Ford is preparing the new Focus ST side by side the next gen Ford Focus in Paris this coming October.

According to Ford, the Focus St is said to have a new Ecoboost powerplant to take the place of the 2.5L 5 cylinder engine of its older sibling and the current RS variant of the Focus.

The new engine will be a jacked up version of the 2.0L 200 bhp Ecoboost being used by the current S-Max, Galaxy, and Mondeo models. The engine will most likely come to around 250 bhp so it can meet head on the Sport Megane of Renault and the 266 bhp Golf.

A more potent version of the Focus RS might also be designed from the 2.0L Ecoboost and have an output of around 300 bhp.

Ford will utilize their technology on torque vectoring to keep the the power that is being transferred to the front wheels balanced and provide the best grip on the road for the new ST. Sprinting from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour will not be an issue and it can be done in a matter of 6 seconds.

The top speed will be pegged at 250 km/h. According to insiders, the new Focus ST will also have a better fuel mileage compared to the older 2.5L unit. Ford will also give options for different driving modes via the installed drive software to suit the needs of owners.

The new Ford Focus wagon and hatchback will be rolling out in Europe by April of next year. The ST is scheduled to follow on the latter part of 2011.

Japanese carmaker Toyota reported that its luxury brand Lexus had a jump of 31% in US sales figures for the month of May as its incentive programs helped in edging its closest rival Mercedes-Benz.

Lexus was able to roll out from its US dealer showrooms about 22,216 vehicles this May making its year to date figure sum up to 90,098 vehicles. This shows a 24% improvement looking at the year in year out figures.

The sales figure of Mercedes-Bens jumped by 27% which translates to 19,184 vehicles pushing their 2010 to date total to 88,010 units or a 26% improvement from last year.

Through the month of April, Mercedes Benz was able to sell 1,000 more cars than its competition Lexus if the sales of its commercial van will be part of the comparison but if not Lexus has really a clear lead ahead of Mercedes. Lexus is the luxury leader in the United State for the past 10 years.

Looking at other car manufacturers, BMW’s sale fell by 3% and only reported 17,859 units sold for the month of May.

The sales of luxury cars slowed down a bit in the US as also reflected in the decline of numbers of Porsche and Lincoln. The luxury brands are also trying to push for their current M.Y. lineup so the buyers are more of the bargain lookers rather than the real luxury buyers.

Audi was able to sell 9,205 cars last May which is put their sales figure up by 23%. It has been the best May ever for Audi in the United States.

One thing that I learned this past week from all of the rain that happened in New England is that you should never, ever cross a road that is covered with water.  The reason for that is because there is a reason that it is closed and you definitely do not want to get stranded in the water.

The water is something that can absolutely ruin your car in every form and if you flood the engine out, it is definitely not fixable, which is not good.  You always want to either drive around the puddles or you want to take a different route.

Both of these options are definitely the best.  You also want to make sure that you keep your headlights on, as that is something that will help.

While allowing more traveling time is definitely important, there are a few other things that you will want to keep in mind whenever you are traveling in the rain.  One of them is the cruise control.  I know that I use the cruise control a heck of a lot and you want to make sure that you do not use it.  The reason for this is because you can lose control.

You can actually hydroplane on the road and that in turn, can cause a lot of accidents, as you could actually hydroplane right into another car, which is not a good thing.

You also want to make sure that you are braking really early as well, as your brakes are going to be slippery.

Driving in the rain is extremely difficult a lot of the time, especially when the rain is coming down extremely hard.  In this blog, we have explored a lot of cars, but have we explored how you can actually control your car during a rain storm?  April showers bring May flowers right?  If you live on the east coast, you are definitely seeing the truth behind this statement.

That is exactly what we are going to talk about in the next few blogs, just how you can drive in the rain safely and how you can truly keep from getting into an accident during a rain storm.  One of the first things you need to do is make sure that you are prepared – you can never be too prepared for the rain.

This means that you want to always allow more travel time whenever you are dealing with rain.

iPod. iPad. iPhone. It seems like, since Apple started doing it, everyone seems to think that if you put a lower case “i” on the front of something, it’s sure to sell.

It will, in fact, be the kind of commodity that causes the Tickle Me Elmo phenomenon, wherein people will shank each other to get a shot out of it. They will lie, cheat, and steal to get one.

And now, Hyundai is jumping on the bandwagon. How? With the i-Flow concept. It is alternately known as the HED-7.

Will it be a big seller? Is it worthy of the “i” phenomenon?

Attendees at the Geneva motor show had a lot of surprises in store for them.

One such surprise came courtesy Seat, the Spanish manufacturer quite well known for bringing the Ibiza to the masses.

The automaker’s IBE concept is short, it is low, and it is wide, in spite of the fact that the car is characterized as a compact meant for hip youths who live in equally hip, urban areas.

I don’t know, sounds like a sales pitch to me. And the two door, with seating for four, is … well, it’s look looking enough, I guess.

But does it live up to such high expectations? Not in my book, kids.

The IDEA Institute is based in Turin, Italy, so naturally you have to expect something fashionably European and stylish out of their product models and their concepts alike.

The Sofia concept, a show car launched at the much anticipated auto show in Geneva, offered all of that and more.

At the show, the concept was revealed solely as an exterior model. Still, what it showed has captured the hearts of car lovers.

It is so streamlined and sleek that a number of viewers were left just hoping that it makes it to production sometime soon. And of course, given its Italian based origins, even IDEA agrees that calling it the “Sofia” was a calculated move designed to evoke curvy connotations.

Many people may not be familiar with the Istituto Europeo di Design, or IED, located in Turin, but after taking a look at its Eye concept, they more than likely will be.

This concept is the result of a collaborative effort with Tesla, and it will be revealed at the motor show in Geneva, set to take place just next month.

Eleven studets, who are part of the Transportation Design MA program at the university, created the concept. Franz von Holzhausen, the Design Director for Tesla, oversaw and supervised the project.

The target audience for this vehicle is the young set, the cosmopolitan youth of the world. The front mask is comprised of black plexiglass and the structure of the roof is highly innovative.

If you are going to be at this years auto show in New York — it takes place in April — then make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the Kia Optima/Magentis, since you are just going to get something of a sneak peek here. Why? Because all I myself got was a sneak peek, of course, but I am so unabashedly, modestly selfless, I wanted to share it with all of you.

A mid size sedan, as you can see by its design, Kia is heading in a different direction. The Optima is both lower and longer, not to mention wider, than most of Kia’s models.

In the fall of 2010, the United States and various other markets will be able to get their hands on the car. The European market, however, will have to wait until Spring of 2010.