Ford's Powertrain Plans Exposed

Gaining momentum with the Fusion and Edge, plus the brand new 2008 Taurus,Super Duty and Escape, Ford continues on its trek to profitability with a recent announcement of powertrain updates that are scheduled to take place in the near future. Automotive News recently interviewed Ford’s Vice President of Product Development Derrick Kuzak, who revealed a few of the brand’s forthcoming plans.

One of the most important advances that Ford will make in its engine lineup will be the introduction of the new “Twin Force” series of engines, the name taking reference to the twin turbochargers they are equipped with. For those not in the know, Ford showed a new type of engine with the Lincoln MKR Concept back in Detroit earlier this year, a 3.5-liter V6 that generates 415 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Ford was able to extract such a high output out of a relatively small displacement by adding a pair of turbochargers, plus gasoline direct injection. Combined with continuously variable valve timing, this very well could be the most advanced engine ever sold in a North American Ford product. TheTwin Force turbocharger technology would also be applied to four- and eight-cylinder engines.

What’s great to know is that these engines will be on their way sooner rather than later. It might not be in time for the launch of the new Lincoln MKS full-size luxury sedan, but critics and analysts are almost certain that it’ll be available on this car within a year of its introduction, and it will be able to provide the power of a V8, but with 15-percent better fuel economy. The engine in the MKR showcar was capable of running on gasoline and E85, and we’re almost certain that the production version would be flexible in this regard.

Other important advancements regarding Ford’s powertrain lineupinclude an investment to create variable displacement V8 engines for sport utility vehicles and trucks to reduce fuel consumption, a la Chrysler 5.7L Hemi with MDS and GM 5.3L Vortec with AFM. Also in similar fashion to Chrysler and General Motors, which are developing diesel engines for light truck and SUV use – Ford will bring a diesel to its F-150 range, projected to be a 4.4-liter V8 diesel for the 2009 model. The blue oval brand isn’t going to be putting its limited resources into diesels for its regular passenger cars, as others have announced, citing that the cost incurred in developing clean diesel technology is too high.

Ford is also looking to (finally) equip its vehicles with a brand new “Power Shift” automatic transmission, with six or more gears, complete with a manual mode. Currently, buyers opting for sportier cars like the Mustang and the Fusion, yet wanting the convenience of an automatic don’t have the ability to swap cogs by themselves. Despite the reality that most drivers don’t use their car’s manual mode feature often, these same owners want the sporty feature included.