It turns out that not only is the Ford Mustang the fastest muscle-car on the road—in the shape of the +200-mph Ford Shelby GT500—but it’s also the fastest—and only—car to garner 4 million fans on Facebook.

“We are very fortunate to have such a passionate fan base,” said Scott Monty, Ford’s head of social media. “Every fan, owner and enthusiast—regardless of age—feels a connection with Mustang, and that affinity is reciprocated through the online content we share with them.”

That content has included:

• Plenty of video, such as the 2013 Ford Mustang commercial from this year’s Daytona 500, which was viewed more than a million times and generated over 80,000 Facebooks “likes.”
• Integration of the Mustang Customizer on the car’s Facebook page, allowing fans to design their own dream cars, save them as computer “wallpaper” and show them off to other enthusiasts.
• Preview images of the 2013 Mustang prior to its launch in Los Angeles.
• Ford Facebook chats with Mustang mavens like Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer of Ford’s SVT group; Jim Farley, Ford’s chief marketing officer and a noted Mustang enthusiast; and the late Carroll Shelby, the legendary genius behind numerous iconic Mustangs.

And there will be more to come, as Ford remains committed to supporting the millions of Mustang lovers who make Facebook a top online destination everyday. As explained by Thomais Zaremba, Ford’s manager of Digital Marketing: “Facebook is a social network that exceeds 750 million users. We know there are more Mustang fans out there, and we look forward to inviting them to our Facebook community.”

Even after completing four years of college education—give or take—most graduates still may not be experts at picking a new vehicle. Luckily, however, TotalCarScore.com is available to provide a “Cliff’s Notes” version of proper purchasing etiquette that puts the Ford Focus right up at the head of the class. It’s the website’s 2012 list of “10 Best Cars for College Graduates,” which recognized the best vehicle choices that offer particularly high grades in safety, comfort, fuel efficiency and performance, all at a grad-friendly price of under $25,000.

For starters, the Focus has a price tag as low as $16,500 for the sedan, or $18,300 for the five-door hatchback, and both body styles can deliver a few lessons on fuel efficiency. In fact, even with a perky 160-hp I4 that delivers 20 percent more horsepower than the four-cylinder in the 2011 model, the current Focus SFE sedan can reach 28 mpg city/40 mpg highway/33 mpg combined.

Focus is about to set new benchmarks on each side of the power and efficiency balance, with the high-performance Focus ST and high-efficiency Focus Electric. The former hosts a 2.0-liter performance-tuned EcoBoost I4 engine that makes 252 hp and 270 lb.-ft. of torque, available six-way leather Recaro seats, and a three-mode stability control system for optimum handling in all driving scenarios; the latter offers better MPGe marks than a Nissan LEAF—with the Ford rated at 110 MPGe city/99 MPGe highway/105 MPGe combined—as well as a longer all-electric driving range; and the Focus Electric can recharge twice as fast, too.

(TotalCarScore.com is a website that aggregates reviews and ratings from other top automotive resources across the country, then uses math to create, well, Total Car Scores. The goal: Create “an industry-wide vehicle assessment that lets new and used car shoppers quickly and easily identify how vehicles rank.”)

Managing the 662 hp and 631 lb.-ft. of torque that comes with the world’s most powerful production V8—found only in the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500—may sound like a challenge for even the most skilled drivers, but it isn’t: Thanks to the car’s factory-installed launch-control system, just about any driver at all can enjoy neck-snapping acceleration with a safe and surprisingly smooth liftoff.

“Launch control is essentially a special mode of the traction control system that integrates the brake and engine management systems to keep the tires balanced on the peak of the mu-slip curve in order to achieve maximum thrust,” explained John Pfeiffer, a senior engineer with Ford’s SVT Vehicle Engineering group. “With so much more power and torque on tap from the new 5.8-liter V8, launch control makes it easier for drivers to take advantage of the performance.”

The system is easy to use, too, with drivers able to engage launch control either through the car’s “Track Apps” technology, via a 4.2-inch LCD screen, or by using a switch on the left side of the instrument panel. After that, it’s just a matter of flooring the gas pedal and releasing the clutch in the same manner as for a typical launch—except that now the system keeps the engine spinning at a consistent speed and manages the brakes for just the right combination of wheel spin and traction.

The Shelby’s launch-control setup also ensures drivers can find their own comfort levels by fine-tuning the engine speed in 100-rpm steps from 3,000 rpm up to 4,500 rpm.

“For drivers who want to have some fun at their local drag strip with a stock machine, the 2013 Shelby GT500 is the ultimate bracket racer,” said Eddie Khan, SVT Engineering supervisor. “We’ve given our drivers the ability to exert control over all the power and torque this Mustang can produce.”

