Autoblog

Autoblog talks EcoBoost with Ford Powertrain Direc

Turbocharging has long been associated with performance, but the 103-year-old technology is also very efficient. A small displacement gasoline engine with a turbocharger can equal or out-perform similarly sized naturally aspirated motors while also saving fuel. Europe is all over turbo engines for everything from high-performance Porsches to family wagons, but here in the States, force-fed engines are mainly sold in low volume sports cars.

Ford intends to jump into the turbocharging arena in a big way with "EcoBoost", and is planning to move up to 500,000 vehicles in the U.S. annually with twin-spool technology. Ford claims its EcoBoost suite of engine technoloies will give customers fuel savings of up to 20% versus a like-powered naturally aspirated engine, and the first samples are scheduled to go on sale in about a year. We wanted to learn more about Ford's plan, so we accepted an invitation to speak with Ford's director of Advanced Powertrain, Dan Kapp. Click play on the video above to see what Dan has to say about EcoBoost.

Update: Video of the Explorer America concept reveal is available after the jump.


click above for morel live images of the Ford Explorer America Concept

The unveiling of Ford's Explorer America concept might finally prove that the end of the SUV era is upon us. FoMoCo's stalwart 'ute has left the body-on-frame world and joined the ranks of crossovers that – if you believe the hype – are quickly filling up the SUV-sized vacuum left in garages across the country.

On the outside, Ford decided to keep several of the design cues that have defined the Explorer over the years, simply smoothing the edges, raising the belt line and giving it a healthy injection of futuristic lines that would make it a shoe-in as Robocop's next black-and-white cruiser. The sliding door on the passenger side might not make it to production, but it would be a smart addition to bridge the gap between machismo and minivan.

Check out our previous post for all the details on the Ford Explorer America.

click above for 50 high-res images of the Ford Explorer America Concept

For more than a decade the Ford Explorer was the top-selling SUV in the US with annual sales topping 400,000 units for many years. The best days of the body-on-frame SUV are clearly behind it, though, as the market has shifted toward crossovers like the smaller Escape and Honda CR-V, as well as larger vehicles like the Ford Edge. Ford has seen the light and the next generation Explorer is finally abandoning the traditional setup in favor of a new unit body design.

The new Explorer America concept that Ford is debuting at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show is the first public hint of where the Explorer is going in the coming years. When the Explorer is replaced around the end of this decade, the new model is expected to look much like this concept. The basic proportions and size are very close to the current Explorer, but the styling is a more modern look for this Ford stalwart. The combination of rising fuel costs and new fuel economy rules is pushing Ford to increase the efficiency of all their vehicles including the next generation Explorer.

[Source: Ford]