Ford 1.0L EcoBoost Three-Cylinder And Eight-Speed Transmission!!

Ford Grοup Vice President οf Global Product Development, has cοnfirmed that the Dearborn autοmaker will offer turbοcharged EcoBoost pοwertrains in 90 percent οf its vehicles here in the United States by 2013. This jοurney fοr full-line forced-inductiοn started with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 fοund in the Taurus, Flex and F-150, as well as the Lincοln MKS and MKT. Next, we will be seeing a 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-fοur under the hοοd of the Edge and Explorer, and nοw, Ford has cοnfirmed development οf a 1.0-liter EcoBοοst three-cylinder engine.

This 1.0-liter, inline-three will be the smallest engine in Fοrd's portfοlio, and it will find its way under the hood οf vehicles across the glοbe. Nο specific output οr fuel economy numbers have been divulged just yet, but Jοe Bakaj, Ford's Vice President οf Global Powertrain Engineering, says that the 1.0-liter triple will prοvide similar power tο the automaker's 1.6-liter naturally aspirated fοur, while improving fuel ecοnomy. When asked, Bakaj tells us that the fuel ecοnοmy improvements will be similar in percentage tο those with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 cοmpared tο a naturally aspirated V8.

Fοrd says it plans tο announce mοre information abοut the 1.0-liter engine at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, including exactly what vehicles will be pοwered by this mill. Since Fοrd is benchmarking its 1.6-liter engine here – the pοwerplant used in the Fiesta, we did expect that this EcoBoost three almοst certainly slοt into Ford's smallest οffering here in the States.

The Blue Oval has alsο confirmed that it is wοrking οn an all-new eight-speed automatic transmissiοn, which is being designed, engineered and built by Ford in-hοuse. Bakaj states that the eight-speed autοmatic will offerbest-in-class shift smoοthness and respοnsiveness.

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Ford’s Smallest Production Engine Ever

It took the Ford Motor Company a very long time to jump aboard the turbocharged engine bandwagon for mainstream, non-sport models, but now the Detroit automaker is going full speed ahead with the presentation of a full range of force-fed gasoline powerplants. Ford latest offering is a new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, the company’s first three-cylinder unit and its smallest production engine ever.
Designed by the engineering team at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in the U.K., the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine promises to deliver performance of a larger four-cylinder unit with even higher fuel economy. It employs all EcoBoost technologies, such as turbocharging, direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT).
The Detroit automaker is not yet ready to talk numbers, but Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president of Global Product Development, said the new three-cylinder unit “will deliver horsepower and torque outputs equivalent to or better than most normally aspirated 1.6-liter gasoline engines”.
The new engine, which was first seen in the Ford Start concept mini at the Beijing Show in 2010, and more recently in the Ford B-MAX study at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, will be launched globally in Ford’s small cars and will be available in North America.
“Consumers are telling us they want to buy affordable vehicles that get many more miles per gallon,” said Kuzak. “Our new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will give consumers looking for hybrid-like fuel economy a new, more affordable choice.”
While Ford did not specify which models will get the tiny EcoBoost engine, it is believed that the Ka and the Fiesta will be among the first Ford models to be equipped with the petrol unit.
The company said full technical and application information for the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will be released in September at the 2011 edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.

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Two Anti-Hooning Ads from Different Ends of the Spectrum

In Australia and New Zealand, “hooning” is a term applied to any anti-social and often dangerous behavior behind the wheel of a car. Burnouts, car surfing and illegal street racing all fall under this rather broad definition. And it’s an ever-growing problem. Each year there are more reports like, “Hoons kill innocent driver in Dandenong, say police” and, “Man killed in Burwood Highway 'hoon' crash.”
So it’s obvious that cracking down on hooning is very important to the governments of both nations. Here we have two adverts, one from Oz and one from Kiwiland, that use tactics both old and new to get their message across. The Aussie one plays on that, “If you hoon, you’ll lose your car” message while the NZ one plays on the, “If you hoon, you’ll lose your life” vibe. Who knew that New Zealand’s roads were covered with hidden landmines?
Both are simple and – I think – effective at getting their messages across. And of course there’s a previous-gen Ford Falcon XR6 and Holden Commodore SS to placate the Aussie car enthusiasts. Check these anti-hooning ads out below and leave your comments.

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2013 Ford Taurus

Long relegated as a mid-tier, mid-size sedan, the Ford Taurus was one of those cars that needed a refreshed styling, especially considering the growing number of competitors coming out on the market these days.

Fortunately, the people at Ford seem to have taken the challenge to task by introducing a refreshed and much-improved 2013 Taurus at the New York Auto Show.

Suffice to say, it was a tough task for Ford to shed some of the negative stereotypes given to the Taurus. A lot of people said it was chubby while some had pointed words on the car’s overall design.

For the 2013 model, Ford seems to have addressed a lot of these connotations, giving the car a more appealing look to quiet down its naysayers. While the styling refresh certainly gave the Taurus a more palatable appearance, its the addition of a new engine - a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo engine - that seems to have given the Taurus the right kind of buzz.

The styling package for the 2013 Ford Taurus remains largely the same as that of the current generation, although there are a few styling tweaks done to differentiate it from the existing model, including restyled headlamps, a new trapezoidal grille, a new front bumper, modified taillights that now come with larger LED lights, and a set of new allow wheels.

Inside, changes were also done, albeit in a subtle and discreet fashion. The dashboard has been redesigned to go along with a new steering wheel and a number of new technological additions, including the new MyFord Touch system.

Despite the new details on the car, the pricing for the 2013 Ford Taurus has not yet been announced. If we were to make a guesstimate on the tag, we’ll peg it at somewhere around $25,995, the base price given to the recent Taurus types, including the 2010 model.

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2013 Ford Taurus

The New York Auto Show will welcome the world premiere of Ford’s updated for the 2013 model year, Taurus. For those of you that want the short story, Ford’s chubby-looking mid-size model receives a minor exterior makeover, a redesigned dashboard and improved materials inside, plus changes to the engine lineup that include the introduction of a new 2.0-liter turbocharged four banger.

In more detail, the 2013 Taurus gains a new face that’s distinguished by an inverted trapezoid grille along with a redesigned front bumper and re-sculptured hood. At the back, Ford’s designers raised the rear quarter panels and added larger LED tail lamps, while the new alloy wheel designs round off the changes.

The range-topping Taurus SHO, boast the same updates as the rest of the range adding a black mesh grille and matching mirrors, 19-inch alloys in 255/45 ZR19 tires plus a unique decklid-mounted spoiler.

Inside, the new model year brings a redesigned dashboard with an all-new instrument panel, steering wheel and center console, and according to Ford, higher quality materials. Updated technology features include the company’s MyFord Touch technology, which replaces numerous buttons, knobs and gauges with touch screens and steering wheel-mounted toggle controls.

The most important news, however, is the addition of Ford’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbo engine to the range. The force-fed 4-cylinder is expected to deliver an estimated 237HP and 250 lb.-ft. of torque while returning a fuel economy of at least 31 mpg on the highway.

In addition, Ford improved the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which now delivers 255 lb.-ft. of torque and 290 horsepower, up from 263 horsepower in the current model. According to Ford, the revised 3.5-liter EcoBoost is anticipated to deliver around 3 percent better highway fuel economy.

There are no changes to the SHO’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost, which continues with 365HP and 350 lb.-ft. of torque for the 2013MY.

All engines are linked to a six-speed automatic transmission.

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