And you thought America’s trio of muscle cars are sans rival. Throw in a Hyundai Genesis into the brawl and you’ll see just how far behind the three ponies from Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge are in terms of being a sports car from the infamously cheap Korean brand.

Who better than to prove this than Motor Trend, who pitted America’s muscle against the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. And the results? Well, we’ll let the engines speak for themselves.

Boasting of 305 horsepower from its V6 engine, the Genesis outperforms and outhandles the trio. Even the 2011 Mustang, with its upgraded engine, was no match in this test. Of course, American’s wouldn’t buy this story. It’s all up to the buyers who will ultimately see for themselves out on the road who’s got an engine that’s bigger than his ego.

Source: Autoblog

There’s a great chance we’ll all be seeing the first every luxury hybrid in the Lincoln line-up, the Lincoln MKZ hybrid. The said model is said to be unveiled at the coming 2010 New York Auto Show.

As of now, here are some of the numbers: 2.5-liter, 156-horsepower 4-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor; 191 total horsepower and 136 lb-ft of torque; and fuel economy at 41 mpg in city driving and 26 mpg in highway driving.

According to reports, the said hybrid model will have the same platform as the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Mercury Milan Hybrid.

[Sources: egmCarTech]

This guy is a nut. But we still love him. Imagine putting an eighteen wheeler truck’s engine onto an F150’s bed. Amazing. And crazy. Well apparently, Mr. Jim Harris doesn’t give a damn for the impossible. All he cares about is salvaging his totaled Peterbuilt’s engine, all 14 liters and six cylinders of it, by mating it with his son’s former college ride. It was rotting in his garage, anyways.

Now, the rig motor has only 500hp and 1,450lb-ft of torque. That’s enough juice to hall an Optimus Prime. So imagine what it can do to a puny F150. So you can already see the darn good time Mr. Harris is going to be having down the freeway, stares, curses and all.

So here’s a friendly advice to all you DIYers out there: nothing is impossible. All you need is a little creativity and lots of cajones.

Hopefully, this new couple will live happily ever after.

Source: Jalopnik

Women love jewelry. It’s a fact of life. But when your gal starts taking interest in your vintage and spends more time in the garage than with you, it’s either you be worried or thank your lucky stars. It may turn out that she not just digs cars. She’s a gear head herself.

Just like Ms. Tammy Ray who won the Ridler Award in the recently concluded 2010 Detroit Autorama. Her 1933 Ford Phaeton, dubbed Gold Digger, was just too much gold for the judges to resist. The award is given to first-time participants who happen to draw the most ooohs and aaahs. She also made it into the Great Eight in 2006. So you really gotta’ hand it to her. She makes one hell of a hotrod.

For more pictures of Digger, just check out the link below.

Source: Jalopnik

[Photo: The previous Mercury Tracer, from Wikipedia]

It has been confirmed that a new C-Segment Mercury model is already being planned, but the said model hasn’t been given any name yet. Recent reports say that Mercury will revive the name Tracer as the nameplate of the new model.

The previous Mercury Tracer was a compact car introduced in 1987, a Mercury counterpart of the Ford Escort based on the platform of the Mazda 323.

If reports are true, then the new Mercury car will be a Tracer. This model is expected to help the Mercury get back on track after months of low sales and almost stagnancy.

The end is near. Or so it seems for the Ford Mustang.

Ford’s Alan Mullaly just announced that they’re canceling production of the 2011 Ford Mustang in exchange for more energy-efficient rides to appeal to boring consumers.

This move was made after Ford recalled 2010 ‘Stangs for being “too cool.”

According to Mullaly, “We deeply regret this lapse in judgment and accept full responsibility for the mistake,” adding that “after numerous road tests, we’ve found the car to be a mean, mean ride that Americans are simply not cool enough to handle, and it would be irresponsible of us to allow anyone to get behind the wheel of this killer car. It’s truly frightening how sweet the Mustang is.”

