

There are so many Mustangs in this vid, it’s hard to keep track of them all, but you’ll surely pick out the 2008 Mustang Bullitt, Dark Highland Green ’67 GT Fastback, red ‘65 convertible with the white top, a handful of 2010 Shelby GT500 Super Snakes and countless others including a few Foose Mustangs and a handful of Gen 4’s.

It’s a Mustang orgy. It’s like Adam West dropping the ‘66 Batmobile off at your house. It’s like Hollywood making a movie adaptation of an old TV show that doesn’t suck. It’s like Justin Bieber and George Lucas retiring on the same day, promising to not record any more songs or make any more Star Wars spin-offs.

VIDEO: 83 Y.O. Drives Ford F-150 on the Opposite Side of the Highway, Crashes but Survives!

A freaky but luckily non-fatal highway accident that involved an elderly man driving a 2007 Ford F-150 on the opposite side of the road was caught on film last Friday. The incident took place on the Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton in San Diego when passengers of a vehicle on the other side of the highway noticed the driver of the Ford, who was later identified as 83 year-old Clarence Kinney, going the wrong way at an unknown speed and then suddenly crashing into the median wall.

According to Police reports, the force of the collision was so strong that it tore the pickup truck in two sending the cab of the F-150 into another lane an onto a tractor, while a Land Rover and a Toyota Sienna were also involved in the crash. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured in the incident.

The police reported that the 83 year-old driver of the F-150 was cited for driving the wrong way as well as for driving on a suspended license., adding that his driving privileges will be examined by the DMV.

Ford F-150 Video Parody: Presenting the Ballsy Ferd F-Teenthousand

Need a ride to make you feel four times the man you are? Look no further. The Ferd F-Teenthousand is here and it's the biggest and most awesomest pickup truck ever to walk the face of the earth. Ford people and F-150 owners that despise stereotypes and lack a whimsical sense of humor may want to skip this one. The rest can watch the video right after the jump along with a couple of original Ford F-150 ads that inspired the creation of this parody. [NSFW].

VIDEO: Ford Fusion Accident Leads to an Epic Landing

Now here's a scene you don't see every day. In fact, even if you tried to do it on purpose, we seriously doubt that you'd manage to pull it off no matter how hard and how many times you tried. The truly epic landing and vertical rest of this silver colored Ford Fusion (or at least it looks like a Ford') in the snowbank is the result of a multiple vehicle accident that took place on I-93 South bound just before Exit 3 in Windam in New Hampshire on Tuesday. Video follows after the break.

VIDEO: Ford Puts Blind Drivers Behind the Wheel of the 2010 Mustang

While the law prohibits blind people such as Roger Keeney from Athens, GA from getting behind the wheel on public roads, no one said that they can't drive a car on special course. Ford gave this opportunity to Keeney and his friends at the Arizona Center for the Blind by organizing a special event at the Ford Proving Grounds in Phoenix. The car of choice was the revised 2010 Mustang. If anything else, it's pretty rewarding to see all those smiles. Watch all four vids after the jump.

VIDEO: Oops...Ford F-150 Steps Over Ferrari 458 Italia

The owner of a brand new Ferrari 458 Italia with some 500 miles on the odometer in Brandon Florida received a quick lesson on the disadvantages of a low slung sports car in the land of pickup trucks and SUVs when a Ford F-150 ran over its hood. We don't know if the F-150 driver mistook Maranello's creation for a red speed bump or if the Ferrari owner questioned Ford's 'Built Tough' slogan, but something tells us this video is going to become a hit. You can watch the clip after the break.

Ford Vertrek Concept Live from Detroit [Photos and Video]

Unveiled at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the Vertrek Concept previews Ford’s next global compact SUV, set to replace both the European Kuga and North American Escape models. While it’s not so different compared to the Kuga, the concept car is certainly more modern than the current Ford Escape.

“It is a revolution compared to what is typically seen in this segment in North America and is a stylish evolution compared with products outside North America. This new design is sleeker and more fuel efficient and delivers the capability, including people and cargo volume, customers demand globally”, said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president of Global Product Development.

With the new model, the automaker is targeting class-leading fuel economy and low emissions, without forgetting performance. The Vertrek is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged Ecoboost four-pot with start and stop technology.

