Leveraging a longstanding partnership between two of the biggest names on the open road, Ford has again teamed up with one of the world’s iconic motorcycle brands to deliver the most powerful, most capable Harley-Davidson F-150 ever.

Introduced at this year’s Sturgis Rally—that all-American celebration of life on two wheels—the 2011 version features an authentically Harley-esque design scheme both inside and out. Drivers can choose between two different exterior colors, either Tuxedo Black or Ingot Silver, while the truck’s sheet metal also wears striking graphics done with an engine-turned finish, as well as dimensional “Harley-Davidson” lettering.

It’s a bold appearance that’s made even bolder by the truck’s integrated deployable running boards, along with its massive 22-inch Euroflange wheels. Up front, there’s also a model-specific fascia sporting a big billet-style satin-chrome grille with satin-chrome Harley-Davidson badging, while a complementary upscale interior, with Tuxedo Black trim panels and satin-finish chrome accents, helps put the finishing touches on this F-150’s custom-look appearance.

There are plenty of comfort and convenience features, too, ranging from a power moonroof to a rear-view camera to heated seats and the Ford-only SYNC system, which offers an unparalleled approach to hands-free in-car connectivity. With SYNC, both cell-phone calls and audio-system functionality can be handled with voice commands, and the system can also audibly replay incoming text messages from Bluetooth-enabled cell phones. Perhaps most importantly, phones can be simply and easily paired to the SYNC system to automatically help drivers reach local 911 operators if an airbag deploys.

But Harley-Davidson wasn’t about to lend its name to just any pickup poser. With this in mind, Ford stuffed its mighty 6.2-liter V8—the same one available on the F-150 SVT Raptor—under the Harley edition’s hood. The fire-breathing mill rocks out to the tune of 411 horses and 434 lb-ft of torque, enough power to help the truck earn a maximum tow rating of 9,300 lbs.

“This engine has tons of torque and already has been proven in the field with both the F-150 SVT Raptor and Super Duty,” said Mike Harrison, Ford V8 engine program manager. Even “the exhaust for the Ford Harley-Davidson edition has been specially tuned to feature a throaty V8 rumble customers will love.”

And with a truck this good—and good-looking—you can be sure that won’t be all that drivers will love about the 2011 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150.

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The Blue Oval brand is at it again. The impressive Ford lineup has once more earned industry-leading results in third-party quality testing, as the company had more segment winners in the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Performance, Execution And Layout (APEAL) Survey than any other automaker.

The annual study is based on input from more than 76,000 new-vehicle purchasers, who evaluated their rides in more than 80 different measures after 90 days of ownership.

Ford’s fab five included the Fusion, which was the best-rated entry in the Midsize Sedan category, beating out rivals like the Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Malibu and even the Buick LaCrosse. The Fusion moved up four spots compared to its place in the 2009 study, showing that it remains a powerful force in this very competitive segment.

The all-new Ford Taurus claimed top honors among Large Cars, and has now become one of the top 20 most “APEAL-ing” vehicles in the entire study. Also notable: The Taurus is one of only two vehicles to win its segment in both the APEAL rankings and the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, which measures consumer-reported problems with new vehicles after the first three months of the ownership experience.

In another hotly contested segment of the industry, the Ford Flex beat out rivals from Honda and Buick to achieve the highest score in the Midsize Crossover/SUV category. It’s the second consecutive year the Flex has bested its competition in the APEAL study.

The Ford Explorer Sport Trac, which earned top ratings from customers in both 2001 and 2002, proved it still offers plenty of what buyers want today—like a strong combination of value and versatility—by claiming the prize in this year’s Midsize Pickup category.

Finally, the rugged and roomy Ford Expedition was the big winner in the Large Crossover/SUV segment, moving up four places over its 2009 APEAL ranking.

“It’s a significant accomplishment to do so well in APEAL on the heels of receiving high marks from J.D. Power on initial quality,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford’s group vice president for Global Quality and New Model Launches.  “The APEAL results stand as another proof point that Ford is redefining quality. We know it’s not enough to build defect-free cars and trucks. We move to the next step by delivering an experience that exceeds our customers’ expectations with features they would expect to find only in high-priced luxury lines.”

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After a five year pay freeze, which was initiated just before the economic downturn, Bill Ford Jr. will finally begin receiving a salary again. He is due to receive $4 million in cash and up to $12 million in stock options, a sum that’s been backdated to January 1, 2008.

Ford voluntary ditched his salary until “sustainable profitability” at the automaker was achieved. Luckily for Bill Ford, the company made $2.7 billion in 2009, its first annual profit in four years.  Now that the company is on stable ground financially, Ford’s sacrifice can now pay off.

