Autoblog

Little guy Porsche is taking huge swings, and not just at the giant that is Volkswagen. Porsche head Wendelin Wiedeking had fierce Teutonic words for General Motors and Ford, and banks. His Rindfleisch – beef, that is – with U.S. automakers is that, through unsound practices, they have thrown absolutely everything into turmoil. In the words of the Guardian, in fact, they have driven "the industry to the brink of ruin."

Those are big and perhaps hyperbolic words. But he then singles out GM for "openly threatening" the U.S. Government with bankruptcy, and predicts a hedge fund will take control of "one of the U.S. car manufacturers." Since Chrysler is already controlled by a hedge fund, that only leaves GM and Ford as the possible subjects of that comment. We can't imagine a hedge fund trying to swallow GM or Ford, especially after Cerberus has taken such a beating with Chrysler that seemingly all they can say is "Must... find... the exit."

Wiedeking is on more Earthly ground when he talks about the little guys, suppliers, who are quietly going under -- even though many of them ran their business correctly -- due to the banks' refusal to lend money while the clash of automotive titans continues. In a quote that people in many different industries can applaud, he says "We need banks to give credit, not just talk about credit ratings but start real actual lending to companies." Amen. Thanks for the tip, Sonny!

[Source: The Guardian]

The president of the United Auto Workers union, Ron Gettelfinger, said in a recent CNN interview that U.S. automakers need to tell Congress they will limit corporate pay, bonuses and severance packages in return for more government loans. Gettelfinger also said that the Detroit Three only need the loans to hold them over during these tough times. While the first statement from the union's top player seems like basic common sense, the second seems highly optimistic... especially when one considers the size of the industry and the depth of its issues. While no single event (or loan, for that matter) will likely turn around the downslide, all of those affected by the auto industry's potential demise will be interested in tomorrow's events. That's because Dec. 2 is the day House and Senate leaders told the automakers that they need to submit a "credible restructuring plan" that's convincing enough to get Congress to open its wallet when it reconvenes next week.

[Source: Reuters]

Outrageous minivans are oddities of the train wreck variety. You don't want to, but you just gotta look. And we're suckers for them. Not that long ago we had the ridiculously fast, jet-powered Dodge Caravan, and then there was the show but stock slow Mugen Honda Odyssey.

But what do you think of a Saleen-built Ford Windstar? And, no, it's not a soccer mom special that someone slapped a Saleen windshield header on. This is the real deal. It's got custom-made carbon fiber mirrors, valve covers and steering wheel. The double-nostril hood is custom-made as is the gauge cluster and the fender flares over the Z-rated 18-inch Rikens. Underhood is a Saleen supercharger atop the Ford V6. The eBay auction says more than $100,000 was spent on the monster minivan's production.

So who in their right mind would spend that kind of cash on something originally meant to sit idle in front of daycare facilities? Two words: Tool Time. As in Tim "Tool Time" Allen. Tim teamed up with Steve Saleen several years ago to produce the Saleen Windstar. Just as this prototype was finished, however, Ford redesigned the Windstar and all plans to offer the package for sale were scrapped.

Luckily the van wasn't, and lately has been used as a promotional tool for Port-A-Board, a company that makes collapsible skateboards. It was founded by Brett Gregory, who is a producer of Tim Allen's upcoming movie. And since the Saleen Windstar is still in the family, the winning bidder can choose to have a photo session with their new vehicle and Tim Allen himself. After six bids, the auction is up to $3,650 without hitting the reserve. You've got six days. Thanks for the tip, Joe.


[Source: eBay Motors]

Ford announced today that it's "re-evaluating strategic options for Volvo Car Corporation", which in plain English means that it may sell the Swedish brand that it's owned since 1998. The Dearborn-based automaker says this re-evaluation will take about three months, during which Ford and Volvo will work together as they always have. While the sale of Volvo will be no doubt be decided upon during this time, Ford has also said it will be working on propping Volvo up as a stand-alone business since the Premier Automotive Group, which once included Volvo, Jaguar, Aston Martin and Land Rover, has been dismantled. There's no mention of how much Ford thinks it can get for Volvo or whether any companies have actually expressed interest in the foreign brand known most for slavish devotion to safety. Though Volvo sales have been down sharply this year, the same can be said for virtually every brand in the industry. Potential suitors of Volvo may also be interested in the new S60 that will debut next month at the Detroit Auto Show and may improve the brand's fortunes.

[Source: Ford]

Click above to watch a preview of the Mustang Challenge on Discovery HD

It's been just over a year since Ford Racing unveiled the FR500S Mustang at SEMA in Las Vegas, but the spec road racer has already been through an entire season of races at some of the best tracks around North America. The Discovery Channel has been at each race capturing all the action from the first green to the final checkered flag, and will be airing a three part series on HD Theater starting December 7 from 8-9 PM ET with the next episodes running on the following two Sundays. The show will feature footage from in-car HD cameras as well as the off-track challenges of each team. Sound interesting? Check out the video preview of the show after the jump.