Well, at least they’re concerned about their customers, unlike Toyota.

Still, a thousand and one “boos!”

Source: Jalopnik, The Onion

[Photo: Jalopnik]

Automobile Magazine reported Ford’s plan to devote one of the 10 slots for its compact car architecture to Mercury. The automaker is said to be planning to manufacture 10 models out of its C-car platform, but the list of the 10 models is not yet complete. There’s one thing for sure, though: one of the models would be a Mercury.

This report has already been confirmed by Ford’s President of the Americas Mark Fields and by Lincoln-Mercury spokesman Mark Schirmer. The expected debut of the new model will be on the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year, and its sale will be by early next year.

Hopefully, this move will help the Mercury brand spring back to life after quite a long time of inactivity.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

Ford was the first automaker to introduce the use of seatbelts in its vehicles way back in 1955. And today, it is again pioneering another seatbelt innovation—this time by combining the seatbelt and the airbag.

This new seatbelt has an accordion-folded bag that inflates during a crash, expanding to five times its original size. This is beneficial in distributing the pressure across a wider area of the body to reduce possible injuries.

The complete details are in Ford’s press release below:

Ford Introduces Industry’s First Inflatable Seat Belts to Enhance Rear Seat Safety

* Ford introduces the auto industry’s first-ever production inflatable seat belts, which are designed to provide additional protection for rear-seat occupants, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to head, chest and neck injuries

* Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts will debut on the next-generation Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle, which goes into production next year; Ford eventually plans to offer inflatable seat belt technology in vehicles globally

* Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts spread crash forces over five times more area of the body than conventional seat belts; this helps reduce pressure on the chest and helps control head and neck motion for rear seat passengers

* More than 90 percent of Ford research participants indicated that Ford’s inflatable seat belts are similar to or more comfortable than traditional belts, which could help increase the lower rate of rear belt usage

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F - News) is bringing to market the world’s first automotive inflatable seat belts, combining attributes of traditional seat belts and air bags to provide an added level of crash safety protection for rear seat occupants.

The advanced restraint system is designed to help reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear seat passengers, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to such injuries.

Ford will introduce inflatable rear seat belts on the next-generation Ford Explorer, which goes into production next year for the North American market. Over time, Ford plans to offer the technology in vehicles globally.

“Ford’s rear inflatable seat belt technology will enhance safety for rear-seat passengers of all ages, especially for young children who are more vulnerable in crashes,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environmental and Safety Engineering. “This is another unique family technology that builds on our safety leadership, including the most top safety ratings of any automaker.”

Safer and more comfortable

Advances in air bag inflation and seat belt construction methods have enabled Ford and its suppliers to develop inflatable seat belts that are designed to deploy over a vehicle occupant’s torso and shoulder in 40 milliseconds in the event of a crash.

In everyday use, the inflatable belts operate like conventional seat belts and are safe and compatible with infant and children safety car and booster seats. In Ford’s research, more than 90 percent of those who tested the inflatable seat belts found them to be similar to or more comfortable than a conventional belt because they feel padded and softer. That comfort factor could help improve the 61 percent rear belt usage rate in the U.S., which compares to 82 percent usage by front seat passengers, according National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

“Ford is pioneering inflatable seat belt technology to help enhance crash safety protection, while encouraging more people to buckle up with a more comfortable belt,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president, Engineering, Global Product Development.

In the event of a frontal or side crash, the inflatable belt’s increased diameter more effectively holds the occupant in the appropriate seating position, helping to reduce the risk of injury.

Vehicle safety sensors determine the severity of the collision in the blink of an eye and deploy the inflatable belts’ air bags. Each belt’s tubular air bag inflates with cold compressed gas, which flows through a specially designed buckle from a cylinder housed below the seat.

The inflatable belt’s accordion-folded bag breaks through the belt fabric as it fills with air, expanding sideways across the occupant’s body in about the same amount of time it takes a car traveling at highway speed to cover a yard of distance.

