Ford Figo to be more expensive

Ford launched the Figo this year hoping it to be game-changer for them. And what a game-changer it has proved to be. Ford has recieved more than 20,000 bookings for the car since the last two and a half months.

The pricing was one of the major factors behind the car's success apart from the brilliant engines and overall package of the car. The car's introductory price was kept as low as 3.5 lakhs for the 1.2L petrol engined version and 4.48 lakhs for its 1.4L diesel engined sibling. But due to increasing costs of components and materials, Ford will have to re-consider the pricing, which means a hike in price soon.

"We can't defy gravity for ever. The general industry cost is rising, steel prices are up, components are costlier and there has also been an increase in transport cost." Ford India Executive Director (Marketing, Sales and Services) Nigel Wark told PTI. The revised price will be effective from June 1st. When asked about the hike, he said ,"We are still fine tuning the price. It will, however, not be a major hike and well below two per cent.”

And came another news along. Ford will be upgrading their plant and boost the production of Figo in order to meet the market demand and thus reduce the 4-week waiting period of the car. At present Ford manages to produce around 6,000 cars a month but with an introduction of 700 new employees and a second shift at their plant in Chennai, expect the numbers to increase soon.

Fiesta reaches 1 Lakh Milestone

Ford has been doing quite good since the recent times in the Indian market. The Ford Figo which has been launched lately has been selling in good numbers. We also reported to you that, looking at the good sales of the Figo, Ford might just roll out another small car in India. It has been 4 years since India has got the Ford Fiesta. In these four years, the Fiesta has finally reached the level of 1,00,000th unit to be produced. The Fiesta is manufactured from Ford India’s Chennai manufacturing plant.

The 1,00,000th Fiesta was driven out by Ford India's president and managing director Michael Boneham in the presence of executive director, Marketing, Sales and Service, Nigel Wark; Sandip Sanyal, executive director of Operations. Hundreds of Ford India employees were also present at the final assembly to relish the moment of pride.

Michael Boneham, president and managing director of Ford India said, ''After a terrific sales record in March and April, the rolling out of the 100,000th Ford Fiesta is a truly special moment for Ford India. The event marks a new milestone for us.'' ''Ford Fiesta continues to make us feel proud and is a significant product in our portfolio. The popularity of the Fiesta testifies that more and more customers have been reassured by its quality, features and performance. The sale of the 100,000th Fiesta is testimony to our strong customer appreciation for the Fiesta,'' he added.

The Ford Fiesta is well known for its mind boggling fuel efficiency. The car is powered by a 1.6-litre TDCi common rail engine.

New Ford Fiesta in 2010-11

 The all new Ford Fiesta was recently displayed at the Bangkok International Auto Show. Amongst this was a four-door version of the car too. There are speculations that these cars will make their way to the Indian market later by 2010-11. The sedan is also expected to run on the Chinese streets by the same time. The car will compete with the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki SX4 and many more of its platform and will very well be available in the Petrol/Diesel variants. After the success of the Figo, Ford reported the development of another small car and also revealed its intentions to revamp its fleet of cars in India. 

The firm is also working on a small car based on the Fiesta hatchback. The new Fiesta will sport a 1.6-liter vvt (variable valve timing) engine. The car will be technology pack and will also include the Ford Sync which is a factory specific in-car communication/entertainment system developed by Ford and Microsoft. The new Fiesta will feature a more aero-dynamic shape and design. The Ford Fiesta already boasts of its best in class fuel efficiency and it is time we get ready for more with the all new Fiesta. The new Fiesta will feature not only better efficiency but also high refinement and safety.

Ford sells its Volvo brand to Geely of China

Ford has finally decided to get rid of its Volvo brand. The American company got into an agreement to sell Volvo and related assets to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group of China for Rs 815 crore. The sale is officially expected to be closed by the third quarter of 2010. Much of this time will be consumed in getting permissions from governments in countries where the Swedish brand has presence.

Ford is completely selling off the Volvo brand, and will not keep any of the shares with it. Ford, that bought Volvo in 1999 hasn’t been able to make much of the deal, as the Swedish brand has not made any money since 2005.

As a part of the deal, Ford will keep supplying Volvo critical components. Ford will also reportedly provide support in terms of engineering, IT and other areas before the Chinese company could manage these things all by itself. The deal also includes the use of some of Ford’s intellectual property rights by Volvo and Geely.

Commending on the development, Alan Mulally, Ford’s president and CEO said “Volvo is a great brand with an excellent product line-up. This agreement provides a solid foundation for Volvo to continue to build its business under Geely’s ownership. At the same time, the sale of Volvo will allow us to further sharpen our focus on building the Ford brand around the world.”

 

Geely Chairman Li Shufu, on the occasion, said, Shufu said: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Ford, enabling us to safeguard and strengthen Volvo's renowned brand heritage. This transaction will ensure Volvo's continued leadership in the premium segment, where it enjoys a global reputation for safety and environmental-friendly technologies. As part of the proposed transaction, Zhejiang Geely Holdings will maintain the strong collaborative relationships that Volvo has built with employees, unions, suppliers, dealers and above all, customers. On completion, Volvo Cars will be a separate company with its own management team based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and a new board of directors."

Geely has raised the loan for this deal from banks in China, USA and Europe, and loans guaranteed by the governments of Sweden and Belgium. First impressions suggest that production of Volvos will continue in Sweden and Belgium to stay closer to the supplier chain and the main market.

Compare the Top Movers & Shakers - Polo, Punto, Swift and Figo - Which one is for you?

With the B-segment flooding with offerings from various manufacturers, a war of hatchbacks to capture the market is just about to begin…


Click here to read the full analysis.

Never before in the Indian car industry have we seen such carnage in a segment. The B-segment is suddenly loaded with quality contenders which not only boast great engineering and features, but incredible pricing as well.

Ford Figo to be exported to South Africa

The reworked previous generation European Fiesta, in the form of the new Ford Figo which was launched in the country just yesterday, will also be exported to South Africa as announced by Mr. Michael Bonehan, Managing Director, Ford India at the launch.



Ford Motors has infused an investment of US $ 500 million to double the annual production capacity to 200,000 units at its Chennai manufacturing facility making it a regional centre of for small car engineering and production. This facility will also produce diesel and petrol engines for local market and also will export to the Asia Pacific and Africa region.
 
Source: MOTOROIDS

Ford Figo launched, prices unveiled!

A couple of months back we got our hands on the Ford Figo and returned impressed with Ford India’s new creation. You can read our first impressions here. Today however, we have a new reason to be impressed – not because the small car has finally been launched today, but because we simply love the competitive price tag that the Figo boasts of. Here’s the reason for our smile:

 

The 1.2-litre petrol engine produces 71.35 PS @ 6250 rpm and 102 Nm @ 4000 rpm which isn’t exactly class leading. Ford further claims that the petrol mill will return 15.6 kmpl with its ideal gear ratios developed for Indian traffic conditions. The 1.4-litre Duratorq diesel engine from the other Fords in the lineup will be available for Figo with outstanding fuel efficiency of 20 kmpl. Power is rated at 69 PS @ 4000 rpm while the torque is equally impressive with 160Nm @ 2000 rpm.

 

Everyone is claiming the Figo to be a game changer for the market segment that its going to cater to (which is largely dominated by the army of Maruti Suzukis). But the Figo’s success won’t rest on pricing alone. Ford India’s legacy may turn down a lot of prospective customers of this segment. What Ford needs is the right kind of ASS (after sales service) backing up their vehicles (Ford claims that they are jacking up the number of service stations and dealerships to support the Figo). If the cards are played right, the Figo has the potential to be a game changer for Ford India’s future operations atleast, if not the market as a whole.

1.2-litre Duratec (Petrol)

LXI – Rs. 3,49,900
EXI – Rs. 3,81,900
ZXI – Rs. 3,99,900
Titanium – Rs. 4,42,900


1.4-litre Duratorq (Diesel)
LXI – Rs. 4,47,900
EXI – Rs. 4,72,900
ZXI – Rs. 4,96,900
Titanium – Rs. 5,29,900


Source: Motoroids

Ford Figo Launch on 9th March in New Delhi!

The small car from Ford which was showcased at the Auto Expo held in New Delhi this year, is all set to be launched officially in the country on the 9th of March, 2010. Michael Boneham, president and MD of Ford India, and Joe Hinrichs, group VP, Ford Motor Company would be gracing the occasion at Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi.

 

The five door hatchback will don a 1.2 litre Rocam engine(Duratec) or 1.4 litre diesel engine (Duratorq) and will come in four variants common to both the petrol and diesel options - Base (LXI), Mid (EXI), Upper-Mid (SXI) and a high end variant called the Platinum. Figo will be available in seven colours - Diamond white, Panther Black, Moondust Silver, Chille, Sea Grey, Squeeze and Colorad Red.

Prices

1.2L Duratec LXi         – Rs. 3.6 lakhs

1.2L Duratec EXi         – Rs. 3.85 lakhs

1.2L Duratec SXi         – Rs. 4.20 lakhs

1.2L Duratec Titanium – Rs. 4.50 lakhs

1.4L TDCi LXi             – Rs. 4.5 lakhs

1.4L TDCi EXi             – Rs. 4.75 lakhs

1.4L TDCi SXi             – Rs. 5.15 lakhs

1.4L TDCi Titanium     – Rs. 5.45 lakhs

2010 Shelby GT500 Super Snake with 725hp

Las Vegas-based tuners Shelby are releasing another new set of mods for the Mustang. The limited edition 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake includes improvements both to power and performance.

"Over the past 12 months, my team of hot rodders was hard at work on a Super Snake package for the next generation GT500," said Carroll Shelby. "Every lesson we learned kicking the competition around on the track over the past two years has been poured into this new car to keep Shelby owners out front."

That is why the company mounts an optional Shelby/Kenne Bell supercharger kit, which raises power output to 725 horsepower. You can also take the car down a peg, and opt for the Ford Racing Supercharger, which helps to produce a maximum 630 hp and 590 ft-lb of torque. Either way, the driver will take control of a six-speed manual gearbox featuring a 3.73:1 rear axle ratio via the short-throw shifter. A Borla exhaust unit is also included on both.

The Super Snake gets a standard Ford Racing handling package, which includes lowered springs, adjustable dampers, front strut tower brace and tuned stabilizer bars. You can purchase the optional Shelby/Eibach handling package as well. Custom Alcoa 20-inch wheels surround the cross drilled rotors. A six-piston Shelby/Baer brake system is also part of the package, as are the front brake cooling ducts.

Visual changes begin with the new fiberglass hood, Super Snake striping, rear decklid lettering, and various badging. Shelby headrests and floormats are also included.

Although the company does say that, "Exclusivity will be assured as a limited number of Super Snakes will be built," what they do not say is how few units will be produced. This information would surely be beneficial to anybody considering the car as an investment.

The 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake will begin production in August. Pricing for the 630 hp package starts at $29,495, while the 725 hp kit goes for $33,495. Installation is included, but the price of the car is not.

Style for The Average Joe, Personal Luxury Cars

The Personal Luxury Car, Part I - The Ford Thunderbird

For the average Joe, the Monte Carlo, the Cordoba, or Thunderbird was an attainable and affordable prize for his hard earned money. Unlike more expensive and exclusive luxury cars, they were cheap to operate, and since they were built using tried and true parts, simple to repair. The auto industry couldn’t have wished for a more lucrative market. A car built with off the shelf parts, on the chassis of the average sedan, all for a hungry market wanting something “special”. The personal luxury car was a profit goldmine. Ford usually gets the credit for creating the niche with the introduction of the Thunderbird in 1955.

Origins
The origins of the Thunderbird are not as clear as some would have you believe. There are stories of Ford executives wanting a sports car after a trip to Europe.

Many assume that Ford was responding to Chevrolet’s Corvette.

It’s known that stylist Frank Hershey was already studying possibilities for a special car on a shortened Ford chassis, with heavy input from Joe Oros and Bill Boyer contributing. Each one a noted Ford designer under chief Ford stylist George Walker at the time. Each one claims to have penned the car entirely on their own. It’s difficult to say, as even Fords archives are not clear. Even the origins of the name of the car are in question, supposedly Thunderbird was chosen from a contest with over 5000 suggestions, the winning name chosen by a Ford employee whose prize was a pair of pants (?). Native American folklore, in contrast, does note a mythical bird, the Thunderbird, born of thunder from the dark night sky that rescued a native tribe from doom.

