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GM Taking Legal Action Against Ford Over BlueCruise Hands-Free Driving System

Back in April, Ford announced they were jumping on the autonomous driving bandwagon with their BlueCruise hands-free driving system. Now, GM is taking legal action against the Blue Oval, as they believe the name infringes on their similar Super Cruise system.

Over the past few weeks there have been ongoing conversations on the matter between the two automotive giants, ultimately ending with GM filing a lawsuit against Ford on the grounds of trademark infringement. The case will be taken to a United States federal court.

A statement following the filing said: “GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance technology was announced in 2012 and has been used commercially in-market since 2017. Our majority-owned self-driving subsidiary Cruise has been in business since 2013. While GM had hoped to resolve the trademark infringement matter with Ford amicably, we were left with no choice but to vigorously defend our brands and protect the equity our products and technology have earned over several years in the market. As this is a matter of pending litigation, we have no further comments at this time.”

GM also believes that confusion between Super Cruise and Ford’s “less advanced” BlueCruise could tarnish the Super Cruise brand as the result of an “inferior consumer experience, with the potential for comfort and safety issues.”

Ford, on the other hand, disagreed, with spokesperson Mike Levine saying: “We think GM Cruise’s claim is meritless and frivolous. Drivers for decades have understood what cruise control is, every automaker offers it, and “cruise” is common shorthand for the capability. That’s why BlueCruise was chosen as the name for the Blue Oval’s next evolution of Ford’s Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, which incorporates hands-free Blue Zones and other advanced cruise-control features.”

Super Cruise is currently only available in the Cadillac Escalade, but GM plans on offering the system in a total of 22 vehicles by the end of 2023. By contrast, BlueCruise is not available in any Ford vehicles as of yet, but will be installed in the F-150 and Mustang Mach-E in the coming months by way of an over-the-air update.

How Was Ford Able To Keep The F-150 Lightning’s Starting Price Below $40K?

When Ford unveiled the F-150 Lightning, there were many impressive things about it but perhaps the most impressive was its sub-$40k starting price.

Speaking to Autoblog at the Chicago Auto Show, Darren Palmer, general manager for Ford’s battery electric vehicles, said that the secret to getting the price down on the electric truck was scale. Because the pickup, apart from a handful of specialty parts, is essentially identical to a regular F-150 on top, Ford can leverage the best-selling vehicle in America‘s scale to negotiate the best prices possible.

“So the top half of this truck has a scale of 4 million units,” Palmer told the outlet. “That seat, we buy 4 million of. We get the best price in the industry. The front trunk, apart from the unique components, the whole rest of the truck, we get 4 million units.”

And even though the frame and suspension are all-new, Ford turned to the same supplier that it gets the F-150’s frame and suspension from. Seeing as how the automaker already goes to that supplier for millions of frames, they can negotiate a sweetheart deal.

Ford was even able to lower the price of the batteries thanks to a design that allows the automaker to share it with many other vehicles.

“The next generation of SUVs coming, the larger trucks, and the SK Innovation batteries,” Palmer said. “So we get great scale, and we share the components and technology in them, which means we get great value in the electric system.”

All of which allows Ford to sell the truck for a base MSRP of $39,974, which is just $3,000 off a bone stock 2021 F-150 XL Supercrew with the 3.3-liter V6. That’s not just impressive, it’s central to Ford’s plan for the electric truck.

“I wanted it at a price that is within gas price or nearby,” said Palmer. “Because then the barrier is gone. The psychological barrier in the mind. Once they’ve flipped, they’ve gone for it, they never want to go back. But getting them to flip, because their current truck works pretty well, it’s hard.”

That need to save costs, though, does come with some compromises. For instance, the F-150 Lightning‘s lack of options comes as a direct result of the need to keep the price low. Rather than offer the endless options of the gas-powered truck, Ford opted to keep the lineup simple.

Whether the strategy will work will be interesting to see, but not requiring buyers to do math before their vehicle comes out costing close to a gas-powered vehicle, not to mention the bonus of a federal tax incentive on top of that, certainly sounds like a good idea.

Automakers Post Record Sales In May Despite Inventory And Supply Issues

While the automotive industry continues to grapple with semiconductor shortages, new vehicle sales soared across the United States in May.

