Ford's drivetrain strategy revealed

President of Ford Australia, Marin Burela, today outlined a bold new plan for the local manufacturer, revolving around the company's engine strategy. Both the Territory SUV and the Falcon passenger car/light commercial ranges will benefit from these new or revised powertrains.

Central to the plan is the introduction of a 2.0-litre 'EcoBoost' four-cylinder engine for the Falcon -- the first application of the turbocharged, direct-injection petrol technology in rear-wheel drive. This announcement is 'innovative' enough to warrant funding through the federal government's Green Car Innovation Fund to the tune of $42 million. It also potentially paves the way for export markets, although Ford has not revealed what plans are in store there.

"Ford's cutting-edge EcoBoost technology will be introduced in Australia, with the addition of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost engine to the Falcon range in 2011," Burela announced at a press conference held at Ford's head office in the Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield. 

"This is the biggest environmental translation in Falcon's 50-year history. And we will make it one of the greenest family cars in Australia."

The EcoBoost engine relies on direct injection and turbocharging to provide levels of power and torque commensurate with those of a naturally-aspirated 3.0-litre V6, while retaining the lower emissions and fuel consumption of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder. As a consequence of the direct-injection fuel delivery system turbo lag is negligible, Ford says, and the engine delivers output across a wider range of engine speeds.

Marin Burela declares that the Falcon being chosen as the first application for this technology in a rear-wheel drive package is a fillip for Ford Australia.

"Our very clear objective was to ensure that we get the EcoBoost here," he said.

"Getting the first application of the rear-wheel drive EcoBoost -- in Australia, in a Falcon -- sends an incredible message about the confidence that the Ford Motor Company has in this market and this range of cars.

"This is a significant step forward, and one that we're incredibly proud of."

In addition to the EcoBoost engine for 2011, the single-fuel LPG induction system for the Falcon will be upgraded to a new liquid-injection delivery for improved fuel efficiency. In place of the old single-point delivery system LPG is injected in each inlet tract, much like a petrol port injection system. Ford's chief vehicle engineer for the Asia/Pacific region, Rob Connor says that the LPG Falcon's output and emissions will be on a par with that of the petrol-engined 4.0-litre six's.

Burela also officially confirmed that the Territory would offer a V6 diesel option -- basically the same 2.7-litre engine jointly developed for Ford, Land Rover and Peugeot. This engine, still offered in the Land Rover Discovery 3, formerly powered the Jaguar XF, but has been recently upgraded to 3.0 litres' capacity in that car.

Once again, this new engine offers Ford the potential for export opportunities, although Burela was careful in the way he handled discussion of such matters.

In the context of the EcoBoost Falcon, Ford Communications Manager, Sinead McAlary said: "At the moment... we're concentrating on domestic. We think this will give us an opportunity to attract new domestic customers. We'll see what happens with export. I don't think anybody -- including people who previously had export programs will be too bullish about an export program at the moment. So, we've got to wait and see."

"We will never, ever stop looking at an export program for what we do here.

"It's not something that anyone ever puts away and goes 'do you know what? That's done'...

McAlary doesn't foresee any left-hand drive exports at this point in time, not even now that the Territory has a diesel engine to sell in markets such as Europe, where diesel would make the Territory considerably more appealing.

"It would be as hard to do as it would be to do a left-hand drive Falcon. No plans for that at this stage," she said.

Burela, questioned about the existence or otherwise of the proposed Coyote V8, laughed it off, acknowledging that FPV would still need V8 power for the 80 per cent of its customers, but the Ford President made no mention of the XR8, leading us to think that perhaps the XR6 Turbo may assume the mantle of hero car in the Falcon range, leaving V8 fans no alternative but to opt for a more expensive variant from the FPV range.

There is even a remote possibility that the EcoBoost engine could spawn a sporty four-cylinder Falcon variant, with improved weight distribution and a reasonable power-to-weight ratio. Certainly, Burela did confirm that the four-cylinder powerplant would find its way into G Series Falcons as well as the price-leading XT grade, whatever those grades will be called come 2011, when the EcoBoost engine is introduced. But he studiously avoided any mention of the EcoBoost engine for the XR variants. Perhaps Ford is still considering whether this (sporty) four-cylinder Falcon would fly.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi