If you’re a NASCAR fan and you love Ford cars, you’ll have twice the reason to cheer at the 2009 Busch Series.

The Ford Motor Company recently announced that it might be replacing the Fusion that currently races in the NASCAR series with the iconic Mustang. This was the first time the automaker confirmed the rumors that have been circulating for more than two years.

The switch makes sense for Ford and NASCAR alike. For Ford, switching from a Fusion to the Mustang gives the company advertising for more than just one brand of vehicle. It also gives the Busch series “its own identity” because teams wouldn’t be able to gather as much information about the cars on the day before the race.

Before the Mustang enters NASCAR, engineers will need to bring it up to the standards set forth by the Busch cars. Safety specifications must be similar to those on the Nextel Cup “Car of Tomorrow.” These specifications go into effect after February 2009.

The switch isn’t completely official yet, though. If other automakers can’t make the switch to “pony car” coupes, it might not happen at all. If the change does happen, look for an official announcement from Ford and NASCAR soon after the start of 2009. Until then, just keep hoping.

Hypermiling is a term used to describe practices that save gas. Many of these techniques are inconvenient and, at times, even impossible. But some of these techniques are showing up in one of the most unusual places – the NASCAR track.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. recently won the race at the Michigan International Speedway. During the race, he used one common hypermiling technique - coasting. This was most noticeable because he drove for the last 110 miles, or 55 laps around the track, without refueling. The last time he stopped, his pit crew told him he should refuel when he had about six laps left to go. But Earnhardt was able to avoid one last fueling stop by allowing his car to coast when the caution flag was out.

As an even bigger surprise, he coasted across the finish line. Apparently, he was basically running on fumes because his car ran out of gas just a few seconds afterwards. Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t had a NASCAR victory since May 6, 2006.

But Earnhardt isn’t the only one on the circuit who is trying to drive more responsibly with regards to the environment. “Everybody’s doing it,” he said in an interview with ESPN.

If you’re driving one of the many Ford cars on the market today, you can employ hypermiling in your daily habits, too. If it’s good enough for NASCAR drivers, it’s certainly good enough for you!

You might notice a new feature in Ford cars soon. The Ford Motor Company recently received support from the national Emergency Number Association (NENA) to offer a 911 Assist feature in combination with its SYNC system. Here are some things you can expect from the new emergency feature:

• When the airbags are deployed in a SYNC-equipped vehicle, the 911 Assist feature connects the driver and passengers with local emergency services automatically.
• The 911 Assist feature is not subscription based, meaning you can use it as long as you have the SYNC system installed in your Ford car.
• This emergency feature is launching later this year.
• The Ford Motor Company is working with NENA to train and educate operators so they can properly and effectively use the system when it’s needed the most.
• The SYNC 911 Assist system is updatable. That means when updates are available, you’re eligible to have your system updated as long as you own a 2008 or 2009 SYNC-equipped vehicle.

Ford is proud to be working with NENA on this venture. According to Doug VanDagens, Ford’s director of Connected Services Solutions, the automaker “believed it was important to work with such an organization to ensure that emergency personnel across the country learn what to expect from 911 Assist.” And since the service is non-subscription based, Ford becomes the leader in accident-assistance features.

With features like this, is it any wonder that Ford is back on top of the automotive industry?

There’s a new lifesaving feature coming to Ford cars in the near future – crash avoidance technology. The Ford Motor Company has been working closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop this feature in another concerted effort to keep people safer on the roads. So far, here are the two major components of the technology:

Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication
The main aspect of this crash avoidance technology allows vehicles to communicate with each other on the roads. Imagine driving down the highway at 80 mph and the driver in the car three cars ahead of you hits their brakes. That car can communicate with the cars behind it so those cars can alert their drivers to slow down in time to avoid an accident. In emergency instances, the car can even do automatic braking.

Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance System
When you’re approaching an intersection, this feature will send messages to your car from the traffic light. The message will include the amount of time you have before the light changes and if any other cars are approaching the intersection. The vehicle then uses this information to decide if the driver needs a warning. It can also initiate the brake assist system as well for extra safety.

In addition to these vehicle features, Ford and other automakers are working on a wireless infrastructure so vehicles can communicate with traffic lights, lane markers and other road features that you encounter when you drive. The U.S. Department of Transportation is funding roadside infrastructure features. The department has also proposed installing 250,000 transceivers throughout the nation no later than 2010.

It looks like the future is now and Ford is triumphantly leading us into it.

In a recent video question and answer interview, Alan Mulally, Ford’s CEO, discussed the role of the compact car and SUV market in America’s future. Here are a few highlights of that interview.

The most important thing Mulally said that compact cars aren’t going anywhere soon. With more Americans switching to smaller Ford cars, he said the automaker is switching its resources to accommodate that demand. He also believes that SUVs will continue to fall in demand as long as gas prices stay as high as they are. Mulally also felt that the demand for SUVs probably won’t increase the same way the demand for larger cars increased following a similar fuel crisis in the 1970s.

During the first quarter of 2008, sales for small, fuel-efficient cars increased by more than 30 percent. As if that figure isn’t staggering enough, the auto market as a whole experienced a sales decline of eight percent overall. Sales of midsize cars stayed about the same as they were last year.

But Mulally also implied that Ford is taking a small gamble on the oil industry. With all of the changes the automaker is making to increase production of smaller cars, it’s almost imperative that fuel prices stay where they are at to make the switchover worth the trouble.

Either way, you the driver can benefit from these new moves. If gas prices stay where they are, you can get a compact Ford car with great gas mileage to save money at the pump. If gas prices go back down, you’ll be spending even less with every mile you drive. It’s a win-win situation for everybody involved.

