Ford and SHFT.com Team Up to Help Fans Find Fresh Local Food

Ford and SHFT.com Team Up to Help Fans Find Fresh Local Food Sean Johnston,
5/07/2013
Want to help improve the health of your body, and the planet? Consider eating local. Joining the so-called “Locavore” movement means making a commitment to eating fresh foods that are grown close to where you are. Closer food sources means less energy is used to transport it from the farm to your plate. Plus, it’s nice to know where the contents of your salad or fruit plate came from. So what’s Ford got to do with food? As part of the company’s commitment to promoting sustainable practices, Ford teamed up with SHFT.com – a leading sustainability website – to create an app that makes it easy for users to find local food options. The Food Tripping App has over 50,000 “good food” locations including eateries, farmer’s markets and food stores with locally-sourced options. Just in time for Earth Day! “This new app is just one example of how Ford and SHFT.com are collaborating to help inspire people to make smarter environmental decisions,” says John Viera, Global Director of Sustainability, Ford Motor Company. Do you have a hot tip on a great place to score some good local food? Well, don’t keep it to yourself! Connect and share your favorite places with other tech-savvy locavores. The Food Tripping App allows users to add custom entries into their expansive database, so check back often. Whether you’re in the mood to try a new fresh market near your house, or if you’re on the road and looking for a good place to eat healthy, the Food Tripping App can help. You can download the app on the Apple App Store or on Google Play. You can also find both links, along with a comprehensive overview of the app on the SHFT.com website. If you’re heading over to SHFT.com, you might want to also check out the list of best green gadgets to take with you when you’re on the go. From backpacks made from used plastic bottles to a solar-chargeable music boom box, these are must-haves for any green-conscious traveler. Keep the Earth Day celebrations rolling by checking out our coverage of green technology news from Ford Motor Company and by grabbing a Green badge.

Introducing the Special Edition 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Introducing the Special Edition 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor – http://ford.to/ZNGHLn

As if the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor hasn’t stood out enough since it hit the streets – and the dirt – in 2010, Ford has now added a package that kicks things up a major notch. You might be asking yourself, how do you take a highly capable and functional pickup with cutting-edge technology, and then make it even more awesome? The answer is the new 2014 Raptor Special Edition! The Raptor Special Edition builds upon the current Raptor Luxury Package, adding Ruby Red Metallic paint (the pickup is also available in Tuxedo Black Metallic) and box-side graphics, as well as interior toucheslike Brick Red seat bolsters with black inserts and cloth honeycomb highlights, console top finish panel, and center stack and door panel appliqué accents. The Raptor retains what has made it a best-seller – with record-setting sales in five of the past six months – such as the 6.2-liter V-8 engine, a six-speed automatic transmission with tow/haul mode and SelectShift Automatic® and off-road-designed systems and components that include a Torsen® limited-slip differential, Hill Descent Control™, a grille-mounted camera and industry-exclusive beadlock-capable wheels for even more traction in rugged conditions. Body styles offered continue to be the four-door SuperCrew and two-door SuperCab. The Raptor Special Edition will go on sale in the fall of 2013.

1978 Dodge L’il Red Express Truck

Strange but true: In 1978, the hottest domestic production car sold in America … well, it wasn’t a car. It was a pickup—the Dodge L’il Red Express Truck, a factory hot rod with the quickest zero-to-100 mph time of any American-made vehicle that year. In the late 1970s the auto industry was struggling to meet strict new emissions and fuel economy requirements. The advanced electronic control systems used to achieve maximum efficiency on all vehicles today weren’t yet developed. As a result, performance suffered—V8 engines were offered on only a few models, often pickups, and with anemic power ratings, usually less than 200 horsepower. It was sort of a depressing time for performance enthusiasts, to be honest. You know the engineers at Dodge weren’t going to let that situation stand. Noting that the regulations were a bit less stringent for trucks, the team selected Dodge’s shortest, lightest pickup, the Utiline half-ton D150 with a 115-inch wheelbase. Into this package they dropped the 360-cubic-inch E58 V8 from the Dodge police cruiser, the A727 Loadflight automatic transmission, and a SureGrip rear axle with 3.55:1 ratio. Now, by 2013 standards, 225 hp doesn’t sound like a lot, but in 1978 it was enough to rule the roost. For visual appeal, the hot rod pickup received slotted chrome wheels, raised white-letter tires, wood cargo-box panels, Canyon Red paint, and a nifty gold-letter graphic on each door bearing the name “L’il Red Express Truck.” The crowning touch was a pair of large-diameter chrome exhaust stacks that rose vertically at the rear corners of the cab, emulating a big semi tractor. Eager for good news, performance enthusiasts and the automotive media alike threw their arms around the Express. Almost 2,200 units were sold in 1978, followed by another 5,188 in 1979, as part of a hot marketing program called “the adult toys from Dodge.” Of course, these days the trucks have their own signature RAM Trucks brand, and class-leading performance can be found throughout the Dodge lineup—for example, in the HEMI-powered Challenger, America’s most affordable V8 muscle car. Tagged 1978, Classic, dodge, fuel economy, horsepower, hot rod, Little Red Truck, ram trucks, Red Truck, Truck, Vintage |

