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Already one of the world’s best-selling vehicles, the 2015 Ford Focus promises to—what else—focus this attention on a set of new features that put it way out in front in the field of compact cars, even when compared against other sedan or specialty-vehicle segments. This is because, in addition to its existing reputation for reliability and efficiency, the new Ford Focus contains a number of cutting-edge features that you can’t find combined anywhere else. more Let’s start with the fact that the new Ford Focus has an entirely redesigned exterior for the 2015 model year, with some styling cues reminiscent of the Ford Fusion. This is good news, as the Fusion received almost universal accolades for its bold, attractive styling. Now you can get that in a compact package, and you will also find upgraded interior accents as well in the 2015 Ford Focus. Nearby  Shelbyville drivers may be more excited about the technology features contained in that interior, though—among them, an available lane-keeping system, a standard rearview camera, and an advanced Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) to protect you from hidden vehicles on the highway. While the cabin technology is impressive, one of the most exciting features of the new 2015 Focus is the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine—a engine that has already been making waves in the motoring world for its impressive combination of power, performance, and fuel-efficiency. This engine, which has already received “Engine of the Year” awards in 2012 and 2013, will help deliver class-leading fuel economy to the 2015 Ford Focus while keeping it fun to drive. That’s a winning combination in any segment! If you're interested in learning more about upcoming Ford vehicles, visit our Ford dealership today.

For a long while, there has only been one sure choice in the wide and competitive segment of full-size SUVs. Since its introduction, American SUV drivers have vouched for the Ford Explorer with buying power, making it one of the most popular SUVs on the road. That makes it even more impressive that, after so many years and a recent upgrade, the 2014 Ford Explorer can still surpass the high expectations of its drivers. more The well-rounded features of the new 2014 Ford Explorer start with the first thing you notice: the upgraded styling cues, which lend a presence and elegance to the Explorer not usually seen in SUVs. But the real magic lies in the technological innovations, which are so numerous and advanced that few vehicles have a hope of matching the Ford Explorer. Nearby Shelbyville drivers might like to know that many of the technological features center on peerless safety. These features come as a result of the relentless drive at Ford to create new and novel ways to protect their drivers. For example, one of the features attracting the most attention for the new Ford Explorer is adaptive cruise control technology, which automatically paces your SUV to a vehicle in front of it on the highway, maintaining a safe following distance. Add to this the laundry list of other safety features available—including SOS Post-Crash Alert System, AdvanceTrac roll-stability control system, and a new Curve Control speed-control system on curves—and the 2014 Ford Explorer promises to be a vehicle that surpasses the expectations of demanding drivers. Find out more about it by visiting one at your local Ford dealership today!

In the wide market of subcompacts, competition has been fierce and building for several years. Ultimately, market compression has meant that many subcompact cars are converging towards sets of features and capabilities that make it harder to differentiate between them. With that kind of competition, how do you decide on the right car for you? We suggest trusting drivers who have lived with these cars before. And in the MotorWeek Driver’s Choice Awards, they overwhelmingly spoke for the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST. more The reasons to choose the new Ford Fiesta ST are numerous, but one of the chief reasons is that there are few cars on the market that offer as much fun and as much driving performance with such value. And it’s not just the price that sets it apart: the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST also provides class-leading fuel mileage, which may be an important consideration for driving around Louisville. Your Ford dealer can also tell you more about the 197-horsepower 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine that powers the Fiesta and also provides the fuel economy that today’s subcompact drivers are looking for. Another aspect of the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST that you won’t find in many other subcompacts is the strong influence of European sporting heritage. In fact, the Fiesta ST model was introduced overseas in 2005 and has found its way to the US market largely because of the enormous appraisal it has received in that market—to say nothing of its prestigious rally-racing pedigree. All together, there’s no subcompact car in the American market that can offer as good a combination of performance, economy, and quality as the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST.

