Win a Spa Package!

In addition, if you stop by the Borgman Booth at the Sports & Fitness Expo Friday, May 10, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. you can enter to win a Mother’s Day Spa Package!

So be sure to stop by and say hi!

Location: DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Avenue, downtown Grand Rapids

• Free and open to the public
• Late Registration/Packet Pick-up/Race Changes for all May 11 events
• Interactive displays including the Starbucks Refreshers Café, Gazelle Sports Store, Douglas J’s Relaxation Zone, PowerBar sampling, 100+ health and fitness vendors, apparel sales, prize drawings, and event day parking, traffic and course information
• Annual Pasta Dinner, 4:30-8p  Variety of fresh pastas (including Gluten-free), salad, rolls and beverage: $15/adults; $6/children 4-12; and free/age 3 and under
• Elite Athlete Introduction: 6 to 6:25p (main stage)
• In 2 Liquid Yoga demonstration:  6:30-6:55p (main stage)
• Gazelle Sports Fashion Show:  7-7:30p (main stage)

According to NASCAR reports, Ragan thanked God when he climbed from his car in victory lane Sunday.

It was appropriate since he had just received a miracle to score a victory of Biblical proportions during a race that had a 3-hour rain delay and two major crashes.

“This is a true David vs. Goliath moment,” Ragan told SportingNews after scoring a huge upset in one of the wildest and wackiest races in NASCAR history.

With a push from teammate David Gilliland, Ragan charged to the front on the final lap to win for Front Row Motorsports, one of the sport’s smallest teams. It was Ragan’s second career victory, but the first came with Roush Fenway Racing, one of NASCAR’s biggest and most successful organizations.

It was the first win for Front Row, a multicar Ford team that gets assistance from Roush.

Read more of the race details at Sporting News NASCAR.

Detroit-based Shinola is helping to mark 50 years of Mustang with the release of a premium wristwatch. Bearing the exclusive Mustang 50 Years logo, only 1,000 of these watches will be sold. A onetime maker of shoe polish, Shinola is an American brand that embodies strength, passion and quality, and so is a perfect fit to help celebrate this special moment in automotive history. Check out a video from the Shinola shop floor:

Hey, Grand Rapids, here’s a chance for Borgman Ford customers who love programming and fuel efficiency to help craft a homegrown app and win some cash! We’d be delighted if one of our customers stepped up to the plate for the OpenXC Challenge. Here are the details, with registration and full criteria available

Ford Motor Company is challenging developers to create innovative apps with the OpenXC platform that will help drivers easily access their personal fuel-economy performance data. Using OpenXC data and on-road personalized experiences, customers can share, compare and learn how to optimize their fuel usage.

OpenXC is an open source software and hardware platform created to pull data from a vehicle and use it like any other data source in a smartphone, tablet or Web application. Think of it as an application programming interface (API) to your car.

Don’t have a car or don’t drive a Ford? No problem. Using the OpenXC platform, you don’t need a Ford or a car to write and test an app! With just a computer and a network connection, you can access the required OpenXC data and start making vehicle-aware applications.

Apps must be functioning Web or Android native apps that use data provided by the OpenXC platform and must conform to In-Vehicle Approval Criteria from Ford for safe and nondistracting in-vehicle interfaces (if the intent is to use the app while driving).

Visit the challenge site at http://ford.challengepost.com/ for submission requirements and eligibility details.

Have a great idea for a fuel-efficiency app you’d like to use? Enter your idea in the Ford Personalized Fuel-Efficiency Ideas Challenge.

At Borgman Mazda in Grand Rapids, we know winners when we see them. That’s why we’re pleased as punch that the 2013 Mazda CX-5 and 2014 Mazda6 have received a shout-out from the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association (GAAMA) in the categories of Family Choice. Stop by to test drive one of our favorites today!

The association has named the 2013 Mazda CX-5 its “Top Family Choice Vehicle” and the all-new 2014 Mazda6 “Best Green Family Choice Vehicle” at its first annual Family Choice Challenge.

GAAMA President Nick Palermo said, “The CX-5 was the clear winner for the overall ‘Top Family Choice Vehicle’ award. It’s stylish, affordable, has comfortable seating and great fuel economy and is fun to drive.”

The 2013 CX-5 Sport starts at a competitive $20,695[1] MSRP, which is well below the segment’s sale leaders. Paired with the SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission, the entry-level Sport trim is equipped with high-level standard amenities such as 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels outfitted with 225/65R17 Yokohama all-season tires, daytime running lights (DRL), power side view mirrors, automatic headlight shutoff as well as stylish exterior cues in body-colored outside mirrors with turn lamps, door handles, a roof spoiler and a color-keyed shark fin antenna.

