You want to know the deepest facts about the Mother Earth-loving Ford Escape Hybrid? I’m sure you do! So why don’t you leave those Subaru engine parts first and listen to these bits of info I gathered from my favorite Ford site, Ford.com!

Ok, so what makes the Escape hybrid admirable? How does it differ from any other vehicle? Don’t you worry because all of your questions will be answered accordingly with the help of this piece of information.

These details are highly informative! And in case you don’t know the real deal of the Escape hybrid, now is your chance to get to know this ride even more! Let’s start shall we? But before anything else, I’d like to thank ford.com for providing me with these very interesting and very helpful pieces of information!

The Ford Escape Hybrid…

…The most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet! EPA rated at 34 miles per gallon in city driving, the front-wheel drive Escape Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient SUV on earth! It can run up to 500 miles on one tank of gas.

… A Full’ Hybrid Capability! The Escape Hybrid is a “full” hybrid, which can be automatically switched between natural gasoline engine power natural electric power, or combined operation to make the most of its effectiveness and performance. It’s a one-two punch combination of gasoline engine and electric motor working in progress that provides great performance similar to V-6 engine. So what could you ask for? It’s two in one hell of a vehicle!

…Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) Certified! The Escape Hybrid significantly lessens smog-forming discharges! It meets the cleanest emissions standard obtainable for a vehicle that uses fossil fuels! In California’s AT-PZEV standard, it measures an astonishing cleanliness of 99.4 percent, on standard, compared to a loose vehicle. The Escape Hybrid will conserve approximately 1,666 gallons of gas over 100,000 miles. It effectively prevents 32,000 pounds of carbon emissions.

….Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner Hybrid Have Highest Tax Credits! Since the real world fuel economy of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrids amplified for the 2008 model year, the Federal income tax credits now available are $3,000 for FWD models (up $400) and $2,200 on 4WD models (up $250). Wow, that is really sky-high!

…Insurance Discounts for Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner Hybrids: Travelers, one of the biggest source of personal insurance products in the United States. It gives hybrid drivers in the states of California, New Jersey, Texas, New York, Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia and Washington discounts up to 10 percent on definite coverage. The company estimates their hybrid policy business went over 200 percent last year!

I am thinking about Ford lately. They have been so busy entering other car markets like China and Europe. Is it because they are no longer selling well in the US car market? It is pretty obvious though but at least Ford is doing something about it, right?

Last week, the domestic automaker was reported to be acquiring the previously bankrupt Daewoo assembly plant in Romania. But today, Ford is again reported on the net as they are looking for more car workers for its facility plant in Melbourne, Australia.

The US car maker announced that they are planning to produce 40,000 new four-cylinder vehicles in their Campbellfield, Melbourne plant this coming 2011. In connection to this plan, they are looking for more workers to work on this particular project. These workers will be responsible for making fuel pumps, headlights and many other car parts.

Most of these cars are expected to be sold in the Aussie car market but some will also reach New Zealand as well as South Africa. The news sprouted on the net after they released a report that they are shedding 600 workers on their Geelong plant as it is scheduled to close this coming 2010. Tom Gorman, the Ford president, hopes that these factory workers will be sent to its Campbellfield facility in Melbourne, Australia.

He said, "Employees that are interested in that opportunity, we'll make that available to them." However, the Ford Motor Company still has to decide where to place all these 600 Geelong workers.

Yes, the Ricardo have decided to invest a huge amount of money over the latest and advanced manufacturing technology they are planning to get. Because of the demand for the car with high performance features, Ricardo have decided to spend £0.5M on the enhancement of their precision gear grinding capability in its Midlands Technical Centre in the UK.

On the latest Le Mans, we have seen most of the cars have tuned up a high performance transmission. And according to the Ricardo, they need to revamp some of their products in order to compensate with the latest technology on the race track. These cars will be on the Formula One and on the World Rally Championship as well.

All the cars must be sent to motorsport engineering and will be given a chance to have an advantage on the circuit. All the transmissions on the competitions must have ultra-high standards in terms of reliability and performance as well in order to contribute to the success on the race. If Ford has Ford wheels, Ford Bronco parts and the Ford bumper, these new systems will also the new advanced features they just need to battle up with other cars.

This competitive performance transmission will only receive the effective and optimized tune up according to the news, but they also have to be manufactured to précised dimensions. Ricardo have invested almost half a million on the German manufacturing technology in order for these individual gears that need to be tuned be given a few microns.

The recently installed Höfler Promat 400kk gear grinding centre will not only deliver the production tolerances that they never had before but also it will enable the manufacturers to do more up-to-date designs.

The purpose of the super high frequency spindle that runs the diameter of the grinding wheels is to enable the gears and splines to have a restrictive access that would be produced. The system that will be soon available will also enable the gears to be cut from the blanks where tools are not available. The existing grinding amenities of Ricardo are the Oerlikon Opel 80; and the Reishauer 362 will also be complimented by the new system called Höfler.

“We are pleased to announce this significant investment in our advanced manufacturing capability. Ricardo has built an enviable reputation in the design and manufacture of race-winning transmission and driveline systems for the highest levels of motorsport. This success relies upon access to the latest manufacturing and design technologies. The addition of this advanced new gear grinding facility demonstrates our commitment to this highly competitive business, and to the race success of our customers,” Mark Barge, the director of Ricardo’s high performance transmissions products, said.

What an exciting weekend it is! And there’s nothing more exciting than the Nextel Cup Race held at New Hampshire! It was indeed one of the most soul-shaking races of the ages. I’ve watched the race only on TV but it was like watching it live on the stands of New Hampshire race tracks because you can feel the adrenaline rush on your nerves as the race commenced in a dramatic fashion!

Of course, Ford fanatics cheered their hearts out for their favorite driver. Matt Kenseth, one of my top pick drivers, finished ninth in the race. It was a fair finish but it came with an exceptional driving performance. Let’s hear it from the man as he talks about his thoughts about the recent Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire! Here’s Matt Kenseth, the driver of the No. 17 DeWalt Ford Fusion, during a recent interview.

“We ended up passing some cars on pit road and making some adjustments and got it better, but we’re not good enough to beat these guys. With these cars it’s all about being in the front. It’s really hard to come from behind and do much with them,” he starts.

When asked if the car was made better, he replies, “Yeah, we definitely made it better. We were still off, but it was a lot better. It was a top-10 car and we finished ninth, so we definitely made some improvement.”

Of course, he was also asked about the changes done to the vehicle and if they would help out for the next COT race. He did answer, “I hope so. We’ve got a long way to go with these things to compete for wins. They’re so sensitive to little things. There are only so many areas you can work, so the areas we can work we’re just missing it a little bit. We’ve got to work on the front suspension and figure out how to make the front ends turn better and then, hopefully, we’ll be more competitive.”

“Yeah, they always do really good. They always keep us in the races,” he added, talking about his pit crew being strong and vigorous enough during the whole race.

His thoughts on the new car and the whole track? “Yeah, way tougher. They’re just so tight. You’re just kind of at the mercy of the front tires in the middle of the corner, but I thought it was a lot harder to pass than the other car, but my car wasn’t right either. The fastest car didn’t win. The guy who got two tires got out front and won, so I think it’s probably more about track position with these cars than even the old ones.”