Among the many leaps and bounds in engine technology that automotive manufacturers have made in the past decade or so, the most prominent is probably hybrid engine technology. But the most recognized innovations are not always the most effective ones, which is why Ford continues to devote resources to advancing beyond its peers in fuel-saving technology. This is why the new 2015 Ford F-150 pickup will include the segment’s only engine with auto start-stop technology from the highly lauded 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine. more The difficulty that many drivers will recognize is in creating a motor that can do everything that is demanded of a pickup truck, but still maintain good fuel economy on the roads around a city like Louisville. The Ford F-150 has long held a special place as a workhorse vehicle, and the way the designers achieved the power was  by combining turbocharging technology with fuel saving features to create a new Ford pickup truck that can compete with most regular cars in miles-per-gallon. The power produced by this technology in the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 allows it to preserve the effectiveness of a regular mid-range V8 engine. But the truly impressive development here is the auto start-stop capability, which means that in certain situations, the engine will shut off completely and start immediately when the truck returns to motion. The system is adapted for trucks so the engine won’t shut off during four-wheel drive or towing modes. But during regular city driving, having the engine switched off while stopped saves plenty of fuel, and advanced technology allows the engine to start quickly and seamlessly when the driver lets off of the brake.

It’s one of the best-selling vehicles in the world, the best selling truck in the United States, and an American standby as a work-vehicle. Later this year, the leader in trucks will get even better: Ford has upgraded numerous features of the 2015 F-150 pickup, making it one of the most comprehensive, technologically advanced, and capable trucks ever made. more It starts with a body redesign, which includes a new high-strength steel frame and aluminum-alloy body, along with over 10 million miles of testing. But that’s just the beginning: the redesign of the body and frame, and the alloy used, have helped shave up to 700 pounds of weight off the 2015 Ford F-150. On Shelbyville roads, this weight-loss will contribute directly to improving the fuel-efficiency, making it one of the most fuel-efficient pickup trucks ever designed. Beyond that, there are technology features like a 360-degree camera view, curve control systems, adaptive cruise control, and a lane-keeping system to aid the drive in all situations and help protect those inside the new Ford F-150 truck. These features help protect, but they are just the beginning of the brains behind the 2015 redesign. For example, the new F-150 also sports auto start-stop technology that helps save fuel by automatically stopping the engine when the vehicle is stopped—unless the car is towing or set in four-wheel drive. And if this wasn’t enough, there are also active grill shutters which open the front grill when the engine needs to cool, but close them at cruising speed to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency. The new Ford F-150 is innovating far ahead of other pickups, and we’ve only scratched the surface in this blog. Stay tuned for more!

Advances in the technology that makes the modern car inhabitable and pleasurable to own and drive come faster every year. But within the marathon of technological research and achievement among the major manufacturer, one in particular has consistently out-shown the competition. This year, once again, it’s Ford, which has just unveiled a host of new technology features at the recent 2014 CES show in Las Vegas—among them, the first-ever voice-activated and mood-based music listening app. more Courtesy of a company called Gracenote, this app utilizes the Ford SYNC AppLink API to make the HABU Music App available within the Ford vehicle systems through various interfaces. For example, if you were driving through Lawrenceburg in a Ford Fusion, you would be able to activate the music app by voice commands without ever taking your hands off of the wheel. More impressively, though, the app can generate mood-based playlists based on the vast wealth of information about music, genres, descriptors, and more aggregated by the Gracenote developers over many years. “Ford is dedicated to making it easy for developers to work with us,” said Julius Marchwicki, global product manager for Ford SYNC AppLink, “and we’re excited to add HABU to the AppLink platform, making it the first mood-based playlisting app available from any automaker.” This point bears repeating: many new Ford vehicles are on the cutting edge of in-vehicle technology in today’s market, but none on the road can boast fully integrated, voice-activated, mood-based music-app within the vehicle’s interface. This proves once again that when it comes to technological advancements, Ford is at the front of the pack.