“It is an honor to receive the ‘Top Family Choice Vehicle’ award for the CX-5,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president & CEO.  ”With class-leading highway fuel economy of 35 mpg, its roomy interior and abundant safety features, the CX-5 is a great choice for families.”

Mazda6 a Green Machine

Completely redesigned for 2014, the Mazda6 starts at $20,880^[1] MSRP and is the second vehicle in the Mazda lineup to fully incorporate SKYACTIV®^[2] TECHNOLOGY. Offering both powerful performance and improved fuel economy, the 2014 Mazda6 features best-in-class highway fuel economy of 38 miles per gallon (MPG).  Available with a SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter gasoline engine, a SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter clean diesel engine will be offered on 2014 Mazda6 vehicles during the second half of the year.

GAAMA was founded to further the professionalism of the automotive media, provide a forum for newsworthy people and products connected with the automotive industry and to bring together people whose activities are related to the field of automotive journalism, public relations and related fields for the mutual benefit of all parties.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through more than 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

The hot new 2014 Mazda6 has popped onto Ward’s 10 Best Interiors list, adding to its list of accolades. With praise for the Mazda6 growing by the day, Borgman Mazda is excited to share the sedan with the Grand Rapids area. Here’s Mazda‘s press release on the recent honor.

The all-new 2014 Mazda6 was named to Ward’s Auto World‘s 10 Best Interiors list, as chosen by the publication’s editors.  The redesigned mid-size sports sedan features Mazda’s new design language called KODO “Soul of Motion,” which translates muscular movement and power into agile proportions, detailed sculpting and expressive character.  The Mazda6 also was recently named one of the top three vehicle designs in the world for 2013 by the World Car Awards.

“The automotive industry, regardless of segment, is extremely competitive,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO).  “From engineering to design, auto makers are feverishly working toward finding the perfect combination of class-best numbers and emotional connections that captivates consumers wholeheartedly.  And we’ve done that with the Mazda6, a vehicle that goes beyond the expectations of its segment.”

Adds Derek Jenkins, director, Design, MNAO, “With our all-new products, we were able to start with a clean-sheet approach.  Where Mazda’s Research & Development teams revolutionized the engine and bolted underpinnings, Design re-sculpted the heavy layers and created a vehicle that offers a lean yet commanding aesthetic appeal, inside and out.”

All new or significantly changed production vehicles are eligible for review by the editors of WardsAuto.  Interiors are rated based on material selection, ergonomics, driver information, safety, overall value, touch points/comfort, fit and finish as well as aesthetics/design harmony.  There is no price cap for vehicle entries.  The 2014 Mazda6 Grand Touring was entered this year.

The awards had previously been called “Auto Interiors of the Year” as part of the annual Auto Interiors Show held in Detroit.  WardsAuto now presents the honor as Ward’s 10 Best Interiors, a centerpiece of its WardsAutoInteriors Conference, to be held this year on May 22 in Dearborn, Mich.  Previous Mazda vehicles named to the list are the Mazda5 (2008), MAZDASPEED3 (2010) and CX-5 (2012).

The 2014 Mazda6 starts at $20,880¹ MSRP and is the second vehicle in the Mazda lineup to fully incorporateSKYACTIV®² TECHNOLOGY, the brand’s engineering philosophy of building fuel efficient vehicles without compromising power and dynamics.  Mazda6 offers both powerful performance and improved fuel economy, with a best-in-class 38 miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway, as rated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and also was recently named a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

On sale now, the 2014 Mazda6 is fitted with a SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter gasoline engine, which can be paired with a choice of transmissions: the SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission or SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic.  A SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter clean diesel engine as well as the i-ELOOP brake energy regeneration system will be offered during the second half of the year.

With the Mustang’s 50th Anniversary approaching, Ford has issued a challenge to Mustang fans: Like the iconic car on Facebook and share your best Mustang memories! Within a small period of time, the Mustang reached five million likes. That’s incredible! Borgman Ford is proud to offer the Mustang to the Grand Rapids area and is sharing in the anniversary excitement. Here’s the article from Ford.

The Ford Mustang has been an iconic car since it was unleashed on the world almost 50 years ago. That is still true today.

As witness to that, the Mustang Facebook page recently surpassed 5 million fans! And we’re celebrating  the fact that people from around the world have been signing up to “like” the Facebook Mustang page!

We want you to be part of the celebration too! Upload your Mustang photo to share with the community. You can also view a gallery of photos made up of awesome photos that’s now the cover photo for the Mustang Facebook page.

