Ford Motor Company Global Auto Shows

Lincoln announced the debut of the MKS full-size sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The car’s clean, understated design continues a new direction at Lincoln, expressed in both the recently launched MKZ and the highly anticipated MKR. It’s a direction that is about “refinement rather than ostentation,” says Peter Horbury, Ford’s executive director of Design, North America.

Highlights of this direction that are evident in the MKS include the strong beltline, horizontal headlamps, and a pronounced “bow-wave” grill that is a nod to Lincoln’s heritage. “Lincoln MKS is a luxury car that doesn’t need to shout,” observes Horbury. “It captivates with a whisper.”

The new model also recognizes the role of technology and innovation in bringing luxury to the American car buyer. To this end, the vehicle incorporates SYNC, a fully integrated, voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital music players. The MKS comes with a 3.7L V6 engine generating 270 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. It will be available with either Front- or All-Wheel Drive as a 2009 model.

Ford announced the release of a limited-edition Mustang to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the movie Bullitt. Steve McQueen’s iconic nine-minute car chase though the streets of San Francisco defined chase scenes on the big screen. It also cemented the 1968 Ford Mustang GT in film history.

The film is one of many reasons the Mustang holds a unique place in the hearts of consumers. Honoring this fact, the Mustang Bullitt website points out that the limited-edition comes in Dark Highland Green to match the exterior of the original. This distinctive color has appeared on only one other model, the 2001 Bullitt GT. The only other available color is the gloss black finish seen on the cars the hitmen drove in the chase scene. A specially-mastered DVD helped Ford engineers deliver an exhaust note to match the film.

The 2008 Mustang Bullitt incorporates the latest in Ford Racing Technology, as well. Beginning with a base Mustang GT, the car’s engineers tuned its 4.6L V8 up to 315 horsepower. They brought the live rear axle over from the Shelby GT500, which uses a tall 3.73:1 gear that makes the model quicker off the line. The stock GT’s shocks and struts were also swapped out for new units that increase balance and permit more aggressive driving, for those who want to channel their inner Steve McQueen. With a production run of 7,700 vehicles, this limited-edition model will be available in January of 2008.

The Volvo V70.

The all-new Volvo V70 made its North American debut at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. The model adds space and versatility to the safety for which Volvos have long been known. The V70 is the premier wagon in Volvo’s lineup, which also includes the V50. It comes with a 3.2L, six-cylinder engine that produces 235 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. This level of performance is echoed in the aggressive, sporty design of the car’s exterior.

The wagon comes standard with the world’s first integrated dual-stage booster seats, which adjust to provide added safety for children of different ages. The V70 is also available with a power tailgate that increases its utility. Other available options include a Collision Avoidance Package, which includes Adaptive Cruise Control; Collision Warning with Auto Brake; Distance Alert; Lane Departure Warning; and Driver Alert Control. The model is available in showrooms now.

If you visit the Ford booth at the LA Auto Show, you’ll probably find yourself mesmerized by The Digital Stage. Created by Imagination, Ford’s longtime auto show display creator, the stage looks like a cross between an iPhone and a DJ booth, complete with Jasmin, the VJ. Surrounded by “media pods” where people can upload photos, comments, and opinions, the VJ orchestrates real time content provided by people at the pods—kind of like a living MySpace page for the Auto Show.

Jamie Gladstone, Creative Director at Imagination, gets animated when he talks about the possibilities. “The auto show experience can be hostile—there’s a lot of action, a lot of noise. We want the Ford display to be friendly and engaging—not just a parking lot.” David Tillapaugh, Ford’s Global Auto Shows Manager, is after participation. “We want to give the sense that the spectator is part of the show,” he says.

As the live content is mixed by the VJ, it becomes part of the auto show. Content from the smaller screens is saved and added to the loop that plays on the large screens featuring vehicles on display, transforming pre-produced videos into a highly customized story unique to each show. Products, people, opinions, and music all make their way in.

Gladstone is delighted with the response he’s gotten since the Digital Stage made its debut at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show. “Ford is the people’s brand—it’s about giving people the best car for their money.” When Ford opens itself up to the people in a way like this, it shows its willingness to take risks. “It takes confidence and humor,” Gladstone says. “I think that Ford has a great future.”

The 2008 Mustang Bullitt hit the streets of California at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto show. Paul Randle, the chief engineer of Ford Mustang thinks “It’s absolutely fantastic.” Standing in front of the sleek homage to the 1968 icon, Randle is proud of this latest creation that combines classic looks with the latest in Ford Racing Technology. “We went as far as we could with a track car while maintaining a level of plushness for a daily driver.” Randle says. Plus, it’s stealthy: “like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Doug Gaffka says that the design team became similarly obsessed “We pored though hours and hours of film to get as authentic as we could while on a very modern platform.” Gaffka, the chief designer for Ford SV, has been responsible for the design of many of Ford’s Living Legends vehicles. One of his favorites is the 2005 Mustang, but the 2008 Bullitt is a departure. “Other Mustangs are all about ‘look at me’” he says. “This one we took a step lower—it’s a car you can drive fast and probably not get caught all the time.”

