Who'da thunk it?

Edmunds.com has compiled a list of the 10 most fuel-efficient SUV's & pickups for the 2006 model year. Ford Motor Company offerings take the number one & two spots, & in a four-way tie for fourth, all four are from the FoMoCo family! Out of the nineteen vehicles listed, seven are either Ford, Mercury, or Mazda products.

Click here to read more!

The 5-door S-Max will be the first Ford vehicle to utilize the next-generation Mondeo platform. Inheriting styling cues from the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) concept from last year, the S-Max will have a similar appearance to the C-Max medium minivan. The S-Max will be the first Ford of Europe's designs to be produced.

This fall Lincoln showrooms will have a larger version of the Navigator on-hand. The "L" version will add 14.7 inches in length, as well as 25 more cubic feet of space behind the third row seating versus base models.

It is the first all-new nameplate for Ford to debut on the racetrack and in the showroom in the same model year since the Ford Torino in 1968.

Ford scored three top ten finishes at the Dayton 500. Elliott Sadler finished fourth, Ken Schrader finished ninth and Dale Jarrett finished tenth.

Now they've done it ... twice. Mazda is making sure both cars will live up to their name, with the Mazdaspeed3 & Mazdaspeed6 sharing the same turbocharged power plant. Recently announced at the Geneva Auto Show, Mazda publicized plans to use the force-fed 2.3-liter 4-cylinder in the Mazdaspeed3. Only one slight difference exists; the Mazdaspeed3 will only have front wheel drive, so the engine will be slightly detuned to minimize excessive wheel spin. Prices are not yet announced, but the expectation is that the dollar/fun ratio will be pleasing.

Are you kidding me?

Nope! FoMoCo is working on a new type of hybrid, with energy storage 3x more efficient than today's current crop of fuel sippers. Known as a "Hydraulic Hybrid", this is a full-size pickup that gets sixty miles per gallon. Think about that; all the economy of an electric shoebox, all the utility of a real truck. It's scheduled for a 2008 release; is this the next great leap forward for the automobile?

Click here to read more!

With Ford's restructuring plans announced early this year, it was rumored that the Freestyle would cease production. Instead, Ford has decided to update the Freestyle for the 2008 model year.

The new flexible-manufacturing production facility in Oakville, Ontario will host the new Ford Fairlane. The Fairlane will replace the current Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey by February 2008. The Oakville plant will also produce the new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX in late 2006.

Hybrid lovers are likely to be pleased as well, with Ford estimating the production to be approximately 10% hybrid for both the Ford and Lincoln models.

Marcus Gronholm and Ford have won the first two races of the 2006 WRC season. Sunday was Marcus's 38th birthday and he celebrated it with a victory at the Swedish Rally. Fords impressive sweep of the first two races bodes well for the rest of the season.