Concept drawings of the Thunderbird '52-'54, side view proposals

Early conception sketches and drawings show an egg crate grille influenced by Ferrari, identical headlights/tail lights from the ‘55 Ford sedan and twin exhausts inset at the bumper. It was low and sleek, without the usual gaudy chrome that adorned many cars of the time. The car was never planned as a direct rival to the Corvette, it had modern conveniences like roll up windows, A/C, a hardtop and other options the ‘Vette couldn’t offer.

1955 Thunderbirds

It was presented as a sporty personal car, a cruiser, not a sports car. And at under $3000 it beat the fiberglass Corvette soundly in sales. Not to mention the 292 cu in V8 with 198 hp on tap certainly had the power edge over the standard wimpy stove bolt six of the Chevy.

2nd Generation Thunderbird sketch, a two seat concept, not four as the actual model

1958 introduced a bolder restyle and the inclusion of two more seats. Ford market studies revealed an appeal for a four seat T-Bird, as the current configuration couldn’t be considered as a single family car, i.e., Average Joe wanted a sporty ride, but needed a back seat to carry the kids. So the ‘58 T-Bird grew longer and very low, incorporated dual headlights, a larger, lower placed grille surrounded by a massive chrome bumper, (un)inspired body side moldings and larger more pronounced tail fins.

“If you really analyze the 1958 Thunderbird, it had enough design on its side, back and front, for five automobiles.”

The overall look was definitely in step with 1958 styling cues, but the added bits of 50’s styling excess is not as easy on the eye as the ‘55-‘57. Designer Gene Bordinat noted, "If you really analyze the '58 Thunderbird, it had enough design on its side, back and front for five automobiles."

In ‘59 Ford offered a bigger 430 cid V8 borrowed from upscale Lincoln to help motivate the larger car, but even with the jump in power, now nearly 350hp, a 1000 lbs increase in weight and size over the two seater made it no sprinter. Nonetheless, Fords market study was dead on, the sales of the fourseat “Squarebirds” at nearly 38,000 units, was more than double the previous model.

Third Generation, "bullet birds"

'61 T-Bird concept (not a Lincoln). Ford Quicksilver concept.

The ‘61 model had some hurdles to clear before it came to be, as surprisingly, the ‘61 Lincoln Continental was originally supposed to be the ‘61 Thunderbird. In 1958, the development for the next generation T-Bird was not going smoothly and two competing proposals were commissioned. One by Elwood Engel, based on the recent Continental MkII. And the other by Joe Oros, Ford studio head, proposed a sportier car based on the directive of new Ford division chief, Jim Wright, and the Ford Quicksilver concept. Behind the scenes the two opposing concepts were really a result of a power struggle between the design studio and the Ford chief. To save face, the decision was left to Ford's Product Planning Committee. Engle’s proposal was deemed “too pretty to be a T-Bird” and became the ‘61 Continental. Oro’s car (ironically, with heavy development from Engle and his staffs input), became the 1961 T-Bird.

The bullet nosed birds, were much cleaner in the design than the previous model. Body moldings and fenders with a high bright bladed “beltline” were incorporated as a theme for the entire car, starting at the front cowl, and flowed down the body, ending in slightly canted fins at the rear over two pod-like, turbine-shaped taillights. The ‘61 introduced many innovations like a swing away steering wheel and the ’62 Sports Roadster version (credited to designer Bud Kaufman ) incorporating a racing style tonneau top covering the rear two seats to create, in effect, a “two-seater” again. Of the early 1960’s the bullet birds are probably the most attractive and most representative of car design of the era.

For 1964 the T-Bird was redesigned again, this time the theme retreated to a more purposeful design. Now the T-Bird had a longer rear with much larger taillights (sequential ones in ’65) the body tapering off to a flat tail and a more formal hood and body side styling. The look was not as flowing, but had a stronger looking front “face”.
Obviously Ford had the right idea as this model sold nearly 93,000 units, a record and up nearly half over the 1963 ‘bird. ’65 offered the famed sequential taillights and a 429 V8 w/345 hp. Finally after years of changing engines to keep up with the weight gain of the car, the new T-Bird was capable of some quick motivation and speeds over 120mph. But even with these welcome additions, sales dropped off to just over 70,000 units for ’65.