[Source: MillerCup.com via MustangBlog.com]

The Volvo Group, successfully spun off ball bearing company SKF in 1927, no longer has much to do with the Volvo brand of cars. While it does build large commercial vehicles, the automotive unit was sold to Ford all the way back in 1999, and the only real ties the two corporations share is joint-ownership of the Volvo logo and trademark. Unfortunately, things haven't really been all that rosy for the Swedish brand since it was purchased by the Blue Oval. Despite its lack of involvement, Volvo Group doesn't like to see its old auto division in such sorry shape and is reportedly willing to help... up to a point. The Swedish company will not purchase Volvo Cars back from Ford, but would consider funding various joint projects and becoming part of a consortium of owners.

The Volvo Group also opposes calls for the Swedish government's intervention. Some have suggested that both Volvo and Saab should be operated as state-owned brands. Says Volvo chairman of the board Finn Johnsson, "The state knows nothing about the car industry..." If Ford isn't able to keep it up and the Swedish gov't minds its own business, where does that leave Volvo? Johnsson suggests that Renault might be a good fit for potential owner of the brand. Ghosn, are you listening?

[Source: AF via Google]

Remember the growing movement to caravan a few hundred of Detroit's most fuel efficient vehicles to the automaker's next meeting with Congress? Not happening. Interestingly, it wasn't for lack of support. In fact, it was just the opposite. So many people had voiced their support and announced their intentions to join in that the event's organizers just weren't able to keep up. Talk about a logistical nightmare.

Organizers have not given up on the idea completely, launching a new website called TheEngineofDemocracy.com that's supposed to drum up support for Detroit and fuel efficient cars in general. Along with an outpouring of support via the interwebs, a list of 51 people from various suppliers, dealership workers and Union officials will accompany the CEOs of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to Washington - one from each state plus one from the capital itself - to prove that the loss of the American auto industry would affect everyone. At this point, we think it's safe to say that Wagoner, Mulally and Nardelli will be, ya know, driving to the proceedings.

[Source: The Detroit News Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty]

The Ford Mustang has always been about affordable performance and that philosphy goes all the way down to prices under $1. Following the official unveiling of the 2010 Mustang last week in Los Angeles comes the introduction of the least expensive variant of all, the Hot Wheels car. Shots of a loose pre-production sample first hit the web via eBay ahead of the L.A. show. Ford apparently shared CAD data for the body of the updated Stang with Mattel, so the die-cast's body proportions are pretty much spot on, but as usual, the wheels are disproportionatly large. The real Mustang won't be available at Ford stores until early next year, but the super lightweight should be appearing at your local Target/K-Mart/Wal-Mart sometime next week. In L.A., Ford handed out a limited number of specially-marked "Auto Show Edition" Hot Wheels Mustangs. Several of those, predictably, are listed on eBay at a substantial markup for those of you who simply cannot wait another 48 hours for it to hit store shelves. Click the image above for a photo gallery.


[Source: Ford]

At the Thailand Motor Expo this week, Ford's rolling out a show truck based on the locally-produced Ford Ranger. Dubbed the Ranger Max, it's a styling exercise designed to infuse the compact pickup with some visual muscle and toughness. According to Ford, power tools were among the inspirations for the project, hence the blend of matte accents and this OSHA-friendly orange paint job. Anyway, it's pretty cool, what with the embossed "RANGER" logos on the grille and tailgate; vented, domed hood; chunky wheel/tire package; flared fenders and integrated step rails. If Ford were to (finally) replace the U.S.-market Ranger with something incorporating the main cues from this (especially the overall grille/front-end treatment), you wouldn't hear a peep of complaint from us -- we'd be too busy listening to "One Night in Bangkok" on the stereo while we cruised down that street from the Ford Flex ads. PR from Ford Asia-Pacific follows the jump.

UPDATE: Video added after the jump. (Thanks, Mike.)


[Source: Ford]

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Heffner Camilo Pardo Edition Ford GT

We've become familiar with Jason Heffner's creations over the past few years, from his insanely powerful Lamborghini Gallardos to mindblowingly fast Ford GTs. For his latest project, Heffner has teamed up with Ford GT chief designer Camilo Pardo for a special edition version of the car that looks as good as it is fast. Visually, the American supercar gets a racing inspired paint scheme and graphics, flat black BBS wheels and a new rear bumper from Classic Design Concepts. Inside, the car gets a chrome shift ball, wide-shaft shifter and aluminum seat grommets. Under the bonnet, the GT is blessed with Heffner's twin-turbo treatment as well as a Camilo-designed billet aluminum intake and black valve covers. Horsepower is rated at north of 900 and the car is capable of topping 200 mph in under 20 seconds while passing through the 1/4 mile at over 150 mph. There's a press release after the jump with more details and high-res photos in the gallery below over which you have our permission to ogle.

[Source: FordGTForum.com]