Sunset Ford Dealer Blog

Did you know that the Ford Motor Company is only planning on producing only about 45,000 Mustangs for the 2009 model season? That’s exactly what the Mustang marketing manager, Fritz Wilkes estimated in a recent article.

Of course, the 45,000 Mustangs could be symbolic of the car’s 45th anniversary of the first model. When you think about it, though, it’s probably more likely that Ford is doing this to recognize the momentous anniversary. That’s because Dearborn typically produces more than 80,000 of these popular Ford cars each year. So the 45,000 is just over half of the automaker’s normal production.

The history of the Mustang dates back to 1964 when a Ford product manager – Donald N. Frey – conceived the idea. The person who moved forward with the idea, however, is someone you might recognize – Lee Iacocca – the Ford Division general manager. The prototype for the Mustang had only two seats. But that later turned to a four-seat vehicle. It was also based largely on other popular Ford models, including the Ford Fairlane and the Falcon. The suggested price for the first model year was only about $2,400.

When the 1971-1973 models departed from the original 1964 model, Ford received hundreds of complaints from proud Mustang-lovers who wanted the original specifications back. It just shows how the Mustang’s popularity has always been huge.

When you get into the driver’s seat of a car, you should always buckle up. It’s not only the law, it’s for your own good.

But due to the way the current seatbelts are designed, studies show that many obese and pregnant drivers forego the seat belt and simply “take their chances.” Many of them give the reason that the seatbelts are “uncomfortable.” For others, it simply takes too much effort to reach over and buckle their belt every time they get ready to drive.

That’s why Ford is working on a redesigned seatbelt that is both comfortable and provides extra safety. The design hasn’t changed in 40 years and the current structure only requires seatbelts to accommodate a 215-pound man with a 47-inch hip circumference. Unfortunately, nearly 40 million American drivers don’t fit into that category.

The Ford Motor Company realizes that Americans have changed over the decades and new seatbelt designs are needed to ensure safety while driving. The engineers are working on more comfortable situations by wearing an “empathy belly” body suit to help along their research. They are also working on four-point seat belts that would come down over the chest and have a lap belt, too. Just think of them as “belt and suspender” seatbelts to get an image in your head.

These new and improved seatbelts could be in Ford cars very soon. If you consider yourself obese or if you’re pregnant, the new type of belt is designed to accommodate you so you can be safe and comfortable when you’re behind the wheel.

Can you imagine having a small refrigerator inside your car? How convenient would that be for those long road trips or just for keeping your soft drink cold?

This is exactly what you can expect from some of the new Ford cars, specifically the 2009 Ford Flex. Unfortunately, it’s not a standard feature…yet. But it is quite affordable. You can choose this soon-to-be-popular option for about $750. But this isn’t your normal in-car refrigerator, either.

This new refrigerator actually uses a compressor. With this technology, the device can cool a beverage more than 40 degrees in just a couple hours! That’s about the same thing you can expect from your big fridge at home. In addition to that, you can even switch it to “freezer” and chill foods and liquids to about 23 degrees Fahrenheit.

The size of this refrigerator shouldn’t be an issue, either. It can hold seven 12-ounce cans of your favorite beverage or two half-liter bottles for those times when you’re driving across the state to see some friends. It’s also ideal for bringing that quart of ice cream home if you live in a warm climate like California or Death Valley. The only thing missing is a crisper!

If you’re going to buy a Ford Flex this year, ask about the new fridge. If you’re nice, they might even fill it up with food for you!

One of the first Ford cars ever created recently celebrated 100 years on the market. And to help make that a special event, 89 of these popular vehicles had a rally in Edinburgh last week.

Gathering 89 Ford Model Ts was a special event in itself. It was the largest gathering of these iconic cars ever in one place. Owners came from all over the region with their Model T to join the rally.

The Model T represents a piece of automotive history that helped shape the industry into what it is today. Henry Ford made this the first car that was affordable to the masses by introducing a less expensive way of producing them – the assembly line. Until then, cars were individually created by workers and it took a lot more time and more money to create each vehicle. The Model T, or Tin Lizzie as many people called it, reached the market in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. Within months, it became the car that literally put “America on wheels.” I wonder where we’d be today had the Model T never come along.

The week-long rally started at the Bute House in Charlotte Square at 1:00 p.m. It wraps up this week at Kelso after travelling through places like Selkirk, St. Boswells, Peebles and other popular places throughout the region.

If you were one of the lucky people to order one of the 1,000 available new Ford Shelby GT500KRs, you’re getting an extra treat with your purchase.

The good folks at SVT, the company that created the awesome suspension tuning for this particular model, are supplying a Ford Racing front brake ducting kit. This might not seem like much to the layman, but it’s actually a pretty nice deal for people who are buying these Ford cars for racing or simply showing off on the road. The braking kit is designed to keep brake discs cool by letting the air flow through the system and increasing its effectiveness.

