Ford Explorer is America's new favorite police car

There is a new vehicle that you should keep an eye out for when you're going a little too fast down the Interstate. Ford's Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility was the bestselling new law enforcement model in the country last year, and signs show that won't be changing anytime soon.

Ford sold 14,086 Interceptor Utilities in 2013, up 140% from the year before, and 10,897 Interceptor Sedans, up 31%, according to USA Today. Overall, the brand's police sales were up 48 percent, and they were enough to boost the company's law enforcement vehicle market share by 9 points to nearly 50 percent.

The success comes just a few years after it made the decision to finally retire the long-serving Crown Victoria-based cruiser for two more modern vehicles. "We had to reinvent the category," said Chris Terry of Ford Communications to Autoblog. The automaker had to convince police departments that a unibody chassis without a V8 could perform better than a model that had been a law enforcement staple for years.

The keys to the transition have been the Utility's space, performance and standard all-wheel drive. The truck's extra storage space has been welcomed by officers who are being asked to be first responders in many situations, and the EcoBoost version has been the fastest in its class the last three years of testing by the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. Plus, even in places that don't experience much inclement weather, the added traction from AWD is an advantage.

According to Terry, when Ford introduced the new emergency vehicles, it expected sales to be split roughly 50-50 between the Explorer and Taurus. But at times it "has run as high 70 percent Utility." The company appears to have read the market well. As more law enforcement agencies drop their aging Crown Vics, the Blue Oval has replacements at the ready.

Source:  autoblog.com

2015 Ford Mustang Convertible to recreate Empire State Building stunt

It would have been all too easy to miss the auto show debut of the 2015 Ford Mustang convertible. It was, after all, unveiled alongside its fixed-roof counterpart at the Detroit Auto Show this past January, lumping coupe and cabrio into one debut. But Ford is evidently still intent on making its new droptop stand out. The top of the Empire State Building ought to do the trick.

Automotive history buffs may recall that, 50 years ago, Ford unveiled its first Mustang convertible atop what was then the tallest building in the world, that Art Deco icon of the New York skyline. Half a century later, Ford is recreating the feat and bringing the new topless Mustang to the same observation deck on the building's 86th floor.

Getting it up there, of course, will be no easy task. While they'd usually airlift the vehicle onto the roof or lift it by crane, the spire protruding from atop the building makes approaching the narrow observation deck too dangerous, and no mobile crane can telescope the thousand-plus feet it would take to get the pony car up there.

That leaves the elevators, which were too small to accommodate the original Mustang, and this latest one is seven inches longer and four inches wider. So, just like it did in 1964 during the World's Fair, Ford has dispatched a team to take detailed measurements of the elevators and their doors. After they return with their findings, the Blue Oval will dissect the display car and mount the pieces onto custom racks to be reassembled on April 16 in just six hours. Following those efforts, the public will be able to see the Mustang on display for 54 hours on the observation deck, where it just might garner more attention than the panoramic vista behind it.

Source: autoblog.com