myford

Last week, I rather flippantly mentioned that I'd driven Ford's new Focus Electric, but that I couldn't talk about it. I know you've been on the edge of your seat since then, so I won't bury the lead any further and just get right into what you're here for: the drive.

On the road, the Focus Electric rides nearly identically to the gasoline-powered Focus. That is, until you listen and realize that there is no exhaust note and no engine noise, only the gentle "whoosh" of the road beneath the tires and … Read more

Alcohol testers in every car? Congress is considering it. Pioneer aims to beat Siri in the car, Ford Sync update to be mailed to you on a USB drive, and another step toward in-car streaming ubiquity.

We got a peek into the future of dashboard technology with Visteon at CES 2011 and again with Denso at the 2011 Detroit auto show. But you don't have to check out concepts to see the dashboard of the future, because it's here today.

From MyFord Touch to the Nissan Leaf's video game-inspired instrument cluster, more and more vehicles are digitizing and reinventing the dashboards of today before our very eyes. We've rounded up a collection of the coolest dashboards that we've come across for your perusal. Enjoy!

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Motorola announces the Xoom tablet and 3 new Android phones

LG shows off the Optimus 2X

AT&T announces its 4G plans for 2011 and 20 new smartphones

Research In Motion gives us some details about the BlackBerry PlayBook on Sprint

Toshiba shows off glasses-free 3D TVs

Mitsubishi shines the light on a 3D projector

The 2012 Ford Mustang will have voice-controlled apps called App:Sync

Microsoft is adding more functionality to Kinect with video streaming control

GM partners with PowerMat to put wireless chargers in car consoles

Ford is already upgrading its new MyFord Touch technology suite with a new method for navigating from point A to B. An Eco-Route option joins the standard "shortest" and "fastest" routes on Ford's navigation systems in an effort to help drivers both in being green and in saving green.

The new option calculates the most fuel-efficient route for your destination by tying into the traffic system to avoid congested freeways and taking into account the use of major roads that where a driver can maintain an efficient cruising speed. Ford claims that the Eco-Route option … Read more

Detroit auto show had a lot going for it;Ford steals the show with its new cabin tech; GM has gone seriously toward small cars; and Toyota deploys a new technology across the board to squash rumors its cars aren't safe.

• CNET Coverage of the Detroit auto show

• Toyota to install brake override systems across the board

• Your license plate is being scanned by the repo man

• GM to make a pure electric Chevy Volt?

• Cadillac CTS-V and Mustang GT shine -- even in the era of less is more… Read more

This video of the 2012 Ford Focus popped up on YouTube yesterday. The Focus will, no doubt, be the talk of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Both the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles of the next-generation Focus will be previewed at the show.

According to an announcement today on Ford's Web site, the company is showing a "completely new 2.0-liter gasoline engine for the North American market that features DI and Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency. The new 2.0-liter DI Ti-VCT engine is up … Read more

Ford Motor made big news at CES this week with its revamped MyFord touch interface to put entertainment and driving controls in reach of the driver with minimum distraction.

The company is putting three LCDs in the instrument panel--two next to the odometer, and another 8-inch screen in the center panel.

A few hours after Ford's CEO Alan Mulally gave his keynote address, Larry Magid sat down with Jim Buczkowski, director of Global Electrical and Electronics Systems Engineering at Ford, to talk about company's recent innovations and plans.

The interview runs 11 minutes 38 seconds.