What a sad day it must be to realize that your 550 horsepower Ford GT seems to become sluggish and weak. The quest for more power is rarely one with a finite end, but the folks at Jack Roush's performance parts group have come up with another stepping stone to assist in the neverending journey for more. A newly released pulley kit for the Eaton supercharger is reported to boost the GT another 25 horsepower and 25 lb/ft of torque.

Several small compact cars have recently floundered in multiple manufacturers' efforts to further attract Generation Y consumers, with the lack of style and assertiveness cited as the main reason. Several newer models such as the Dodge Hornet concept, Honda Fit, and Dodge Caliber are poised quite well to capture market share, on the other hand. That said, former Ford product planner John Wolkonowicz claimed Ford has plans to bring back the Bronco, in a sharp and crisp package in 2009. Speculation about a new compact hatchback also exists. Could the Ford Reflex concept see production? A little spice never hurt anyone, so we will just have to wait and see.

After what had seemed to be the demise of a once dominant skunk works inside Ford, SVT is slowly rising from the ashes. With the release of the Shelby GT500 right around the corner and the promises of a second SVT vehicle based on a truck platform said to be following closely behind, Ford is promising that SVT will once again live up to its reputation as the premier in house tuning company amongst domestic brands.

After its debut at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, the Ford F-150 FX2 Sport truck was somewhat left to the wayside. Now that Ford has officially announced the green light on it, potential buyers can aggressively pursue what it's all about. While the powerplant is not decided for certain at this point, it is quite evident the FX2 will come forward with the appearance and amenity upgrades previously described. Take a closer look at the FX2 in the press release from Ford.

Mazda Motors of the United Kingdom recently released a spiced version of the Mazda RX-8. By partnering up with renowned motorsports organization Prodrive, Mazda UK dubs the car the RX-8 PZ. While performance in terms of power is not the sole objective for the 230hp coupe, the PZ zeroes in on upgrades to appearance and handling.

When two of the top family sedans on the North American market faced off recently, a interesting outcome came about. A recent match up by The Detroit News pitted the 2006 Ford Fusion and the 2007 Toyota Camry against each other in terms of best value. Both cars were comparably equipped (the Fusion was trimmed as an SEL & the Camry was an LE) and were priced aorund the $25,000 mark. So, what were the results? Read on ...

American Idol, SuperNanny, Extreme Home Makeover, the Apprentice, Survivor ... now Ford? That's right, one of American Idol's sponsors will soon be joining the fray of jaded reality with its very own reality television program. The premise of the show is to be based on selected participants working with Ford designers to formulate concept vehicles that could be considered for production. "It's a very cool idea," said analyst Jim Sanfilippo of Automotive Marketing Consultants Inc., who called it a good way to convey Ford's message to the buying public. "It's a way to engage the audience in a way that they can identify it."

Taking its turn on the street just after the Ford Edge, the redesigned 2008 Ford Escape makes its public presence in the spy shot, above. Ford has plans to release the Escape next Spring as an early 2008 model, along with its cousin (also redesigned), the Mercury Mariner. Interior upgrades, with higher-quality materials and more robust features, are included in the Escape and Mariner facelift.

Keep an eye out for the new Escape on the Ford website.

By now, it is common knowledge that Ford's performance vehicle lineup is waning. The real question of its survival has been calmed ... for now. After the initial announcement of the "Way Forward" plan and the prior disbanding of the original Special Vehicle Team (SVT), Ford now has plans to continue the SVT line. Don't expect huge results or major surprises, however; announced plans are to have production scaled back with just two vehicles: a high performance Mustang and a high performance truck.