Ford F-150 Pickup Truck Clone

We've seen this play before and before that and before that, but it never gets old: Chinese automakers replicating vehicles from western automakers. One brand that keeps popping up on our cloning radar is Jianghuai Automobile, more commonly known as JAC Motors. It's latest accomplishment is the JAC 4R3 pickup truck that makes no attempt to hide the fact that it's a styling copy of the Ford F-150. Of course, as with other Chinese doppelgangers, the similarities begin and end with the appearance as it's too costly for automakers to extend the cloning to the mechanical hardware.
The 4R3 will reportedly make its debut at the Beijing Motor Show in April and will then go on sale in China where it will be offered with a 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine pushing out 108-horsepower and 240Nm (177 lb-ft) of peak torque.
Among other clones produced by JAC Motors is the Reni that mimics the looks of the (previous-gen) Chevrolet Silverado truck series and which is already offered for sale in China in five different versions.
Story References: JAC, Pikadd via Autoblog.com

JAC 4R3 PICKUP TRUCK

New Ford Shelby GT500 Packs a Monstrous 650HP and has a Top Speed in Excess of 200MPH

 

By now, you’ve read all about the revamped Mustang, including the high-performance Boss 302 and Laguna Seca versions. It all pales in comparison to the Shelby GT500 that Ford is planning to roll out at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday. Powered by what Ford claims to be the world’s most powerful production V8 engine, the GT500 packs no less than 650-horses and 600 lb-ft of torque.
That’s no typo: the 5.8-liter supercharged V8 has 41 horses more than the McLaren F1, 24 more than the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and an amazing 70 more than the original Lamborghini Murcielago. On the downside, it falls one pony short of the Ferrari Enzo.
A top speed in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h) should make you able to keep up with almost anything on the road, bar a Veyron or a Koenigsegg.
“SVT keeps the Shelby GT500 on the cutting edge of technology and takes muscle car performance to new heights,” said Jost Capito, director of Ford’s Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development.
“We encapsulated every aspect of performance in this car – whether it’s 0-60, top speed, racetrack or quarter-mile times. Beyond that, the daily driver also will find this car perfectly fits his or her needs.”
In order to achieve these numbers, Capito and his team carefully upgraded the V8 by installing a new TVS 2300 supercharger that feeds more air into the engine, cross-drilled block and heads and updated camshaft profile.
Such an engine must create tremendous amount of heat. Therefore the cooling system has been significantly updated and features a larger fan, a fan shroud with high-speed pressure-relief doors, a more efficient charge air cooler, a higher-flow intercooler pump and an intercooler heat exchanger with a 36% increased volume.
Ford’s engineers wanted to make sure that the Shelby’s power actually makes it to the rear wheels and doesn't destroy the rest of the powertrain. So they upgraded the dual-disc clutch, transmission and axle and fitted a new driveshaft made out of carbon fiber.
After testing more than 35 gearbox combinations for the six-speed manual transmission, they finally made their decision. The new box has reinforced gears, bearings and housing to handle the massive torque. That’s to be expected considering the performance: what’s surprising is that the chosen transmission enables the Shelby GT500 to be exempt from the gas-guzzler tax…
“It might just seem like we’re putting a bigger engine into the car. But it’s been a balanced approach through and through,” said Jamal Hameedi, SVT chief engineer. “We’ve completely redone the car to be even more sophisticated in terms of handling and control than the prior model.”
First of all, with that kind of top speed, you sure as hell want to make sure you stay on the tarmac and don’t become airborne. Therefore, the new GT500 offers 33% more downforce compared to the 2011 model thanks to major changes that have optimized airflow, minimized drag and significantly increased downforce.
You also want your 650HP car to catapult from standstill and not just sit there and shred its rear Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar G tires to pieces. An SVT-developed launch control that is integrated both with the ECU and the traction control system takes care of that problem. At some point, you’ll have to stop as well and a new Brembo brake system with larger discs on all four corners and six-piston front calipers ensures that you’ll be able to.
Now we’ve ticked the performance, engineering and braking boxes. Have we missed something? Oh, yes: the not-so-small issue of handling.
“We took a completely different approach with this car so drivers can choose their settings instead of a computer making the selection,” Hameedi explains. “Nearly every system the driver interacts with can be tailored to his or her situation including the Bilstein electronic adjustable suspension, launch control, AdvanceTrac and steering assist levels.”
Which means that you can keep the electronic helpers on, for maximum peace of mind, select an intermediate mode for some antics while retaining a safety net, or completely disengage all systems and whet your pants prove your driving skills.
Those wanting more can order the Performance Package that includes a Torsen limited-slip diff, or go all the way with the optional Track Package. The last option includes three separate coolers for the engine oil, the rear differential and the transmission, providing further cooling and preventing those critical components from overheating under extreme driving.
Now, we can’t just get our minds off that Enzo thingy: Mr. Capito, next time make sure you find an extra two ponies. It shouldn’t be that difficult. And then you could brag that your car is even more powerful than an Enzo.

