For most people, losing $2.7 billion over the course of a year would be considered slightly less than stellar. For Ford, on the other hand, that's actually a pretty good year. We're not being sarcastic. In 2006, the company lost $12.6 billion. To fully understand what really happened you have to embrace the mixture of complicated transactions, production cuts, PAG sales and Mark Fields not using the company jet to get home (he also cut back on using the company barber, thus reaping untold savings). But it may be easier to point out that Ford has made steps to get on the path to profitability, and they're moving in the right direction (or at least not moving in the wrong direction as fast as they were). Also, Ford is banking profits in every region of the world that isn't North America, including a pre-tax bump of $1.2 billion in Brazil. For the Fourth Quarter of 2007, Ford only lost $429 million after taxes, an improvement over a nearly $2.0 billion loss the year before. The full story from Ford below the jump.  read more »

The new MINI Convertible will make its worldwide debut in January at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.Orders for the MINI Convertible are being taken now; the price for the MINI Cooper Convertible is $24,550 and for the MINI Cooper S Convertible $27,450, including the $650 destination and handling charge. Delivery of the first MINI Convertibles will begin on March 28, 2009. The new MINI Convertible's durable soft-top with integrated sliding roof function reliably protects driver and passengers from the elements when it is up. Allowing for spontaneous open-air motoring, the soft top lowers automatically in 15 seconds flat, even when the car is in motion up to 20 mph. The unique Openometer next to the tachometer challenges the driver to log as many top-down miles as possible by recording the hours spent open-air motoring.  read more »

We know first-hand how horrible the design of the 2008 Ford Focus coupe truly was. Having spent five days in one we can tell you the best part about the '08 model was being inside of it. Only then could you sink into that relatively comfortable interior and try to forget the horror of witnessing the terrifying design mish-mash that was the exterior of last year's model. But wait, Ford's taken another look at the sheet metal on the 2009 Ford Focus Coupe and given it what the Dearborn-based automaker calls a "sporty new look." We call it lipstick. Although Ford fixed a couple of the most egregious design flaws for the '09 — the deletion and reassignment of the rear spoiler, the new rims and (thank whatever automotive deity you pray to) the delete option on the faux chrome side vents — it only serves to show just how much of a mess the rest of the design truly is. We know Ford's trying to use this year's model to ease the 'merican public into the Fiesta's open-mouthed billy-the-bass front fascia design language, but was it really necessary to bastardize it on this monstrosity of mashed-together metal? Full press release below the jump.  read more »

While many decided yesterday to report "officially" that Ford was shaking Jaguar and Land Rover free to the Indian subcontinent for $2.6 billion we knew it was prudent to wait and report it as merely rumor because that number just didn't sound right. That's because here at Jalopnik, we "get" the US auto industry and we knew that when an 'merican automaker (German automakers too -- that's right Daimler, we're looking straight at you) spends billions of dollars to bring a brand back to solvency, you expect a sale price to in no way reflect that. Ford didn't disappoint. You see, the sale's actually for $2.3 billion -- $300-some-odd million less than yesterday's "whisper number." But wait, there's more. In addition to the cash transaction with Tata Motors, they'll also inject a hot $600 million capital infusion into the pension plans of the two brands. You know, because they haven't already sent enough money into the black hole that was Ford's PAG. Full press release after the jump.  read more »

Ford Motor has raised $540 million after selling the bulk of its 33.4 percent stake in Mazda.

Ford's ownership of Mazda stock has been reduced by 20 percentage points to just over 13 percent, the company said today.

The sale means that Ford will end 12 years of control of Mazda. The U.S. carmaker first took a stake in the Japanese carmaker in 1979.

Mazda jettisoned two of the three executives Ford had installed on its board to better reflect Ford's diminished stature. Meanwhile, CEO Hisakazu Imaki named 41-year veteran and purchasing head Takashi Yamanouchi his successor, effective November 19. Imaki -- Mazda's first Japanese CEO after a string of four Ford executives -- will become chairman.

"Essentially what this means is that Mazda is a Japanese company again," spokeswoman Yukari Hara said after Mazda called a snap press conference to announce the sell off.  read more »

I guess the big picture in the Ford-Tata deal for Jaguar and Land Rover announced last week is the seismic shift in the global economy that it points to. A long established Western company, Ford, is deep in the financial mire and having to sell assets just to survive. And its an Indian company that has emerged to buy those assets. The transfer of ownership of two such quintessentially British brands to India has an even deeper resonance for many in both Britain and India when you consider the history of relations between the two countries. And this takes Tata Motors into the big time in one step these are two major brands with global footprints (by comparison Chinese firms are still struggling to make headway globally). So, what went wrong with Fords JLR stewardship?  read more »

Today, Ford Motor announces its Auto China 2008 plans that include a display of the brands 2008 models available in China and advanced automobile technologies from the company's global operations. Visiting the Ford Motor stand at Auto China 2008 will be an interactive, entertaining experience in a most innovative way. Delivering on the Ford brand promise to Make Every Day Exciting, Ford Motor will display its latest model range from the exciting Ford Focus to the dynamic new Ford Mondeo to the award-winning Ford S-MAX . Ford will also display the new-generation 15-seat Ford Transit. What will the future bring at Ford?  read more »

The 2009 Nissan Murano Crossover had been debut at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, and continue the success of the original Murano before.

Autoblog's editors were invited to Atlanta to sample this almost-totally-new Murano for 2009. The follow is the details of the drive experience of the 2009 Nissan Murano.  read more »

Like every car nut, I've dreamed of owning a Ferrari for almost as long as I've been an automotive enthusiast. Ferrari's have long represented the ultimate expression of four-wheeled passion because of their design, limited availability, leading-edge performance and strong racing heritage. So why has my desire to own a Ferrari faded like so much oxidized Rosso paint?  read more »