- Ford on Thursday said its first 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine will be launched globally in its small-car lineup and told Inside Line that the engine is appropriate for the Ford Fiesta and Ka.
- Ford said the EcoBoost 1.0-liter will deliver horsepower and torque equivalents equal to or better than most normally aspirated 1.6-liter gas engines, but did not disclose specific numbers.
- Ford also announced its first eight-speed automatic transmission and a new hybrid transmission.
DEARBORN, Michigan — Ford on Thursday said its first 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine will be launched globally in its small-car lineup and told Inside Line that the engine is appropriate for the Ford Fiesta and Ka. The new fuel-saving engine — the smallest engine Ford has ever built — is designed to give the company an edge in the intensifying fuel-economy war among automakers.
The automaker said it will give more technical and application details for the new EcoBoost engine in September at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. The automaker said in a statement that the three-cylinder engine will be "launched globally in Ford small cars" and that it "delivers the same performance as a four-cylinder."
A Ford spokesperson told Inside Line in a phone conversation that the engine is appropriate for the Ford Fiesta and Ka. No one is yet saying what kind of fuel economy such an engine would deliver. The base 2011 Ford Fiesta is equipped with a 120-horsepower 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine linked to a five-speed manual transmission. The EPA says it returns 28 mpg in city driving and 37 mpg on the highway.
Word of the downsized engine comes on a day when consumers are paying $3.78 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge. Prices had flirted with the $4-per-gallon mark earlier this summer.
Ford also announced its first eight-speed automatic transmission and a new electronic continuously variable hybrid transmission. It said that more details on production and applications will be released at a later date. But it appears likely that the hybrid transmission is destined for the Ford C-Max Energi, the automaker's first plug-in hybrid which will begin selling in 2012. The C-Max Energi is set to get more than 41 mpg.
The automaker said the eight-speed transmission is Ford designed, engineered and built. The automaker's in-house hybrid transmission starts production later this year in Detroit. Full volume production is slated for the first quarter of 2012.
The new hybrid transmission will replace a unit made in Japan that is used in Ford and Lincoln hybrids. Ford said in a statement that it "will offer improved performance over the current unit."
Inside Line says: It's Ford's version of automotive limbo. How low can you go with a downsized engine?
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blackdynamite0 says:
12:55 PM, 06/03/2011
Juan
You are right, to a point
10-15 years ago, there were cars that got good crash test scores (much fewer than today)
And they were much lighter than today's vehicles
But it was through engineering, not through more steel
"Thinking is the toughest work there is. Because so few people practice it"
- Henry Ford
BD
juan_mx says:
11:31 AM, 06/03/2011
@BD
I see your point.
The problem is that cars have been gaining weight as safety standards have been raised, so it is not cheap (requires high tech materials) to make a sub 2500lb car that gets good NHTSA scores.
The Fiat 500 weighs almost 2500lb, 30 years ago, a VW Rabbit (slightly larger) was 1800lb.
sinna46 says:
10:22 AM, 06/03/2011
greenpony says:
"I wish them luck combating NVH of a three cylinder design."
I agree, why not just make a 1.0 liter 4 and use the turbo?
tbone85 says:
09:56 AM, 06/03/2011
A 10 second 0-60, 29/44 mileage, ~ 2500 pound car that surpasses current safety standards, with a $17k price sounds like a nice fit for a kids car. I don't know that this is the spec Ford is building towards, but there is definitely space for that type of vehicle in the market.
blackdynamite0 says:
07:58 AM, 06/03/2011
Juan
My point is smaller, lighter engines benefit from smaller, lighter cars
The old Toyota Echo looked pretty stupid, but was around 2100 lbs, had only 105 HP, but did 0-60 in 8.4
And it had a back seat a six footer could fit
100-120HP cars can work in a lightweight chassis.
2500-2600lb isn't light enough
C&D tested the Fiesta at over 10 seconds 0-60. That's not good enough.
Unless you are getting 45-50MPG (Prius)
BD
juan_mx says:
07:51 AM, 06/03/2011
BD
Sorry, I thought you meant Ford worldwide.
I checked the canadian and the mexican web sites and neither give the weight of the Fiesta.
The brazilian web site states a curb weight of 2560lb for the New Fiesta sedan with the 1.6L and manual transmission.
My guess is that a 1.0L turbo Fiesta will be below 2500lb.
blackdynamite0 says:
07:06 AM, 06/03/2011
Juan
Not according to MotorTrend (The U.S. doesn't get the Ka)
http://www.motortrend.com/features/mt_hot_list/1105_11_lightest_2011_model_year_cars_tested/ford_fiesta.html
(Ford curiously refuses to list their vehicle's curb weights on their web site)
BD
juan_mx says:
06:13 AM, 06/03/2011
@BD
There are some:
Ford Ka (1.2L) 2070lb (940kg)
Ford Fiesta (1.4L) 2293lb (1040kg)
greenpony says:
05:02 AM, 06/03/2011
I wish them luck combating NVH of a three cylinder design.
dgmail says:
03:23 AM, 06/03/2011
Come on Leinert. You can put more of a negetive slant on this.
Afterall, you are talking about one of the American brands you hate so much