Auto Racing

Scrap your clunker and get up to $3,000 back from Ford and up to $982 in fuel savings

OAKVILLE, ON – Starting October 1, consumers who turn in their vehicles for recycling (2005 models or older) will get up to $3,000 toward the purchase of a new vehicle from the Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited.

Ford's ‘Recycle Your Ride’ program is a great way for consumers looking to save on their next vehicle while doing their part for the environment. Since the program was first offered in 2009, Ford’s Recycle Your Ride program has retired more than 50,000 old, polluting vehicles – enough to circle the globe twice.  This has eliminated approximately 474,308 metric tonnes of smog forming emissions – that’s enough to fill more than 260,000 garbage bags.  

"In today’s uncertain economic times, the Ford Recycle Your Ride program means more people can now afford a new car with the latest in vehicle safety, fuel economy and smart technology," said David Mondragon, president and CEO, Ford of Canada.  “It's a win-win-win for the consumer, the economy and the environment.  I am proud to say that Ford of Canada has helped to recycle more vehicles than any other auto manufacturer.”

To qualify for the Ford Recycle Your Ride program:

1.      Visit your closest Ford dealer with your 2005 or older running vehicle that has been properly registered or insured for the last three months to confirm your eligibility.

2.      Purchase or lease your new Ford vehicle and receive the Recycle Your Ride incentive, over and above current incentives.

*Program details available on www.ford.ca starting October 1, 2011.

Newer vehicles emit up to 19 times less smog-forming emissions and achieve much higher fuel efficiency than older models. For example:   

-An average driver who moves from a typical 1995 model year compact car to a 2012 Ford Focus, could save approximately $343 a year on gas

-An average driver who moves from a typical 1995 model year mid-size car to a 2012 Ford Fusion four-cylinder could save approximately $483 a year on gas

-An average driver who moves from a typical 1995 model year mid-size SUV 4X4 to a 2012 Ford Edge with an EcoBoost engine save approximately $982 a year on gas

**Based on fuel consumption values from NRCan's Fuel Consumption Guide for Canada


Many Canadians are unaware just how much of their old ride can be recycled.  “A lot has changed in the auto recycling business,” said Steve Fletcher, Managing Director, Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC). “Gone are the days of the haphazard junkyards, today’s auto recyclers are highly organized businesses, which can recycle over 80 per cent of a single vehicle brought to them.”

-The steel industry recycles more than 12.7 million metric tonnes of steel from end-of-life vehicle each year

-Many parts are reconditioned and sold: starter, alternator, engine, transmission, wheel rims, mirrors, seats, stereo, doors, batteries

-Fluids are drained for reuse or recycling: fuel, oils, coolant, windshield fluid

-Heavy metals like lead and mercury are recycled

-Refrigerants are recovered for reuse or recycling

-Tires are reused when possible or shredded, cleaned and processed into useful items like playground surfaces and garden mulch.

Once all of the salvageable material is removed from the vehicle the remaining structure is flattened and pulverized into fist-sized pieces, and shredded to recover and recycle the metals.

DALLAS, TX – Ford F-150 – the most fuel-efficient and capable full-size pickup on the market – is getting fine-tuned for 2012, with a new FX appearance package and several driveline updates and new technologies to further improve and refine the driving experience.

“The new FX package delivers a distinctive style that truck buyers are looking for without compromising on any of the F-150’s rugged qualities,” said Raj Sarkar, F-150 Marketing manager. “It expands our range of specialty vehicles with custom elements that customers previously could find only in the aftermarket.”

The new FX appearance package is available on both FX4 and FX2 trucks and delivers a unique look with stealthy, flat-black accents. The look is set off with black fender and tailgate badges that feature red lettering, which is carried into the interior with a red-stitched steering wheel.

The FX’s interior also features black leather seating surfaces with red perforations and red piping. Unique interior touches include black-painted dash accents, brushed-metal surfaces, and satin shifter knob, door handles and air conditioning vent bezels. The package is available with all FX colors.

Also new for 2012, the FX luxury package now offers cooled front seats, which combine with the previously available heated seats.

