#Ford

Yesterday, we f eatured a Ford you can't get here.

Do you want a Ford car -- car, not crossover or SUV -- that isn't a Mustang? Sorry, you're out of luck. At least in this market.

However, if you live overseas, you can get your hand on a good-looking Taurus that will make you forget all about the stormtrooper cars of the '90s or the bulky sedan that was the last Taurus sold here.

On Tuesday, Ford confirmed that the Transit Connect would be removed from the North American market after the 2023 model year. Rumors had circulated that the small van would soon be relegated to Europe – with reputable outlets citing its regional demise back in the summer of 2022. However, this is the first time the company has commented on the matter publicly.

We've lost two models today -- the JDM Toyota Camry and the Jeep Cherokee.

But we're about to gain two more models on the market in exchange. One is planned from Ford -- check back in an hour for something from Toyota.

In today’s Lincoln Mark coverage, we reach the conclusion of the ill-fated and unpopular Mark VI. Though the Mark of 1980 to 1983 was arguably the least interesting entry in the model’s history and the one with the least amount of effort put into it, Lincoln still charged a pretty penny for its PLC. But the market was changing, and so was Lincoln’s lineup.

Ford told investors and analysts today that it expects its electric-vehicle unit to lose $3 billion this year, but that news isn't nearly as dire as it might sound at first glance.

Today's UCTOD is in a color combo that yours truly loves. It's a blue-with-white-racing-stripes 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350.

We're doing something a bit different for the UCOTD today -- we're focusing (sorry) on a 2014 Ford Focus Titanium sedan.

Certified used cars can be a fantastic value and offer manufacturer-backed warranties that make the ownership experience much less stressful. That’s when things are working normally, but some automakers are expanding the certified preowned (CPO) criteria to include older vehicles. 

Last month, we brought you news about Ford CEO Jim Farley lamenting to investors that his company was number one – in recalls. At the time, he refused to place all the blame at the convenient feet of the world’s supply chain, instead pledging some company overhauls – perhaps at the personnel level.

Enter one John Dion, a corporate boss who has apparently implemented so-called ‘lean systems’ at other large companies. His title? Chief Transition Officer.

Changes in the EV tax credit rules have been confusing and made it hard to determine which cars are eligible for credits. Some automakers argued that the rules would unfairly harm their business and ability to compete, and we’re now starting to see how some of the changes are shaking out. Automotive News reported that the top eight EVs in the U.S. in January were built in North America, while Hyundai and Kia fell back.

We continue our Rare Rides coverage of the unfortunate Lincoln Continental Mark VI today, and take a deep dive into its cobbled-together and frequently shuffled trims, the Designer Series in particular. In a last-of moment, the Mark VI quickly lost the exclusivity it once carried as Lincoln’s purveyor of fine designer styling.

While it’s fairly common to hear people argue about the true usefulness of modern automotive features, there are some inclusions nobody seems to mind. Automakers cannot seem to add enough places for people to plug in electrical devices. Parents want USB ports for the entire family, pickup truck owners want outlets tucked into the bed, and people doing vehicle modifications want a simple way to power the accessories they probably didn’t need but decided to buy anyway.

To that effect, Ford has patented a powered roof rail system that seems custom-made for proprietary accessories requiring electricity and it doesn’t even sound like it’ll be all that hard to install.

We return to our Lincoln Mark series today, and the newly Panther-tized Mark VI coupe and sedan. We’ve already examined the exterior differences between Marks V and VI, as Lincoln designers attempted to replicate the successful looks of their late Seventies PLC with much less length and width available. Design freedom was additionally hampered by new platform sharing with the 1980 Continental, for which the Mark VI basically served as a top trim. Today we’ll check out the Mark’s newly modernized interior.

Occasionally, a company comes out with an ad campaign that is so unique that it takes a few minutes to understand what’s going on. Ford just hit that mark with its new Explorer ad, which celebrates the role women have played in the auto industry by highlighting all the things we wouldn’t have without their contributions.