ford

Big 3 U.S. auto giants plug electric cars

Rather than focus solely on muscle cars, embattled U.S. automakers General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler touted a coming generation of electric vehicles at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Ford on Sunday detailed a multi-prong electric car strategy, saying it will have an all-electric commercial van by 2010, an all-electric passenger car by 2011, and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012.

The firm, which is healthier financially than GM or Chrysler, partnered with Magna International to develop an electric passenger car that can go 100 miles on a charge from lithium-ion batteries. Ford will add hybrid … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 888: Will the Pre Save Palm?

Palm releases a hot new phone and we ask ourselves if the Palm Pre is the company's saving grace or just destined for failure. Also, Ford trucks get remote PC access, and Lexus thinks it's a good idea to spam you while you are driving! What is this world coming to? Tekzilla's Veronica Belmont sits in with us on today's show! Listen now: Download today's podcast… Read more

Photos: 2009 Detroit auto show preview

Although automakers face tough times, Detroit is still alive and kicking, with several new launches set for the 2009 auto show. Honda and Toyota duke it out with their respective hybrid vehicles, while GM shows off a new direction for Chevrolet. Ford has an impressive new muscle car, plus its stable of hybrids and high-tech luxury Lincoln cars.

See photos of a few of the new cars slated to launch at the 2009 Detroit auto show.

Ford Sync Version 3.0

We've been pretty impressed by Sync's Bluetooth phone and MP3 player connectivity, but Version 3.0 of Sync gains a whole new dimension with an array of connected services that includes navigation, traffic conditions, business search, weather, and other information sources. To use these services, you hit the voice command button in a Sync-equipped car and request services. The system uses your Bluetooth paired phone to connect with a server where you can request, by voice, directions, traffic conditions, a local business search, and other services.

The really innovative aspect of this system is that Ford can easily … Read more

Ford touts its leadership in in-car connectivity

LAS VEGAS--Ford on Thursday announced a series of innovations aimed at giving drivers more a higher degree of Internet connectivity as well as a slew of tools devoted to helping them get to where they're going in the most efficient way possible.

The car giant's new initiatives were unveiled as part of CEO Alan Mullaly's keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show here. And while some of the technology Mulally and a series of subordinates discussed was part of Ford's previously announced and available Sync partnership with Microsoft, much was all-new.

Mulally began his talk by … Read more

Alan Mulally talks up Sync 3.0 at CES keynote

Last year, GM CEO Rick Wagoner showed up to bring Detroit a little closer to CES, and at this year's show, Ford CEO Alan Mulally made an even stronger commitment to bring the kinds of electronics on show here into cars. Nothing could have set the tone of his keynote better than having Microsoft's Steve Ballmer come out at the beginning for a quick handshake and talk about working with Ford on Sync. Ballmer pointed out that Microsoft and Ford share a vision of making the car a connected environment, while Mulally said that Ford is learning to … Read more

Ford trucks getting LogMeIn remote PC access

The remote PC access product LogMeIn is getting into trucks. A branded version of the software, "LogMeIn for Ford Work Solutions" will be included in the new F-150 trucks (and a few other models) equipped with the optional Ford Works Solutions suite, a collection of options that includes Internet access, a dashboard monitor, and a wireless keyboard and pointing device.

LogMeIn spokespeople, in a CES announcement, said they envision construction contractors and other mobile workers using the remote access product to work on billing and other office documents without requiring them to carry a laptop in their vehicle. … Read more

Horsepower hi-fi: 2010 Ford Mustang GT

Buried in the midst of Car and Driver magazine's report on the 2010 Ford Mustang GT ($28,845) I spotted a reference to the engineers newfound awareness of sound. Not in the sense of a new multichannel sound system or iPod dock, no, Ford "pipes-in" the sound of the GT's 315 horsepower V-8 engine to the cockpit.

The specially designed pipe, dubbed a "Sound Induction Tube," transmits the sensual sounds of the Mustang's throbbing American V-8 muscle. In fact, the tube is fitted with a "Tuned Membrane" to provide just the … Read more

99: The Car Tech guys have a beer with you

Hyundai protects buyers who lose their jobs; December's another disaster for car sales; "solar Prius" may be a crock; and sit down for a beer with Wayne, Antuan, and Brian.

Listen now: Download today's podcast SHOW NOTES

• Ford Park Assist: See it in action.

• CNET's Tech Car of the Year announcement is imminent

• Solar Prius? Really?

• Is Chrysler aiming to become America's BMW?

• Car Tech Preview from the Consumer Electronics Show

Ford offers Lincoln 'Park Assist'

A new feature from Ford Motor will allow drivers to let their car do the steering when faced with a parallel parking space, the company announced Tuesday.

This latest car gadget, which Ford calls Active Park Assist, works slightly differently than the park assist feature on Toyota's self-parking Lexus.

On the self-parking Lexus, the driver can use an interface to adjust the space the car aims for, and only maintains control over the brake while it's maneuvering.

In Ford's version the driver pulls up alongside a space and pushes a button. The car then applies ultrasonic-based sensors … Read more