Ford F-150 beefed up for municipal use

The Ford F-150 joins the likes of the Taurus and the Explorer in offering a package aimed specifically at those who protect and serve. While the Police Interceptor versions of the Explorer and the Taurus are being marketed strictly to law-enforcement agencies, the F-150 Special Service Vehicle is available to all government, municipal and commercial fleet customers. The SSV Package will be available as a no-cost option on both extended-cab and crew-cab F-150s sold to fleets.

Toyota and Mercedes-Benz are top global car brands

Toyota & Mercedes-Benz are the Top Global Automotive Brands 2011 Interbrand, a branding consultancy, delivers a report on the world’s brands every year, and in 2011, despite recall woes and the devastation of the Japanese Tsunami, Toyota leads the automotive brands, with luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz just behind. Interbrand uses three measures to gauge how effective a brand is – performance of branded product, the brands ability to secure earnings and the role of the brand in purchasing decisions – to come up with a chart of the top 100 world brands. At the top of the tree are companies like Coca Cola, IBM, Microsoft and Google, but car brands do well with Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda, VW, and Ford all making it in to the top 50.

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe unveiled: Photos & Video

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe revealed BMW reveals the 6 Series Gran Coupe, a 6 Series with extra doors and more room, the Gran Coupe is BMW’s take on the Mercedes CLS. It’s not a surprise that the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe has arrived, the surprise is that it’s taken so long. Mercedes started the whole swoopy coupe fad with the CLS – which is now in its second iteration – and it seemed an odd niche at the time.