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I never used to make New Year resolutions. The dream of owning a Ford GT was never more likely to happen if I made it my resolution to get one and the mundane day-to-day stuff seemed so in control to me that I didn’t feel I needed to change anything. All this altered a few years ago when I woke up on 1 January with yet another blistering headache ready to make my brain pop. I vowed never to drink again and I didn’t. . . for three days. There were other things on my list that I did stick to like getting a better job, getting in shape (although that’s going back on the list this year) and to start a band and record a demo – it was a successful year.

Since then I’ve religiously stuck to a few key resolutions, one of which this year will be to change my car (it’s a sort of self improvement). Ford will also be hoping your resolution will be to ditch your used Ford Ka or alternative and buy a new one when it launches in January. There is quite a major problem that Ford face however and I liken it to the rock band The Darkness.

For those unfamiliar with The Darkness they were formed in the early nineties by brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins. Recruiting two old friends on bass and drums respectively, The Darkness wrote songs that harked back to the glam metal and classic rock of Led Zeppelin, T-Rex, AC/DC and Queen. In a world where hip hop, R ‘n’ B and shiny pop were ruling the airwaves, The Darkness in their spandex and with their cheesy rock were destined to be a massive failure. Yet somehow, amazingly, they weren’t.

In 2003 they burst onto an unsuspecting public and guitar music was reborn. Their debut album went to number one for four weeks in the UK and sold 1. 5 million copies. They toured the world with superstars like Metallica, won two Brit Awards in 2004, had a massive Christmas single and were on every form of media constantly. Yet when it came to following up this unexpected success, they were unable to do so. Their bassist quit, singer Justin went into rehab and their second album flopped, resulting in the record company cancelling their contract.

Ford are in the same boat with the Ka (albeit a less musical one). Part of Ford’s ‘New Edge’ design philosophy in 1996, the Ka was so futuristically styled when it launched that it had the potential to send any prospective customers running away screaming. I was on the verge of calling NASA the first time I saw one. Even today the old car looks fresh so it’s no wonder that Ford have let the original Ka design run for 13 years.

Yet people didn’t run away – they loved it. With a combination of styling that was ahead of its time but appreciated, good build quality, nippy 1. 3 litre engine and neat and tidy handling – particularly around town, the Ka sold in droves. Crucially it attracted young women to the Ford brand and the Ka was so small they could carry it around it their handbags. With the Ka becoming every bit a style icon as good little car, Ford developed a brand loyalty with its Ka owners that boosted sales across its range.

Now you see the size of the new Ka’s task. A used Ford Ka is ridiculously cheap and on average will be £4,000 cheaper (for a two year old model) than the new derivative. The new car is also a Fiat 500 and Panda in drag (well all the unpinnings are the same) but it doesn’t look anywhere near as good. Despite it being the ugly step-sister of the Italian firm the Ka is streets ahead when it comes to the driving experience. The Ford PR guff said the new Ka had “the most exciting driving dynamics of any small car” and this is the case.

To encourage buyers you can also choose from three ‘personalisation packs’ for your new car: Digital Art, Grand Prix and Tattoo. What? Well basically each pack contains exterior graphics, matching coloured seat fabric colours, steering wheel and floor mats. It’s clear that Ford is aiming to retain its young female customer base which considering the number of fans of it, isn’t surprising.

The new Ka then, is Ford’s second difficult second album and you may be better sticking with their original material. It’s ironic that despite the new car being a good one, the success of its elder means that it may very well be judged a failure. Time and how well it fits inside a handbag will tell.

Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company, currently the third largest carmaker in the world, with the Dodge Brothers in 1903. While Henry Ford has been building motor vehicles before this, 1903 is the year when he, supported by twelve investors, established the famous company.

Ford’s first cars were named chronologically with letters: the model A was introduced in 1903 for example. In 1904 Ford introduced the world famous T Model that was to become a symbol of the American motorcar industry.

In 1907 Ford launched its current Blue Oval Trademark but it wasn’t until 1928 that a Model A had the first version of the familiar Ford script.

Henry Ford had witnessed a huge success with his vehicles especially with the T Model and by the early 1910’s he expanded overseas, with production facilities in France, Denmark and Germany, England and Austria.