A number of automakers reported sales increases last month not just over May 2020 but also May 2019. For example, Hyundai sales rose to 90,017 units in May, a 56 per cent increase over May 2020 and a 36 per cent increase over May 2019. This came despite the brand’s inventory dropping to 26 days and according to senior vice president of sales at Hyundai, Randy Parker, could be attributed to new products, including the Palisade.

“We’re certainly not immune to the chip shortage, and we’re just trying to fight our way through it,” Parker said in an interview with Automotive News. “Even though we had this huge sales month, our job now is to keep the supply chain moving and replenish the stock as quickly as possible.”

Toyota also reported an increase in sales of 47 per cent over May 2020 even though its inventory fell to just 8 days after the Memorial Day weekend. General Motors also recently announced that it is expecting significantly better second-quarter results than previously expected thanks to improved supplies of semiconductors.

Not all car manufacturers enjoyed huge spikes in sales, however. Ford’s sales rose by just 3.7 per cent over May 2020 and of the car manufacturer’s to report May sales, Ford and Subaru were the only ones that didn’t surpass sales figures from May 2019.

“May sales appeared to be strong but probably left many automakers wondering what would have been if inventory were more plentiful,” executive director of insights at Edmunds, Jessica Caldwell said. “One thing that is working for automakers and dealers is that Americans are ready to spend money and want to buy cars.”

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Ford Caught Testing Worksite Special Single-Cab Version Of 2023 Ranger

Mid-size pickup fans are increasingly well-served and the latest spy pictures seem to suggest that things are going to get better with a utilitarian single-cab version of the Ford Ranger caught testing with the steering wheel on the left side.

The truck is significant because until recently, the shortest Ranger currently available for American buyers is the XL, which has half-doors behind the front ones. This would likely be an even more function-focused alternative.

This left-hand-drive single-cab Ranger also suggests that Ford is planning on making the Ranger a world truck, rather than making different versions for different markets. That’s a similar strategy to the one reportedly being taken by Chevrolet and GMC with the upcoming Colorado/Canyon.

Spy shots from early in May suggest that the Ranger will grow a bit as compared to the current model and that its design will become a little more rectangular, making the Ranger look a little more like the F-150 than this generation does.

Rumor has it that the Ranger is moving onto the T6 platform and so will share its underpinnings with the Bronco. That would give the pickup access to the same engines as the Bronco, which are a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder with 270 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque and a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 developing 310 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, though some reports claim that those figures are conservative.

A next-gen Ranger Raptor has also been spotted testing and reports suggest that it will be powered by a 3.0-liter V6 making more than 400 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. That’s the same engine as is expected in the high-performance Bronco that is no longer expected to be called the Warthog. When that is revealed, though, it may provide us with a better idea of what the next Ranger Raptor will be like.

Ford is expected to unveil the next-generation Ranger in early 2022 and that it will be sold as a model year 2023 vehicle.

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Photo credits S. Baldauf/SB-Medien for CarScoops

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The Sexy 2002 Speedbird That Launched Chip Foose’s TV Career Can Be Yours For 50 Grand

Named SEMA’s 2003 Best of Show, the Ford Foose Speedbird has some provenance. And now it’s being offered for sale on eBay.

One of three Thunderbirds given to hot rodders in 2002, the Ford customizing program was meant to get people excited for the new 11th generation Thunderbird. This one was designed by Chip Foose (the other two were done by So-Cal Speed Shop and Bobby Alloway), who would later come to prominence in the era’s TV hot rodding scene.

Although it’s still recognizably a 2002 Thunderbird, the changes are pretty thorough. Not only was the windshield replaced by a shorter wraparound unit, the front and rear fascias were also replaced, and a new grille insert was added.

The front headlights, meanwhile, came from a Volkswagen Beetle and the whole car was lowered with Eibach springs. One-off 20-inch wheels were designed to match the car’s deeply early-aughts aesthetic.

And there’s actually a pretty good chance that you know that. Or knew it. Because the whole process was documented for the Discovery Channel‘s show Rides.It’s powered by a 3.9-liter V8 making 252 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque that sends its power to the rear wheels through a 5-speed automatic transmission. Slowing it down are cross-drilled and slotted four-wheel disc brakes clamped by BAER calipers.

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Inside, it has distressed leather bucket seats, white face gauges, and brushed aluminum accents. As a 19-year-old car, the interior certainly looks completely dated now (not that it ever really looked modern to begin with). The stance, to modern eyes, looks a little off and the head unit is classic Ford.

