Ford says optional EcoBoost V6 engine popular with F-150 buyers

Sales of Ford F-150 pickups with the optional EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6 engine have surpassed company estimates, with some dealers reporting robust demand as gasoline prices rise. "We had a sales forecast but it has jumped up a little faster than we thought," said Marc Lapine, consumer marketing manager for Ford Motor Co. Credit the increase to rising fuel prices.

One Lap of the Web: Russian dash-cam ghost machines

-- Brace yourselves, people: "Dynamic" is not the only marketing buzzword of the moment. Now there's "velocity," which makes sense if you think of cars designed to move forward in some form or another. It actually refers to how fast an auto dealer can get you a cup of coffee, a pat on the back and a signature on the dotted line, as Lindsay Chappelle of Automotive News explains.

Crackdown on 'distracted' drivers

A CRACKDOWN on distracted drivers caught one motorist having a shave using a razor and a water bottle and a woman doing her make-up in the rear view mirror while on a motorway. The five-day police operation across the motorways of Hampshire and the Thames Valley resulted in 198 motorists being prosecuted for driving offences - most of them driving whilst distracted. Other offences spotted were a lorry driver brushing his teeth, two van drivers reading newspapers while they drove, one person reading a map on the steering wheel and two drivers using iPads (one on the steering wheel) as they travelled along.