“It was a more prolonged downturn than anyone thought it would be when Bill made the pledge,” said Ford spokesman Mark Truby.

Some of the money Ford will earn will go toward repaying loans he took to buy Ford stock when things weren’t looking so idyllic. Another portion of his earnings will be used to set up a college scholarship for the children of Ford workers.

“Even during the difficult times for our company and the industry, I never doubted that our efforts at Ford would be successful. I continued to invest in our company’s future by purchasing Ford stock — at times, taking out personal loans to do so,” Bill Ford said in a note to employees obtained by The Detroit News.

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This week marked the unveiling of the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer. For this new model, Ford engineers started with a car-based platform, rather than a truck platform as with previous generations. Despite this dramatic change, the Blue Oval still has its sights set on appealing to traditional SUV buyers.

Despite being more of a crossover vehicle than traditional SUV, Ford is confident the 2011 Explorer will still provide the capability that buyers demand thanks to a slew of new technologies, including a terrain management system, blind spot monitoring, and a range of other systems. Take a closer look at some of these features below.

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After weeks of teasing through a bit of clever Facebook marketing,  the latest Ford Explorer finally made its full debut this week, and Ford says it has been successful in “Reinventing the SUV for the 21st century.”

The Explorer first made its debut about two decades ago, and went on to become one of Ford’s most successful and most loved models. However, recent years saw sales volume tumble as buyers moved away from traditional SUVs and opted for more car-like, fuel-efficient crossovers.

“It had to look modern and contemporary – inside and out – yet be instantly recognizable as an Explorer,” said Chief Nameplate Engineer Jim Holland. “Next, the new Explorer needed to deliver the fuel economy today’s customers want, combined with the performance, capability and empowerment they expect from an SUV.”

Interestingly, Ford still claims to be aiming squarely at traditional SUV buyers with the latest Explorer. However, riding on the same platform that underpins the Taurus and the Flex, and featuring unibody construction, the 2011 model is a far cry from previous generations. The benefit of these charges will be improved driving dynamics and fuel economy, but Ford also claims the new architecture will not be detrimental to off-road capabilities.

Compared to previous generations, Ford engineers also improved the quality of the latest Explorer’s interior by great margins. In addition to utilizing soft-touch materials, the cabin also features intuitive controls and switchgear. Buyers will also be able to confronted with a long list of standard and available amenities, including Ford’s venerable SYNC infotainment system.

“Crafting a high-quality vehicle is like preparing a gourmet meal,” said Peter Bejin, craftsmanship supervisor. “You start with high-quality ingredients, execute your recipe with flawless preparation and finally, present it with flair and panache.”

But what might be most impressive about this new, more comfortable and capable Explorer, is that it’s also vastly more efficient thanks to a new EcoBoost four-cylinder engine and a new V6 engine. The standard engine will actually be the 3.5-liter V6 unit, which produces 290 horsepower (just shy of the Explorer’s old V8) and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. For buyers that want the perfect balances of power and efficiency, they can opt for the 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder unit, which delivers 237 horsepower and is expected to deliver at least 18 mpg city and up to 27 mpg highway.

“We spent our time listening to customers and addressing their needs to launch an SUV that reinvigorates the Explorer nameplate and delivers on Ford’s promise of high-quality, fuel-efficient and technologically advanced vehicles with industry-leading safety,” said Holland. “The all-new Explorer will change market perceptions about SUV style, fuel efficiency, technology and user-friendliness.”

It seems that Ford has succeeded in producing a vehicle that balances capability with everyday drivability. Stay tuned for additional details on the new 2011 Explorer.

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So, just how much demand is there for the latest crop of high-quality Ford products? Get this: In the recent “2010 Readers’ Most Wanted” survey at Edmunds.com’s Inside Line (IL) website, the Blue Oval blew away the competition by taking first place in eight categories; no other automaker topped more than three.

The Ford Mustang V6 was the readers’ hottest must-have in the “Speed Under $30,000” category, with the folks at IL noting it “certainly wins our award for most improved,” and the readers chiming in with kudos like “The new Mustang is the fastest, best-handling car in this segment. 305 hp for $22K? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?,” and “Great-looking car, 30 mpg-plus and 300-plus hp makes this a no-brainer.”

The Mustang also took honors in the “Speed Over $30,000” ranking with the 2011 Mustang 5.0 GT. Any concerns over the power that IL had with the 2010 GT’s power numbers were “certainly resolved for 2011,” thanks to an advanced new V8 that now pumps out 412 hp. But there’s more here than a pony car packing 400+ ponies of its own. As one reader explained, “I’m a real-world man, and the Ford Mustang GT 5.0 has all of this: style, speed, power, price, reliability, good mpg, fair cost of maintenance, heritage, driving pleasure. And when I was a kid I dreamt of a Mustang GT 5.0, too!!!”