The Bullitt has not stopped being an influence after 40 years and revisiting a classic is a challenge and a pleasure for Gaffka and his team. “Any time you get to work on a Mustang, you come to work happy.” says Gaffka.

Jaguar proudly announced the debut of the new 2009 XF sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The XF represents a striking departure for the brand, with an aggressive stance and sharp lines conveying modernity and sensuality. This defines a new direction for the company, and is an evolution of the C-XF concept car unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit at the beginning of this year.

“The XF clearly demonstrates the forward-looking focus that now defines the Jaguar brand,” said Wayne Burgess, XF Senior Design Manager. “The new XF looks like no other Jaguar, yet it defines the new design language the company will be adopting for all future models.”

Jaguar is also making a move towards more innovative technologies. The XF is Jaguar’s first usage on a sedan of F1-style paddles for sequentially shifting the 6-speed automatic transmission. Gears may also be selected via the innovative JaguarDrive Selector™. The new XF will be available in the US with a 4.2L V8, which may optionally be equipped with a supercharger. In naturally-aspirated form, the XF delivers 300bhp and 310 lb-ft of torque. The supercharged version delivers 420bhp and 408 lb-ft of torque. The XF will be available in American showrooms in March of 2008.

Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO, delivered the keynote speech at the Los Angeles International Auto show on Wednesday November 14. Talking about a “blueprint for sustainability,” Mulally outlined Ford’s commitment to improving fuel economy and reducing emissions. The mandate for Ford, Mulally said, is threefold: reduce energy waste in vehicle systems, use better materials to reduce weight and need for fuel, and make these vehicles available on a large scale: “not hundreds or thousands of cars,” Mulally said, but “millions of cars, because that is how Ford can truly make a difference.”

Mulally went on to say that it requires a huge investment to make these changes, requiring reengineering and redesigning Ford’s product line. By 2012, Ford wants to make half of its production capable of running on alternative fuels, provided that the necessary infrastructure can support it. Ford also plans to add to its hybrid lineup with the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid, set to go into production later in 2008.

Mulally took questions from the audience, including one about plug-ins and hydrogen technology, which Ford started working on in the 1990s. Mulally said he wants to manage expectations, not overpromise. Ford is taking an optimistic, if methodical tack, focusing on large-scale influence when it comes to sustainability.

Though enthusiasts come to auto shows wondering what future models will look like, that question has been turned back around with the Mazda Design Challenge. Using Facebook, Mazda asked the online community what the MAZDA3 compact car will look like in the year 2018. This kicked off a competition that will end with the winning design by Mallory M. of South Bend, IN, being turned into a life-size reality at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Mallory was flown to L.A. to work closely with Mazda designer Jacques F. in preparation for a week-long build-up of a life-sized clay model of her winning concept. She also won $1,000 and was loaned a MAZDA3 to tool around southern California during her visit. The final model will be unveiled at the Mazda booth on Saturday, November 24th. Daily progress reports with photos and video of the clay model coming to life can also be found on Facebook as well as on www.MazdaAutoshow.com.

The competition opened on September 25th, with participants joining a dedicated Facebook group to submit their vision. By the time the first round closed on October 12th, nearly 300 entries had been received. The Mazda Design Team chose 10 semi-finalists from this group, who were narrowed down to 5 finalists via public Facebook voting. Each finalist was then paired with a member of the design team to create concept sketches that were posted online for the final vote.

People who talk to their cars will now find them responding with Ford’s innovative new SYNC offering. SYNC is a fully integrated, voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system that works with most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and most popular digital music players. It is available on a number of vehicles launched and shown this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, including the Lincoln MKS, Ford Taurus and Taurus X, and the Mercury Milan. SYNC will be available on a total of twelve 2008-model Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. The system is based on state-of-the-art Microsoft Auto software, and is the result of close collaboration between Microsoft and Ford.

“This will change the industry – we’ll never design entertainment or information systems for cars the same way again,” says Gary Jablonski, Ford’s manager of infotainment systems. SYNC uses Bluetooth to connect with a driver’s phone and has a USB port for music devices, controlling them via voice commands and piping music and phone calls through the vehicle’s speakers. On phones capable of Bluetooth text messaging, it also has the capacity to read SMS messages to the driver, and allows him or her to respond by selecting 1 of 15 pre-defined messages.

Los Angeles isn’t the only city where people love their cars, but from its iconic freeways to Daddy’s T-bird, it’s hard to think about L.A. without thinking about cars. The Los Angeles Auto Show is coming up in November, and we’ll be there to find out what makes L.A. the quintessential car town.

Our own Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company, will kick off the Los Angeles Auto Show with the Motor Press Guild keynote address on November 14^th. Other Ford Motor Company highlights will include the announcement of a new limited-edition Mustang (hint: this one’s a movie star), and a much-talked-about new model from Lincoln will be unveiled. Keep checking back for exclusive video, more posts, and plenty of conversations—and remember to subscribe to RSS feeds to keep on top of your favorite topics.