The most affordable and fuel-efficient hybrid utility vehicle in America will soon be on sale at Ford dealerships across the country, but early adopters should take note: The order bank for the 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid is open now, making it easy to reserve a vehicle that will be both more efficient and more than $500 less costly than its top rival, the Toyota Prius v.

Not only that, but the C-MAX also is slated to deliver more total cargo space, more headroom for both front- and rear-seat occupants, more horsepower, more torque, and a higher top speed in all-electric driving.

Other Ford advantages in the C-MAX include available features like:

• SYNC with MyFord Touch
• The next-generation SmartGauge with EcoGuide efficiency-coaching system
• A hands-free liftgate that can be opened with a “kicking” motion under the rear bumper
• The first advanced lithium-ion battery pack ever used in a Ford hybrid
• A regenerative-braking system that is so efficient it can capture up to 95 percent of the energy usually lost in slowing a vehicle

And remember, Ford will launch the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid before the end of the year as well, and it also will outperform its Prius rival with better efficiency in all-electric driving and a longer all-electric driving range.

“C-MAX Hybrid offers better fuel economy, performance, technology and functionality than Prius v—and C-MAX Hybrid customers will pay less at the dealership and at the pump,” said Ken Czubay, vice president of U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service for the Ford Motor Company. “Ford is delivering the power of choice for leading fuel economy across its lineup—from EcoBoost to electrified vehicles—because customers increasingly want to save money at the pump, even as gas prices rise over time.”

The 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid will be priced from $25,995 and built here in America at the automaker’s Wayne (Mich.) Assembly Plant.

The breakthrough appearance of the new 2013 Ford Fusion has attracted the attention of the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA), which recently presented the dynamic new sedan with its the Gene Ritvo Award for Design and Elegance. The honor is given each year for the effort that best “defines excellence in design” in any aspect of the industry, from concept cars to production vehicles to marketing campaigns. Making the award that much more satisfying: It’s presented in conjunction with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) and the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, two organizations known for their dedication to excellence in design.

“When reviewing all the entries for the Design and Elegance Award,” said Meghan Melvin of the MFA. “We appreciated the simplicity of line of the Fusion’s detailing, the subtle shaping of the hood and the distinctive front composition of the vehicle.”

It made for a well-deserved reward for Ford designers, who created the fresh shape of the Fusion by relying on five key elements:

• Silhouette innovation—Unlike the typical “three-box” silhouette of many of its rivals, the new Ford has a notably sleek and flowing profile.
• Perceived efficiency—Not only does the 2013 Fusion deliver superior fuel efficiency, but it also looks the part, with sweeping character lines and thin roof pillars that “suggest the car is nimble and light on its feet.”
• Refined surface language—The Fusion’s smooth skin distinguishes it from rivals that pack on the visual clutter.
• Technical graphics—Key functional design elements of the next-gen Fusion, including its headlamps, LED tail lamps and polished exhaust tips, were specifically designed to emphasize the car’s advanced technologies.
• New face—The Fusion sets the global design template for Ford’s next wave of mainstream cars.

“It is an honor to accept this award on behalf of the team behind the all-new Ford Fusion,” said Chris Hamilton, Fusion chief designer. “The 2013 Fusion has a revolutionary design that puts an accent on elegance: It has a sophisticated feel and a sleek profile setting it apart from traditional midsize sedans.”

A true automotive icon, Carroll Shelby died recently in Texas after a lifetime as one of the industry’s most passionate performance innovators. Born in 1923 in Leesburg, Texas, Shelby also was a skilled racer who was named Sports Illustrated’s Driver of the Year in both 1956 and 1957, and whose on-track accomplishments included co-driving an Aston Martin to victory in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, it was his efforts as a performance engineer that would bring him his greatest fame.

After unleashing the original (and Ford-powered) Shelby Cobra in the early 1960s, Shelby was tapped to help the Blue Oval improve its racing program for the Ford GT40. The results? While none of the first three pre-Shelby GT40s even managed to finish Le Mans in their initial outing, just two years later, in 1966, the racers delivered a 1-2-3 finish in the grueling event, then went on to take three more Le Mans titles in a row.

The mid-1960s then saw Shelby turn his attention to Ford’s muscle car, developing legendary performance vehicles like the Mustang Shelby GT350 in 1965, the Mustang Shelby GT500 for 1967, and, in 1968, the Shelby GT500KR, aka, the King of the Road. However, Shelby and Ford went their separate ways after 1970, and they wouldn’t work together again for more than three decades. In the interim, Shelby put his mark on some of the world’s first sport compacts, including the Dodge Shelby Charger, Plymouth Omni GLH and Dodge Daytona Shelby.

