| Ford F-150 Lariat Supercrew 2009 wins to the crisis |
| Make way to the best van |
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In more than three decades, Ford's F-150 has been and it is one of the most finished and wished vans.
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Carlos Guzmán
Autoproyecto.com
Ford F-150 has been the van pickup more sold in the United States during more than 30 years, and with the latter generation, Ford claims that it is still like that. Although the economic situation of the manufacturers in Detroit is delicate and they have received so much criticism for concentrating on heavy vehicles, the F-150 keeps on selling well, and it is one of the most solid products of the mark.
For this year 2009, the F-150 can be ordained in 35 different configurations. Our test model, Supercrew Lariat is one of the most luxurious models in the line.
This model includes equipments as a mast and stairs retractable in the later door, to rise more easily to the load box, as well as automatic air conditioning, frill covered in leather, adaptable pedals, multimedia system Sync and equipments for tow, between many others.
Wide and luxurious interior
The first thing that we notice on having raised us to the cabin is it wide and spacious that it is. The model Supercrew has four doors of standard size and aptitude to sit to five persons comfortably. This new model has 6 more inches of space for the legs of the passengers in the later part.
The new redesign of the board and of the console is very modern and functional, and the materials are of high quality. For major space, the later seats double up, leaving a flat apartment to transport objects inside the cabin.
Available optionally there is a finished sound system mark Sony that includes radio and navigation for satellite quite controlled by a screen LCD in the middle of the board.
Engines
The line F-150 offers 3 different engines V8. The Lariat includes the most powerful 5.4 liters V8 that produces 310 horsepowers and 365 pounds - feet of torque. This engine has the flexibility of using the fuel E85 pure, combined with gasoline, or pure gasoline.
The fuel economy is between 14 miles per gallon (MPG) and 20 MPG, what is of be waiting in a vehicle of this size.
As for safety, the Lariat includes bags and air curtains, disc brakes with system anti-lock, electronic control of stability, electronic control antivuelcos, and electronic control that prepares the swaying of the tow.
Handling
After the frill, the F-150 Lariat feels grand, with a soft and controlled suspension; the experience is more than one van luxurious SUV that of a van pickup of work.
To me to seem, Ford F-150 keeps on being one of the vans pickup more compline and wished on the market. This new redesign is excellent from any angle, and he allows us to know that Ford has not remained asleep in the kudos.
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| Sale of the mark fails to the group Penske |
| GM says good-bye to Saturn |
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The motorcars Saturn as that we present they will disappear of the market. In spite of advances with the group Penske, this one did not think how to develop the mark to future. Photo: Saturn
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Manufacturer arranges staggered closing of the mark and of his concessionaires.
Kimberly S. Johnson
Detroit, Michigan / AP
General Motors announced this week that will close his mark of motorcars Saturn after which an agreement was failing to sell it to him to the corporation Penske Automotive Group Inc.
Penske gave for the negotiations completed to buy Saturn, as he told, for his doubts if it might keep on producing vehicles of this mark when it was finishing a manufacture contract with GM.
Fritz Henderson, general manager of GM, announced in a bulletin that Saturn and his concessionaires' network will be closed in a staggered way.
“ It is very disappointing news and it comes after months of hard work of hundreds of personnel dedicated to his work and sellers of Saturn who tried that the new Saturn was a reality”, affirmed Henderson in the bulletin. The Penske announcement, he added, “he told that his decision was based on his interactions neither with GM nor with the concessionaires of Saturn”.
Penske indicated in a bulletin that his agreement had failed with another manufacturer to keep on producing motorcars Saturn after that GM will stop doing it. This led her to finishing the negotiations with GM.
Penske added that he had negotiated terms and conditions for the Saturn production across another manufacturer, but that the directors' meeting of another company pushed the agreement back. Anthony Pordon, spokesman of Penske, refused to identify the above mentioned manufacturer.
“ Without this agreement, the company decided that the risks and suspense about the products availability in the future were preventing the company from going forward with this deal”, pointed out Penske.
General Motors and Penske had agreed in June the transfer of the mark Saturn and his concessionaires, although GM only would produce the vehicles in a limited time.
