By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

With the new Focus and Explorer almost here I’d like to pose this question: is Ford doing everything right? Cause right now it seems that they don’t have any holes in their lineup. And while they aren’t gonna beat GM or Nissan to market, their electric strategy seems pretty solid. Lately, when non-car enthusiast friends and family members ask me what new family sedan to buy, I don’t say Camry or Accord, I say Fusion. Also, I’m not a truck guy at all but I still want a Raptor. Oh yeah, Ford also has Vaughn Gittin Jr. drifting their Mustang and that Ken Block guy storming around in a Fiesta. I’m still a Mopar guy and don’t consider myself a Ford fanboy–in fact it’s kind of my job to be critical of big auto companies–but right now I’m coming up with nothing bad to say about Ford. What do you guys think?

Oh, and here’s J Mays answering questions from the Ford Facebook page at the Paris Auto Show. Mustang fans, pay attention:

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

One other thing I asked J Mays at NAIAS was if they had given any consideration to bringing back the notchback body style on the Mustang. He said no. He also didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm for the Fox body notch, like Desiree’s ’89 below. Oh well…

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Last week Ford invited me to the Drive In Studios in Manhattan for “a night of dinner, drinks, discussion about the inspiration for the design of the 2010 Taurus.” Since J Mays and Earl Lucas were on the list, I readily accepted. Also, I think the new Taurus is pretty darn cool.

J Mays lead off with a short intro and then Earl Lucas (who designed the new Taurus) took over and did a full presentation on the car. I really liked the early sketches and clay models that he showed us, so I’ve included them after the jump.

Continue reading "Taurus Roundtable Dinner at Drive In Studios" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

This morning Katherine and I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to J Mays, Group Vice President of Global Design and Chief Creative Officer at Ford. This is the guy who is largely responsible for the 2005 and 2010 Mustang, the New Beetle, etc., etc. It’s not every day that you get to talk to an automotive rock star. But Katherine and I got the opportunity and we weren’t going to waste it!

First of all, to follow up our most recent Showroom Showdown, I asked him what he liked better, the new Camaro or the new Challenger. He didn’t hesitate: he immediately said Challenger. He said that the Camaro is “too much of  a caricature” and seems like a “stunt” that somehow made it to production. He said the Challenger is a much more balanced car, although he took the opportunity to say that both cars are too big. Which lead us to the Mustang. Continue reading…

Continue reading "Great Conversation With J Mays" »