Excitement has been brewing for the 2015 Ford Mustang for months now. Not only is it another entry in a long line of powerful Ford muscle cars, but this new edition brings with it new styling and a new level of performance. But that’s not the most exciting aspect either: the new Mustang is already being singled out for the technological aspects it brings to the competitive market. In fact, the Consumer Electronics Association (CES) named it the “Official Car” of the 2014 International CES show. more What does this mean to drivers in Louisville? Ford has stepped up the game, and it means that if you’re considering a new 2015 Ford Mustang, you’re looking at one of the most effective sports cars around in terms of both connectivity and capability. For example, we know that there will be advanced driver-assist features and other capabilities to personalize the experience of driving the Mustang. However, the full details won’t be on display until January 7th, when Ford debuts the 2015 Mustang on the center stage at the 2014 International CES. “It is very exciting to see an iconic American car like Mustang equipped with state-of-the-art technology,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “Automobiles are rapidly becoming mobile technology platforms as consumers demand connectivity along with efficiency and performance in their vehicles.” In the case of the all-new Mustang, these features include aspects  like the Ford SYNC, MyTouch, AppLink, and MyKey systems to keep it at the forefront of in-cabin vehicle technology. If you’re as excited as we are, keep an eye out for more news around January 7th when the high-tech Ford Mustang will be on display.

Recent Ford vehicles have been a standing challenge to other manufactures of the world to step their game up—not just in terms of performance, but on all fronts: technology, design, quality, reliability, and particularly importantly, efficiency. In this regard, Ford has pushed harder than most to enhance its lineup with widespread availability of its impressive EcoBoost line of motors, which allow Ford vehicles to boast some of the best fuel-efficiency figures across the board, without sacrificing power or performance. The world has taken notice, which is why the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine was recently named on the Ward’s “10 Best Engines” list. more For any average driver in Frankfort, Ford is already an obvious choice for fuel-efficient design. Whether you’re looking at a new Ford Fusion or checking out a used Ford Fiesta for a fuel-efficient compact, you will have the ability to choose the EcoBoost motor and get extra bang for your buck driving your Ford around town. And of course Ford drivers always seem to have a little bit extra propelling them forward because of the EcoBoost technology’s ability to maintain good fuel economy in the engine without sacrificing power. But there’s more to it, named in the Ward’s “10 Best Engines” results. Using a variety of objective measures such as power, real-world measured fuel-efficiency, design quality, and reliability, the judges of the Ward’s contest evaluated engines in many different ways in order to be able to single out the truly exceptional. IN the case of the remarkable Ford 1.0-liter EcoBoost, they were impressed by the technological achievement of reducing vibrations and other issues endemic to three-cylinder design. Come check out your next EcoBoost Ford today!

We’ve pointed out on this blog before that the Ford F150 is not just one of the most popular pickup trucks in the US, but one of the best-selling vehicles in the whole world, full stop. But that immense demand can always grow—and when it does, Ford has to be prepared to meet it. And although it might seem like more than your average gift, the holiday season is a time of high demand for the king of pickup trucks. more This pattern of demand extends to the bargain-hunters as well as the gift-givers. While the 2014 Ford F150 is already a bargain on its own, the data shows that over the “Black Friday” weekend after Thanksgiving, in 2012 the online leads for dealerships increased by 17 percent when compared with a normal November Friday. In fact, whether you’re looking in Lexington or Lawrenceburg, Ford F150 shopping online as a way to research and prepare has been an increasing source of eventual sales for years. It is the data from online interest and leads that allows Ford to prepare for periods of increased demand like the holidays. This all points to a change in the way that buyers research and arrive at purchasing their vehicles.  And Ford is at the forefront of this: Google Trends indicates that Ford F-series was the most-searched vehicle on Google during November of this year, and has made its way into the top-ten searches for the last 118 continuous months. This speaks to continuous demand for American standbys like the Ford F150 truck, and the history of this has allowed Ford to capitalize on it and plan for the demand throughout the year.