Fans also seem to like the Mustang page because of its knack for capturing the spirit of the times in quirky, relevant posts. Rather than take its muscle car too seriously, Ford recognizes that its fans enjoy humor. It’s an approach that has paid off handsomely.

Even when there isn’t a special event going on, the Mustang Facebook page regularly offers posts that look at the lighter side of things. “You rack, we’ll break,” was a post that displayed a picture of a red pool table shaped like a Mustang. It was unexpected, it was funny, and it quickly pulled in over 70,000 likes, over 2,000 comments and more than 24,000 shares.

Fans expect to see irreverence on the Mustang page, but the page isn’t just about fun and games. With such a strong fan presence on the Mustang page Ford has made sure to use the visibility to help people in need. Several posts were published that called for supporting charitable causes offering Mustangs as prizes.

What comes through every post on the page is that it is an open forum for fans to discuss what they believe in. Everyone with an opinion, whether negative, neutral or positive, is welcome to weigh in – Ford encourages lively discussion. If a community member wants to proclaim his or her love for a competitor, it’s up to the community deal with it.

The Ford Mustang Facebook page has grown astonishingly quickly in the short amount of time it has been in existence. Here’s to the next 5 million fans!

Ford has outdone themselves this time. Check out the newest version of the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, a 2014 model that packs even more punch than its predecessor. The Borgman Ford team is excited about this development, and this article from Ford Social has plenty of juicy details to share!

As if the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor hasn’t stood out enough since it hit the streets – and the dirt – in 2010, Ford has now added a package that kicks things up a major notch. You might be asking yourself, how do you take a highly capable and functional pickup with cutting-edge technology, and then make it even more awesome? The answer is the new 2014 Raptor Special Edition!

The Raptor Special Edition builds upon the current Raptor Luxury Package, adding Ruby Red Metallic paint (the pickup is also available in Tuxedo Black Metallic) and box-side graphics, as well as interior toucheslike Brick Red seat bolsters with black inserts and cloth honeycomb highlights, console top finish panel, and center stack and door panel appliqué accents.

The Raptor retains what has made it a best-seller – with record-setting sales in five of the past six months – such as the 6.2-liter V-8 engine, a six-speed automatic transmission with tow/haul mode and SelectShift Automatic® and off-road-designed systems and components that include a Torsen® limited-slip differential, Hill Descent Control™, a grille-mounted camera and industry-exclusive beadlock-capable wheels for even more traction in rugged conditions.

Body styles offered continue to be the four-door SuperCrew and two-door SuperCab. The Raptor Special Edition will go on sale in the fall of 2013.

At Borgman Ford, we’re all about saving money and saving the environment. That’s why jobs like John Viera’s are important! Check out this article from Ford, detailing what John and his team do to make a difference.

What do you think this job title means: Director, Sustainability & Vehicle Environmental Matters? You probably guessed things like alternative fuel and reusable stuff, and we like the way you think because that’s spot-on! John Viera is the title-holder of that position at Ford, and he has been at it since 2007. He develops global sustainable business plans and policies, interfaces with global regulatory bodies, reports externally on the Ford environmental and social performance, and leads the engagement and partnerships with nongovernment organizations and other key stakeholders. Whew, right?

In other words, it’s about ensuring Ford delivers environmentally conscious vehicles as it continues to develop electric, hydrogen-powered and alternative-fuel vehicles of the future. And sustainability issues are also important at Ford. Waste-to-landfill and CO2 emissions are major focal points both now and when looking toward the future. When it comes to renewable materials, Ford isn’t beyond using what seems downright quirky; using soy, corn, recycled denim, plastic water bottles, recycled yarns and used carpeting in vehicles for things like insulation and seat foam are innovative ways to help reduce environmental impact. “We are always pursuing environmentally friendly solutions,” John explained.

“The immediate solution in regard to the environment is C02 reduction which means improving fuel economy on a large scale,” John said. “We don’t make niche vehicles for a select few, we make fuel economy affordable to millions of people so collectively they make a sizable impact.”

And Ford believes in the power of choice; options are key at Ford, and that can be seen with the C-MAX, Escape, Fiesta, Focus and Fusion, because just as it says in John’s title, this “matters.” “Our customers have the power of choice when it comes to efficiency – from gasoline, to hybrid, hybrid electric or plug-in electric power.”

The countdown to the 50th anniversary of this very special car has now begun, and we will be doing all sorts of celebrating! That includes 50 companies selling various festive items, such as watches, Ts, a leather jacket and model cars. There will also be a special commemorative 50th anniversary logo. Stay tuned for more!