The US based automobile manufacturer, Ford has announced that it will be tripling the production capacity of EcoBoost equipped Ford vehicles in 2012. Ford’s EcoBoost technology helps in achieving 20% more fuel economy than the conventional gasoline engines of similar power outputs. The EcoBoost achieves this better mileage by using a combination of smaller engine size, a turbocharger and gasoline direct injection technology. Last year, Ford Motor Company was offering only 7 vehicles in its entire product portfolio with EcoBoost engines. But with rising fuel costs and the demand for more fuel efficient engines, Ford will be increasing it to 11 vehicles. The India bound EcoSport will use a 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine which produces 120 PS of power and 170 Nm of torque. This is the smallest EcoBoost engine in the Ford line-up and delivers power of a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated motor.
The company noted that by the end of 2012, 9 Ford models, from EcoBoost to hybrids and from plug-in hybrids to full electric vehicles – will deliver or are anticipated to deliver an EPA-certified 40 mpg highway or higher. Ford’s Group Vice President of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering Sue Cischke commented on this stating that the expansion of EcoBoost and availability of this engine in high volume sellers like the Escape and the Fusion will be taking this affordable, fuel saving technology deeper into the market. The full size sedan, Ford Taurus will be the company’s first vehicle to offer a choice between 2 EcoBoost engines; a 2.0 litre EcoBoost 4 cylinder engine or a 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine.
The 2.0 litre EcoBoost delivers a power output of 237 BHP and returns a fuel economy of 31 mpg while the 3.5 litre V6 delivers 365 BHP delivering 25 mpg of fuel economy. Ford will also fit the 1.6 litre engine in its Escape and Fusion models. With such expansion plans, Ford is aiming to triple its production capacity of cars, utility vehicles and trucks using this fuel efficient technology in 2012 in comparison to sales of 127,883 EcoBoost-equipped vehicles in 2011.
Source – NASDAQ
