Today, it seems like everybody’s jumping on the hybrid bandwagon. More and more people are turning to this eco-friendly form of transportation to save gas and the environment. But there are still some who refuse to change their mind. If this describes you, read the following myths about current hybrids and you might just change your mind.

1. Hybrids don’t have much power.
This was once true when hybrid vehicles came out. Today, however, hybrids have just as much power as most other vehicles. In fact, some hybrid models can even accelerate as fast as most gasoline-powered vehicles. Besides, power usually equals decreased efficiency. And who wants that nowadays?

2. Hybrids are too expensive.
Again, this was true when hybrids first came out. But when you factor in tax credits and fuel prices, hybrids can actually save you money within a few short years. Also, hybrids retain a greater amount of their resale value. And that figure just increases as gas prices continue to go up.

3. Hybrids need to be plugged in to charge
Although some of the newer electric cars run solely on electricity, nearly all hybrids have a mechanism that charges the batteries during braking. As a result, plugging the car in is simply not necessary with today’s hybrid.

4. Hybrids have expensive batteries
Even though hybrid batteries might be expensive, most car manufacturers give their hybrids warranties that last up to 10 years. Since most people don’t keep their cars that long anyways, you may never need to pay for replacing the battery. The batteries seem to be durable, too. One taxi driver drove his hybrid taxi for nearly 200,000 miles and his battery is still going strong!

With all of these myths dispelled, it’s never been a better time to find a hybrid model of your favorite Ford cars. Check one out today and stop “breaking the bank” at the gas station!

I grew up watching Michael Knight and KITT fight the bad guys. But it was a much simpler time in those days when the heroes and good guys were obvious and the bad guys were even more obvious. It seems like that’s changed over the years as the line between “good and evil” has blurred.
That’s why I was so excited to hear that this iconic TV show Knight Rider (along with its car) is making its way back to the airwaves on NBC!
And this time, the show is using one of the most recognized Ford cars ever made–with several modifications, of course. This time around, Mr. Knight’s son will be driving around in a Ford Shelby Mustang while fighting the bad guys. Maybe a whole new generation can grow up watching a man and his Ford Mustang fight crime, just as I did so many years ago (it was a different brand of vehicle back then, though).
According to Variety, a trade magazine for the television industry, Knight Rider will likely have a Friday night time slot when it debuts as a new series later this year. NBC checked to see if it was still as popular as it was in the 80s by showing a made-for-TV movie earlier this year. Apparently, the verdict is in, and enough people tuned in to give producers the “green light” to make a new series.
Although this isn’t unprecedented, networks don’t usually revive an old series nearly 30 years after it went off the air the first time. But I, for one, am very happy that it’s coming back and I’m waiting on the edge of my couch. Are you excited, too?

How many times have you been backing up in your vehicle and wondered if there was an abandoned tricycle or, worse yet, an occupied tricycle behind you? If you’re like me, that’s happened more times than you care to remember.
But the Ford Motor Company has recognized this problem and its engineers have worked to address it. Many Ford vehicles will soon have two new pieces of technology designed to help drivers back up safer. The modified “blind spot mirror” will soon be a standard feature on the Mercury and Lincoln brand vehicles. These new mirrors give drivers a better view of what they couldn’t see before.

But that’s not all.

Also available is the new “blind spot-checking radar” that uses a 24GHz spectrum to alert drivers when something enters their blind spots. Amber lights mounted on the wing mirrors blink and beep when there is something in an area the driver can’t typically see. This feature isn’t standard, though. Starting with the 2009 models, it will be an option that many drivers will likely choose.
Studies have found that more than 75 percent of the drivers who used this blind spot-checking technology drove with more confidence. They also felt less pain in their necks because they didn’t need to stretch them as much to check their blind spots. The mirrors and the radar system did it for them.

We’ve done a lot of talking about Ford vehicles. We’ve discussed the F-150, the Focus, the Taurus and others.  But we haven’t said too much about the 2008 Ford Sport Trac. So here are some of the things you should know about this often overlooked vehicle. You might just decide to test-drive one for yourself.

• The starting price for a 2008 Ford Sport Trac is roughly $25,000.
• This vehicle has a 4.6-liter V8 engine with nearly 300 horsepower.
• Have you ever wished in wintertime for a heated windshield?  If so, the Sport Trac has your answer. With a heated windshield, those mornings of standing in the freezing cold and scraping off the ice are a thing of the past.
• You won’t get lost anymore, thanks to the state-of-the-art Navigation System. As an added bonus, the system also has a Reverse Sensing system that tells you when something’s behind you.
• Sport Trac Limited models feature the all-new exclusive Sync system.
• Are you tired of fumbling for your keys in the parking lot? There’s no need for that with the Sport Trac because of its driver door keypad. Simply punch in your code and Voila!, you’ve unlocked the door.

These and other unique features make the Sport Trac a truly great buy. Sometimes the vehicles talked about the least have the best options.