PHOTO GALLERY

2011 Ford Grand C-MAX

The new 2011 Ford Grand C-MAX was introduced in 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. This Ford Grand C-MAX is family of new level of multi-activity vehicle (MAV) market that has bold dynamic body design. The MAV of 2011 Ford Grand C-MAX for costumers have option of 5 seat Ford Grand C-MAX or 7 seat Ford Grand C-MAX for features. Ford Grand C-MAX also has creative design with twin sliding door outside. The technology of Ford Grand C-MAX use the Ford EcoBoost petrol engines that powerful and low-CO2.
An all-new, two-model Ford C-MAX range makes its global debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The exciting new Ford C-MAX family brings new levels of style and desirability to the compact multi-activity vehicle (MAV) market, with a bold and dynamic new look which extends Ford’s acclaimed ‘kinetic design’ language.
For the first time, Ford’s MAV customers will have the choice of a 5-seat Ford C-MAX or the new 7-seat Ford Grand C-MAX, which features twin sliding doors and innovative seat design to provide outstanding space and flexibility.
The all-new Ford C-MAX range introduces a number of advanced new technologies to the compact MAV class focused on enhanced comfort, safety and sustainability, including the availability of new and powerful yet highly fuel-efficient low-CO2 Ford EcoBoost petrol engines.

2011 Ford Start Concept Cars MEGA CITY

For parts of the world that are growing increasingly urban, the future of the automobile looks small, green, smart and fun in the eyes of Ford designers who created the Ford Start Concept. It's a design vision inspired for the transportation needs of the world's mega cities.

2011 Ford Start Concept

Making its global debut at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, the Ford Start Concept is more than simply a design exploration into the feasibility of a small car. It also demonstrates how Ford will extend the promise of its EcoBoost engine technology story even further – previewing a fuel-efficient petrol Ford EcoBoost engine with just three cylinders and 1.0 litre of displacement, yet the power of a larger, 1.6-litre I4 engine.

Start Concept was inspired in part by a growing global trend toward mass urbanisation. The world's top 20 mega-cities are home to consumers whose needs, attitudes and expectations may have more in common with mega-city dwellers in other nations than with their own countrymen. While these consumers share the challenges of living in an urban society, they also increasingly seek out product solutions that bring the best the world has to offer.

When it comes to designing eco-friendly urban transportation, automakers have tried just about everything. They've drawn up bubble cars, autonomic pods, even semi-robotic unicycles. Ford however, has decided against cribbing from the pages of a sci-fi novel and opted for something far more conventional: a three-door hatchback. Specifically, the Start concept the automaker unveiled at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show.

“Our ambition was to design a car that transcends the practical realities of commuting in these mega cities, and goes beyond just dressing the technology,” said Freeman Thomas, design director. “We wanted to design a car you would also love.”

There’s little not to love about the Start, Ford’s first concept in three years, and the first developed under the global auspices of the “One Ford” mantra. Although the Start shows traces of Ford’s “kinetic” design language, its rounded form is much more elegant. Angular edges are limited to both the shoulder lines and the slender, LED-powered headlamp and taillights. Thomas says the Start features “refined surface language” usually found on premium vehicles, and we’d agree -- from some angles, the Start almost resembles Audi’s new A1.

Function doesn’t necessarily follow form, however, as stylists made an effort to improve the car’s aerodynamics. Many surfaces, including the windshield, side window glass, and center stop lamp, are flush with the body, while an underbody aero pan further reduces the Start’s drag. The interior is as equally stylish and functional -- the floating dual-cockpit dashboard lends a sporty look, but a conceptual infotainment system, billed as “MyFord Mobile,” incorporates a multi-function touch screen to simplify the center stack.

While the Start’s form allowed Thomas’ team to flex their creative muscle, the mechanicals beneath the car are firmly rooted in reality. Ford’s teased the idea of an EcoBoost three-cylinder, but this is our first look at such an engine. The turbocharged, 1.0-liter I-3 utilizes a cast-iron block, but a cylinder head and sump fabricated from cast aluminum. Ford won’t talk power figures, saying only that early tests suggest it can produce power on par with its 1.6-liter I-4, which is rated at 120 horsepower in North America. Power is routed to the front wheels via an ordinary five-speed manual transaxle.

