If you thought luxury was only for small cars and sedans, think again. The Ford Motor Company has a luxury pickup truck…and it’s pretty sweet.

The Lincoln Mark LT is a beautiful piece of machinery that I just discovered today. Judging from the front of this truck, you wouldn’t even know it’s a truck. With its chrome accents and unique grille, it looks more like an SUV than a pickup truck. This luxury vehicle also has an extended cab, but it’s not just any extended cab. There are four full-size doors so even you back passengers can climb in and out of the truck easily.

But the inside is really where it gets interesting.

Once you’re inside the Ford Mark LT, you’ll fall in love with the plush leather seats. The Audiophile Sound System is ideal for enjoying your ride. Whether it’s a trip to the grocery store or a cross-country road trip, the system makes you feel like you’re in the middle of the event. In addition to that, you can also choose the SIRIUS Satellite Radio Package with 130 different channels. From comedy to news to rock and country with everything in between, you’ll have several favorite presets that you won’t be able to get enough of.

As one of the most luxurious Ford trucks on the market today, one blog post isn’t enough to do this truck justice. I’ll post more about this impressive vehicle later in the week. Come back and see what else you can get with this one-of-a-kind truck.

Apparently, everybody is an expert on the auto industry all of a sudden. Arnold Schwarzenegger was telling a group of auto executives that they should “stop whining” only a few weeks ago. And now Jay Leno – comedian and TV talk show host – has an opinion on the auto industry, too.

According to the wisecracking comedian, making more fuel-efficient cars is easy. “It ain’t that hard folks – make better cars,” he told Detroit automakers during one of his mediocre monologues.

But it wasn’t all negative feelings toward Detroit. He said the F-150 is one of the best trucks ever made and nobody but Americans can make anything like Ford trucks. But, he said, we just can’t build an inexpensive economy car. Instead, American automakers tend to “dumb down the cheaper car,” making them less appealing for motorists and consumers.

He also offered advice to Detroit, saying the major domestic automakers should do what Harley-Davidson did. That means turning around its quality problems and once again becoming a market leader. He went on to say this: “I believe that, all things being equal, Americans will buy American. It just has to be as good as the competition; it doesn’t have to be better.”

Okay. He’s entitled to his opinion. I know he’s a car guru, but does that make him qualified to tell automakers how to do their job? Ford, for instance, has been working on its quality problems for the last several years. As a result, Ford products are becoming some of the most popular vehicles on the market today. And the Ford Motor Company continues to ensure the best possible products from its factories every day. So as long as we’re all giving our suggestions, I suggest Jay Leno should leave auto building to the experts. While you’re at it, Jay, write better jokes. It’s not that hard.

In an effort to become more environmentally conscious and responsible, AT&T has decided to add several trucks to its fleet that are fueled with alternative forms of energy.

AT&T has a huge fleet of existing trucks that workers use to repair and maintain the massive communications infrastructure it has all over the world. And, just like everybody else is doing, AT&T is looking for ways to save money on fuel with rising gas prices. Adding more than 100 new trucks is one way to accomplish that goal.

This month, the communications company plans to institute the new plan. On the list of new fuel-efficient vehicles includes dozens of Ford trucks, particularly the Escape hybrids. AT&T has already used Escape hybrids since the end of last year.

AT&T is just one company switching over to more environmentally-conscious vehicles. Many fleets are slow to make the switch because they are simply replacing the older vehicles when they are no longer usable. Others are making a more immediate switch by getting rid of the existing vehicles and replacing them with the newer trucks. It’s nice to see that some companies are trying to be more responsible. Hopefully, this is a trend that catches on for more companies and individuals, too.

The Fiesta model is one of the more popular Ford cars that have appeared on the compact car market in the last 50 years. But the Dearborn-based automaker is releasing a new and improved Fiesta for the North American market. And if you’ve kept up with Ford’s concept cars, you might even recognize the new design. It resembles the Verve concept car that was appearing at auto shows all over the world throughout the past year.

In addition to the sedan version that consumers have come to know and love, Ford is building the Fiesta model in a hatchback version at its assembly plant in Mexico. But making the new Fiesta means dropping the production of something else. With truck sales slowing down and more people looking for more fuel-efficient cars, Ford has decided to replace the F150 truck production at the Mexico plant with the Fiesta production.

If you want to get behind the wheel of the new Fiesta hatchback, though, you’ll have to exercise some patience. The new models won’t be on dealer lots in the country until 2010. Until then, you can still find a wide variety of vehicles at Ford dealers across the nation that is sure to please and satisfy. Drive one today and prepare to be impressed.

It’s tough times out there. Everybody is looking for ways to save money. Unfortunately, some of those people are accomplishing their goal dishonestly.

One of the new trends in the criminal community is to steal gas from cars and trucks. And the way they’re doing this is by crawling underneath the vehicle, drilling a hole in the gas tank and draining the fuel into a container.

Repair shops all over the country are reporting a sharp increase in fuel tank repairs and replacements as a result, too. Dale Fortin, the owner of an auto repair shop in Detroit, has been replacing a larger number of gas tanks in recent weeks. It’s almost becoming as common as driving off from the gas station without paying and siphoning gas out of gas tanks.

But this isn’t anything new. Mechanics and police officers who have been in the business for decades remember a similar fad that happened during the first oil crisis in the 1970s.