Why? Mustang.
Ford’s own, much cheaper, and in many ways, more attractively styled new four seat youthmobile was taking a big bite out of the T-Birds signature market. A moderately optioned Thunderbird cost nearly twice as much as a fully optioned Mustang. The market savvy decision to make the T-Bird a four seater back in ’58 was coming back to haunt Ford with the introduction of the pony car. The T-Bird was at a cross roads, Ford debated relinquishing the car completely to the luxury market as a 4 door sedan. By 1965 with the Mustang assuming the young sporty image the T-Bird once had, Ford believed the T-Bird no longer needed to portray a sporting image and could be focused directly at the personal luxury market.

1967 Ford Thunderbird Landau 4-door sedan.

Following that marketing concept, in 1967 Ford introduced a completely redesigned Thunderbird, as a large luxury coupe, and an equally large four door luxury sedan incorporating suicide type doors, a large open mouth grill and heavily styled fenders. As the 3rd & 4th generation convertible had fallen to less than 10% of T-Bird sales, for the first time in its history, no convertible model was offered. The ‘67 T-Bird was a major change in focus for the model, abandoning the Thunderbirds original concept completely. Sadly for the next ten years the Thunderbird grew into an overweight, gas guzzling (8 mpg!), bland, ugly joke...

The Big and even Bigger 'birds.
In 1970 the T-Bird changed into a huge luxury barge (albeit with a large, almost humorous “beak” front end grille treatment) and the four door sedan was dropped. In 1972 the ‘bird expanded again to the largest size of its history gaining nearly 1500 lbs over the already huge ‘71. The Thunderbird was now, basically a re-skinned, lower cost Lincoln Continental, riding on the Continentals chassis and mechanicals. The gargantuan bird went on for 4 years with minor trim changes. The only major changes were the constant increase in engine size (up to 460 ci, 7.5 liters!) to help motivate the behemoth. Even with one of the largest engines on the market, EPA standards strangled the output to just over 200hp, not enough to get out of its own way.
Ironically Ford had hit on something, or the public just didn’t care as the sales for the supersized bird was up to almost 87,000 units in ‘73. A very neat feat considering Ford was asking almost $8,000 for a 5,000 lb, gas guzzling, mediocre looking, underpowered clone of a Lincoln Mark IV.

Still the writing was on the wall, the Arab Oil embargo, inflation and rising gas prices ate away at sales and demanded the T-Bird go on a diet and refocus its market identity. Luckily for Ford, the Elite, which had taken over the T-Birds former market, was selling nearly three times as much as the current bird. It was an easy plan to have the next Elite redesigned as the new, downsized Thunderbird.

1977 Thunderbird

So in 1977, like both GM and Chrysler were implementing, a new downsized version of the car was planned, and a smaller, redesigned Thunderbird was released. The new ‘bird had a sharper, more defined look with razor edged fender tops, split opera/landau windows and hidden headlights. Many of the T-Bird cues from the late 60’s returned including a egg crate grille and full length wall to wall tail lights, a basket handle split top was also featured. Realistically, the new ‘bird was not much more than a re-skinned Elite, which was built on a Torino/LTD II chassis, under the skin there wasn’t any innovation mechanically. Its laughable to call the ’77 T-Bird a mid sized car today, its huge by today’s standards, but with almost a half ton reduction in weight and 11 inches in length over the previous ‘bird and a $3000 price cut, the new T-Bird was taking a step (down-market) in the right direction. Sales surged to over 300,000 units, the highest figure in the history of the Thunderbird, and triple its previous sales record. The public snapped them up in large numbers, with little styling changes for the next three years.