But it’s also deeply representative of that time and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before this becomes historically relevant.

If it’s already relevant enough to catch your interest, you can check out the listing at Kassabian’s Hotcars, which is offering the Speedbird for $49,995.

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Lexus LC500 Vs. Ford Mustang Bullitt: Can Japanese Muscle Beat American Iron?

There is nothing better than a good old drag race to help settle the differences between two (or more) cars.

In this case, the Lexus LC500 went against the Ford Mustang Bullitt in a series of challenges that started with two standing quarter-mile races. Both of them were then subjected to another two races, this time from a rolling start, and everything concluded with a brake test.

Driven: 2019 Lexus LC500 Limited Edition Is A Master Of All Trades

The LC500 uses a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 that delivers 471 horsepower and 398 pound-feet (539 Nm) of torque and is coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Lexus claims that it can hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 4.4 seconds and reach a 168 mph (270 km/h) top speed.

Weighing a bit less than its Japanese challenger, the Mustang Bullitt also uses a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8, although in this case, it pumps out 452 HP and 387 lb-ft (526 Nm) of torque in European spec. It is hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission, with the 0 to 60 mph (0-96 km/h) sprint taking around 4.5 seconds while flat-out, the muscle car, which pays tribute to the Bullitt movie starring Steve McQueen and slots in the Mustang lineup between the GT and the Shelby GT350, will do 162 mph (260 km/h).

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2020 Ford Ranger Family Gets Updates And A New Version In Australia

The Ford Ranger has been updated for the 2020 model year in Australia thanks to a handful of new features and the addition of a new variant.

Local buyers will be able to pick up the keys to a new Ranger Wildtrak X version. Slotting above the ‘regular’ Wildtrak in the Ranger family, the Wildtrak X arrives with Bi-LED headlights that provide 17 per cent greater lighting penetration on the road and 20 per cent greater penetration with the high-beams.

Elsewhere, the 2020 Ford Ranger Wildtrak X comes with a power roller shutter that can be enabled through the key fob, a dash-mounted switch, or from a button in the pickup’s tub. Other features offered for the Wildtrak X include unique 18-inch alloy wheels with a matte black finish, black fender flares, a black nudge bar with an LED light bar, and an A-pillar-mounted snorkel.

Elsewhere across the Ranger family, Wildtrak, Wildtrak X, and Ranger XLT models are available with a new pearlescent color named Alabaster White, while the Ranger Raptor also gets a tough spray-in bed liner as standard. Moreover, Ford has also introduced FordPass Connect as standard to all Ranger variants.

“Ranger continues to adapt, grow and expand its offering, bringing more targeted, specific capabilities and attributes to Australian customers to help them meet any challenges they face,” Ford Australia president and chief executive Andrew Birkic said in a statement. “Now, with Ranger Wildtrak X, alongside upgraded Wildtrak and Ford Performance Ranger Raptor, customers can get even more out of their off-road adventures.”

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How Does The 495 HP 2020 Corvette Fare Against A 760 HP Mustang Shelby GT500?

Whenever a performance-focused vehicle is released in the U.S, you can be assured that Hennessey Performance will get its hands on one and bump up its performance. However, before working on a recent C8 Corvette and Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that came into its shop, the tuner lined up the two to see how they compare in a straight-line.

Kicking things off is a drag race from a standing start where the Corvette has an advantage. You see, while the ‘Vette’s 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine ‘only’ churns out 495 hp with the Z51 Performance Package, it is mid-engined and has much better grip than the GT500.

Watch Also: All American V8 Brawl – Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody Vs New Corvette C8

Consequently, the Corvette gets off the line for quicker than the Mustang which, by the way, uses a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 with no less than 760 hp. The Chevy holds on to its lead for quite a long time and it isn’t until the C8 hits roughly 120 mph (193 km/h) that the Mustang overtakes it and storms ahead thanks to its added power.

For the second test, the two went toe-to-toe in a rolling drag race from 40 mph (64 km/h). This race favors the Mustang because it is able to put all of its power to the ground from the get-go without encountering any traction issues like it does when getting off the line.

Neither of these results are surprising but they have made us very intrigued to see how Hennessey’s twin-turbo Corvette will stack up against a GT500 when it’s been tuned and is running at full power.

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