Unfortunately, Ford trucks and other large vehicles are the target of thieves. The main reason for this is because they sit higher off the ground. As a result, these derelicts of society can easily crawl underneath the vehicle and get what they want in a matter of seconds.

If you ask me, it really stinks that you can’t even have anything decent. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to lessen your risk of being a victim, including:

• Parking in a well-populated and lighted area.
• Parking in an attended garage or parking lot.
• Park in different places so thieves can’t “case your truck.”
• Check the fuel gauge when you return to your vehicle to make sure you still have all your fuel.

How many times have you put gas into your car and driven off with the gas cap still sitting on top of the pump? If you’re like me, that’s happened at least a few times.

But some of the new Ford cars are going to have a new system so you can prevent that from happening. The automaker’s new Easy Fuel system is a feature where you never need to remove a gas cap again. Instead, the place where you put the gas pump’s nozzle is simply a “spring-loaded flapper door” that opens and closes on its own.

Once you’re done fueling, the Easy Fuel system seals itself. In addition to being quicker and less annoying than a gas cap, the new system also emits “fewer evaporative emissions into the environment.”

Motorists are expressing interest in the new system, too. More than 75 percent of women surveyed and about 67 percent of men said this would be a feature they’d appreciate regardless of what type of car they drive. The 2008 Ford Explorer and the Mercury Mountaineer already have this new system installed on them. It’s also going to be a standard feature on the 2009 F150s, the Ford Flex models and the Lincoln MKS. Within the next five years, the automaker hopes to integrate the Easy Fuel system on all of its brands and models.

Earlier this week, we witnessed history in the making when Barack Obama clinched the nomination for the Democrat’s Presidential candidate. He’s going to be running against John McCain for the Republicans. So get prepared for the attack ads and the arguing between these two. I know I can’ wait until they start showing the campaign commercials. Aren’t you excited?

Even though these two men can’t agree on much, there is one thing that many Democrats and Republicans can appreciate – Ford trucks. You probably thought that a big Ford truck was only for the Republicans who typically live in the south and need their trucks to “go huntin’.” But did you know that the F150’s popularity is bipartisan? According to a story on KickingTires.com, several prominent politicians and pundits from “both sides of the aisle” appreciate what the F150 has to offer.

The major selling point for the F150 for Democrats and Republicans is the fact that it’s made in America. Pat Buchanan and Lou Dobbs both believe in keeping your money in the United States whenever possible. The F150 is the perfect way to do that.

But the Ford Escape Hybrid is another popular model for both parties. Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney drives one of these popular vehicles when he goes somewhere. And what Republican wouldn’t appreciate the great tax credits you get when Uncle Sam comes a-callin’? Democrats enjoy the fuel economy, union solidarity and the benefits for the environment associated with the Escape. You might also be interested to know that Barack Obama drives a Ford Escape Hybrid when he’s making his rounds.

I wonder what types of cars the Libertarians are driving these days.

If you’re a fan of Ford automobiles, you’re in for a surprise. Two of the most popular Ford trucks on the market today – the Escape and the Mercury Mariner – have some great new features for the upcoming model year.

For the 2008 models, Ford already redesigned these popular choices with new exterior skins and several improvements on the inside. But the engineers didn’t stop there.
For 2009, you can expect to see several improvements under the hood. The horsepower for these models is increasing from 153 to 170. For the ones with an optional V6 engine, those numbers are even higher. You’ll get an extra 40 horsepower, bringing it up from 200 to 240. According to Ford, these redesigned engines shave nearly two seconds off the popular “0 to 60” time comparison.

If you’re into fuel economy (and who isn’t nowadays?), you’ll also enjoy the extra one mile per gallon you’ll get. Ford used low-friction and rolling-resistance tires on the new Escape and Mariner to give drivers the best possible fuel efficiency. Electric steering and redesigned aerodynamics also help contribute to a more efficient fuel economy.

These are just a few of the changes you’ll find on the Escape and Mariner. You can also choose a hybrid version of either model to better fit the needs of your fuel budget.

The Mustang is one of the most popular Ford cars of all time. They’ve been depicted in movies and there’s an entire culture of Mustang-lovers throughout the world. Since the Mustang market such a huge and successful market, the engineers at the Ford Motor Company are anxious to hear the concerns of Mustang owners to help keep it one of the most popular cars in the world.

To find out what Mustang owners wanted in upcoming models, Ford’s chief Mustang engineer gathered 40 members of his team to do some research. They flew from Dearborn, Michigan to Tampa, Florida where there are more Mustang owners than anywhere else in the world. They interviewed about 70 performance car owners, including several Dodge Charger Owners and GTO owners as well.

The team from Ford identified themselves as a general marketing group so people would be honest with their interview answers. They compared the answers from Mustang owners with the answers from other performance car owners to see if the former was more passionate about their vehicles. Is there any surprise that Mustang owners were much more passionate when talking about how great their cars are? Overall, they were extremely satisfied with their Ford Mustangs.

In addition to that, the researchers also found the majority of complaints coming from owners of other performance vehicles that weren’t made by Ford. According to Ronnie Ahmad, a Ford product specialist, the experience was encouraging in that it was “very interesting to hear the pride in Mustang owners’ voices.” He went on to say that one woman compared her Mustang to a Transformer because it “makes her feel like a superhero.”

With this type of passion and dedication, is it any wonder why the Ford Mustang is one of the most recognized icons of the American auto industry?

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.