Sunset Ford, home of a great selection of new Ford trucks in St. Louis is pleased to announce that Ford has taken top honors for its award winning trucks yet again. AOL Auto’s editor’s choice has deemed the Ford F 150 XLT Supercab 3.5 L EcoBoost as the leading truck brand in the United States.  The F 150 has a long track record of offering reliability and the truck has a long line of loyal owners.

The F Series offers a wide selection of options and features in trucks starting in the low $20,000s and going all the way up in price to luxury level for those who prefer to ride in a truck that is all decked out in leather and chrome.  There are many other options such as many options for towing packages and dual rear wheels.

According to Ford News; The Ford F-150 XLT SuperCab with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine has earned AOL Autos’ Editors’ Choice award as Best Pickup Truck in America. The F-150 beat out the Ram, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tacoma for top honors. EPA ratings for F-150 with EcoBoost are 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway, with starting MSRP $25,695. Also on the list, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, which rounded out AOL’s top five.”

If you are looking for an award winning ford truck available in the mid $30,000 with options, you can get what editors call a “serious workhorse truck.”  The interior cabin is well appointed in the 4 door Ford F 150 with EcoBoost engine and the truck offers a lot of power without the extra cost at the pump.

The EcoBoost twin turbo direct injection engine offers 365 hp and 420 lb/ft of torque.  EcoBoost is a power horse when it comes to towing and hauling with power equivalent to an 8 cylinder and even more torque.

The F Series EcoBoost truck was rated the best pickup truck on the market today when considering fuel economy, value, and working capacity.

If you are in the market for quality used or pre owned certified used Ford cars in Waterloo Illinois or St. Louis MO, you will be happy to know that the 2009 Ford Flex offers a fuel saving option which slow gasoline use with new fuel saving technology.

The Flex offers Ford’s award winning technology to deliver great performance and at the same time offering best in class fuel economy of 24 mpg.

The used Ford Flex was the first model to receive the new technology that temporarily interrupts the fuel consumption and at the same time maintains optimal engine function.

The Flex regulates its gas consumption by using aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off for an efficiency improvement of approximately 1 percent. This technology helps the Flex achieve 24 miles per gallon on the highway and 17 mpg in city driving, which means that there is no other vehicle in the full size crossover segment that gets better highway fuel economy.

According to Ford News; “The fuel shut-off’s operation is automatic and requires no unusual actions from the driver. When the driver releases the accelerator pedal to slow down, the system temporarily turns off the fuel. The flow of fuel seamlessly resumes when the vehicle reaches a low speed or when the driver accelerates again. This provides a significant fuel economy benefit while continuing to deliver Ford’s best-in-class drivability.”

“The Flex’s fuel management system is calibrated to operate imperceptibly to the driver,” said Kevin Layden, Ford Powertrain calibration chief engineer. “It saves fuel with no fluctuation in powertrain performance or compromise in driveability.”

Under the hood the Flex has a 3.5 liter V6 engine that delivers 260 hp and 248 lb/ft of torque.  The engine is mated with a 6 speed automatic transmission that delivers 4% better fuel economy than a 4 speed automatic.

“When we get customer feedback, we analyze every detail and link it to our objective metrics,” said Mazen Hammoud, Ford Powertrain calibration manager. “The Flex is built on the strength of Ford’s best-in-class powertrain and its driveability, which have been very well received by our customers.”

Sunset Ford Dealer, home of a great selection of new Ford Trucks near Fenton is pleased to announce that truck sales in the U.S. account for nearly half of all new vehicle sales every year and Ford is the industry leader.

IN 1998 Ford set an industry record for new trucks sales with a total of 2,363,414 units sold.  Ford’s truck share was over 20 percent of the U.S. market.

The SUV market is also led by Ford Motor Company, inf act, since 1991 the market increased from about 900,000 units to nearly 2.8 million-the only vehicle class which has realized a double digit sales growth every year in this decade.  One of every 4 SUV buyers in the U.S. purchased a Ford and the F Series ford trucks were the top selling vehicle including cars and trucks for the 17^th consecutive year.  Statistics reveal that 1 of every 10 vehicles sold since 1903 when Ford Motor Company was founded was a Ford F Series truck, surpassing the infamous Volkswagen Beetle as “the best selling nameplate of all time,” according to Ford News.

Ford Motor Company was number one in truck sales for the 4^th consecutive year in 1998 and was the top selling truck brand for the 13^th year in a row with a record 2,233,,4465 trucks sold.