When the First World War started, Ford was producing half of the cars being sold in the US and almost half of all cars being produced in England. During the war, Ford produced many of its cars for the military.
In 1922, Ford acquired Lincoln Motor Company in the desire of expanding its market share as Ford wanted to enter the luxurious car market.

By 1941, Ford owned the largest assembly plant in the world and during the World War II Ford produced not only your standard military vehicles, but also B-24 Liberator bombers and tanks.

Henry Ford died in 1947 and by that time Ford was a reputed world carmaker. It is said that over seven million people paid their final respects at his funeral.

Post WWII Ford was a company that developed and evolved very fast. Many famous models were produced in the 1950s and the 1960s, such as the Thunderbird (1955), the F-1 truck (1948) and the Mustang (1964). Ford also continued to develop and implement the latest technologies in their cars and they had become one of the most important carmakers in the world during the Cold War.

During that time Ford Motor Company continued to expand overseas, looking for other possible investments. In 1979 they bought a quarter of the Japanese carmaker Mazda, in 1987 Ford bought Aston Martin and in 1989 Ford acquired Jaguar. In 1999 Ford acquired Volvo and Land Rover in 2000.

In 2003 Ford Motor Company celebrated its 100th birthday and it introduced a series of special commemorative cars, such as the new Ford Mustang. In the recent years Ford has faced some financial problems (the company reported losses of over $12 billion for the 2006 fiscal year) that led to the selling of some of the brands from the Ford group: Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover.

 As gas prices in the United States continue to soar the Ford Motor Company will need to keep pace with current market trends and foreign manufacturers know for smaller cars and better fuel economy to stay a viable and profitable business.

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!–[if !mso]> Tracing back the beginning of Ford Falcons, history has it that Ford Falcon, together with Chrysler Valiant and Chevrolet Corvair, was introduced as compact cars. This is because during those times, larger vehicles are not yet well accepted in the market and were not making huge profits. Compact cars, like Ford Falcon, were made to accommodate the needs of wives and women who were looking for a small and affordable car. Women, at that time, did not want to drive large and bulky vehicles because it looked awkward and burdensome.

When it was first introduced, Ford Falcon had a 2. 4 liter engine that was small and light. During that time, Ford Falcon was available in three levels: sedans with two or four doors, station wagons with also two or four doors, and car based pick-up. Ford Falcon at that time also had a unibody construction and a good standard suspension. In Australia, the best place to purchase a quality Ford Falcon is at Macarthur Ford. Macarthur Ford strives to be different from any other Ford dealer and provides a kind of service surpassed only by the quality of the vehicles they sell. Macarthur Ford is not just another motor dealership in Australia. Their staff lives and breathes to serve their customers and is all very dedicated to the Australian community and its people.

Macarthur Automotive believes in their roots of integrity. They believe that a local business with integrity and honesty has the all the chances to succeed in a world where almost every business is a competitor. Having accommodated thousands of satisfied clients over many years, Macarthur Ford or Macarthur Automotive believes in a professional and polite approach when relating to their customers. Because of this kind of approach customers are always back, time and time again.

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Ford has manufactured the 2009 Ford Edge as a premium crossover SUV that is based around the Ford CD3 platform, which it shares with the Mazda6 and is effectively modified from the Lincoln MKX. The Mazda CX-9 crossover, the Mercury Milan, the Lincoln MKZ and the Ford Fusion sedans all share its platform.

Being a crossover car, the Edge tries to bridge the gap between the minivans like the Freestar, and the more truck-based SUVs such as the Ford Explorer. However, The Edge is officially positioned below the Taurus in Ford’s lineup of crossover SUVs, although it is not significantly smaller than the Taurus.

As a crossover vehicle, the Edge bridges the gap between minivans like the since discontinued Freestar, and truck-based sport utility vehicles such as the Explorer. The Edge officially slots below the Taurus X in Ford’s crossover SUV lineup, although it is not much smaller than that model.

The 2009 Ford Edge uses a 3. 5 liter V6 engine that churns out over 250 horsepower, as well as a x6 speed automatic transition. Of course, front wheel drive is standard, though all-wheel drive is an optional extra. This model has several impressive safety features, including front/side and front/rear airbags, anti-lock brakes on all four wheels, an ESC, and a sophisticated tire-pressure monitoring system.

