First, a brief backgrounder: Ford is the only North American automaker with a high-fidelity, motion-based simulator featuring a spherical dome on top of a hydraulic system to mimic vehicle movement. The simulator was developed in 2001.

In 2003, Ford conducted one of its first driver-distraction studies in VIRTTEX, which measured a driver’s failure to detect safety-relevant events while doing visual or manual tasks such as retrieving voicemail on a handheld cell phone.

Recent upgrades to VIRTTEX include improved image rendering technologies and capabilities to study driver performance. It has also expanded to include a high-resolution, digitally projected 360-degree horizontal field-of-view to test and measure driver acceleration, braking and steering. Overall driver reactions to various conditions factors in, too.

The improved imagery creates the most realistic scenarios thus far, including other traffic, pedestrians and landmarks alongside the roadway, and Ford engineers hope to respond with technologies that can warn drivers of imminent collision, drowsiness and other potentially dangerous scenarios behind the wheel.

How exactly would the safety systems warn you, the driver? You’ve asked a good question: Numerous types of alerts are being researched, including audible, visual and tactile as well as vibrating to see whether they are most effective alone or in combination.

VIRTTEX has already helped in the development of heads-up displays, drowsy driver alerts and lane departure warning technology soon to be available on the all-new Ford Fusion.

Expected to go on sale in early Spring 2012, the compact crossover SUV offers the best highway fuel economy of any SUV sold in North America at 35 miles per gallon (mpg) and features class-leading overall fuel economy performance versus its direct competitors.

“The 2013 CX-5 is entering the fiercely competitive SUV market with a very pronounced ‘knock’ on the door,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, MNAO. “To be honored with an award naming CX-5 the best of its segment exemplifies Mazda’s spirit for creating purposeful vehicles for consumers who expect nothing less than passion, performance and precision in their new car.”

“The CX-5 has both the looks and the fun-to-drive nature we’ve come to expect from Mazda,” added John Davis, host, MotorWeek. “Add in best-in-class fuel economy and available 19-inch wheels and you’ve got a compact crossover SUV that’s as practical to own as it is stunning to look at, making it a real winner.”

The 2013 CX-5 is equipped with a SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter gasoline engine, which features a 13:1 compression ratio – the highest of any mass-produced car in the world – and delivers 155 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque. Available with a SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission or SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic transmission, the vehicle has a 2,000-pound towing capacity as well as an all-new active torque split all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Mazda’s first vehicle fully engrained with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY, the brand’s breakthrough engineering and manufacturing approach to its next generation of vehicles, CX-5 offers unprecedented non-hybrid best-in-class fuel economy for all transmission and drivetrain configurations.

Front-wheel-drive (FWD) models equipped with the standard SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission are EPA rated with an estimated fuel economy of 26 city/35 highway/29 combined mpg – the highest highway fuel economy rating of any SUV in North America, including hybrids. When equipped with the optional SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic transmission, FWD models receive an mpg rating of 26 city/32 highway/29 combined. SKYACTIV-Drive is standard on AWD models, which return an estimated EPA fuel economy rating of 25 city/31 highway/28 combined mpg.

What is Business Preferred Network?

Established in 1989, Ford’s Business Preferred Network (BPN) was the first program specifically designed to help dealers address the needs of small fleet customers. BPN has evolved over the years, with input from our commercial customers, resulting in a superior buying, financing, and service experience for fleet customers.

With so many configurations and GVWRs ranging from 8,520-14,500 lbs., it’s ideal for moving people, products or both. No wonder trades, fleets, community groups and others have made it the best selling full-size van for over 31 years. New this year, the 50TH Anniversary Package proudly celebrates 50 years of E-Series, and the Ambulance Prep Package is paired with your choice of proven V8 or V10 gas engines.

With room and comfort to spare, everybody gets the VIP treatment. E-Series Wagons welcome big crews and all their gear. Air Conditioning is standard. Seating includes 7-, 8-, 11-, 12-, 14-, or 15-Passenger options, with a center-aisle ship-thru option too. All rear bench seats have center-position, 3-point, seat-integrated safety belts. A self-latching system makes rear seats easy to remove and re-install. Lots of comfort. Lots of choices. That’s E-Series Wagon.

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Winning an impressive award? All in a day’s work. Toughness and rugged durability now merge with prestige and accolades. The Ford F-150 is the proud recipient of the 2012 Motor Trend Truck of the Year®.

Wondering if a 2012 Ford F-150 is right for you and your business?

Call our Commercial Department for Information, Fleet Pricing, and Custom Builds!

Mazda has supported more road racers over the past decade than any other automaker, and for 2012 is stepping up that support to include extended TV coverage on the new Velocity network.

“Hardcore fans know that some of the most intense action can be found in the Playboy MX-5 Cup, Star Mazda and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. But if you weren’t at the race, you are left to take our word for it. Now, thanks to a partnership with Velocity, and Carolinas Production Group, fans can enjoy the action on a regular basis from their living room,” noted Jim Jordan, Alternative Marketing Manager, Mazda North America.