Four Ford truck nameplates representing the top selling segments in their class include; Ford Ranger, Expedition, F Series trucks-number one, and the Ford Explorer.

In fact, according to Ford News; “Ford trucks dominated nearly every segment. Ford’s sport utility vehicles sales set an industry record (748,645) and all four Ford SUVs set individual records. Ford Explorer was the top-seller for the 8th straight year (431,488), outselling its nearest competitor by almost 2-to-1 and topping the best-selling passenger car (Toyota Camry, with 429,575).”

Sunset Ford Dealer home of a great lineup of new and used Ford cars near Eureka is pleased to announce that Ford Motor Company has set a new goal to cut waste resulting from manufacturing Ford cars and trucks.  Between 2007 and 2011 Ford lowered its global waste to landfills by 49%-equivalent to 100 million lbs of waste in North America.

New technologies, such as using paint solids to generate energy to lower the amount of waste produced, is just one example of what ford is up to.

“Reducing waste to landfills is one of our top environmental priorities and we continue to challenge our teams to identify and implement innovative solutions,” said Andy Hobbs, director, Ford’s Environmental Quality Office.

Setting new weight reduction goals is on the agenda at the company’s yearly environmental business planning process which according to Ford News; “led to establishment of a global cross-functional team spanning several divisions to review waste generation more holistically.”

In 2011 Ford started a pilot program at a local energy supply company-AutoAlliance which sent paint solids to be used as raw material to generate electricity instead of being taken to landfills.

“When we paint a vehicle, not all the paint ends up on the vehicle,” said Lisa Hansen, manager, Technical Services, EQO. “We use a water wash scrubber system to capture and collect the excess paint solids so they are not released into the environment.”  “The reprocessed paint solids are then dewatered to increase their energy value and sent to a local power plant. This is an innovative way to keep material out of the landfill and use it as a raw material in another process. The project is being replicated at several other Ford assembly plants.”

Another example of how Ford has reduced waste at landfills is by installing a solar powered compactor at its Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo to handle trash which had previously been disposed of in the landfill.

If you are in the market for used Ford cars in Saint Louis Missouri or Waterloo Illinois, visit your local Sunset Ford Dealer, you won’t be disappointed!

Sunset Ford, home of a great selection of new Ford Trucks in Downtown St. Louis is pleased to announce that Truckin’ Magazine has recently named one of Ford’s most popular trucks, the Ford F 150 FX2 SuperCrew half ton pickup, “Truck of the Year.”

The FX2 with fuel saving EcoBoost V6 power beat out its competitors in the half ton pickup class for its combination of acceleration power, towing and hauling capabilities, and of course, great fuel economy.

“Ford stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam with the EcoBoost F-150 FX2,” said Truckin’ Feature Editor Maxwell Matthewson. “They gave the consumer everything they wanted in one package: impeccable styling, remarkable performance, and gas mileage that doesn’t punch you in the gut at the fuel pump.”

Now Ford offers more options than ever before to personalize new Ford Trucks.

One example is the FX Appearance Package which is offered on the FX2 and FX4 trucks.  The FX Appearance Package “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,” according to Ford News.

Inside the cabin, the FX features black leather seating with red piping and other one-of-a-kind visual features such as black painted dash accents and brushed metal surfaces.  The door handles, shifter, and air conditioning vents are featured in a satin finish and the FX interior option is offered with 7 unique FX exterior color options.

The FX Luxury Package is new for 2012 and it offers some extra creature comforts such as cooled front seats in addition to heated seats-which were offered previously.

The FX Package also offers new 20 inch wheels with specialized finish and unique body decals with a distinctive appearance, as well as a chrome exhaust tip and black finished grille.

“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. “Earning this recognition from such a discerning group of personalization and performance experts as Truckin’ is gratifying.”

According to Ford News the Ford F-150 FX2 model features “ a twin-turbocharged direct-injection gasoline EcoBoost V6 engine making 365 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, the Ford F-150 delivers power and performance comparable to competitive, naturally aspirated V8 engines, while delivering significantly improved fuel economy, up to 20 percent better.”

Sunset Ford Dealer home of a great selection of new Ford cars near The Loop is pleased to announce that Ford Motor Company has set a goal to shed nearly 750 pounds of weight on new Ford cars by the year 2020.