New 20-inch six-spoke wheels with a flat-black paint are just one of the specialized styling cues on the exterior. A unique bodyside decal is matte black with color read-through for a distinctive appearance. A chrome exhaust tip, black-finished grille, and blacked-out headlamps and taillamps round out the exterior upgrades.

Enhanced capability

Upgrades on the 2012 F-150’s drivetrain include replacing last year’s electronic shift-on-the-fly with a two-speed automatic 4x4 system for Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum trim levels. The system still offers four high and four low modes, but now also offers a 4x4 auto mode. If the truck senses a loss of traction, it immediately transfers torque to the front wheels, making the system more seamless for the customer.

A new feature, Hill Start Assist, helps keep the truck from rolling backward at a stop, making it easier to pull away when on a slope or hill, especially when towing. With the brake pedal pressed, if sensors detect the vehicle is on a slope, the system is automatically activated. Brake pressure is held in the braking system, and the truck remains stationary on the slope for up to two seconds after the driver releases the brake pedal.

The addition of neutral tow capability on all 4x4 trucks means customers can now flat-tow their F-150, making the truck even more usable. An available electronic locking rear axle replaces most of the limited-slip offerings on the 3.5-litre EcoBoost® and 5.0-litre engines. It is now available in a range of axle ratios, and is even offered on 4x2 models, delivering a new level of traction capability across most of the F-150 lineup.

“These changes are centered around making F-150 an even more useful tool for our customers,” said Jackie DiMarco, F-150 chief engineer. “We’re continuously raising the bar when it comes to capability, and these upgrades and new technologies push us even further.”

Detroit, MI - OnStar announced today it is reversing its proposed Terms and Conditions policy changes and will not keep a data connection to customers’ vehicles after the OnStar service is canceled.

OnStar recently sent e-mails to customers telling them that effective Dec. 1, their service would change so that data from a customer vehicle would continue to be transmitted to OnStar after service was canceled – unless the customer asked for it to be shut off.

“We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our subscribers,” OnStar President Linda Marshall said. “This is why we are leaving the decision in our customers’ hands. We listened, we responded and we hope to maintain the trust of our more than 6 million customers.”

If OnStar ever offers the option of a data connection after cancellation, it would only be when a customer opted-in, Marshall said. And then OnStar would honor customers’ preferences about how data from that connection is treated.

Maintaining the data connection would have allowed OnStar to provide former customers with urgent information about natural disasters and recalls affecting their vehicles even after canceling their service. It also would have helped in planning future services, Marshall said.

“We regret any confusion or concern we may have caused,” Marshall said.

DEARBORN, MI – CBS and Ford have teamed up again to run “The Amazing Race” this fall as 11 new teams set off on a global adventure starting Sunday, Sept. 25 (8 to 9 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Ford’s sponsorship includes on-air components featuring four of its top models – Explorer, Fiesta, Focus and Mustang. During the season premiere, teams start their race in the foothills of Southern California. After receiving their first destination from host Phil Keoghan, all 11 teams will jump into a new Ford Explorer and drive to Los Angeles International Airport before departing on their first leg to Taipei, Taiwan.

Ford Fiesta, Focus and Mustang vehicles will make their way across the globe in additional episodes throughout the season. One lucky team will also win two new Ford Mustangs for finishing in first place in an upcoming leg. The winners will be given the opportunity to customize their Mustangs using Ford’s new Mustang Customizer website. Learn more at www.ford.com/cars/mustang.

“As the exclusive automotive partner, we are proud to be providing vehicles that play a vital role in helping the contestants navigate and accomplish their near-impossible tasks,” said Crystal Worthem, Ford Brand Content and Alliance manager.

This season’s cast, which includes a pair of Olympic snowboarders, twin sisters, an ex-NFL tight end and two winners of “Survivor,” will make first-time visits to such exotic locations as Indonesia, Malawi, Belgium and Denmark. Along the way, teams will travel across four continents and through 20 cities, covering nearly 40,000 miles.

“The Amazing Race” sends 11 teams on a trek around the world. Each team is comprised of two people who have a pre-existing relationship with one another. At every destination, each team competes in a series of challenges – some mental and some physical – and when the tasks have been completed, they learn their next destination. Teams who are farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning $1 million.