Tag Archives: Ford

Ford Dealers Just Became Your New Pit Stop for EVs

Remember when stopping at a Ford dealership meant stale coffee, a stack of Focus brochures, and a salesman insisting you really did want metallic beige? Well, times have changed. Now, over 800 Ford dealers across the U.S. and Canada are quietly transforming themselves into the modern equivalent of roadside diners—except instead of a slice of pie and a cup of joe, they’re serving up electrons at more than 3,000 DC fast chargers.

And here’s the kicker: it doesn’t matter what badge is bolted to the front of your EV. Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq, or even a Tesla feeling adventurous—it’s plug in, charge up, and get back on the road with less range anxiety and fewer arguments about who forgot to check the battery before leaving.

Ford’s new network is called Ford Charge, and today it gets its official ribbon-cutting moment. Think of it as a dealer-run pit lane for the EV generation. Roughly 1,200 of these chargers are under Ford’s direct management, ensuring things actually work when you roll up—because nothing kills the EV vibe like a dead charger.

Better still, every one of these chargers ties into the BlueOval Charge Network, which is now the largest integrated charging network in North America. Translation: if you’re driving a Ford EV, you’re never more than 18 miles from a fast charger on most U.S. highways. That’s closer than the next questionable gas station hot dog.

Oh, and for those who’ve dipped a toe into Tesla’s world of Superchargers—yes, Ford’s in on that too. Thanks to Plug & Charge tech, you can just roll up, plug in, and the system takes care of the rest. No fiddling with apps, no frantic card-swiping, no awkward phone calls to customer service while your kids in the back seat start mutinying.

So here we are: Ford dealerships—once the place you dreaded visiting—are suddenly becoming heroes of the great electric road trip. Who’d have thought?

Source: Ford

Adrenaline and Ambience: Ford Mustang GTD Meets Lincoln Navigator at Laguna Seca

It’s not unusual for one automaker to own both a mainstream and a luxury brand. What is unusual is when those brands willingly acknowledge each other in the same breath, let alone the same event. But during Monterey Car Week, Ford and Lincoln pulled off a double act at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca—one half designed to send your pulse skyrocketing, the other to bring it back down to earth.

The plan was simple, if a little sadistic: hot laps in Ford’s new 2025 Mustang GTD, the wildest road-going Mustang ever conceived, followed immediately by a spa session inside the 2025 Lincoln Navigator. To keep things clinical, Lincoln strapped a heart-rate monitor on me before the fun began. This wasn’t just marketing; this was science.

Mustang GTD: The Angriest Thoroughbred Yet

The Shadow Black GTD waiting in pit lane looked like a Mustang that had raided the paddock of Le Mans. Wide, hunkered down, and bristling with functional aero, it radiates menace even at idle. My chauffeur for the lap, Ford Performance junior driver Nathan Vanspringel, casually mentioned it was his first time around Laguna Seca. Perfect—nothing like mixing rookie nerves with 815 horsepower.

As we rocketed down the main straight, the GTD’s 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 unleashed a shove that felt like it could rearrange vertebrae. With 815 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, it makes the old Shelby GT500 look modest, and Ford’s claim seems downright conservative. Each snap of the eight-speed dual-clutch was punctuated by a snort from the titanium exhaust, the soundtrack equal parts NASCAR thunder and angry lion.

Turn 1 and the Andretti Hairpin confirmed what the spec sheet suggests: this isn’t a blunt instrument. On its Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires and trick Multimatic DSSV suspension, the GTD carved through corners with the composure of a proper GT racer. Grip was relentless, body control unflappable. Even the infamous Corkscrew—a plunge equivalent to jumping off a five-story building—was dispatched with calm violence.

By the time we cooled down in the pits, my heart monitor flashed 115 bpm. That’s not far off cardio territory, and all I did was sit there.

Navigator: The Spa on Wheels

Then came the palate cleanser. A freshly detailed 2025 Lincoln Navigator Black Label sat waiting like a therapist’s couch on 24-inch wheels. Sliding inside after the GTD was like stumbling into a five-star hotel lobby after a mosh pit.

The Lincoln rep queued up the Rejuvenate app, which instantly reclined the seat, dialed up ventilated massage cushions, and filled the 28-speaker Revel audio system with soothing waterfall sounds. On the 48-inch panoramic display, digital cascades tumbled across the screen as my real heartbeat began to tumble in parallel.

Five minutes of guided meditation later, Lincoln checked the numbers: down 21 bpm. Not quite back to resting rate, but impressive given the adrenaline hangover. The Navigator had done its job—it was less “SUV” and more “rolling recovery lounge.”

Two Brands, One Pulse

Ford and Lincoln’s unlikely tag-team worked. The Mustang GTD isn’t just the most extreme Mustang ever—it feels like a proper exotic built to hunt GT3 cars while still wearing a license plate. The Navigator, meanwhile, proved it can soothe frayed nerves with tech that borders on wellness therapy.

Together, they pulled off a rare feat: one brand spiking the heart, the other calming it. If this is what the Blue Oval has in mind for brand synergy, we’ll happily be the guinea pigs. Because while the GTD made us sweat, the Navigator made us forget.

Source: MotorTrend

Ford Says No to an All-Electric Mustang—for Now

The automotive industry’s rush to electrification isn’t unfolding as smoothly as automakers once envisioned. EV adoption is slower than anticipated, and recent policy shifts—particularly in the U.S.—threaten to further complicate the transition. Amid that uncertainty, Ford is sending a clear signal: don’t expect an all-electric Mustang anytime soon.

According to a recent report from Automotive News, Ford plans to continue producing the traditional gas-powered Mustang well into the 2030s. The automaker had previously toyed with the idea of an electrified next-generation model, but those plans appear to have been shelved—for now.

The report doesn’t pin down a timeline for an electric Mustang, but CEO Jim Farley’s 2024 comments make the company’s stance unmistakably clear. “One thing I can promise, however, is that we will never make an all-electric Mustang,” Farley said earlier this year.

That’s a bold declaration, and history suggests it might be the right move. Dodge’s electric Charger experiment shows that translating the V-8 muscle car experience to an electric drivetrain is far from simple. For Mustang enthusiasts, the thrum of a naturally aspirated engine remains sacrosanct, and Ford appears committed to preserving that legacy as long as regulations allow.

That isn’t to say the Mustang will never see any form of electrification. Farley has acknowledged that Ford has been testing partial electric powertrains, which the company believes “work well for performance drivers.” While a hybrid version seems unlikely for the current, seventh-generation Mustang—launched in 2024—the possibility remains for the eighth generation, expected in the early 2030s.

A hybrid Mustang could be a thrilling proposition. The current 5.0-liter V-8 in the Dark Horse model produces 500 horsepower, and pairing it with an electric motor could easily add another 100 hp or more. Meanwhile, Ford’s 5.2-liter Predator V-8 in the GTD makes a staggering 815 hp; a bit of electrification could bring the Mustang dangerously close to the 1,000-hp mark from the factory.

Perhaps the future of the Mustang isn’t purely electric but a hybrid blend of old-school muscle and modern technology. If done right, the Mustang could retain its soul while embracing the performance and efficiency benefits of electrification—a compromise that might satisfy both purists and performance enthusiasts alike.

For now, though, Ford’s Mustang remains proudly gas-powered, and the roar of a V-8 isn’t going anywhere soon.

Source: Automotive News