The Edge series made its public debut at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in January 2006, with production starting in the October 2006 as a 2007 model, with the first ones reaching dealerships just before December 25, 2006, because of a brief delay in production due to issues with the supplier. The 2009 Ford Edge implements Ford’s front end design with a three bar chrome grille.

The car’s fuel economy in the US is rated at fifteen to sixteen miles per gallon when in the city, and twenty-two to twenty-four miles per gallon on the highway. The Ford Edge is available with both front-wheel and all-wheel drive. Initially introduced in 2007 with the three trim levels of SEL, SE, and SEL Plus, the latter was eventually replaced by the Limited trim in late 2008.

Standard accompaniments on all versions of the 2009 Ford Edge includes air conditioning; lumbar support on the driver’s seat; cruise control; power windows, door locks and mirrors; a remote keyless entry; tilt and telescopic steering wheel; and P235/65R17 tires with alloy wheels. The safety equipment on the car includes standard front airbags as well as front side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags. There are anti-lock brakes, a innovative system to monitor tire-pressure and an electronic stability control.

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Traffic safety is one of the major concerns of auto manufacturers. That is why a group of car manufacturers have been formed to continually develop safety devices for their vehicles. One of the newcomers to the group is Ford Motor Company.

The Dearborn based company announced just recently that they will be sharing their expertise to the group’s effort. The Global Human Body Models Consortium LLC, as the group is named, was formed on April of last year. The group’s aim is to develop human body models which will allow them to design better life saving devices.

Ford has joined other car manufacturers in the group. DaimlerChrysler AG. , the General Motors Corp. , Honda Motor Co. , Hyundai Motor Co. , Nissan Motor Corp. , the PSA Peugeot-Citroën, Renault s. a. s. , Takata Corp. , the Toyota Motor Corp. and the TRW Inc. are the other members of the consortium.

Ford made known that they would be making their human body model available to the group. For 14 years now, the company has been developing computer human body models which they have been using to develop restraint systems for their vehicles which complement Ford bumpers which are designed to absorb most of the energy generated during a front end collision. The company has developed the most advanced computer human body model which shows the bodies of human beings in microscopic details.

The said model allows researchers to study how certain car crashes affect a person. The full human body model is the most advanced model ever developed by a car manufacturer. The model’s most advanced feature is the detailed representation of the human brain and internal organs.

In 1993, the company started the model bit by bit. Through the years, the company has created computer models of different body parts. The head, neck, ribcage, abdomen, thoracic and lumbar spine, internal organs of the chest and abdomen, pelvis, and the upper and lower extremities were developed from 1993 until 2004.

In 2004, the different parts were brought together to form a detailed and very complete human body model. During the construction of the model, researchers for Ford gathered data from MRI scans and human anatomy texts. After the construction of the model, Ford researchers validated it by cadaver testing. Volunteer human testing was also done to make sure that the model indeed represents the human body in a very detailed form.

“The Human Body Model will help reduce physical testing on component and full-scale levels during vehicle development,” says Dr. Saeed Barbat, the manager of the Passive Safety Research and Advanced Engineering for the Ford Motor Company. “It will also be used to develop more sophisticated instrumentation that could lead to more human-like crash dummies,” added Barbat further. The human body model’s most notable characteristic is the very detailed spine model. The company has succeeded in creating a model spine with all the vertebrae segments and cartilage present. Aside from that, the detailed human brain model also allow researchers to study how a person’s head can be damaged by certain crashes and thereby allowing them to create a device or safety feature to prevent severe brain damage caused by car crashes.

The consortium will be able to use this technology developed by Ford to create better restraint systems to further protect motorists. The group has already asked for proposals from different research and university groups all over the e world. From these proposals, the group is planning to select five which will be tasked to study the reaction of different body parts in cases of crashes. The group has announced that the Phase One of their plan is the development of six computer human body models. Large, medium, and small male and female models will have to be created which will be used in the next phase of their plan. The group projects that the six models will be developed by the year 2011.

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