But it also has a showy feature as well. Ford engineers included orange ribbed duct tubes to the kit. When you pull up next to another car, the orange shows through the wheel and other drivers know that you definitely mean business!

SVT designed this brake kit specifically for the 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang. And to make the extra gift even more special, the company put it in a little white box in the trunk. So when the owner opens it, it feels just like somebody bought them something special for their new Mustang.

The best part about the kit is that it’s easy to install. If you know what you’re doing, it’s little more than a couple bolt-on clamps. Instead of just installing the kit at the factory, Ford said that most drivers will simply use their new Shelby GT500KR for cruising around the streets. The automaker wants the driver to know, however, that their vehicle is ready for anything, whether it’s racing, cruising or simply getting attention at red lights.

To purchase your new Ford Mustang, please visit our Waterloo area ford dealerships or our St. Louis area Ford dealerships.

If you’re like me, you hate when the noise outside of your car interferes with your enjoyment of the radio. I can’t count how many times I’ve missed a witty comment from Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck simply because of the road noise.

But with the new windshields going into newer models of Ford cars, that won’t be a problem any longer. These new acoustic windshields have a new sound screen that blocks out much of the noise that comes inside the vehicle.

The automaker tested the first acoustic windshield in the 2008 Ford Focus. During the tests, the windshield was able to block out an extra three decibels more than the typical windshield. To put those numbers into understandable terms, the cabin noise was reduced from 70 decibels to 67 decibels, only two decibels more than the typical human voice would reach during a conference at work.

The Mercury Mariner was another vehicle that Ford used for testing the acoustic windshield. During these tests, the windshield reduced the noise by about 12 percent on the highway.

These high-tech windshields are made from sound-absorbent transparent vinyl sheets installed within the windshield. But it doesn’t only mean quieter interiors for vehicles. It also decreases the weight of the vehicle. Engineers can use lighter materials instead of the super heavy glass they typically use. In the Navigator, for instance, that could mean seven fewer pounds adding resistance on the roads…and that’s just for the windshield!

Leave it to Ford to come up with even more ways to enjoy your driving experience.

Can you imagine a car company selling nine million vehicles in the last 30 years? That’s an impressive number! But that number is even more impressive when only one brand of vehicle for a particular company sells that many.

That’s exactly what happened with the Ford Motor Company. The Dearborn-based automaker recently delivered its nine-millionth Mustang to another proud and excited owner.

The exciting, once in a lifetime event occurred in Story City, Iowa. Thomas Krumm purchased a GT convertible Mustang. But this wasn’t the family’s first Mustang. He became interested in these Ford cars when his 17-year-old daughter purchased one several years ago after saving her money for months.

The Krumm’s aren’t alone, either. Customers have purchased nine million other Ford Mustangs because of its sleek style and reputation. The first one was released nearly 35 years ago on April 17, 1964 at the World’s Fair in New York. During its first year, Ford sold 419,000 Mustangs to customers enamored by its sports car appearance. Within two years of its introduction, the company sold over two million units! That was a record at the time and it’s still a record today.

You might also be interested to know that the Mustang comprises 50 percent of the sports cars sold in the United States. That means for every sports car bought from the various other brands, there’s one Mustang sold as well.

How many other automakers can say that?

In recent years, New York City has been trying to phase out its fleet of taxis to make room for hybrids and other more efficient vehicles. But did you know the Ford Escape hybrids outnumber the other eco-friendly taxis by hundreds?

Right now, there are about 850 Ford Escape hybrid taxis transporting people all over the city while helping to create a cleaner environment. The nearest competitor to the Escape is the Toyota Highlander. But there are fewer than 100 of those on NYC roads today.

It all started around May of last year when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he would like to have only hybrid taxis on the streets of the city by 2012. As New York has phased out Ford’s Crown Victoria models as the most common choice for taxis, the automaker has strived to keep its share of vehicles on the metropolitan city’s roads.

But Ford isn’t the only beneficiary of hybrid taxis. Taxi drivers also appreciate the hybrid options. Much of the cost needed to maintain a taxi falls on the driver’s shoulders. According to analysts, most taxi drivers who operate Ford Escapes can save upwards of $6,000 a year. That averages out to about $30 per shift!

So far, drivers are enjoying the Escape hybrid taxis. The first group of these popular vehicles has logged nearly 200,000 miles in only 18 months. And the only major complaint is that the back seats are a bit cramped when there are more than three passengers. Dearborn is also working on other hybrid Ford cars to send to NYC, including hybrid versions of the Fusion and the Taurus.

Now if they could only do something about that traffic!

For your new Ford Escape, please visit our Ford dealers in St. Louis, Missouri or our Ford dealer in Illinois.