Rick Benjamin, award-winning motorsports broadcaster, will host “The Mazda Motorsports Hour”. Benjamin’s Carolinas Production Group will handle production and distribution of the Hour. Benjamin said, “it’s an honor for our company to be selected once again to produce and place coverage of the Playboy MX-5 Cup, Star Mazda, and USF2000 championships. Our partnership with Velocity gives us a tremendous platform to showcase the incredible talents of young drivers and veterans alike who are taking full advantage of Mazda’s ladder system.”

Joining Rick Benjamin in the booth will be racers Randy Pobst for the MX 5 Cup, and James Hinchcliffe on Star and USF2000. Todd Lewis will be the pit reporter.

The broadcasts will be a regularly-scheduled hour-long weekend show on Velocity – “The Mazda Motorsports Hour”. 24 shows will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis from April through November. The content will be a variety of Mazda centric series, with an emphasis on the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. All three series are a part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Ladder, while the Star and USF2000 Championships are also a part of the Mazda Road to Indy. To find Velocity on your local cable system, go to Velocity.com.

As it turns out, the 2013 Fusion, arriving in North American dealerships later this year, has invoked plenty of thoughts, feelings and feedback! Ford can’t help it – the sedan will suit many palettes, and that makes for many opinions! The Fusion will be available in a gasoline-powered model as well as in hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions, and with two EcoBoost™ engines, the 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter, plus a new normally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder. The Fusion Energi plug-in is anticipated to deliver more than 100 MPGe! Yup, sexy and efficient, if we may say so ourselves.

SVT met the public at the 1992 Chicago Auto Show with the 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra and SVT F-150 Lightning, so it’s fitting that the new GT500 will be front and center at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, which opens February 10.

About that new GT500: It’s fast, but then you probably saw that coming. When equipped with the optional Performance Package, it is quicker at the track than the outgoing model, to the tune of 3.5 seconds off its lap time at Sebring International Raceway. Way to go, new 650-horsepower/600 lb.-ft. of torque 5.8-liter supercharged V8! Want to wax nostalgic? The 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra had a 235-horsepower V8. Remember when that was whopping?

That impressive track run was also due to SVT-designed Bilstein electronic adjustable dampers available on the Performance Package and all-new chassis tuning. The upgraded dampers allowed SVT engineers to tune the convertible more aggressively for the track, while still being able to maintain desirable on-road manners. There’s also a new Brembo brake system coupled with new six-piston calipers in front, along with larger front and rear rotors and more aggressive brake pads. Nearly every part of the powertrain has been optimized for producing the additional horsepower, including a new cross-drilled block and heads, updated camshaft profiles, a new carbon fiber driveshaft and upgraded clutch, transmission and axle. The Performance Package can be taken up a notch with the Track Package, complete with an external engine oil cooler, rear differential cooler and transmission cooler for further durability.

But the car wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the big 2-0: There’s a commemorative lighted sill plate.

Since its launch in 1993, SVT has produced more than 210,000 vehicles and upward of seven different SVT vehicles, such as the F-150 SVT Raptor, SVT Focus, SVT Contour sports sedan and SVT Mustang Cobra R.

SVT has joined with Team RS in Europe to form the Performance Vehicles Group to devise a strategy for all future global performance Ford cars. The Ford Fiesta ST Concept also signals the next step in Ford’s global performance vehicle strategy and hints at how a future Fiesta ST model might look when it joins the Focus ST in the global small car portfolio.

Today, we present the figurative jelly bean game, but if this jar is full of Ford vehicles with EcoBoost® engines, you have to guess how many you think sold in 2011. Go ahead, take a moment; we’re again distracted by drooling, this time over a jar full of Ford vehicles.

The correct answer is 127,883 EcoBoost-equipped vehicles, making for record sales! And now Ford is aiming to more than triple the production capacity of EcoBoost-equipped Ford vehicles in 2012. This year, Ford will offer EcoBoost engines in 11 vehicles; in 2011, 7 had the engine. The EcoBoost has also contributed to accolades for Ford, such as the F-150 scoring the Motor Trend 2012 Truck of the Year® award.

Other big EcoBoost news has already included the 1.6-liter engine for the Escape and Fusion. “EcoBoost expansion and availability in high-volume nameplates such as the all-new Ford Escape and Fusion will take this affordable, fuel-saving technology to the heart of the market,” said Sue Cischke, Ford Group Vice President of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.

Additionally, the full-size Taurus sedan becomes the first Ford vehicle to offer customers a choice between two EcoBoost engines: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making an estimated 237 horsepower and giving customers up to EPA-estimated, class-leading 31 mpg, while the iconic Taurus SHO sport sedan features a 365-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 delivering an EPA-estimated 25 mpg highway. Plus, the Focus ST arrives this year as a high-performance – yet fuel-efficient – sport compact EcoBoost application, and there’s the EcoBoost-powered Police Interceptor.

The EcoBoost sounds like quite the multitasker, doesn’t it? But it’s ready, having already been tortured and subjected to cold-weather testing.

Here’s a fun tidbit: In 2010, all F-150 trucks sold featured a V8 engine. Just one year later, 56 percent of 2011 F-150 customers bought pickups with a fuel-saving V6, either the base 305-horsepower 3.7-liter or the 365-horsepower 3.5-liter EcoBoost. By the end of 2012, nine Ford models will deliver or are anticipated to deliver an EPA-certified 40 mpg highway or higher, with still more fuel-efficient vehicles on the way.

Sounds like the Blue Oval might just deserve a bear.