On Location: NAIAS with FORD

By Kenda - January, 22nd 2014

[zilla_alert style="white"] RJC was thrilled to be invited to attend the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. We sent our roving reporter, Connie from MiscFinds4U, to check out what Ford has in store for us in the coming year. [/zilla_alert]

I am attending the NAIAS in Detroit. It’s my first foray into the world of auto shows as a member of the press. Sure, for years I attended them as a family, with kids in tow, as a diversion to keep them occupied. It was more about the bright lights and loud music back then. This year I’m experiencing it from the inside. I’ve been afforded an up-close and personal opportunity to check out the cars, learn more about the brand, and meet the people behind it.

Ford Mustang

We started out with a Ford press conference where they introduced the new 2015 Ford Mustang to huge crowd approval. The sleek new car has some features from its predecessor, but it’s clearly been brought into the future with updated electronics, a sleeker look, and more. What’s not missing is the huge engine sounds and wheel squealing tendencies.

The new Mustang is available in three engine choices – a 5.0-linter V8, 3.7-liter V6, or an all-new fuel-efficient 2.3-liter EcoBoost(tm). Plus it’s available in ten new colors including “Guard” which is the deep gray shown here.

Ford F-150

Also making it’s debut during the event is the new Ford F-150. The workhorse truck of the Ford line has gotten a new makeover as well. It’s loaded with apps, a great new look, and features to make it the truck of choice for this year.

Ford will be sharing more about these two new vehicles as well as the other 11 new autos that will be released to the North American market in 2014 over the next few days.

ACCESS FORD

After spending the day chatting with everyone from the CEO, COO, and Chief Designer, I’ve come to realize that everyone involved with Ford seems to be genuinely proud of their product. They seem sincere in their love for the brand and are willing to chat about what they’re doing and where they’re going as a company.

They made themselves available in both large, formal talks as well as intimate one-on-one chats. While there were many very technical questions that they answered easily, much of it was more than I wanted to know or understand, thankfully there was plenty for the casual car buff like me.

What I’m passionate about isn’t style, size or comfort, it’s safety. For me it’s the number one reason why I’ll be buying a new car this year. So I wanted to know about the features that they’ve included beyond airbags to make driving safer. It turns out they’ve added plenty including hands-free phone operation, texts that are read to you by the car, 360 degree view cameras, and most importantly, a Do Not Disturb feature that blocks texts and phone calls while you’re driving. Those are features I can support!

I also wanted to know if they had cars to fit my lifestyle What I discovered is that they’ve created cars for nearly every segment of the population. Baby boomers like me who are looking to downsize without giving up comfort. Trucks for recreational use as well as on the job that are “Ford Tough.” Family-friendly vehicles with the extras moms and dads will appreciate as well as cars for those who are looking to protect the environment. Many of the cars overlap segments so someone like me can get that car with all the safety, tech, and eco features.

I’m looking forward to checking out some of the new models. The talk at the show has been all about the new Mustang as well as the new F-150, but I’ve been eyeing some of their eco models. There’s definitely something for everyone here.

Are you a Ford Fan? Show your support on Facebook or follow along on Twitter #FordNAIAS

Check out more coverage of the 2014 North American International Auto Show HERE

[zilla_alert style="white"] Big thanks to Connie for braving the cold temperatures to join Ford as they revealed their newest vehicles. You can read more from this Seattle blogger at miscfinds4u.com [/zilla_alert]