| Kris |
It seems that Murano will have a serious competitor. Once this engine is in MKS it will find way to MKX.....and when it does it will smoke Murano!
DETROIT -- The 2009 Lincoln MKS will be the first Ford Motor Co. vehicle that uses a new performance and fuel economy boosting technology that features gasoline direct injection and two turbochargers. Ford calls the system EcoBoost and claims it will deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of Global Product Development, says Ford will use EcoBoost on as many as 500,000 vehicles within the next five years.
The 2009 MKS will be available with an optional 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine that develops 340-horsepower. It will be an all-wheel drive sedan. Ford says fuel economy is improved by 2 mpg in the MKS with EcoBoost, while emissions are down 15 percent. Performance is about the same as a car with a 4.6-liter V-8. Ford expects higher fuel ecocnomy gains in vehicles that use smaller engines, such as the Focus.
Automakers are revamping their powertrain and future product plans to comply with stricter fuel economy regulations that require an automaker's fleet to average 35 mpg by 2020.
"EcoBoost is meaningful because it can be applied across a wide variety of engine types in a range of vehicles, from small cars to large trucks," Kuzak said.
Ford has not said how much EcoBoost will cost consumers. But the technology is cutting edge, and it isn't cheap. The direct injection system sprays gasoline directly into each cylinder. To work with the turbocharger, direct injection requires a greater number of sensors, more software and a faster computer than a conventional engine.
The payback, however, could come quicker for consumers than if they bought a hybrid or a diesel. Kuzak said a diesel engine takes seven years to pay for itself, while a hybrid requires 12 years. The EcoBoost system should pay for itself in 30 months, he said.
Ford also plans to use EcoBoost on four cylinder engines. When used with a four-cylinder engine, EcoBoost will use only one turbocharger, said spokesman Said Deep. He said the 2009 MKS with EcoBoost will not be at the North American Internation Auto Show in Detroit, but a concept vehicle called the Explorer America, will have the system.
Another way Ford plans to boost fuel economy is by reducing weight. During a December Detroit auto show preview event with reporters, Kuzak said Ford's goal is reduce the weight of its vehicles between 250 and 750 pounds. He didn't say how Ford accomplish its goal or when the weight reductions would start. |
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| jkster107 |
I love how necessity is really starting to produce some innovative results in the automotive sector. They're trying to increase fuel economy, yet find a performance boost at the same time (although with a significant cost increase).
I haven't had a lot of time to read the information, but this article reminded me of something that popped up on my RSS reader.
http://www.moletech.us/mtech/
Sounds like a scam, but I'll be reading more because they have a pretty website. ;) |
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| hfelknor |
So many cars have become porkers......... Can you imagine the performance boost if the Murano could shed 5-600 pounds?
Now doing that while maintaining body integrity and safety is the challenge......
Lotsa turbos coming.
Some on diesels.......
Homer |
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| njjoe |
A lot of wasted energy, in the form of heat, goes out the tailpipe. A well-designed turbo system can improve the power and efficiency of most engines.
And I don't mean adding a turbo to the 250 HP MO and getting 350 HP. All that gets you is a quicker way to waste fuel. I am referring to taking a smaller-displacement four-banger with a turbo and installing that in the MO. Higher power density; more fuel efficient; less weight. That's what we will be seeing on many cars in the not too distant future.
-njjoe |
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| Kris |
A lot of changes are coming. And Ford is not alone – see announcement below from GM. Good to see domestics started advancing technology again….
DETROIT -- General Motors has canceled plans to build a new advanced double overhead-cam V-8 for its luxury cars.
The move means the future for Cadillac’s V-8 car engines is unclear.
In January 2007, GM said it would invest $300 million in its Tonawanda, N.Y., engine plant for the new V-8 engine, which was scheduled to start production in 2009 and be used in luxury cars.
GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read said Thursday that the project is dead. That engine likely would have replaced Cadillac’s long-running Northstar V-8, which is scheduled to end production in 2010.
Cadillac could switch to high-powered V-6s in its cars, except for the Corvette-based XLR.
The new direct-injected V-6 in the 2008 CTS develops 304 hp, while the current Northstar V-8 makes 275 hp in the 2008 DTS.
Cadillac spokesman Kevin Smith said, “We’ve really seen the V-6 become the predominant engine in sales on the (2008) STS because it’s so close in power to the V-8.”
He added that the V-6 is about 150 to 200 pounds lighter.
The cancellation of the new V-8 comes just days after President Bush signed into law new fuel economy standards that call for a 40 percent fuel economy improvement by 2020. The new standards start phasing in in 2011.
The Tonawanda plant still gets at least one new engine, an all-new 4.5-liter diesel V-8 engine that starts production in 2010. That engine, GM said earlier, will be used in light pickups and SUVs. |
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