Honeywell tapped to provide turbos for Ford
Ford has committed to putting 500,000 vehicles on the road annually with its Ecoboost direct injection + turbo technology, which means the Blue Oval is going to need a whole bunch of turbochargers. After some searching, Ford has chosen Honeywell to be the supplier that puts some fuel-sipping pep into its engine lineup. Honeywell already supplies turbo chargers to several European automakers, where forced induction has been an accepted practice for boosting small engines for years.
Ford says its Ecoboost technology can, for example, enable four-cylinder engines to produce V6 power with four-pot efficiency, which will go a long way toward helping the automaker achieve its goal of reducing fuel consumption by 30% or more by 2020. The first vehicle to receive Ecoboost is the Lincoln MKS, with the Taurus, F-150, and Flex following after that.
[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Frank 11:11AM (7/31/2008)
ford is making some of the most drastic changes of the big 3, i think it realizes its strength is in the overseas markets where their products not only look better but get better MPG - - - bring on the turbos.
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Bah 11:57AM (7/31/2008)
That's odd, because GM already has cars with turbocharged, direct injected engines for sale at dealerships while Ford is still lining up a supplier for their turbos. Does Ford even sell a direct injected gas engine yet?
Frank 11:59AM (7/31/2008)
u should get out more, go to Europe smarty, b/c where i lived in germany we had tons of turbos, fords included ... i bet u feel smart.
Bah 3:54PM (7/31/2008)
You missed my point. It isn't just turbo engines that the article references, but turbo + gasoline direct injected - "Ecoboost" in the Ford lingo. Sorry, but Ford doesn't sell those in Europe, or anywhere else for that matter.
GM, OTOH already has two gasoline direct injected engines for sale, one of them turbocharged. As of yet, Ford does not even sell a direct injected gas engine (unless you count Mazda, but Ford only owns 1/3 of Mazda). So, out of the big three, who's making the bigger changes?
typhoon5000 7:08AM (8/01/2008)
Actually, Ford currently sells two DI motors starting as of a couple of years ago. These are the 3.5L DOHC 24V V6s in the Taurus, Taurus X, Edge, Flex, Lincoln MKZ and MKX. The other is the 3.7L V6 in the Lincoln MKS, which is a motor derived from the 3.5L. So yea, when the Edge & MKX came out 3 years ago, Ford offered DI motors.
Alex 11:15AM (7/31/2008)
Good, honeywell is a strong company and shouldn't have any problems supplying Ford all the turbos it needs.
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hotwings1 1:57PM (7/31/2008)
Agreed. As a matter of fact Honeywell is the owner of Garrett, the largest turbo manufacturer in the world. Almost all turbo's no matter what company ( HKS, Greddy etc) use parts from Garret for their turbos. Honeywell should have no trouble at all.
Jeff 11:20AM (7/31/2008)
i want a fusion GT real bad... that car is gonna be awsome
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sw 11:25AM (7/31/2008)
You and me both. I also like the idea of the 265 hp impreza, comes down to price I suppose.
mk 4:01PM (7/31/2008)
Funny... I have a car better than both.
Nicer looking and currently in production, rather than the 'proposed' Fusion GT. Plus the engine is turned the correct direction. It even has a blue oval badge. With nice stars in it...
Better looking, and more nicely appointed than the Impreza, with the same drivetrain.
It is called Legacy GT Limited (Spec B also fits, with a bit more equipment). And it is amazing that more people don't know about it, if they like the Fusion with turbo power, or the Impreza, but not the looks inside or out.
VinceP 11:25AM (7/31/2008)
Why do they have to start Ecoboost with 300+ HP cars, which there's a very limited market (MKS, Fusion GT)? Why not start with a boosted 2.0L in the Fusion or Focus? These would give 30+ mpg highway, 22+ city with greater power than the existing 3.0L Duratec in the Fusion. And they would have a much larger market, plus differentiate them from the rather crowded family/compact sedan markets.
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VinceP 11:40AM (7/31/2008)
Replying to my own comment....
VW currently plays alone in this market, and they're very successful with their 2.0L TFSI. All other turbo 4's are in unlivable rice rocket packages that only appeal to the few (WRX, MS3, Evo, Cobolt SS, etc, etc).
Daniel 12:48PM (7/31/2008)
Good point. The 2.0T in the A4 serves it's purpose very well, at least without that horrible CVT
mk 4:10PM (7/31/2008)
Ummmm,
Vince,
My Legacy GT is not a "rice rocket", is nicer inside that a Fusion, and has 300hp and torque.
And 26-27mpg on the highway is just fine, when the option is there for a 5.5 second run to 60 with the stock 247hp. Mine is quicker than that.
As for "Unlivable"... Well, I have put almost 15000 miles on mine in the last year. including commuting EVERY day of the winter, which it can do. No snow day abscences from work, whether that be good or bad.
It also can eat a 1000 mile round trip better than most people can. It actually gets the best mileage doing that.
It also doesn't have the heat-soak issues that some MS6 owners have, even with a stock TMIC.
The only thing it lacks is Direct Injection, I'll grant that. but it does pretty well without it, and when it does arrive in a year or two, we'll see how the boxer does against a similar eco-boost 4. Subie turbo boxers typically do very well compared to most other turbocharged engines.
That One Person 7:05PM (7/31/2008)
Hey MK....its nice that YOU like YOUR car but maybe OTHERS would like a car (like the Legacy) from the BIG 3.
I love the Legacy but I think I will wait for Ford to come out with something. Is that a problem????
Matt 11:29AM (7/31/2008)
I don't think the Flex will be around long enough to see egoboost engines...
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Mwmorph 11:31AM (7/31/2008)
If anyone doesn't know, Honeywell means Ford will be using Garrett Turbos which should be good, they're smart, reliable choices with lots of aftermarket support so parents aren't expensive.
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Jason 1:54PM (7/31/2008)
Hopefully this doesn't mean a shortage for the aftermarket crowd...
John 11:31AM (7/31/2008)
I have yet to see a turbo 4 "make the power of a V6 with 4 cylinder efficiency". Look at these MPG (city/highway):
Subaru WRX 20/25
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart 17/25
Saab 9.3 Turbo 19/26
Audi A4 Turbo 21/28
Most all V6's will match these MPG's. Let's not kid ourselves. Turbo 4's have their advantages but MPG is not one of them.
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Frank 11:35AM (7/31/2008)
ur right, but ur looking at the wrong cars, most of those engines arent lower than a 2.0 ... all those engines are a smidgeon bigger to provide more lowend torque before the turbo kicks in, hence the sacrifice in mpg for better low-end performance ... but a turbo is a better choice if its a smaller engine tuned for MPG and not for performance and quick sprints to 0-60 ... also im not sure about all of those cars but most of them are AWD ...