Holley 0-86670bk Ultra Street Avenger Carburetor 4 Bbl 670 Cfm Model 4150 on 2040-parts.com

Value-Added New Focus Keeps Asking Price In Check

WITH the launch of Ford’s new Focus just around the corner, the Blue Oval firm has announced that prices will start from £13,995 - the same as today’s Focus, with top Titanium and Titanium X versions costing £100 less than the outgoing equivalents. The new Focus range retains a six-series line-up of Studio (from £13,995), Style (£16,795), Zetec (£18,295), Zetec S (£20,045), Titanium (£19,795) and Titanium X (£21,795). According to Ford, the new Focus builds on its reputation for technology, which since 2011 has featured automated parallel parking, Active City Stop low-speed collision avoidance, Traffic Sign Recognition to monitor and record road signs and Blind Spot Information System, as optional equipment.

Acura promotes movie role with secret-agent kit

Rarely do the lengths to which a carmaker will go in promoting a product raise eyebrows here at AutoWeek, but it still happens from time to time. Case in point: Acura sent us a kit of secret-agent tests showcasing the role of its cars in the movie Thor. Touting the carmaker’s first stint in a major motion picture, the so-called Acura S.H.I.E.L.D.

Driven: Cadillac XTS

In the light of the new, global-focused ATS and hot-off-the-press CTS sedans, the full-sized, US-centric Cadillac XTS is somewhat of an anomaly in the new Caddy clan. It's been earmarked as a stopgap flagship before a proper rear-wheel drive challenger to the Mercedes S-class and Lexus LS comes on stream. Car Design News took to the streets of Detroit to find out if it captures that big Cadillac vibe on home turf.