Ford planning more Shelby GT500KR Mustangs for 2009
If you missed out on one of last year’s 540hp 40th anniversary Shelby GT500KR Mustangs you’re in luck because the Ford tuner is planning an additional run of 746 cars for the 2009 model year. Demand for the car worldwide has surged, no doubt spurred on with the help of the car’s starring role as KITT in the new Knight Rider series, so this time 175 cars will be headed outside of the U.S. Like the current 40th anniversary limited edition, the 2009 Shelby GT500KR will feature the same 540hp 5.4L...

Ford officially takes over Romania plant
BUCHAREST, Romania -- Ford Motor Co. formally took over the Romanian plant Automobile Craiova from the Romanian government on Friday. Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu handed the factory's key to Ford of Europe President John Fleming, saying that Ford's investment of about $1 billion would allow Romania to become the biggest car producer in southeastern Europe. Last year, Ford bought a 72.4 percent stake in the state-owned company, paying about $88 million and vowing to invest $1 billion to upgrade...

Ford officially takes over Romanian auto plant
BUCHAREST, Romania -- Ford Motor Co. formally took over the Romanian plant Automobile Craiova from the Romanian government today. Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu handed the factory's key to Ford of Europe President John Fleming, saying that Ford's investment of about $1 billion would allow Romania to become the biggest car producer in southeastern Europe. Last year, Ford bought a 72.4 percent stake in the state-owned company, paying about $88 million and vowing to invest $1 billion to upgrade and...

Ford makes executive changes for China operations
DEARBORN -- Ford Motor Co. says it has made some key appointments to support the continued expansion of the automaker's fast-growing China operations. Dearborn-based Ford said today that 58-year-old Mei-Wei Cheng has been elected Ford group vice president and named executive chairman of Ford Motor China. Cheng previously served as chairman and chief executive of Ford Motor China. Robert J. Graziano has been appointed president and CEO of Ford Motor China. The 48-year-old currently serves as executive...

Bringing up the rear: Ford to revive rear-wheel drive in U.S.
Ford Motor Co. is bringing rear-wheel-drive development back to the United States from Australia. The automaker also has green-lighted a vehicle platform that will provide the basis for a new generation of rear-wheel-drive cars, according to sources familiar with Ford's plans. Australia, where such vehicles remain popular, had emerged as Ford's center for rear-wheel-drive development. But changing economics have convinced the company to bring the program back to Dearborn. Sources said the new...

Ford planning Capri comeback?
After bowing out of the market in the late 1980s, Ford’s European Capri sports coupe could make a return as a rival to Volkswagen’s rejuvenated Scirocco coupe. Several reports coming out of Germany claim Ford is prepping a new a concept to celebrate next year’s 40th anniversary of the original Ford Capri Mk1 from 1969. The concept will eventually spawn a new Mk4 version around 2012. In 2003 Ford gave a hint that a new Capri was on the drawing board with the unveiling of the Visos concept car...

Tata to buy Ford brands
Three months after India's Tata Motors Ltd. emerged as the lead bidder for Ford Motor Co.'s Jaguar and Land Rover brands, the two companies appear to have a deal, according to sources familiar with the situation. A formal announcement of the sale is expected Wednesday. Tata reportedly will pay about $2 billion for the two British luxury brands, the sources said, and Ford will make a one-time contribution of $600 million to the pension fund for Jaguar and Land Rover workers. The one-off payment would be...

Farley may replace Ford's Mulally
Ford Motor Co.'s new chief marketing officer, Jim Farley, and the president of its Americas group, Mark Fields, are both on the short list of executives identified by the company to succeed CEO Alan Mulally. But Ford stressed any talk of Mulally's leaving is "premature." Joe Laymon, Ford's human resources chief, made public the names on his succession list for Mulally during an interview with Automotive News that was published Monday. Ford confirmed the details of that report, but said such planning is...

Spy Shots: Ford Flex gets the woody treatment
Certain automotive fashions are better left in the grave. To wit: faux wood paneling. It looks good on the old Woody, but it's an absolute atrocity on everything else see: Griswold, PT Cruiser. However, spies have caught the new Ford Flex donning some woodgrain shelf paper paneling, and as much as FoMoCo is trying to redefine the people-mover/minivan segment with the Flex, this would seem to be a seriously counterintuitive move. We're hoping it's a joke, and for our money, it is.[source]

Ford set to announce sale of Jaguar, Land Rover to Tata on Wednesday
Could the protracted sale of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford to Tata finally be coming to an end? After learning last week that Tata has secured the financing required to make the deal possible, reports are coming from London's Financial Times suggesting that the official announcement of the sale, reportedly worth $2 billion, could come as soon as on Wednesday, when Jaguar workers return to work after enjoying their Easter holiday. This sale, of course, follows up Ford's sale of Aston Martin, leaving a...