Ford’s future V6 engines will outpower V8s

Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press writer, reports the following.
Ford’s recovery plan stands to gain horsepower from a host of new engine and transmission technologies to dramatically improve the power and fuel economy of the automaker’s vehicles.

Using all the systems together could boost fuel economy 20% or more and lead to thrifty V6 engines that produce more power than some current V8s, Ford executives say.

It’s an eco-conscious technical leap that could help Ford build on the momentum from good quality results and general praise for recent models like the Fusion, Edge and Lincoln MKX and MKZ.

Ford previewed several of the technologies on the Lincoln MKR concept car at the 2007 North American International Auto Show n Detroit. The MKR featured a 3.5-liter twin-turbo 415-horsepower V6 engine that Ford said matched the output of a high-performance V8 but used 15% less fuel.

The new production engines will feature single or twin turbocharging, direct gasoline injection, automatic shutoff and cylinder deactivation. The transmissions will use mechanical components similar to a six-speed manual transmission, but with electronic controls and hydraulic actuators to shift automatically.

Most of these technologies will first see production at Ford’s European operations, but they will begin to show up on the company’s North American models within two or three years. Some will likely debut on the Lincoln MKS luxury sedan, although probably not when the car initially goes on sale next year. All the systems could be in production here within five years.

The dual-clutch transmission, which Ford calls Powershift, was developed in cooperation with German transmission expert Getrag.

Ford is likely to use direct fuel injection in virtually all its future engines. The technology relies on very high injection pressure and electronic controls to boost power and fuel economy. It is increasingly common on high-performance and luxury models, but a Ford source said the company’s new engines would run on regular gasoline, while many of the current direct-injection powerplants require costlier premium.

Ford calls the combination of direct injection and turbocharging Twin Force, because the engines increase both power and fuel economy.

The company plans to use a single turbocharger on four-cylinder engines with the system, while V6s will use twin turbos.

A Ford source compared Twin Force V6 engines currently undergoing testing around Detroit to the remarkably smooth and powerful direct-injection twin-turbo straight-six that produces 300 horsepower in the acclaimed BMW 335 ci convertible.

But while the BMW requires premium gasoline, the source said Ford’s engine would run on regular — though probably with slightly diminished power or fuel economy.

Original Story