But Ford says it needs some help reaching its goals and the company reached out to Dow Chemical which plans to provide a lightweight material called carbon fiber.

Ford is on its way to reaching its goal by finding new lighter weight technology for engine production without forgoing power with its new EcoBoost engines.  The other factor that Ford is considering is lighter weight material and Dow plans to provide that part of the equation.

“Vehicle weight reduction for our customers through intelligent design with a materials focus has been a priority for Dow Automotive Systems,” said Florian Schattenmann, director of research and development for Dow Automotive Systems. “This partnership with Ford on carbon fiber composites is a logical next step to progress already achieved through the use of lightweight, high-strength polymers and structural bonding technology.”

The two companies, Dow and Ford have combined forces in order to find a cheaper carbon fiber.

According to Ford;”the joint development effort will also leverage work that Dow has already begun with Turkish carbon fiber manufacturer AKSA and the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory.”

Ford says if the joint venture succeeds carbon fiber components may start to be featured on new Ford cars the end of this decade as Ford’s development teams work to provide more fuel efficient vehicles providing over 50 miles per gallon and extending the driving range of electric plug-in vehicles.

To test drive a fuel efficient Ford cars in St. Louis or Waterloo, visit your local Sunset Ford Dealer today, you won’t be disappointed!

Sunset Ford Dealer near Fenton knows that when it comes to new Ford trucks in St. Louis, and truck engines, size really does matter.  Ford’s new EcoBoost engine offers the industry leading smaller sized engine without compromising in performance.

Now Ford Offers 7 new vehicle models with the new EcoBoost engine, including Ford trucks such as the F 150 pickup.

Ford’s smaller EcoBoost Engine reduces vehicle weight for improved fuel economy and reduced C02 emissions in ford cars and trucks.  Now Ford is launching the smallest engine ever which is a three cylinder 1.0 EcoBoost engine which debuts in the United States next year.

For years truck buyers adopted the view that bigger is better, but since the drastic increase in gas prices, today’s Ford truck buyers are opting for the smaller more fuel efficient engines.

According to Ford News; “Today, buyers are snapping up cars and trucks powered by smaller engines that offer better fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance.” “When the EcoBoost-equipped 2013 Fusion, Escape and 2.0-liter Taurus arrive on dealer lots this spring and summer, Ford will offer an industry-leading seven vehicles with the smallest engines in their segments – more than any competitor.”

EcoBoost is able to save as much as 20% in fuel economy on Ford’s increasing lineup of cars and trucks equipped with the new fuel saving technology.

“Available now in displacements of 1.6, 2.0 and 3.5 liters, Ford’s EcoBoost engines are designed to offer drivers outstanding performance in everything from economy cars to trucks,” says Ford.

Vehicles with the EcoBoost engine have the smallest engines in their respective segment including the 2013 Escape, the 2013 Ford Fusion, the Explorer SUV and Edge crossover as well as the Taurus, Interceptor, and of course the Ford F 150 3.5 liter EcoBoost engine which offers the same or better power than larger engines in competitors models.

Sunset Ford Dealer, home of a great lineup of new and used Ford cars in Waterloo Illinois is pleased to announce that Ford Motor Company and SHFT.com-a new cultural media platform have launched a new documentary series that reveals profiles from leading eco-friendly entrepreneurs and innovative companies who are working to change industries with new sustainable solutions through the debut of 10 short documentary films.

The website can be accessed at ford.com/technology/electric/ and so far 200,000 consumers have visited the site in order to find out about the best type of fuel efficient vehicle to match their individual lifestyle.

Ford has partnered with Green Festival to launch new Ford fuel efficient vehicles many of which get better fuel economy than smaller used Ford cars.  Ford is also working on increasing the number of public charging stations for electric powered new and used Ford vehicles.

“Sustainability is the biggest issue facing business in the 21st century, and the problem will not be solved by one person or group,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Company. “How we answer the challenge of the future of mobility will have a lasting impact on generations to come. By partnering with organizations like SHFT, we are able to inspire people to make smart decisions about the products they choose today.”

The new film series comprised of 10 short documentaries profiles new innovative entrepreneurs interested in integrating sustainability into business practices.  Several platforms will feature the series including the Huffington Post, SHFT.com, U.S. Virgin Airlines in flight entertainment, and AOL.

