Ford Explorer 2001 News

The New York Police Department has given a patrol vehicle a rainbow makeover in the lead-up to the city’s Gay Pride March this weekend to show solidarity with the LGBT community a week after the Orlando massacre.The 2016 Ford Explorer SUV’s fabulous costume includes rainbow NYPD badges on the bonnet and front guards, a multi-coloured light bar and rainbow striping to the roof, side panels and wheels.The motto ‘Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect’ which adorns the sides of the NYPD’s patrol cars has been replaced with ‘Pride, Equality, Peace' while the words ‘Our love goes out to Orlando’ appear on the back windows.Speaking at a press conference yesterday, New York City mayor Bill De Blasio said the police car with Pride colours was a symbol of the NYPD’s solidarity and deep connection with the LGBT community.“When we celebrate pride we do it with particular passion and this year we have an obligation to our nation in the wake of Orlando to show what pride and inclusion looks like and the whole city will be celebrating and standing up for and with our LGBT community,” he said.“There are no specific threats directed at this parade, but that does not stop us from being vigilant and using all our resources.”New York City’s annual Gay Pride March takes place this Sunday, a week after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Facelifted Ford Explorer previews Ford Territory replacement.Ford has given a glimpse of its family-sized SUV for the future, taking the covers off the new Ford Explorer that will ultimately replace the locally-made Ford Territory once production at Broadmeadows ends in 2016.Ford unveiled the facelifted version of the 2011 Explorer at the Los Angeles motor show today and it is believed to be a pointer as to how the next generation model due in two years will look.Ford Australia has not yet confirmed that the US-built Explorer will replace the Territory SUV but well placed insiders say it is a done deal.CarsGuide understands Ford also considered using the Territory name on the next generation Explorer because it is so popular with Australian buyers.But in the end the decision was made to go with the global Explorer name, although the Territory badge may live on as one of the model grades.The facelifted version of the 2011 Ford Explorer, which arrives just past the midway point of the model’s lifecycle, has adopted a more upmarket appearance with hints of Range Rover in the grille and headlights.The interior has been upgraded with more luxury equipment and appearance.The current Ford Explorer already shares a lot in common with the Ford Territory: both share their underpinnings with large sedans (the US Taurus for the Explorer and the Australian Falcon for the Territory), are available with five or seven seats, and are car-like to drive.Ford insiders are adamant that the recently released Ford Everest, based on heavy duty Ranger ute underpinnings, is not the replacement for the Territory, and nor is the other global Ford SUV planned for Australia, the Edge, which is a five-seater only.Ford sold 17,291 Explorers across two generations in Australia from 1996 to 2005. But the US model was dropped after sales of the locally-made Territory quickly outsold it.Ford Explorer sales in Australia1996 6051997 38231998 35091999 18122000 14982001 13872002 18692003 14672004 8912005 430Source: VFACTSUPDATE: Since this article was published, CarsGuide has learned there are no plans to introduce a right-hand-drive version of this generation Ford Explorer.  

The F150 has held pride of place at the top of the truck sales for 31 consecutive years in America, and Ford kicked off its show celebrations with the reveal of the new Effy. The bigger, but slightly lighter new F150 comes in 35 different spec and body variations, yet will be sold as a V8 petrol only until the diesel arrives in 2010. To sedate the greenies, Ford has embarked on a green drive with two of its other show concepts.   Ford’s next affordable small-car entry for America, seen here in concept form as the Verve, features the euro-faced Kinetic Design Language familiar from the Fiesta, Focus and more recently the Mondeo. The three-door concept, originally unveiled last year in Frankfurt, is on show to gauge the American interest. But the sedan version, which dropped its covers for an international audience today, is production-ready and scheduled for sale. It is more than just a small car for the American market - this is the next Fiesta, and we should see it here a year before the Americans in 2009. While the Blue Oval acknowledges the need for fuel efficient vehicles like the Verve concept, it still will not readily relinquish its top spot in trucks. To address the outstanding issues of fuel use and CO2 emissions in their larger cars, Ford has developed a new engine system called EcoBoost. At Detroit, EcoBoost featured at the core of one of Ford’s largest passenger SUVs, the Explorer. A new direct-injection fuel delivery system, combined with twin-turbo charging technology, offers large dollops of progressive power from smaller-capacity four- and six-cylinder blocks, dropping fuel use in the latter by up to 30 per cent. It’s ironic really, as turbocharging an engine is usually anything but eco-friendly. But running a hulking Explorer efficiently with a 179kW four-cylinder under its bonnet certainly seems like a forward step for the Ford Motor Company. And that technology will come here. The same V6 Duratec engine that features in our next Ford Falcon will be Eco-Boosted by 2010.