And there’s a familiar name atop the “Convertible Under $30,000″ segment: The Mustang Convertible. Yes, even a rival like the Mazda Miata “loses to the juggernaut that is the 2011 Mustang,” according to the IL team.

Hauling home yet another award is the Ford F-150, winning the “Hauling Under $30,000” honors with a “50 percent share of the vote,” said IL. That makes sense when you consider, as one reader did, that’s it’s an “Attractive truck that can do whatever you need it to,” which includes offering “a little bit of the SVT Raptor’s soul,” according to another.

Coincidentally, that high-performance pickup—the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor—was the people’s choice when it came to “Hauling Over $30,000.” In fact, as IL explains, while Ford’s ultimate offroad machine was recognized for “posterior hauling,” yet another F-150, the Ford Super Duty, came in second thanks to its “actual hauling” abilities. The bottom line for one reader: The SVT Raptor is “the enthusiast’s truck if there ever was one.”

Ford had two podium finishes in the “Commuting Under $30,000” category, too, with the Fusion and the Fusion Hybrid finishing one and three in the IL survey. And why not, when at least one reader says “The Ford Fusion is the best thing since the Model T”?

Ford siblings naturally climbed to the top of the family-oriented segments as well, with the Ford Flex both besting all comers amongst the “Family Under $30,000” competition and, when packing its optional EcoBoost powerplant, scoring highest in the “Family Over $30,000″ segment. The former gets the nod because “it’s the perfect family car” for one reader, while another says the EcoBoost Flex is best described as a “luxury jet on wheels.” For IL: It’s “No arguments here.”

And remember, nowhere will you find more of this year’s Inside Line Readers’ Most Wanted winners than your local Ford dealership.

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When it comes to road safety, the research is clear: Every year in this country, some 50,000 crashes occur when drivers are going too fast on a curve, often when exiting or entering the highway. In fact, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has said that freeway ramps “are the sites of far more crashes per miles driven than any other segment of interstate highways.”

That’s the motivation behind the introduction of Ford’s latest safety breakthrough—Curve Control—which is designed to help drivers maintain control of their vehicles when taking a curve too quickly.

Here how the new system works: 100 times a second, sensors inside the vehicle check to detect if a vehicle is entering a curve too fast by comparing how quickly the driver is trying to turn with how quickly the vehicle is actually turning. If the vehicle is “pushing”—that is, if it isn’t turning as fast as the driver is working the steering wheel—Curve Control automatically applies a precise amount of braking force to each individual wheel to optimize driver control while also rapidly reducing engine torque.

Curve Control will launch as a standard feature on the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer, along with an impressive list of other Ford driver-assist and safety technologies, including next-generation adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support, state-of-the-art, pressure-based airbags, the company’s advanced intelligent four-wheel-drive terrain-management system, and the first inflatable rear seat belts in the industry. By 2015, Ford expects 90 percent of its U.S. crossovers, sport utilities, trucks and vans to offer Curve Control.

It’s yet another in a long line of safety firsts from the Blue Oval, which helps explain the company’s standout record of honors from key safety organizations. Significantly, not only have more Ford products earned five-star government crash ratings than those from any other automaker, but the company also has more Top Safety Picks from the IIHS, too.

As explained by Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president of engineering for global product development, this reflects Ford’s commitment to helping drivers stay out of accidents when possible and protecting them when it’s not: “Ford is developing technologies such as Curve Control and radar-based collision warning systems that can prevent crashes from happening in the first place. These new active systems designed to prevent accidents are the perfect complement for Ford’s leading passive safety systems—such as advanced airbags and high-strength vehicle structures—that protect occupants when a crash is inevitable.”

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The presidential council on exports under President Obama is tasked with boosting U.S. exports by 50 percent over the next five years. Among the industry leaders and politicians that have been invited to join the council will be Ford’s CEO, Alan Mulally.

Named to the council by President Obama yesterday, Mulally’s role will be to offer advice on how to promote U.S. exports, jobs and growth. The export council was originally created in 1973 by executive order.

“My administration has worked to improve advocacy for our exporters, remove trade barriers and enforce trade rules in an effort to ensure that the benefits of global trade are broadly shared. And to build on the progress we’ve made so far, I’ve appointed these accomplished men and women to serve in these important roles. I am confident that their depth of experience in the private sector will be valuable as we continue working to open new markets for American goods, boost our exports and level the playing field for American workers,” Obama said in a statement.

Mulally joins other respected business and labor leaders on the council including Boeing Co. President and CEO W. James McNerney Jr. and Xerox Corp. CEO Ursula Burns.

