In this March 6, 2008 photo, Ford Ka cars are assembled in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. The Ford Ka hatchback sold in Europe scored a high safety rating of four out of five stars.
The cars roll endlessly off the local assembly lines of the industry’s biggest automakers, more than 10,000 a day, into the eager hands of Brazil’s new middle class. The shiny new Fords, Fiats and Chevrolets tell the tale of an economy in full bloom that now boasts the fourth largest auto market in the world.
Three Ohio drivers are suing Ford Motor Co., claiming the company’s six-cylinder EcoBoost engine is defective.
The lawsuit says the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine can shudder, shake and then rapidly lose power while drivers are accelerating. Two of the plaintiffs, a married couple, say their 2010 Ford Taurus SHO has lost power and stalled on multiple occasions. The third says he has lost power when he was accelerating in his F-150 pickup.
BMW plans to debut the production version of its first EV, the i3 concept, at this year’s Frankfurt auto show.
The year 2020 is creeping closer and car makers are struggling to meet the new CO2 emission standards set for Europe. Some such as Volkswagen are already well underway to meet that deadline.