ACM Awards Guest Blogger: Lauren Jo Black Reporting

As part of Ram Trucks’ effort to Put the Blog in Country, we invited two popular country music bloggers to the 48th Academy of Country Music Awards and asked them to record their experiences. This first account is courtesy of Lauren Jo Black from Country Music Is Love.

By Lauren Jo Black

Each year, country music’s hottest artists and biggest fans pack up and head to Las Vegas for the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, and thanks to my friends at Ram Trucks, I had the opportunity to experience the ACM Awards like never before. In addition to covering the red carpet and attending the 48th Annual ACM Awards show, I also had the chance to attend and cover events leading up to “Country Music’s Party of the Year.”In recent years, the days leading up to the annual awards show have become something bigger – it’s “the week Vegas goes country.” In addition to the ACM Awards, fans have the opportunity to attend several events and get up close and personal with country music newcomers and superstars alike.One of the week’s events was the three-day ACM Experience, a place where fans had the chance to experience and take in all things country. In addition to sampling great food, music and shopping, fans could catch a ride in a brand-new Ram 1500 at the Ram Ride and Drive. The event included a closed course that had a 13-foot mobile hill and steel suspension ramps. This offered fans the chance to get a feel for all of the capabilities that Ram trucks have to offer.Of course, I had to experience it myself, so I hopped in a Ram 1500 to take a ride around the track. It was my first time in a Ram 1500, and I have to admit, I was thoroughly impressed. Upon taking my seat up front, I noticed that the driver had country music playing on the radio, which was a plus in my book. He drove me around the track, explaining each of the truck’s features as we went through the course. My palms got a bit sweaty as we drove up the 13-foot mobile hill, but the Ram 1500 handled it like a champ!After my ride, country hit maker Easton Corbin hopped in the Ram 1500 for a spin around the track. After going through the course with a driver, Corbin got behind the wheel himself for another turn. Corbin grew up on a farm in Florida, so he knows what qualities go into a great truck. As Corbin drove around the track, hundreds of fans gathered at the Ram Ride and Drive for a chance to meet him. After his turn behind the wheel of the Ram 1500, Corbin spent time taking photos and signing autographs for fans. Before he left, the “All Over the Road” singer also signed the Ram Trucks wall in support of the Ram brand’s Year of the Farmer campaign.
If you watched the ACM Awards, you saw that Corbin ditched the limo and arrived to the Ram Trucks Red Carpet in a Ram 1500 – how cool is that? He’s not the only one, either. ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year Brantley Gilbert and two-time ACM Vocal Duo of the Year Thompson Square also arrived in a Ram 1500. I had a chance to see them all on the red carpet, and they looked fabulous.Being on the carpet is such an exhilarating experience. There are hundreds of reporters and photographers vying for the chance to simply get a few moments with each artist. Photographers are constantly yelling to try to get the attention of the artists, and there are flashes and bright lights everywhere! I applaud the artists for doing red carpets all the time, because while I’m sure it’s a lot of fun to get all dressed up and walk the carpet, it’s a crazy experience, to say the least.My experience at the ACM Awards was simply unforgettable. Thanks to Ram Trucks for an amazing weekend.– Lauren Jo Black

Ford shows off Fiesta with in-wheel motors in Belgium

Ford shows off Fiesta with in-wheel motors in Belgium – http://aol.it/Zvs9jA

Do you ever wonder “What was I thinking? I KNEW better!”

Do you ever wonder “What was I thinking? I KNEW better!”

National Hemi Day

Today, April 26, is National Hemi Day! Hemi aficionados have chosen 4-26 as the day to celebrate the 426 Hemi, but just about every Chrysler-built Hemi engine is invited to this party.  http://bit.ly/ZpObE9

Changing Gears: Auto Makers Ditch Familiar Shift Levers

Changing Gears: Auto Makers Ditch Familiar Shift Levers – http://on.wsj.com/ZpLIcX

Chrysler chief Marchionne’s donates his own custom Dodge Challenger SRT8 Raises $175k for United Way

Chrysler chief Marchionne’s donates his own custom Dodge Challenger SRT8 Raises $175k for United Way – http://bit.ly/Zmf8oF 

GM to Revive Chevelle Nameplate

GM to Revive Chevelle Nameplate? – http://bit.ly/ZmeaIQ