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Ford Racing Unveils Bold Rebrand and Extreme Performance Cars Inspired by Motorsport
New Ford Racing division promises a closer link between the brand’s road and track models
Ford Performance has rebranded to Ford Racing amid preparations for a range of more extreme road cars drawing on its motorsport programmes, in the vein of the Mustang GTD.
With the new name comes a new logo, pairing Ford's historic blue oval emblem with a modern ‘Racing’ typeface in a matching shade.
Will Ford, general manager of Ford Racing, said the change is “more than a simple rebranding exercise”, bringing the road and race car operations together under one roof.
With that will come an expansion of the American brand’s performance car range.
Ford CEO Jim Farley recently hinted at the prospect of a 1000bhp Ranger Raptor pick-up truck inspired by the brand’s Dakar Rally contender, for example, having told Bloomberg: “No one has ever built a supercar for gravel, high-speed sand, dirt.”
What the future holds for more affordable fast Fords remains unclear. Production of the Ford Focus ST is soon to end and the Puma ST’s 197bhp 1.5-litre engine and manual gearbox were dropped last year. This means the only performance cars in Ford's UK line-up are the less powerful 1.0-litre Puma ST, the V8 Mustang and the Mustang Mach-E GT SUV.
The new Ford Racing branding will be applied to Ford's race cars with immediate effect, although Will Ford said it will “come into life” at the Dakar Rally and Daytona 24 Hours next January.
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Launch Your Automotive Writing Career Young Writers Competition Returns with Prestigious Opportunity
Want to be the next star Autocar writer? The relaunched Sir William Lyons Trophy could be your ticket to the top
Autocar has partnered with Jaguar and the Guild of Motoring Writers to relaunch the Sir William Lyons Trophy, a competition for young writers looking to make a start in automotive journalism.
The winner will have their work published in a print edition of Autocar and will be offered a week’s work experience at our Twickenham offices. The competition is open to those aged between 17 and 21 who do not currently hold a staff position on a motoring publication.
The trophy is named after Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons and was first presented in 1966. It has helped launched the careers of many prominent automotive journalists and was most recently presented in 2018.
Submissions must be written in the style of Autocar’s Why I Love column, examples of which can be found linked at the bottom of this article.
It must be 450 words and can be on any motoring-related subject you are passionate about. For reference, Autocar staffers have recently written columns about topics as diverse as the Nürburgring wars, Mercedes-Benz Unimogs and Disney Pixar’s Cars. It's important to celebrate your subject matter and focus solely on that.
Entries will be judged by Autocar editor-in-chief Steve Cropley and Jaguar UK director Santino Pietrosanti. Entries are to be submitted via the Guild of Motoring Writers website.
Autocar editor Mark Tisshaw said: “Autocar is delighted to work with the Guild of Motoring Writers and Jaguar as we make our latest investment in the next generation of automotive journalists.
“Empowering the next generation of writers is a proud tradition of Autocar. Many of the industry's best-known names have launched careers here and today we run a thriving apprenticeship scheme that continues to bring in new talent.
“We can’t wait to see what submissions we receive and look forward to crowning a winner later this year.”
Pietrosanti said: “Jaguar is proud to continue Sir William Lyons’ legacy by fostering and supporting the next generation of creative talent in automotive journalism.”
Click the below to see examples of Why I Love columns
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Cyberattack Halts Land Rover Production as Hackers Disrupt UK Car Plants and Dealers
No new Land Rover cars are able to be made or registered as manufacturer races to solve global system fault
Production issues at Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood plant, caused by a targeted cyber hack earlier this week, will last until at least Tuesday, it has been reported.
Workers have been told not to return to work until 9 September, the Liverpool Echo reports. Production at the site is understood to have been halted since Monday.
It follows a cyber attack in which hackers claimed to have exploited a flaw in the British car maker’s IT system.
A notice sent to Halewood workers on Thursday stated: "Friday September 5 and Monday September 8: the leadership team has agreed that production associates will be stood down and will have hours banked in line with the corridor agreement.
"All colleagues are required to attend work as normal on Tuesday September 9 unless informed otherwise.”