But when the Blue Oval was looking to revive the GT40 in the early 2000s, the company once again went looking for Shelby, who returned to the Ford fold to help create the Ford GT and launch a new generation of Mustang-based Shelbys—culminating in the incredible 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500, packing the world’s most powerful production V8 and a top speed north of 200 mph.

Said Edsel B. Ford II, the great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford: “Today, we have lost a legend in Ford Motor Company’s history, and my family and I have lost a dear friend. Carroll Shelby is one of the most recognized names in performance car history, and he’s been successful at everything he’s done. Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene or building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him. He was a great innovator whose legend at Ford never will be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

A fair number of new vehicles today offer the same wealth of driver-assist technologies as the redesigned 2013 Ford Fusion, but the problem is, it also takes plenty of wealth to afford them. That won’t be the case with the Fusion, though, since it will be the first midsize family sedan in the country to offer such a wide range of safety measures, trumping rivals like the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord.

Available on the new Fusion will be:

• A lane-keeping system that uses a camera to “recognize” lane markings and can then alert the driver if the car seems to be drifting out of its proper position. The technology can even “nudge” the Fusion back into the center of the lane by adjusting the torque going to its front wheels.
• Driver-alert technology capable of detecting driving patterns that may indicate a drowsy operator is behind the wheel. The system then deploys a series of alerts, including an illuminated “coffee cup” icon, to remind Fusion owners it may be time for a break.
• Pull-drift compensation, which can tell if the Fusion is changing direction without input from the driver—e.g., in a strong crosswind—then use the car’s electronic power-assisted steering to deliver gradual course corrections.
• Adaptive cruise control with collision warning, able to leverage a radar sensor to automatically ensure the Fusion maintains a safe following distance when cruising; if the system detects that the car is closing too rapidly on a vehicle ahead of it, the technology also provides visual and audible alerts to notify the driver.
• Blind-spot information system with cross-traffic alert, designed to alert drivers to vehicles in the Fusion’s blind spots—both on the road and when backing out of a parking space.

“These new sensing technologies help extend the driver’s own senses, providing a level of assistance never before available to the family sedan buyer,” said Adrian Whittle, Ford Fusion chief engineer. “The new Fusion launches this year with these advanced technologies—making them more affordable and available than ever before.”

From: Tampa Honda Dealers Via: Quicken Loans

Even families who don’t need three rows of seating can have plenty to carry, and for those folks, the new 2013 Escape has plenty of room. In fact, the next-gen crossover from Ford will offer more cargo space than the current version, along with a wealth of innovative storage solutions unavailable anywhere else.

For example, the redesigned Escape will showcase a sunglasses holder built into its overhead console, a clip for holding toll tickets and parking stubs integrated into both front-seat sun visors, a floor bin for second-row passengers, a storage compartment hidden beneath the rear-seat floor mats, a front-center console with dual USB ports and room for a 1.5-liter beverage bottle, and even dedicated umbrella storage.

The Escape also delivers easy access to its rear cargo hold, with the segment’s first hands-free power liftgate. With this nifty available feature, owners can use a “gentle kicking motion” beneath the Escape’s rear bumper to both open and close the hatch door—without need to fumble for their keys. Also, according to Ford: “The system safeguards against accidental opening by being programmed to open with leg motion— not when an animal runs underneath or when the vehicle hits a bump on the road.”

The rear seats of the Escape fold flat with just a single button, too, for a maximum cargo capacity of more than 68 cubic feet.

The 2013 Ford Escape is slated to go on sale soon with an MSRP that starts at $22,470—just $205 more than the 2012 model.

It’s out with the old and in with the new at Ford’s Cleveland Engine Plants. Ford is phasing out production at Plant No. 2, but then adding a third shift at Plant No. 1, dedicated solely to building more EcoBoost engines. The increased production will add 250 jobs at the latter, with most being filled by team members from the former.

What’s behind the move? Continued surging demand for the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine built at the Cleveland facility, available in products like the Ford F-150, Ford Taurus SHO and Ford Flex, as well as the Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT. And notably, the powerful yet efficient engine also is the high-performance choice in Ford’s new Police Interceptors. Last year alone, customers bought a record 121,000 vehicles that rely on the powerplant, and then helped set another new benchmark in the first quarter of 2012 by purchasing another 39,000 models holstering that engine—an increase of 285 percent over the same period in 2011.

“Our engine plant in Cleveland is the first and only facility in North America to produce EcoBoost engines, and we are tripling production capacity to meet customers’ growing needs for fuel-efficient engines,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. “EcoBoost engines are a key part of our plan to give customers the power of choice—from EcoBoost-powered vehicles and hybrids to plug-in hybrids and full electrics.”

The Cleveland complex also builds the naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V6 that is the base engine for the Ford Mustang—showcasing 305 hp and 31 mpg highway—and the F-150—the country’s top-selling V6 full-size pickup.