“It’s been truly inspiring creating our documentary series profiling 10 incredible visionaries committed to taking on the challenge of sustainability across some of the largest industries,” said Grenier. “This series continues our exciting partnership and allows us to recognize not only Ford Motor Company as an innovator in sustainability but specifically Bill Ford’s leadership on environmental and manufacturing solutions.”

Sunset Ford home of a great lineup of new Ford trucks near Edwardsville knows that with today’s price of oil used for manufacturing material such as plastics continues to go up, corporations continue to pursue new sustainable materials for products such as Ford cars and trucks.

Believe it or not, U.S. paper currency retired from circulation is one such sustainable material being considered for Potential alternatives to petroleum-based products.  Other products include soybeans, denim, and plastic bottles. Soy based material has been utilized by Ford as seat cushions backs and head restraints saving approximately 5 million lbs. of petroleum each year.

Ford is considering a wide range of products for use in building its vehicles including cellulose from trees, Indian grass, sugar cane, corn, coconuts and dandelions.  “Ford has a long history of developing green technologies because it’s the right thing to do from an environmental perspective,” said John Viera, Ford’s global director of Sustainability and Vehicle Environmental matters. “Now, finding alternative sources for materials is becoming imperative as petroleum prices continue to rise and traditional, less sustainable materials become more expensive.

“The potential to reuse some of the country’s paper currency once it has been taken out of circulation is a great example of the kind of research we are doing,” Viera added.

In the year 2000 Ford began its initial research regarding sustainable materials which were readily available and less expensive than petroleum which was $16.65 per barrel and this year the price of a barrel reached as much as $109.77.

Today Ford considers sustainable materials so important to its global plan to reduce its carbon footprint that the company is considering 8,000 to 10,000 lbs of retired shredded or compressed paper money currency as an alternative for material to use for the production of Ford vehicles.

“Building vehicles with great fuel economy is our highest priority in reducing our environmental impact,” said Carrie Majeske, Ford’s Product Sustainability manager. “We recognize the use of sustainable materials inside our cars, utilities and trucks can also help reduce our environmental impact. These are steps that are not only better for our planet in the long run but are cost-effective as well.”

The equivalent of over 2 pair of jeans has been used in the all new Ford Fusion as dampening material to reduce wind and powertrain noise.  “We have been working with an ever-increasing list of collaborators – chemical companies, universities, suppliers and others – to maximize efforts and develop as many robust, sustainable materials as possible for the 300 pounds of plastic on an average vehicle,” said Dr. Debbie Mielewski, technical leader of Ford’s Materials Research and Innovation team.

New sustainable materials such as shredded money are being tested today by researchers who will recommend potential use. Shredded money is being considered for interior trays and bins, according to Mielewski. “There is no guarantee any or all of these sustainable materials will end up in Ford cars and trucks, she added, but Mielewski says she is  excited about how much more attention the sustainable materials is attracting today.

Sunset Ford, home of a great selection of new and used Ford cars near St. Peters is pleased to announce that Ford and PSA Peugeot continue the partnership formed to create a new diesel engine which will enable production of over 20 million engines available in the 1.4 liter and 1.6 liter as well as a 2.0 liter over the past 12 years.

According to Ford News; “concerning the second engine family, the two companies have decided to independently develop and manufacture their larger diesel engines (2.0-litre and above) to meet their future needs as well as new regulations. This decision has no impact on the current production of the existing jointly-developed engines, or the derivatives planned for Euro 6 emissions legislation which comes into effect from 2014. The decision will only affect as a first step commercial vehicles from mid-decade.”

Ford manufactures or distributes vehicles in as many as 6 continents, and the company employs nearly 164,000 employees in 70 plants across the globe.  The Detroit automaker produces both the Ford and Lincoln brand and offers financial services as well through Ford Motor Credit.

In Europe, Ford produces, sells, and services Ford vehicles in 50 different markets and employs 66,000 workers.  Ford Credit Europe includes 22 manufacturing plants.  Ford initially shipped vehicles to Europe as far back as 1903. This was the same year that Ford Motor Company was founded.

Peugeot and Citroen are 2 world renowned brands sold 3.5 million vehicles last year worldwide including 42 percent sold outside of Europe.  Peugeot is Europe’s 2^nd largest automaker with sales of over 59.0 billion in 2011.  Two billion dollars was used for research and development focusing on new energy vehicles.

To learn more about Ford’s new or used diesel powered vehicles, contact your local Sunset Ford Dealer in St. Louis and Waterloo today.