According to sources speaking with Pickuptrucks.com, Ford is considering offering an EcoBoost four-cylinder engine on its F-150 pickup in 2013. The boosted mill is expected to displace around 2.5-liters, produce 260 hp and 300 lb.-ft. of torque, and would only be available on the two-door Regular Cab F-150 4x2 and 4x4.
Ford's rationale for equipping its workaday pickup with a turbo'd four is partially due to the rising cost of gasoline, but is primarily fueled by new CAFE regulations that will require light trucks to average 28.6 mpg by 2015. Ford has already decided to drop its 4.2-liter V6 for the 2009 model year, only offering the 4.6-liter V8, which produces more power and more torque, while still offering similar fuel economy.
The EcoBoost range of engines are likely to find their way into several different models across Ford's line up, and according to Ford's director of powertrain research, Dan Kapp, EcoBoost engines could allow the automaker to reduce engine sizes by between 40- and 50-percent, so 3.0-liter V6s could be replaced by two-liter fours and a 2.5-liter four cylinder could be reduced to 1.5-liters.
Before the EcoBoost four-pot debuts on the 2013 F-150, Ford will launch a turbocharged V6 in the pickup in 2010. Displacement is expected to be around 3.5-liters, with output estimated at around 350 hp and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. Partnered with a new six-speed transmission, fuel economy should be around 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.
And what of the rumored F-100 pick-up? It's conceivable that the range-topping version of the compact truck could be packing the same turbo'd four as its big brother, while a naturally aspirated version would power the entry level model.
The tremendous pressure on the auto industry is rapidly unraveling even the most carefully laid out plans. Fuel economy is king right now, and trucks and SUVs have gone from cash cows to the 6,000-pound albatross around the necks of automakers. Ford has been giving us a steady flow of news regarding its plans to weather this wicked storm, including the decision to switch truck and SUV plants into facilities that can produce fuel efficient cars and the delayed launch of the 2009 F-150. Now we're hearing from Mike Levine at Pickuptrucks.com that the Blue Oval has all but killed the once promising Boss V8 engine program.
The powerful V8 engine was slated to appear on models ranging from the new Mustang to the best-selling F-150 and Super Dudy, but a stop work order has narrowed the Boss' available engine bays down to one model. Ford President of the Americas Mark Fields told Levine that while the program isn't being killed completely, it will now only appear in one vehicle. Levine has heard from three sources that the lone vehicle will be the Super Duty, which needs a more efficient replacement for the 6.8L V10. Ford has already spent a load of cash on the beefy pushrod, so killing the program altogether would have been a tough pill to swallow. Ford was also planning on more than one displacement for the Boss, but with it now only going in the Super Duty, it'll likely only appear in 6.2-liter guise.
Ford will likely move any and all monetary and development resources possible away from the Boss, and into the hands of greener projects like the US-bound Fiesta. The move makes abundant sense given the current realities Ford is facing, but it still saddens us that we won't get to mash the pedal to unleash 400 naturally aspirated ponies any time soon.
Click above for a gallery of the Euro-market Ford Focus
Finally. The European Ford Focus will go into production in the United States in 2010 along with the Fiesta. This has been officially confirmed by Ford, which will offer the Euro Focus here in both four- and five-door body styles. That's not the only news, either. Production of large trucks and SUVs will be further dialed back for the remainder of this year, and the introduction of the new F-150 pickup truck has been pushed back two months to "late fall". The catalyst for all this? Expensive gas, the new boogeyman that has people running from trucks and SUVs en masse. The F-150 delay is designed to give dealers more time to thin out existing '08 truck inventory before the new pickup arrives in the fall. On the flipside, Ford will add shifts to increase production of the current Focus, Mariner/Escape, Edge/MKX, and the new Flex. In the end, however, expect more red ink on the balance sheet, as Ford states that its pre-tax Automotive results will fall short of 2007's, and follows that up with an announcement that it expects Ford Motor Credit to post a loss, as well. You can read the full release after the jump.
More news on the Raptor front today. PickupTrucks.com just published a spy shot of a camo'd F-150 Raptor that at first glance adds nothing new to the puzzle. Closer inspection reveals that the semi-transparent covering actually exposes the basic look of the sporty F-150's grille, which purportedly has the Ford name emblazoned very large across a center bar. The truck was recently spotted on the streets of Vegas during the Ford Dealer Show. According to those in the know, Ford marketing boss Jim Farley unveiled the off-road-ready F-150 at that meeting, even showing a video of the mule throwing sand in the desert.
We're becoming more certain every day that the Raptor will use the 6.2L "Boss" V8 with a power output of between 380 and 420 horsepower. If the F-150 Raptor ends up wearing an SVT product as we suspect, we're betting the final power output being closer to the latter rather the former. Besides seeing the mule in action and hearing about the powertrain, dealers were also shown one of the Raptor's footlong-travel shocks, built exclusively for the Raptor by Fox Racing. Coupled with 35-inch all-terrain tires, this should be one badass, Baja-ready pickup.
Surely it won't be long before we get a whole batch of official pics from Ford, perhaps in time for the SEMA Show in November, but for now click over to PickupTrucks.com to see the new spy pics.
Ford's recent announcement to reduce its white collar workforce costs by 15% shows that Mulally & Co. are dead-serious about turning around the Dearborn, MI automaker. The newest twist in the FoMoCo saga takes the situation from serious to near desperate, as plant managers and union leadership are convening in Dearborn to discuss switching factories from truck to car production. Such a move is much easier to make in one of Toyota or Honda's flexible manufacturing plants, but Ford has plenty of facilities that are hardwired to build only one or two products. Analysts say that costs could be $250 million a year or more, which would make for a huge dent in Ford's already shrinking bank account.
