There’s a lot of talk in the auto world about converting to electricity instead of fuel, and this talk has only increased with the rising cost of fuel. One Illinois man decided to take matters into his own hands and convert his 1996 Ford Escort to running on electricity.

Joe Downing learned how to do this by attending regular meetings of the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association, a group which is a place to get together with other electric car enthusiasts and get the tricks of the trade from others in the same boat.

The Chicago area group has seen its membership jump from around 25 members three years ago to 70 today. The group’s president, Ted Lowe, says that the increase is due to the increase in fuel costs, the overwhelming public interest in all things environmental, and America’s dependence on foreign oil.

Downing says his commute costs have decreased from about $32 a week to $10 a week, and with numbers like that, it’s no wonder people are flocking to buying electric cars or modifying their current cars to run on electricity. At the moment, converting one’s car is not for the faint of heart, and it’s really only an accessible option for people with the time, money, inclination and know-how to do it themselves.

It looks like the major auto makers, including Ford, are paying attention to these shifts in customer focus and all of them are creating electric and hybrid cars to meet the market demands. They realize not everybody can trick out their own car, and why would they want to? The days of a new Ford truck or car that runs exclusively on electricity are not far off.

If you’re looking for your own new Ford truck or car, stop by Sunset Ford for a test drive, or visit the website for specials and new inventory.

A lot of buzz has been created lately in the automotive sector. Despite vehement denials by Ford executives, many auto industry experts are predicting that Ford will be retiring their Mercury brand in order to focus on the Ford and Lincoln brands.

Declining sales of the Mercury brand led industry analyst Aaron Bragman of Global Insight to say “Mercury has one more product cycle left in it, and then will most certainly be retired as a brand.”

Jerome York seems to agree with the prevailing theory that Mercury’s days are numbered. Previously an automotive executive, he now serves as an advisor to the investment company that handles Kirk Kerkorian’s investments. Mr. Kerkorian currently owns 4.7% of Ford stock, and recently made a move to bolster his position as a Ford shareholder.

Mr. York indicated that he too believed that the struggling auto maker would benefit from retiring the Mercury brand, and given Mr. York’s current position some believe this may cause Mr. Kerkorian to use his influence to eliminate Mercury.

Another industry analyst, Tom Libby, summed up the problem quite succinctly. “It’s hard to sell a Mercury when it looks just like a Ford that’s priced at $4,000 less,” said Libby.

Other than the fact that Ford executives are resolutely denying the truth of this claim, there’s not much to go on with this claim and it may end up working out in Ford’s favor. They say that no publicity is bad publicity, and with Kirk Kerkorian’s recent investment in the company and all this talk about Ford and Mercury’s plans for the future, the auto company is certainly in the news more than usual. Marketing types might argue that this can do only good things in an industry full of flagging auto sales.

When you’re looking for a new Ford truck — or any Ford product, Mercury or otherwise — stop by Sunset Ford for a test drive.

As some unfortunate drivers can attest, there is no more devastating news for a car enthusiast than to learn that their vehicle has been written off by their insurance company after being in a major collision. Insurance companies have to take into consideration the amount of damage done to the vehicle and if it is likely that a repair job would completely fix issues for the remainder of the life of the vehicle.

If it is determined that the car cannot be safely repaired, the insurance company writes it off, pays the value of the vehicle to the driver, and the wreckage is towed to a junk yard. Or is it? As 261 Irish motorists found out, this may not necessarily be the case.

The Irish Department of Transport recently completed an audit on over 5420 vehicles previously written off by insurance companies, only to find that 261 of the vehicles had found their way back onto Irish roads. This resulted in a number of urgent letters sent to motorists warning that their vehicle may be unsafe and imploring them to have their vehicles checked out by a reputable mechanic. It seems these vehicles were re-sold and many of the new owners were unaware of their vehicle’s past history.

Apparently this state of affairs was allowed to occur because although insurance companies keep records of their write offs, there was no organized system to share this information with the government. Immoral dealers knew that there was no way for a potential buyer to check the write off lists to see if the vehicle they were purchasing had ever been so classified. They simply repaired and resold the cars, not seeming to care that they were potentially putting lives at risk.

When asked what was being done to correct the problem, Mr. Noel Dempsey, Minister for Transport, replied “If necessary, I am prepared to legislate to compel insurance companies to supply this information; however, at this stage, I am confident insurance companies will voluntarily make this information available on a systematic basis”. A formalized tracking system has since been put in place.

When you’re ready to pick up your new Ford truck, make sure you stop by and say hi. Aren’t you glad Sunset Ford is American?

For many automotive enthusiasts it has been a dream to own their very own Ford Mustang, and nowhere has this been made more apparent than with Ford Motor Company’s latest milestone: the sale of the 9 millionth Ford Mustang, the company’s longest running brand.

The Ford Mustang made it’s world debut at the New York World’s Fair on April 17th 1964. It broke all sales records when in it’s first two years Ford sold over one million models. Popularity of the car continued after appearances in Hollywood movies, and today it is determined that one out of every two sports cars sold in the United States is a Mustang. It also leads the industry in more than $1 billion in after market parts and accessories, making it the most personalized vehicle of all time.

Mustang brand manager, Fritz Wilke, had this comment to make: “So many people have contributed to Mustang’s proud 44-year heritage possible – from incredible Mustangs owners and enthusiasts to our partners at AAI where Mustangs are built to Ford’s Product Development and Ford Division teams.”

In recognition of his amazing contributions, Ford decided to thank Ford Mustang designer Caroll Shelby with the release of the 2008 Ford Mustang GT500KR, nicknamed the Ford Shelby. The released occurred in time for Shelby’s 85th birthday.

And who purchased the 9 millionth Ford Mustang? An Iowan farmer named Thomas Krumm — one who probably has a barn full of Ford trucks — received that honor when he picked up his Ford Mustang GT Convertible earlier this year.

Whether you’re in the market for a new Ford Mustang or you have a lot to haul and you’re looking for something tougher like a new Ford truck, head on over to Sunset Ford to check out new inventory and specials.