1980 Ford Thunderbird

Under veteran stylist Gene Bordinat 1980 brought the emergence of the “Box” ‘birds. The car was based on the Fox chassis (shared with the plain-Jane Ford Fairmont and new Mustang). Transferring the bigger T-Bird styling cues to this smaller platform proved unsuccessful if not outright boring. It’s obvious the design was a cost cutting measure, to eliminate size, weight and production costs, as their seems to be have been no design inspiration at all. Ford did reduce weight by 900 lbs, but the combination of uninspired styling, a weak standard V6, and a brief recession kept the buying public away in droves, and sales tanked. At the end of the box bird model run in ’82, sales had fallen to just 47,000 units, less than 16% of the previous model run.

Ford Probe Concepts I & II

The Thunderbird was in trouble, but even before the disastrous box-‘bird was released Ford had considered new directions for their prestige car to follow. Jack Telnack, Fords new VP of Design and his studio team, had the answer. Fords designers for years prior had championed more aerodynamic shapes in the form of their series of concept “Probe” cars of the ‘70’s. And now was the time to put their design ideas into practice.

1983 Thunderbird

1983 and the new, aero-Thunderbird was as smooth and slick as the previous ‘bird was boxy and boring. The new design was a complete departure from all Thunderbirds and for modern cars as well. European in looks, it was aerodynamically smooth and clean, a confident design without a right angle or straight line to be found. The car featured limousine type doors and flush drip wells. In the rear a small notchback with a slight lipped trunk and full with tail lights. It’s difficult to state the impact of this car in the mid 80’s, and fully take into effect it had on changing the look of both the Thunderbird and the car industry as a whole. The success of this new Thunderbird paved the way for more aerodynamic cars, like the Taurus that would revolutionize car appearance and styling forever. In addition to the Aero-birds new slick lines, a new model, the TuboCoupe with a turbocharged 2.3 L 4 cyl engine w/5sp manual was introduced. For the first time in many years a sporting image and style was brought back to the nameplate. Sales were strong and the car added a V8 and trim options, a slight tweaking of the shape was updated in ’87, but few other changes.

1989 (MN12) Thunderbird

The 10th generation, code named MN12 (Mid-Size North American Project 12), Thunderbird was redesigned in 1989 on a longer wheelbase (but shorter overall length). It was lower, shorter and distinctively more European in its flavor. It’s easy to see reflections of BMW in its shape. The new design and look was a result of new program to reduce weight and focus the car towards a younger performance oriented buyer. In that respect the Turbo Coupe was dropped in favor of the Super Coupe with a supercharged, 210hp V6 engine. Unfortunately the car, while a confident looking design and much more efficient in fuel usage wasn’t exactly what Ford had hoped for, and the car missed specific design targets in its development. Most prominent was the cars heavy 3500 lb weight and cost overruns which greatly exceeded program and budget forecasts. To add insult to injury the public’s interest in rear drive personal coupes was waning in the atmosphere of minivans, luxury sedans and SUV’s, sales for the car started a steep decline. The MN12 cars continued on with minor changes, mostly cost cutting measures eliminating options and removing features to help keep costs down on the expensive to produce car. Finally in 1997, with sales in the basement, and costs in the sky, Ford pulled the plug and after 42 years of production, the Thunderbird was over.

2000 & The Retro-'bird
But not so fast, no sooner than the last MN12 T-Bird rolled off the plant floor was Jay Mays, Fords new VP of design, speculating and putting together a studio team for a new Thunderbird. The next T-Bird would be a low sleek two seat personal luxury car, a “retro” design. Bringing back the Thunderbird to its origins. J Mays and his design staff made sure the new retro T-Bird was true to the cars legacy. The new car would have all the classic cues of a Thunderbird, including the egg crate grille, porthole windows and a V8, all built on the Lincoln LS chassis. The car was introduced in 2002 to strong interest and 1000 pre-orders. Styling wise, Ford had hit the mark, the car had all the goods the original had plus a bit more. Initial sales were strong, but leveled off after the first year. Quickly though it came to be seen that a $40,000 two seater with only a 280hp V8, and sloppy handling had a limited appeal, and was not hugely popular with the 21st century buyer, despite its good looks. It had been suggested, jokingly that a second row of seats added to the car would help make it more attractive, much like the ’58 did. But Ford wasn’t laughing. So, one again, in 2005 with marginal sales, and only three years of production, sadly, the retro-‘bird too was discontinued. So far, there has been no word or future plans to raise the mark again.