The good news is that Ford is looking at its European products as the vehicles it needs to build State-side. We enthusiasts have been drooling over the Euro Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo, S-Max and Kuga for quite a while, but their fuel-efficient ways will have the masses finally thinking Ford first if they come here.
Ford won't announce its plans until July, and some details will be held back for months more, but The Detroit News has it on good authority that the Michigan Truck and Louisville plants will be part of the shift away from gas guzzlers. Louisville, which currently produces the Explorer, would shift to a unibody facility that produces cars and CUVs. Michigan Truck, which produces the Navigator and Expedition, will make room for the F-100, which will be smaller and likely more efficient than the F-150 on which it's based.
It's amazing what $4 per gallon gasoline can do to U.S. manufacturing, no? Ford just may be on the verge of the largest shift in the company's 105-year history, and we're all here to witness it. Here's hoping the plan works.
If there were any doubt left that the gas-guzzling truck market was laying an egg, we have proof that it's ready to hatch two. A truck market-savvy bird has declared a lifted, red 2008 F-150 as its new home, and the feathered creature left two eggs on the truck's cowl as proof of residence. The avianic animal likely chose to put its nest at the base of the windshield of a jacked-up pickup to keep said offspring away from predators, but little did it know that the pickup will probably not be leaving the lot anytime soon. Ford of Orange County has roped off the truck, and the environmentally friendly dealership isn't accepting any orders for the pickup until the eggs have hatched and the youngins have flown the coup. There you have it, the full-size truck market is officially for the birds (rim shot). Check out more pics at the source below. Thanks for the tip, Kevin!
CAFE standards are being raised to 35 mpg by 2020, and automakers are working on several technologies to help achieve the lofty standard. The next 12 years will see lighter, more aerodynamic vehicles, but some of the most interesting solutions will be found under the hood. Electric vehicles, hybrids, and small, turbocharged engines will power many vehicles, and diesel engines are set to once again infiltrate our borders, but on a grander scale.
We talked to Ford Powertrain boss Dan Kapp to better understand why diesel engines are inherently more efficient than petrol engines, and we also discussed how and where Ford will be using diesel going forward. Hit play on the video above to take a look.
At last week's dealer show in Las Vegas, a picture of Ford's upcoming 4.4-liter V8 diesel powerplant was leaked to the Internet... ouch. The new powerplant is hardly a secret (we were reporting the first hints of it in June 2006, and the legal issues surrounding the engine in June 2007), but this is the first time the public has seen a photo of the new diesel in its metallic flesh.
Designed to offer comparable acceleration to the current 5.4-liter gasoline Triton, the new engine should be rated at about 330 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is expected to be around 20% better than the gas-fed Triton. To meet tough emission standards, a NOx after-treatment called "aqueous urea" will be injected into the hot exhaust stream. While the additive cleans up the tailpipe exhaust, it will also be another fluid the consumer will have to maintain (Ford is promising the "urea tank" will only need replenishing during oil changes). Although it doesn't look very attractive sitting naked on a stand atop the garish hotel carpet, you had better get used to seeing this V8 around town. Ford is saying that after a debut in the F-150 midway through the 2010 model year, we can expect the engine to follow in the Expedition, Navigator, E-Series vans, and F-Series SuperDuty.
As the days go on, the much rumored F-150 Raptor is becoming less wild speculation and more solid reality. Dealers were given a glimpse of the forth-coming truck at the Ford Dealer Show in Las Vegas, and they haven't shied away from spilling the beans regarding what they saw. Ford marketing boss Jim Farley unveiled the Ford-embossed front grille of the baja F-150, then showed video of a juiced-up off-road mule tearing it up in the desert.
Farley also revealed some details about the Raptor's new powerplant, which is believed to be the 6.2L "BOSS" V8. Power was quoted at 380 hp, but both PickupTruck.com and Four Wheeler believe Ford is sand-bagging on the engine's real power quotient, which they feel will be in the ballpark of 420 ponies. We're guessing 420 would be a much more appropriate number considering the size of the engine and rumors that the truck may be formally labeled as an SVT product. Dealers were also shown one of the Raptor's long-travel shocks, which was built by Fox Racing especially for the Raptor and has a full 12 inches of travel.
Ford is reportedly very excited about the Raptor, and execs allegedly went as far as saying that the Blue Oval was going to drive the truck "right up Toyota's ass." Ouch, we hope that's a metaphor. At this time there is no word as to when the Raptor will be available to customers, but since it's being shown to dealers, it likely isn't too far off.
Click above for high-res gallery of Ford F-150 "Raptor" spy shots
The rumored Ford F-150 "Raptor" high-performance off-road truck may be branded an SVT model when and if it reaches dealer showrooms. So says Sean Holman at Four Wheeler Magazine, at least. If true, this would mark the return of the SVT label being used front and center on a vehicle since John Coletti, the legendary head honcho of Ford's in-house tuning arm during its heyday, retired in 2004. Ford's Special Vehicle Team is still alive and well within the Blue Oval, having participated in developing a number of special Mustang models in recent years including the GT500, which features SVT badges all over its exterior and interior but not in its name.
Affixing the letters S-V-T to a truck will bring on inevitable comparisons to the late, great SVT Lightning F-150, which was produced for ten years between 1993 and 2003. While that high-performance truck was meant for on-road shenanigans, the "Raptor" is being developed in the vein of a Baja truck with big tires, bigger ground clearance and a big appetite for jumping things like sand dunes and rows of Foci. Production of the "Raptor" truck itself is just a rumor, however, despite heavily covered prototypes seen idling around Dearborn. The addition of an SVT badge would make the secretly developed desert stormer that much more legitimate in our eyes, even if Ford's in-house tuning program has never proven itself off the beaten path.
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