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The Blue Oval’s attention to quality continues to pay off, as customers named the Ford division the highest-ranking non-luxury brand in the J.D. Power & Associates 2010 Initial Quality Study (IQS). Not only that, but Ford tied Lexus as the only brand to have three separate vehicles lead their segments in this year’s study. Ford moved into fifth place overall, while Lincoln, 26th in the industry in 2009, climbed all the way up into the top 10 and was ranked eighth among all brands this year.

The Ford Focus was the top-ranked entry in the Compact Car segment after finishing at the 11th spot last year, and it’s now one of the top 20 vehicles in the entire study. The Ford Taurus showed a similar quality improvement, going from eighth in its segment in 2009 to topping the Large Car category in 2010. In the Midsize Sporty Car segment, the 2010 Ford Mustang was the best-ranked vehicle for the second consecutive year.

“These results are remarkable in many ways,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, Global Quality & New Model Launches. “Steady and meticulous attention to new model launches along with consistency in how we do them across the brand and the globe are having a very positive effect on the initial quality of our all-new or redesigned products.”

That attention to strong launches certainly helps explain the IQS success of the recently introduced Taurus, and bodes well for the 2011 Mustang and next-generation Focus.

The new Mustang, which went on sale this spring, packs even more customer-satisfying features than ever before, starting with its exceptional powertrains. Holstering its advanced new V6, the 2011 Mustang achieves both 305 hp and a sterling 31 mpg on the highway—making the Mustang the first production car to top both 300 horse and 30 highway mpg in the same package. And even its re-born 5.0-liter V8 is a surprisingly efficient powerplant, making 412 horses and a class-leading 26 mpg highway.

As for the Focus, the completely redesigned 2012 model will come to market early in 2011, bringing new levels of style, fuel efficiency and technology to the compact segment. The Focus, too, will feature a cutting-edge powertrain that includes a higher-efficiency 2.0-liter I4 that gets 10 percent better fuel-economy than the Focus’ current mill, while also delivering 20 more hp.

Also a good sign for Ford quality: While the company’s customers are obviously well-satisfied with their new cars and trucks, its execs aren’t.

“While we are pleased with where we are today, our job is not done,” said Fowler. “Our plan is to keep improving quality each and every year.”

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The Ford F-150 and Mustang have been two of the company’s—and the country’s—most popular vehicles for decades now, and that doesn’t look like it will be changing any time soon. In fact, both were just named to the “Consumers’ Top Rated for 2010″ list, put together by Edmunds.com. Significantly, though, even though the website tallied the numbers, the actual vehicle ratings came from the true experts: Vehicle owners themselves.

According to Edmunds.com, this year’s rankings had customers lauding the F-150 for its “smooth and quiet ride, its great looks and cutting-edge in-cabin technologies such as SYNC.” Of course, you don’t get to be America’s best-selling truck for the last 33 years (and the top-selling vehicle of any kind for the past 28) without providing a truckload of capability, too. That comes courtesy of features like the F-150’s tough, fully boxed steel frame, which helps the pickup deliver best-in-class payload and trailering numbers.

And things will get even better for Ford truck fans before the year is out. That’s because the automaker has taken the EcoBoost V6 that currently lurks beneath the hood of the Taurus SHO and now upgraded it for use in the F-150. Ford says the result will be best-in-class fuel efficiency along with the power and towing ability usually found only in a V8.

As for the drop-top Mustang, the 2010 model’s “new interior is a big hit with our consumer reviewers, as is the wonderful V8 soundtrack and its accompanying wallop of horsepower and torque. SYNC voice activation also ranks highly on owners’ lists of favorite features, as does the optional MyColor customizable lighting.”

Now, truth be told, some of those Mustang drivers weren’t too keen on the ‘10 Mustang’s 210 hp V6—but neither were Ford engineers. Which probably helps explain the all-new, all-aluminum mill holstered by the 2011 Ford Mustang and Mustang Convertible, both of which are on sale now.

The current V6 sets a new standard in the segment, and in the marketplace as well. Packing the six-cylinder engine, the Mustang rings up a powerful 305 hp and a surprising 31 mpg highway. Those numbers make the fast Ford the first production car to surpass both 300 hp and 30 mpg.

Plus, while no one was complaining about the big eight-cylinder powerplant in the 2010 model, Ford showed off its dedication to continuous improvement by dropping an all-new V8 into the 2011 Mustang GT and Mustang GT Convertible anyway. The new models bring back the iconic “5.0″ badging and back it up with a 5.0-liter powerplant that makes a neck-snapping 412 hp as well as a segment-leading 26 mpg highway.

Which means that with performance like this, both on the road and at the gas pump, the 2011 Mustang Convertible will once again be hard to top.

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