One was hoping that GM should announce the sale of Saturn to Penske in the next days.
| For defect in carpet of the gas pedal |
| Toyota withdraws million cars |
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The biggest retirement of vehicles carried out by a manufacturer corresponds to Toyota, for a dangerous considered flaw in a series of models. Photo: AP
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They urge owners to remove the carpet of the side of the driver in order to avoid more accidents.
Ken Thomas / AP
The manufacturer Toyota Motor Corp announced that 3 will withdraw from the market million 800 thousand vehicles only in the United States, the biggest measurement of this type in the history of the company in the country, to solve problems with a carpet that it could cause that the gas pedal is united.
The retirement will involve popular models as the Camry, the motorcar of passengers most sold in the country, and the Prius, the hybrid most sold at world scale.
Toyota warned that the notification on the retirement might carry the owners of the vehicles out in the first two weeks of October. A spokesman indicated that until the company should find a solution, the proprietors must remove the carpet in the side of the driver and not replace it.
“ A united gas pedal can cause very high speeds and make difficult to brake the vehicle, which might cause a shock, serious wounds or the death”, admitted Miller.
Toyota and the government expressed warnings separately to the proprietors of vehicles Toyota and Lexus about the problems with the carpets.
“ East is an urgent matter”, affirmed the Secretary of Transport, Ray LaHood. “For the good of any world, we exhort with insistence the proprietors of these vehicles to withdraw the carpets and other obstacles that could lead to not intentional acceleration”, he warned.
The NHTSA indicated that it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the gas pedal could have been united.
The safety worries were caused by a transport shock of big intensity in California happened in August, in which four members of a family lost the life close to San Diego.
| Italian racing team confirms agreement of three years |
| Hispanic Alonso passes to Ferrari |
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Pilot Spanish Fernando Alonso walks to the meeting of the engineers of Renault, to whose racing team was grateful. Alonso was twice a champion of Formula 1 with Renault. Photo: Vincent Thian
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Spanish pilot replaces Finn Kimi Raikkonen and he will be a partner of the Brazilian Felipe Massa.
Marranello, Italy
AP
Ferrari announced what had been an increasing rumor: that finally reached an agreement so that the Spanish Fernando Alonso is his pilot during three periods from the next Formula one world cup, in 2010.
Alonso, twice champion with Renault, will replace the Finn Kimi Raikkonen and will take the Brazilian Felipe Massa as a partner, as indicated Ferrari in a bulletin. The Italian Giancarlo Fisichella will be the third pilot.
“ I feel very happy to be able to be Ferrari's pilot”, mentioned Alonso on his Internet page. “To lead a single-seater of 'Cavallino Rampante' represents a sleep for any careers pilot, and this Wednesday, the 30th of September I am lucky to be able to fulfill a sleep”, it added.
Alonso is the active pilot most honored with his two world qualifications conquered in 2005 and 2006.
After a brief step with McLaren in 2007, it returned to Renault for the last two periods.
Alonso showed enthusiast for taking Massa as a new companion.
“ I am sure that along with Felipe, we will be able to give big happy moments to Ferrari and to his many fans distributed all over the world”, he affirmed.
Ferrari's bulletin added that the tie with Raikkonen, whose contract was expiring in 2010, will be cancelled at the end of the current period. Raikkonen, according to press versions, might happen to McLaren.
“ Surely we want to thank Kimi for everything what it has done during his step with Ferrari. In his first year with us it gained the world title, enriching Ferrari's history, and had a vital role in the securing of the builders' championships in 2007 and 2008”, noticed.
“ Even in a period as difficult as this one, it demonstrated his big talent with several excellent results, including a big victory in Spa, and we are sure that we will be able to share satisfactory moments in the last three careers of the period”, it added.
Alonso's incorporation to Ferrari was an open secret in the huddles of the F1, however much the racing team tried to keep it secret.
Alonso indicated that last year had signed a contract from 2011, but that the situation changed in the last days and for them “we have decided to anticipate my arrival to Maranello one year earlier”.
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