Auto News 5

Ford struck its competitors hard when it introduced the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor SuperCab, calling it the “first-ever, high-speed, off-road performance truck.” With its wide stance and 133-inch wheelbase, not to mention the blacked-out grille and bold graphics, the Raptor had a look all its own, and it excited passions among truck enthusiasts. Some 8614 Raptors sold in 2010, and sales are off to a strong start this year.

The most famous image of a New York City taxicab is probably the opening of the TV series Taxi, in which, through five seasons and endless cable repeats, Judd Hirsch piloted a yellow cab across the Queensboro Bridge. Drive your cab across that bridge for real and you end up at Dynamic Auto Repair, right off the bridge in Long Island City, where thousands of taxis are repaired and maintained each year. Dynamic was founded a decade ago by three brothers from Corona: William (pictured above), Junior, and Gio Ibanez. The shop stands next to one of the city's largest fleets, whose 300-some taxis mean a steady stream of work. "These cars run twenty-four hours a day, and the shocks and tires take a beating," says William, who directs the place. "You've got to change the oil every two weeks or these cars won't last." At shift changes, the cars gather like cattle in a feed lot. Guys yell at the drivers to hurry up the swap. Wounded cars come in for work. "It gets really crazy and chaotic," William says. The windows of Dynamic's two big garage doors are frosted with grime. Inside are eyeless yellow shells of Ford Crown Victorias up on lifts and car doors tilted against the walls. At one time, almost all taxis were Crown Vics, but today there are also hybrid Ford Escapes, Nissan Altimas, and Toyota Camrys.

I don't know if Alan Mulally's "One Ford" idea is as coruscating as Ford PR says, but it does make sense not to build two completely different vehicles for exactly the same market niche. Ford used to do that in Europe, with multiple British and German models having separately tooled engines, gearboxes, and body shells. Ford now builds two very similar but unrelated vehicles in the compact SUV category: the Kuga in Europe and the Escape in America. A third, slightly different Escape is also built in Taiwan for Asian markets. That's obviously too many, and the Vertrek concept from the Detroit show gives us a glimpse of a true Mulally-mobile. The Vertrek is meant to prefigure the all-but-identical Kuga and Escape coming soon. Styled in Cologne, Germany, where Stefan Lamm leads all the C-segment (Focus-size) design teams, the convincing Vertrek exterior is by Croatia-born Kemal Curic, a seven-year Ford of Europe veteran who moved to Dearborn, Michigan, early this year. Freeman Thomas, himself one of the brightest sparks at Ford, is lavish in his praise of Curic's creativity, which speaks volumes. When one designer extols another, you know there's an exceptional talent. The interior, by Australian Dennis Sartorello, is equally convincing, although in the long tradition of concept cars, it is likely to be toned down (and cheapened) for production. The glass roof may or may not be available, but the rest of the car is pretty much what you'll be able to buy quite soon.