Outside the U.S., the new global compact SUV will also receive Duratorq diesel engines, such as the recently updated 2.0-liter motor, which delivers better fuel economy and CO2 emissions reduced by up to 7 percent, depending on application.

The key markets for the Vertrek-based series model are expected to be North America, Europe and China.

VIDEO: Sanitation Workers Wreak Havoc on a Parked Ford Explorer

Even if you know your winter driving ABCs and have properly equipped your car, sometimes there’s no way to avoid getting snowed in. Should that happen in a thriving metropolis, chances are that the sanitation “cavalry” will have your back covered. However, this wasn’t the case in New York, as a Sanitation Department loader got stuck and, in what can only be described as a very poor effort of trying to free it, the on-the-scene personnel seriously damaged a city owned - ah, the irony - Ford Explorer parked nearby.

Flashback: Steve McQueen Drives the 2005 Ford Mustang... 25 Years after His Death

In 1980, the world lost a cultural icon. Steve McQueen, the star of such films as Bullitt and Le Mans, had died. Metastatic cancer had claimed the life of the King of Cool.

Still, the legacy lives on. The actor’s love of cars and motorcycles was well known. McQueen competed in many motor races including the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Baja 1000. He also owned several semi-unique vehicles including a Jaguar XKSS, a Porsche 356 Speedster and a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso. Here was a man who loved his cars almost as much as we loved his movies.

Flash forward 25 years. In 2005, Ford released this ad for the fifth generation Ford Mustang. In it, a farmer carves a racetrack through his cornfield in a non-too-subtle nod to the 1989 film, Field of Dreams. As in that movie, “If you build it, he will come.”, and Steve McQueen magically appears out of the cornfield (looking pretty good for someone who’s been dead and buried for a quarter of a century) and takes the wheel of the Mustang for one last turn around the track.

Through the use of a body double and some nabbed footage, McQueen is there in the cornfield and behind the wheel. Even five years on the ad is pretty impressive from a purely technical standpoint. But don’t take my word for it! Watch it yourself and let us know what you think.

Muscle Car V8 Sound Comparo: New Camaro SS vs Challenger R/T vs Mustang GT

Masculine looks aside, one of the main traits of any authentic pony car is the sound of its V8 engine. With this in mind, Edmund's Insideline created a short video with the audio tracks of the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T and 2010 Ford Mustang GT. For the record, it seems that the Mustang was filmed on a different location than the other two cars, something that could have affected the sound quality. Either way, judging by this video, we'd give first place to the Stang because its V8 churns out a more consistent and less chainsaw-like sound with our second vote going to the Chevy. Check out the video after the jump cast your vote.

Via: Insideline

1/4 Mile Drag Race: Hyundai Genesis Coupe vs Nissan 370Z vs Mustang GT

Not that we consider the quarter mile "drag-race" test as being of any significant importance -there's not much to tell about a car from a straight-line, pedal-to-the-metal sprint- but nevertheless, we were more than curious to see how the all-new Hyundai Genesis Coupe with its 306HP 3.8-liter V6 engine managed against the also new, Nissan 370Z that comes with a 332HP 3.7-liter V6 and the 2010 Ford Mustang GT that is powered by a 4.6-liter V8 with 315HP. We won't spoil the "surprise" by telling you the outcome in MotorTrend's quarter-mile test, so just hit the jump to watch the video.

Video: Fifth Gear Test Drives 2009 Ford Focus RS 300HP and they love it

In what Fifth Gear bills as the first TV drive of Ford's long-awaited Focus RS, UK presenter and former BTCC racing champion, Jason Plato, takes the 300-horsepower, front-wheel drive hot hatch for a spin in Spain. Normally we wouldn't ruin the surprise by telling you the outcome, but this time we'll make an exception; despite his initial fears for the FWD layout, Plato's verdict is that the 2.5-liter turbocharged Focus RS is one of the best hot hatches in the world - if not the best. Watch the video right after the jump.

New Ford Focus RS 305HP Video

The wait for the new Focus RS is nearly over as in March, Ford will perform the European market of its hottest hatch ever that is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine delivering an output of 305 horsepower. The front-wheel drive Focus RS can go from naught to 100km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 sec and on to a top speed of 263 km/h (164 mph). Even though we would have definitely preferred to see some hardcore footage of the Focus RS on a race track for example, for now, we will have to be content with this no-thrills video that contains (low-speed) driving and beauty shots. Click through to check it out.