The overwhelming popularity of the Ford F-150 hasn’t stopped Ford from continuing to innovate. While one of the advantages of the F-150 pickup has always been its incredible reliability, allowing some drivers to hang on to their truck for decades or more, Ford still pushes the boundaries with each new release—and that is what they’ve done with the 2014 F-150 pickup, which they have just produced the first of with a compressed natural gas (CNG) engine. more So what’s the story with compressed natural gas? It turns out that, among alternative fuels, CNG has some advantages in terms of its clean burn and low cost. The difficulty lies in the technology to utilize the fuel source in a working car engine—and this is where Ford has gone above and beyond for the 2014 F-150 pickup. Unlike any other vehicle rolling down the streets of Lawrenceburg, Ford F-150 trucks can utilize this alternative fuel source with an easy transition, but still make use of traditional liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The upshot is that, between them, with the largest tank sizes and full reserves of both CNG and LPG, these fuels will take an F-150 pickup 750 miles before having to re-fuel. The magic for this incredible technology lies in the work Ford puts into its engine development. In the case of the 2014 F-150, the secret is a 3.7-liter V6 which receives adaptations to harden its valve, valve seats, pistons, and rings so that it can operate with either fuel source.  Ford is currently the only manufacturer offering a half-ton pickup with the CNG option, and just in time—there are nearly 20 states that either offer, or plan to offer, tax incentives or rebates for CNG-enabled vehicles.

It’s not a stretch to say that the Ford Fiesta has been one of the most game-changing subcompact vehicles introduced in the U.S. in the past decade or two. Part of the reason is that the Fiesta had a long and successful history of sales in the world market, particularly Europe, and had remained absent from the American market during that time. But once introduced, it caught on quickly, and the new 2014 Ford Fiesta is sure to build on that popularity with a host of updates and improvements. more One of the biggest draws of a subcompact vehicle is the economy aspect, both in price and in fuel efficiency. The 2014 Ford Fiesta has this covered with a 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine that achieves one of the best fuel economy scores on the market, while still producing an amazing 120-plus horsepower. This combination of power and fuel economy is unmatched by any other car in the class—in fact, the 1.0-liter EcoBoost makes its first U.S. appearance in the 2014 Fiesta, which is why this kind of economy is only available at your Louisville Ford dealer. The other important thing to note about the new Fiesta is that, while it’s capable of remarkable fuel efficiency, that’s only the beginning of the story. The other side of the story is the modern technology packed into the small vehicle. For starters, there is the new available SYNC with MyFord Touch system, which centralizes the technology around a 6.5-inch touchscreen display that includes voice-control for navigation, communication, and entertainment. Further is the Ford MyKey functionality, which allows parents to foster safe driving habits when their teenagers are behind the wheel of the 2014 Ford Fiesta.

Since its introduction, the new Ford Fusion has been getting attention for many things—its value, its versatility, its comprehensive list of features and extras, its performance, and arguably most of all, its outstanding looks. Now we can add another item to the list: unprecedented popularity. In fact, the demand for the Fusion has been so high that Ford recently added 1,400 new employees to its Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, MI, where the Fusion is assembled. more This move wouldn’t have been made unless drivers were waiting in line to get a Fusion of their own, from San Francisco to Frankfort. Ford Fusion availability is excepted to rise by 30 percent due to the new hires, bringing its production potential up to 350,000 units annually. According to Ford president of The Americas Joe Hinrichs, “with its bold design and great fuel economy, Fusion has exceeded all of our expectations, with demand outstripping supply.” While the new Ford Fusion stands out with its unparalleled looks, the concept behind it was to satisfy the needs of customers who wanted such design elements packaged with leading fuel efficiency and the integration of smart technology. This means that drivers of the fusion can expect it to deliver on all fronts. Special Ford EcoBoost power trains as well as hybrid versions help provide outstanding fuel economy. Meanwhile, technologies such as Auto Start-Stop, Lane-Keeping technology, adaptive cruise control, and MyFord Touch mean that there are few vehicles on the road with as much technological power as the Ford Fusion. No wonder it’s in high demand—come stake your claim today!