Autocar understands the Solihull plant, where the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are built, is also affected. JLR wouldn’t comment on the claims.
In an effort to combat the hack, JLR began “shutting down our systems” on Tuesday and is now in the process of rebuilding them. JLR was unable to confirm a timescale for the fix.
The issues are also affecting dealers, who are unable to order parts, can't code parts they do have to cars, and are unable – in some instances – to complete customer handovers.
What's more, they are having to manually register vehicles. This involves phoning the DVLA in each instance. Despite the shutdown, the brand has registered almost 600 models this week.
Autocar first reported the issues affecting JLR on Monday, when dealers couldn't register new cars on 'new plate day' (1 September), traditionally one of the year's busiest for registrations.
JLR's public-facing website appears to be fully operational, including the car configurator.
Who has claimed responsibility?
On Wedneday, Scattered Spider, the group that hacked Marks & Spencer in May causing seven weeks of disruption and costing £300 million in lost operating profit claimed responsibility for the attack on JLR.
Along with fellow hacking group Shiny Hunters, it claims to have obtained customer data after exploiting a similar flaw in JLR’s IT system, The Telegraph reports.
The claim was made on a Telegram messenger group, where a user linked to the hackers posted a screenshot of what appeared to show JLR's internal system.
A member of the group told The Telegraph that a well known flaw in SAP Netweaver - third-party software used by JLR - was exploited to access the data.
US cyber agency CISA warned about the flaw earlier this year. An update for the software was released, but whether JLR applied it is unknown.
It's also not known what data was taken or if a ransom demand has been made.
JLR told Autocar in a statement yesterday that “there is no evidence any customer data has been stolen”.
According to The Telegraph, the hacking groups are believed to be made up of teenagers from English-speaking countries
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Mercedes G Class Cabriolet Returns After a Decade With Open-Air Luxury and Multiple Power...
Last time we drove a drop-top G-Class, it had a 621bhp V12...Soft-top version of 4x4 to return after a decade off sale – potentially with petrol, diesel and EV power
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed plans for a return of the G-Class cabriolet nearly a decade after the last open-top version of the hardcore off-roader was phased out.
In an announcement ahead of next week’s 2025 Munich motor show, where the new soft-top is expected to make a brief appearance as part of an update from Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius on future model strategy, the German car maker has said “the G-Class portfolio will be expanded to include a cabriolet”, offered “almost everywhere in the world – and for the first time also in the US”.
No launch timing has been disclosed, but the announcement recalls a lineage of open-air G-Class models stretching back to 1979.
Cabriolets have long been part of the G-Class line-up, with the first, a two-door short-wheelbase model, introduced as part of the original line-up in 1979 and produced up to 2013.
Later came the ultra-luxury four-door G-Class Maybach G650 Landaulet, introduced in 2017 with a 621bhp twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine and based on the high-riding G63 4x4². Produced in a limited run of just 99 units, it combined a front hard top with a rear folding roof section, individual rear seats set back in the chassis and a price close to £600,000 in the UK.
A darkened preview image of the new G-Class cabriolet released by Mercedes-Benz confirms a silhouette similar to the existing model, albeit with a shortened roofline. It features familiar G-Class styling cues, including a flat bonnet, outboard indicator units atop the front wings, an upright windscreen and external rear-mounted spare wheel, but with subtle detailing that hints at a folding roof mechanism integrated into the rear.
Technical details have yet to be released, though the new open-top off-roader could conceivably be offered with a choice of diesel, petrol and electric drivetrains.
The current G450d diesel uses a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six with 362bhp, while the G500 petrol model has a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder with 443bhp. Above them is the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8-powered G63 with 577bhp as well as the electric G580 with 579bhp from four electric motors and a 116kWh battery.
The new G-Class Cabriolet is expected to carry a hefty premium over current models, which start at more than £130,000.
At the previous Munich motor show, in 2023, Mercedes confirmed it was developing a junior G-Class, referred to by Källenius as the "little G". Smaller than today’s model, it is based on the same MMA platform as that used by the recently launched third-generation CLA and CLA Shooting Brake as well as other new models set to join the Mercedes line-up in the next 12 months, including the new GLA and GLB.