Automotive News Factoids Nov 25-Dec 1, 2013 - Nutson's Nuggets

Auto Central Louisville, KY December 1, 2013 Each week Larry Nutson, Senior Editor, New York Bureau of The Auto Channel, along with Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau give you easy to digest nuggets of the past week's automotive news you may have missed.

If you are a car nut like we all are, you can easily "catch up" on these stories as well as the past 17 year's 1,483,654 automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, rants and raves by just searching for the subject you are interested in The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive. Hey South Florida TV viewers, I know you are enjoying watching The Auto Channel's TACH-TV on channel 44 WHDT-TV Palm Beach (Cable 17 and 438, channel 9 Miami and channel 32 Fort Meyers-Naples, and thanks for the positive feedback....See you next week, LN

Automotive News Nov 25- December 1, 2013

* It's been a slow news week with the shortened work week due to the long holiday weekend. We hope you had a safe and happy thanksgiving and are having a joyful Hanukkah.

* The celebration of 50 years of Ford Mustang will be so large Ford Motor Company and the Mustang Club of America plan to simultaneously hold it at two locations from April 16 through April 20, 2014. Open to everyone, not just Mustang owners and MCA members, the event will be held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas.

* Ford is again recalling the Escape small SUV. The first of two recalls announced affects more than 161,000 Escape worldwide from the 2013 model year with 1.6-liter four-cylinder engines. Ford says the cylinder heads can overheat and crack, causing oil leaks. And, fuel lines on about 12,000 may have been installed wrong. They could become chafed and leak gas.

* We don't usually editorialize here but it is interesting to note that the Escape recall was triggered by 13 fires reported among 140,000 sold units. Tesla has been downplaying the reported three fires in about 20,000 units sold. If you put the three from Tesla on the scale of Ford's volume it would amount to 21 fires.

* Ford's newest police car, a model not designed for high-speed chases, will get 24 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving, according to Environmental Protection Agency certification. The special service police sedan is not for regular patrol officers, but for detectives, administrators and other law enforcement personnel who donā€™t need to engage in chases. The improved mileage can help cut fuel costs. The police-equipped Taurus has an EPA certification of 20 m.p.g. in city driving and 30 m.p.g. on the highway.

* Chrysler Group LLC said it will trade its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the CGC symbol, but said it will delay the offering until early next year. The automaker disclosed the plans in a securities filing. Chrysler will convert to a Delaware corporation when it launches the IPO. The company didn't disclose the planned stock price range. Fiat SpA's decision to delay an initial public offering for Chrysler offers one more chance for Fiat to reach a deal with a union health care trust fund over the value of its stake.

* Ford began production of the 2014 F-150 with the ability to run on compressed natural gas, making Ford the only manufacturer with an available CNG/LPG-capable half-ton pickup. The 2014 Ford F-150 with 3.7-liter V6 engine is available with a factory-installed, gaseous-fuel prep package that includes hardened valves, valve seats, and pistons and rings so it can operate on either natural gas or gasoline through separate fuel systems. When equipped with a bi-fuel CNG/LPG engine package, the 3.7-liter V6 F-150 is capable of achieving more than 750 miles on combined tanks of gasoline and CNG, depending on the tank sizes selected. The Ford F-150 with 3.7-liter V6 has an EPA-estimated rating of 23 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg combined.

* At the "Art of the Automobile" sale, held jointly by RM Auctions and Sotheby's and billed as the first major collector-car auction in New York City in a decade a total of 31 vehicles were sold for just over $62 million. A 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, which was given a presale estimate of $12 million to $15 million, sold for $14.3 million including the buyer's premium.

* Check back in at The Auto Channel to see the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang that will have its global reveal on Thursday.