1955 & 2002 Thunderbirds

In all, over a 50 year span, some 4.5 million Thunderbirds were produced.

Next time, part II, and GM and Chrysler’s personal luxury cars.
-gumbypiz

Ford Mondeo by Rieger

20 year old German based tuning firm Rieger has released a subtle styling package for the new Ford Mondeo wagon that builds off of the standard appearance with something that is a bit more noticeable without being to extravagant. The kit offers a front lip spoiler, side skirts with cutout shaft and rear bumper fascia. All components are available in either ABS plastic or carbon fiber look. The rear bumper fascia comes in three versions depending on exhaust configuration – dual pipes on both right and left side, single sport pipe or single downward curved pipe. Moreover, Rieger also offers for the Mondeo a coilover suspension by KW and chip tuning upgrades from SKN Technology.

Ford Focus ST by Mountune Performance

Ford UK is offering for the Focus ST a performance upgrade from Mountune Performance. Available from select Ford dealers (see press release below) for a price of £1,120 (plus installation), the kit consists of a larger intercooler, a high-flow air filter and revised engine calibration resulting in an increase in power output from Ford’s potent 2.5-litre Duratec ST engine from 225PS to 260PS at 5,500rpm and from 320Nm to 400Nm at 2,500rpm.

0-60mph improves by 0.6sec to 5.9sec, and the 0-100mph time by 1.9sec to 14.1sec. The performance upgrade kit includes 12 months/12,000-mile dealer warranty up to a maximum of three years/36,000 miles. The vehicle warranty is not affected.

Expect to hear more from Mountune Performance as they are currently developing a performance suspension kit for the Focus ST and further packages will be available for other Ford models later in 2008.

2009 Roush RTC Ford Mustang Unveiled

Roush has unveiled their limited edition 2009 Roush RTC Mustang at the National Mustang Show over the weekend. The RTC is a two-tone coupe Mustang with a black top and Ford's base color on the bottom and comes adorned in a Roush four-piece body kit (Front Fascia, Front Chin Spoiler, Hood Scoop, and Rear Wing), high-flow nine bar grille and rides on unique 20 inch chrome wheels.

The 2009 Roush RTC should arrive at dealers shortly and is expected to set you back USD 13,375 for the base package. The optional chrome ROUSHcharger for a total of 430 bhp costs another USD 6,250.

Ford will be releasing a brand new Mustang starting in the 2010 model year, so this Roush will be one of the last for the current S-197 body style.

Mustang RTC Package $ 13,375.00

• ROUSH 4 Piece Aero body Kit (Front Fascia, Front Chin Spoiler, Hood Scoop, and Rear Wing)
• Lower Valance Fog Lamps
• High Flow Nine Bar Grille
• Two-Tone Paint
• ROUSH Door Sill Plates
• ROUSH 20-Inch Forged Chrome Wheels with High Performance Tires
• ROUSH Fender and Decklid Badges
• ROUSH Front Windshield Banner
• ROUSH Embroidered Floor Mats
• Locking Lug Nuts
• ROUSH Billet Aluminum Shifter Handle w/ Grips (Manual Transmission Only)
• ROUSH Four-Piece Performance Pedals
• ROUSH White Face Electro Luminescent Gauge Cluster
• ROUSH Sport Leather Seating with Suede Inserts
• ROUSH Lowering Springs and Jounce Bumpers
• RTCSerialized Engine Bay Plaque

Options:

• Chrome ROUSHcharger (430 hp / 400 lb-ft) $6,250.00
• Vent Pod w/ Boost Gauge (ROUSHcharger Option Only) $435.00
• Interior Dash Trim Kit (Carbon Fiber Design) $350.00
• Quarter Window Louvers (Coupe ONLY) $315.00
• Short Throw Shifter (can be used with stock shift knob or Roush billet knobs) $340.00
• Short Shifter w/ Chrome Shifter Arm and White Ball Knob $445.00
• Short Shifter w/ Chrome Shifter Arm and Black Ball Knob $445.00
• Trunk Mounted Tool Kit $355.00
• ROUSH Exhaust - Dealer Installed (Post Title) $575.00
• Sport Brake Kit (slotted rotors and painted calipers) $1,450.00
• Strut Tower Brace $220.00