Two Anti-Hooning Ads from Different Ends of the Spectrum

In Australia and New Zealand, “hooning” is a term applied to any anti-social and often dangerous behavior behind the wheel of a car. Burnouts, car surfing and illegal street racing all fall under this rather broad definition. And it’s an ever-growing problem. Each year there are more reports like, “Hoons kill innocent driver in Dandenong, say police” and, “Man killed in Burwood Highway 'hoon' crash.”
So it’s obvious that cracking down on hooning is very important to the governments of both nations. Here we have two adverts, one from Oz and one from Kiwiland, that use tactics both old and new to get their message across. The Aussie one plays on that, “If you hoon, you’ll lose your car” message while the NZ one plays on the, “If you hoon, you’ll lose your life” vibe. Who knew that New Zealand’s roads were covered with hidden landmines?
Both are simple and – I think – effective at getting their messages across. And of course there’s a previous-gen Ford Falcon XR6 and Holden Commodore SS to placate the Aussie car enthusiasts. Check these anti-hooning ads out below and leave your comments.

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2013 Ford Taurus

Long relegated as a mid-tier, mid-size sedan, the Ford Taurus was one of those cars that needed a refreshed styling, especially considering the growing number of competitors coming out on the market these days.

Fortunately, the people at Ford seem to have taken the challenge to task by introducing a refreshed and much-improved 2013 Taurus at the New York Auto Show.

Suffice to say, it was a tough task for Ford to shed some of the negative stereotypes given to the Taurus. A lot of people said it was chubby while some had pointed words on the car’s overall design.

For the 2013 model, Ford seems to have addressed a lot of these connotations, giving the car a more appealing look to quiet down its naysayers. While the styling refresh certainly gave the Taurus a more palatable appearance, its the addition of a new engine - a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo engine - that seems to have given the Taurus the right kind of buzz.

The styling package for the 2013 Ford Taurus remains largely the same as that of the current generation, although there are a few styling tweaks done to differentiate it from the existing model, including restyled headlamps, a new trapezoidal grille, a new front bumper, modified taillights that now come with larger LED lights, and a set of new allow wheels.

Inside, changes were also done, albeit in a subtle and discreet fashion. The dashboard has been redesigned to go along with a new steering wheel and a number of new technological additions, including the new MyFord Touch system.

Despite the new details on the car, the pricing for the 2013 Ford Taurus has not yet been announced. If we were to make a guesstimate on the tag, we’ll peg it at somewhere around $25,995, the base price given to the recent Taurus types, including the 2010 model.

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NHTSA Investigates 200,000 Ford Escape and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs for Shattering Tailgate Glass

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it has opened a preliminary investigation concerning 200,000 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs from the 2010 and 2011 model years, after receiving several complaints that the window glass in the tailgate allegedly shattered without warning.

The safety agency said it received 18 complaints noting that “the liftgate window glass shattered spontaneously, while opening the liftgate or while closing the liftgate. In one alleged injury incident, the complainant and her 10 year old son were cut by glass fragments."

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Euro-spec Ford Focus to Bring Internet Access to the Masses in 2012

The European division of Ford announced on Monday that its Sync system with MyFord Touch will feature WiFi connectivity on the new Focus starting from 2012. The infotainment system will create a password-protected WiFi hotspot inside the car allowing up to five devices to be connected. The service will be free of charge, as the in-car internet connection will use customers' existing USB modems or compatible smartphones to access the web. Read more »

Ford Says F-150 Orders with EcoBoost V6 on the Rise

With gas prices on the rise again, an increasing number of Ford F-150 buyers looking to save some (let’s not get carried away here…) cash at the pump without compromising on power are turning to the company’s new EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine. According to Ford, demand for the EcoBoost engine in the F-150 has increased each month since production began in January. In March, one in every four (25%) models sold in the States was equipped with the force-fed V6, increasing to around 35 percent in April. Read more »

Celebrating 50 Years of Queensland’s Lakeside Park [with Gallery]

Nestled somewhat innocuously behind a golf course in Pine Rivers Shire, South East Queensland, Australia, is historic Lakeside Park Raceway. It holds the distinction as the Queensland’s first permanent, purpose-built racetrack and has sat - for fifty years - on the banks of Lake Kurwongbah. It is a monument to both motorsport and Australia’s can-do attitude, having been built on a foundation of favors, borrowed equipment and volunteer labor - not to mention a former dairy farm.

It is 2.4 km (1.5 miles) of bitumen and yet, it is so much more. Several Aussie motorsport legends – including Dick Johnson, Tony Longhurst and Mick Doohan – cut their teeth at Lakeside. It may not share the prestige or recognition afforded to other tracks like Mount Panorama or Philip Island, but to those who know it Lakeside is just as beloved.

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Steam Whistle Brewery’s “Retro Electro” Injects Some Green Cred into Some Detroit Old Iron

When I say, “Electric Pickup,” you no doubt think of either the Ssangyong Actyon Sports-derived Phoenix SUT or one of those toy-like, Chinese-built neighborhood electric vehicles. What you may not think of is a bright green 1958 Chevy Apache owed by Canada’s Steam Whistle Brewery and recharged via wind power.

No, this isn’t a late April Fool’s Day joke: this is serious. And being green is serious business for Steam Whistle, which – among other things – uses renewable energy, recycles damn-near everything and supports various environmental causes as a sideline to its beer brewing enterprise.

Brewery manager Mike Kiraly came up with the idea of electrifying the ol’ girl and even uses it as his daily driver. He explains his brainwave: “What if we could take a sexy vintage ride, save it from the metal scrap heap and outfit it with a zero-tailpipe-emissions engine. Old-school style combined with a modern conscience.”

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2013 Ford Taurus

The New York Auto Show will welcome the world premiere of Ford’s updated for the 2013 model year, Taurus. For those of you that want the short story, Ford’s chubby-looking mid-size model receives a minor exterior makeover, a redesigned dashboard and improved materials inside, plus changes to the engine lineup that include the introduction of a new 2.0-liter turbocharged four banger.

In more detail, the 2013 Taurus gains a new face that’s distinguished by an inverted trapezoid grille along with a redesigned front bumper and re-sculptured hood. At the back, Ford’s designers raised the rear quarter panels and added larger LED tail lamps, while the new alloy wheel designs round off the changes.

The range-topping Taurus SHO, boast the same updates as the rest of the range adding a black mesh grille and matching mirrors, 19-inch alloys in 255/45 ZR19 tires plus a unique decklid-mounted spoiler.

Inside, the new model year brings a redesigned dashboard with an all-new instrument panel, steering wheel and center console, and according to Ford, higher quality materials. Updated technology features include the company’s MyFord Touch technology, which replaces numerous buttons, knobs and gauges with touch screens and steering wheel-mounted toggle controls.

The most important news, however, is the addition of Ford’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbo engine to the range. The force-fed 4-cylinder is expected to deliver an estimated 237HP and 250 lb.-ft. of torque while returning a fuel economy of at least 31 mpg on the highway.

In addition, Ford improved the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which now delivers 255 lb.-ft. of torque and 290 horsepower, up from 263 horsepower in the current model. According to Ford, the revised 3.5-liter EcoBoost is anticipated to deliver around 3 percent better highway fuel economy.

There are no changes to the SHO’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost, which continues with 365HP and 350 lb.-ft. of torque for the 2013MY.

All engines are linked to a six-speed automatic transmission.

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