Theodore Robins Ford

Safety is one of the first things car buyers look at when making a decision on what their new vehicle will be. But even ones own safety might not be the most important, if they are also driving children around for example. This is why Ford has begun building the world's first digital child crash dummy in an effort to increase future safety research. It isn't the first such endeavor the American automaker has undertaken, either. The innovative customer-focused initiative is actually the next step in Ford's decade-long initiative to build a sophisticated and detailed digital adult…

It's all too easy to categorize car brands. To some extent, we all suffer from a little bit of carism, thanks largely to company's self-branding and media images. When you hear Jaguar, for example, you might be inclined to think luxury. Audi: fast. Ford: fuel-efficient and practical. And, while there's absolutely nothing wrong with being fuel-efficient and practical... many people around the globe want cars with such characteristics... it's not what you might call sexy.

Practicality and fuel-economy will likely forever remain pillars of the Ford brand, but in the recent Bristol Half-Mile Speed Trials, they…