The use of cold compressed gas instead of a heat-generating chemical reaction - which is typical of traditional air bag systems - means the inflated belts feel no warmer on the wearer’s body than the ambient temperature. The inflatable belts also fill at a lower pressure and a slower rate than traditional air bags, because the device does not need to close a gap between the belt and the occupant.

“It’s a very simple and logical system, but it required extensive trial and error and testing over several years to prove out the technology and ensure precise reliable performance in a crash situation,” said Srini Sundararajan, safety technical leader for Ford research and advance engineering.

The inflated belt helps distribute crash force energy across five times more of the occupant’s torso than a traditional belt, which expands its range of protection and reduces risk of injury by diffusing crash pressure over a larger area, while providing additional support to the head and neck. After deployment, the belt remains inflated for several seconds before dispersing its air through the pores of the air bag.

Ford’s safety leadership record continues to grow

The inflatable seat belt debuting on the next-generation Ford Explorer continues Ford’s record of safety innovation. Ford today has more 5-star U.S. government ratings and “Top Safety Picks” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety than any other automaker.

Ford was the first automaker to introduce seat belts in 1955 and led the way in making driver and front-passenger air bags standard in most vehicles by 1993.

This year, Ford introduced radar-enabled Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning with Brake Support and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with Cross Traffic Alert (CTA). These technologies - introduced on the new 2010 Ford Taurus and Fusion - help drivers avoid potential dangerous crash situations using radar to detect the relative position of other vehicles and warn the driver with a combination of visual and audio alerts.

Ford’s other recent seat belt and air bag innovations include the industry-first BeltMinder system in 2000, which the U.S. government credited with increasing front belt usage by 5 percent in Ford vehicles. On the 2002 Explorer, Ford launched the industry’s first rollover-activated side curtain air bags - called Safety Canopy - as well as Roll Stability Control technology that goes a step beyond traditional stability control systems by helping measure and prevent side-to-side skidding and dangerous situations that could lead to rollovers.

Ford also introduced on the 2009 F-150 and 2010 Taurus some of the industry’s first pressure-based air bag technologies that help deploy side air bags up to 30 percent faster.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 200,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

As if the 2010 Ford Mustang wasn’t enough, a Formula Drift driver by the name of Vaughn Gittin Jr. had to come around and make it even more tempting. Ladies and gentlemen, we introduce to you the RTR-C Mustang.

You don’t need aftermarket carbon-fiber parts on this car. It’s all CF all over. It’s creator boasts a 400-500lb decrease in the Mustang’s curb weight thanks to the CF panels. Gittin did put some of that weight back in the form of a supercharger, stronger brakes and a customized header. All in all, the RTR-C weighs around 3,350lbs of American muscle.

This is one bad ‘Stang, folks. And if you want to own one, you’d have to set aside around $135,000. With that price, Gittin throws in a specially-made carbon-fiber Sparco seat to match the exterior. So what are you waiting for? Gittin will limit production to only ten units, so you’d better get his drift, or else.

Source: Autoblog

[Photo: PickupTrucks.com]

If you don’t want it, well we do!—or so say the Mexicans about Lincoln’s Mark LT. Despite being a failure here in U.S., the reason it had been removed from Lincoln’s line-up, the said high-end truck has been witnessing great sales in Mexico. Lincoln spokesperson Mark Schirmer told PickupTrucks.com that the said model has already sold more than 6,000 units since it was introduced there way back in 2005.

With all these developments, the brand is set to offer the 2010 Mark LT to the Mexican market next month.

The Lincoln Mark LT features the following:

• 310-horsepower, 5.4-liter V8 engine
• Towing capacity of 10,000 lbs
• Hauling capacity of up to 1,695 lbs
• Choice between 5.5 and 6.5 feet truck bed

In the interior, one of the most interesting features of the Mark LT is the lighting in its cupholders. This is on top of other luxurious features like its leather seats.