Created by a global team of designers working at Ford's Irvine (Calif.) Strategic Concepts Group Studios, this sporty, futuristic concept combines near-production Ford EcoBoost engine technology and slick aerodynamics in an environmentally friendly package with reduced greenhouse emissions, all wrapped in an exciting design.

Ford says the EcoBoost three-cylinder would allow the Start to emit well under 100 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. That’s not a crucial figure here in North America, but it is in Europe, where Ford sells the similar-sized Ka. We doubt the Start is destined for production anytime soon, but look for the turbo-three to land in some small European Fords in the near future.

“The Ford Start Concept is the first pure concept we’ve developed under our ‘One Ford’ approach,” says Moray Callum, executive director, Americas Design. “J Mays, Martin Smith and I worked with Freeman and his team to deliver a concept that visually reinforces the fun to drive element that is at the core of the Ford brand DNA.”

2011 Ford Start Concept Cars MEGA CITY

For parts of the world that are growing increasingly urban, the future of the automobile looks small, green, smart and fun in the eyes of Ford designers who created the Ford Start Concept. It's a design vision inspired for the transportation needs of the world's mega cities.

2011 Ford Start Concept

Making its global debut at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, the Ford Start Concept is more than simply a design exploration into the feasibility of a small car. It also demonstrates how Ford will extend the promise of its EcoBoost engine technology story even further – previewing a fuel-efficient petrol Ford EcoBoost engine with just three cylinders and 1.0 litre of displacement, yet the power of a larger, 1.6-litre I4 engine.

Start Concept was inspired in part by a growing global trend toward mass urbanisation. The world's top 20 mega-cities are home to consumers whose needs, attitudes and expectations may have more in common with mega-city dwellers in other nations than with their own countrymen. While these consumers share the challenges of living in an urban society, they also increasingly seek out product solutions that bring the best the world has to offer.

When it comes to designing eco-friendly urban transportation, automakers have tried just about everything. They've drawn up bubble cars, autonomic pods, even semi-robotic unicycles. Ford however, has decided against cribbing from the pages of a sci-fi novel and opted for something far more conventional: a three-door hatchback. Specifically, the Start concept the automaker unveiled at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show.

“Our ambition was to design a car that transcends the practical realities of commuting in these mega cities, and goes beyond just dressing the technology,” said Freeman Thomas, design director. “We wanted to design a car you would also love.”

There’s little not to love about the Start, Ford’s first concept in three years, and the first developed under the global auspices of the “One Ford” mantra. Although the Start shows traces of Ford’s “kinetic” design language, its rounded form is much more elegant. Angular edges are limited to both the shoulder lines and the slender, LED-powered headlamp and taillights. Thomas says the Start features “refined surface language” usually found on premium vehicles, and we’d agree -- from some angles, the Start almost resembles Audi’s new A1.

Function doesn’t necessarily follow form, however, as stylists made an effort to improve the car’s aerodynamics. Many surfaces, including the windshield, side window glass, and center stop lamp, are flush with the body, while an underbody aero pan further reduces the Start’s drag. The interior is as equally stylish and functional -- the floating dual-cockpit dashboard lends a sporty look, but a conceptual infotainment system, billed as “MyFord Mobile,” incorporates a multi-function touch screen to simplify the center stack.

While the Start’s form allowed Thomas’ team to flex their creative muscle, the mechanicals beneath the car are firmly rooted in reality. Ford’s teased the idea of an EcoBoost three-cylinder, but this is our first look at such an engine. The turbocharged, 1.0-liter I-3 utilizes a cast-iron block, but a cylinder head and sump fabricated from cast aluminum. Ford won’t talk power figures, saying only that early tests suggest it can produce power on par with its 1.6-liter I-4, which is rated at 120 horsepower in North America. Power is routed to the front wheels via an ordinary five-speed manual transaxle.

Created by a global team of designers working at Ford's Irvine (Calif.) Strategic Concepts Group Studios, this sporty, futuristic concept combines near-production Ford EcoBoost engine technology and slick aerodynamics in an environmentally friendly package with reduced greenhouse emissions, all wrapped in an exciting design.

Ford says the EcoBoost three-cylinder would allow the Start to emit well under 100 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. That’s not a crucial figure here in North America, but it is in Europe, where Ford sells the similar-sized Ka. We doubt the Start is destined for production anytime soon, but look for the turbo-three to land in some small European Fords in the near future.

“The Ford Start Concept is the first pure concept we’ve developed under our ‘One Ford’ approach,” says Moray Callum, executive director, Americas Design. “J Mays, Martin Smith and I worked with Freeman and his team to deliver a concept that visually reinforces the fun to drive element that is at the core of the Ford brand DNA.”