In an effort to stay current with the demands and needs of its customer base, the Ford Motor Company is retooling some of its truck plants. Instead of building Ford trucks, some of the current factories are switching over to build Ford cars.

The announcement comes just a couple weeks after the national average price for gas reached $4 a gallon. With those prices, fewer people are looking for big trucks right now.

A Ford spokesperson declined any comment on the rumors that some truck plants are retooling. But an emergency meeting with plant managers and local union leaders lead one to believe the rumors. After all, it’s not that unlikely.

Not all truck plants would be affected, though. Only some of the American plants will be revamped to produce some vehicles that are currently exclusive to European factories. That’s where compact and smaller cars are abundant on the roads.

Ford said the company would announce its official plans sometime in July. Whatever happens, you can rest assured knowing you can always get a great deal on a Ford pickup truck or SUV. In fact, with fewer people buying them right now, it might be the perfect time. Visit a local dealer today and see how much you can save on your favorite full-sized vehicle.

Yesterday, we learned about Jay Klehfoth, a man who loves his four (yes, count them) Model Ts. We also mentioned the upcoming celebration on July 20 that focuses on these immortalized Ford cars. Here is some more information about that celebration and a little more about Klehfoth himself.

The Model T celebration is a week-long event that takes place in Richmond, Indiana. It usually attracts about 1,000 of these classic cars. Some of the Model Ts are coming all the way from Australia and other far off regions. Klehfoth is hoping that his efforts will put this year’s celebration in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the “longest single-model car line.”

In addition to having hundreds of Model Ts in Richmond, you’ll also see an airplane show with planes from the 1930s. Have you ever seen an old-fashioned baseball game? You will if you attend the July celebration. You can also watch other events that will make you think you’ve been transported to a simpler time in our history and culture.

That’s one of the allures for the Model T. According to Klehfoth, the “world looks a lot different at 25 mph in the open air.” With a slower moving vehicle, you can “stop and smell the roses,” so to speak instead of driving by at 75 or 80 mph. That’s why Klehfoth often takes neighborhood kids for a ride in one of his Model Ts. It gives them a chance to see what cars were once like and, to some degree, how life was much simpler then. He hopes his children and other younger generations will continue the Model T celebration for many years to come. Henry Ford would certainly be proud, wouldn’t he?

Would you ever believe that an SUV can get 120 miles per gallon? If not, keep reading because that’s exactly what the Ford Motor Company is working on.

The actual company manufacturing the new and more efficient hybrid batteries – Johnson Controls-Saft – is now sharing $30 million from the federal government to develop these products. Last week, the United States Department of Energy announced funding the project for $10 million each year for the next three years. This announcement came one day after the automaker announced it has a plug-in version of the Escape that gets 120 miles to the gallon. The manufacturer is working in conjunction with Ford to create batteries for Ford trucks and cars so this can be a reality instead of a futuristic theory.

The goal of the two companies is to make plug-in hybrids more affordable by 2014. With the competitiveness in the hybrid market, Ford plans to have less expensive plug-in hybrids on their lots not later than 2016.

As for the environment, Ford estimates that these newer vehicles would emit 60 percent less CO2 than gasoline-powered vehicles of similar size. But there are still a few obstacles in the way, including cost-effective batteries that are durable enough to withstand the cold winters in places like Michigan and the extreme heat of places like California and Arizona. With time and patience, though, I’m sure they’ll get it figured out before long.

There aren’t too many people around that own one of the original Model T Ford cars that made the automaker famous. There are even fewer people that own FOUR Model T cars. But Jay Klehfoth is one of those rare people.

Although he was raised in a General Motors family, Klehfoth has enjoyed the Model T since his youth. “From the time I was very young,” he said, “I had an interest in cars. I was attracted to the Model T because to me, it was the epitome of what an old car was like.” In fact, he loved the car so much that he bought his first Model T when he was only 13 years old! How many 13-year-olds today could buy their first car? Heck, how many 20-year-olds could just buy one for that matter?

Over the years, Klehfoth and his wife have added three more of these iconic vehicles to their garage. And there’s probably nobody more excited about the upcoming Model T celebration in mid-July than Klehfoth, either. “We’re thrilled to be working with Ford to celebrate this historic Model T milestone, he said. “We have 864 Model Ts regsistered for the event from 45 states and eight countries.”

In addition to owning several of these models, Klehfoth and his wife are active members of the Model T Ford Club of America (MTFCA). He is also the CEO and editor of Vintage Ford magazine. The Klehfoths also founded the Ford Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana.

Come back tomorrow for more information about Jay Klehfoth and the upcoming Model T celebration.

At the New York Auto Show, the Ford Motor Company unveiled a new edition of the Mustang – the Dan Gurney Signature Edition Saleen Mustang. The automaker, in conjunction with Saleen Automotive and automotive legend Dan Gurney, helped create this new line of Mustangs. Some say it’s the most impressive yet.

Only 300 of these Mustangs are being produced for the public and they’ve already been shipped to showroom floors across the country. The model that debuted at the auto show in March was “production ready,” but Gurney spent the last couple months fine-tuning some final touches, including the suspension.

The Gurney Edition Mustang has a distinct body style that you won’t find on any other Mustang. It’s reminiscent of Gurney’s 1969 Trans Am series Mustang with a look that “honors history but looks aggressively towards the future,” according to the Ford Motor Company’s press release about the vehicle.

Dan Gurney is also excited about the release of the new Mustang. “I am pleased that they could make a car that is so beautiful but still so true to my old race car.” He went on to say that all he really wanted is a “car that is faster than Parnelli’s.”

If you’re interested in one of these popular Ford cars, you can choose from three colors: Performance White, Vista Blue and Torch Red.