If you’ve been looking for a mid-sized crossover from Ford, look no further. The Edge is one of the most popular Ford vehicles in the automaker’s current lineup. And even though it’s a quality vehicle, Ford continues to make it even better and more attractive to customers.

Ford has made the 2008 Edge more convenient and luxurious than the 2007 model. The most popular new feature is probably the exclusive Sync system that the auto industry has been buzzing about. In fact, many experts in the automotive world cite this voice-activated, hands-free system as one of the main reasons more customers are turning to Ford when it comes time to purchase a new vehicle.

But the Ford Edge has much more than that. The automaker has loaded the 2008 model with safety features. Seat-mounted side air bags are ideal in case of a crash, but Ford’s exclusive Advance Trac system with Roll Stability Control strives to avoid major accidents and rollovers.

You also have three options when deciding on a Ford Edge: the SE, SEL and Limited. With the SE model, you get a 265-horsepower engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. Privacy glass and complete power accessories also come with this mdoel. With the SEL, customers enjoy a sportier look with chrome exhaust, leather steering wheel and shift knob and other features that many drivers crave. The Limited includes leather-trimmed heated seats, a stereo system with nine speakers and dual-climate control.

You simply can’t go wrong with this vehicle. Give it a try and see why it’s better than all the rest.

With rumors circulating that Knight Rider might be added as a regular series to NBC’s fall schedule, I felt I should do some research. As a kid, I enjoyed KITT’s voice. Today, many of us know it better as the voice of the teacher on the corny 1990s sitcom Boy Meets World. As KITT, he had a smarmy tone of voice and even had some sarcastic comments.

But the new KITT seemed different. It might be because it’s new and the voice hasn’t found its own personality yet. So I wanted to find out who does the voice for the new iconic car.

Do you know who it is?

It’s Val Kilmer! I couldn’t believe it when I read it, either. Apparently, the network originally expected Will Arnett from Arrested Development to voice the role.  He even recorded the part for the made-for-TV-movie. But his longstanding relationship with a competing automaker would be in jeopardy if his voice issued through the speakers of any Ford vehicles, let alone the iconic Mustang brand. So he had to “respectfully” withdraw his voice two weeks before the premiere. Methinks the competitor had something to say about his decision, which is why it was so sudden and close to the premiere.

Luckily, Val Kilmer saw the Mustang symbol in the sky and came to save the day. He re-recorded the voice for KITT and signed on to do the voice if the network picked up the show.  And because it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Michael Knight’s son, it also looks like we’ll be hearing a lot more of Val Kilmer’s voice.

If you’re flying in or out of the Detroit Metro Airport any time soon, you might notice a new eco-friendly feature: Ford hydrogen-powered buses. Last week, the company delivered two of these E-450 shuttles for taking visitors and passengers from the plane terminals to the parking lots so they don’t end up walking the entire way.

These helpful Ford vehicles are the first of their kind to be used for commercial purposes. This makes the Ford Motor Company the first automaker to accomplish a feat like this. Could it be that Ford is becoming the leader on the pathway to a cleaner and greener auto industry?

The new Ford buses reduce the CO2 emissions by more than 99 percent. And because they’re hydrogen-powered, they help reduce our dependence on foreign oil (and even domestic oil for that matter). Ford has also delivered several more of these buses to Canada. Places like Parliament Hill in Ottawa and others have been using these hydrogen-powered buses for a while now. And with the help of people like U.S. Congressman John Dingell, it was only natural to bring these environmentally-friendly buses back to Detroit, the home of the auto industry.

Congressman Dingell had this to say about the buses at the airport: “I’m so glad that people coming through Detroit Metropolitan Airport will see this fine example of American engineering when they visit.” With any luck, these types of buses will find their way to many other places throughout the world so we can all enjoy a cleaner environment.

To purchase a new Ford vehicle, please visit our Ford dealers - St. Louis or our Illinois Ford dealerships.

When you hear the word “fiesta,” you generally think of a party. And with the Ford Motor Company’s Fiesta model, the idea of a party isn’t too far off target.

Ford Europe is going to introduce the new and improved model at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in March. The event takes place from March 6-16, to be exact. Although designed and developed in Europe, the Fiesta will be available for sale in markets like Asia, South Africa, Australia and the Americas between now and 2010. The Ford Fiesta is also the company’s first major product of global development, meaning that it will basically be available in its current format in a more widespread market.

According to Ford CEO Alan Mulally, the Fiesta strives to “create a world standard for small-car quality, design and comfort in a vehicle that is as exciting to drive as it is to look at.” In addition, Ford hopes that the Fiesta will bring a broader demographic to the small car market, including a younger crowd and buyers in places like Britain, Spain, and China.

But the Ford Fiesta is not new to the public. It has been around since 1976 and has enjoyed great success in the past. Last year, the model sold more than 378,000 units in Europe alone, making it the second-bestselling model after the Focus. The new Fiesta might be quite different from the older ones you remember, but the automaker wants to keep the name to build on its already successful brand recognition. Keep watching for one of these compact yet comfortable cars among the other Ford vehicles at one of our local dealerships.