The success of the recent cash for clunkers program this past summer demonstrated a clear case of consumers' desire for affordable, fuel efficient vehicles. Thanks to the incentives under the program, buyers snapped up roughly 700,000 new cars, trading in old cars for new models. The program delivered on two key motivators for car buyers: make it affordable and make it fuel efficient - concepts that work for both consumers and ultimately, for the environment.
More than a year ago when gas prices climbed past the $3.50/gallon mark, consumers moved the car market faster than CAFÉ regulations had in twenty years. Today, gas remains relatively inexpensive, but we think consumers will remember how hard higher gas prices hit their wallets, and we believe the shift in buying patterns was more than a temporary fluke.
Cash for clunkers may be over, but consumers are still looking for value and still looking for vehicles that will make their fuel budgets stretch a little farther. They need practical solutions today.
I found it both exciting and interesting that at the September Frankfurt auto show, one of the largest in the world, a lot of buzz centered on electric vehicles. Electric mobility, or e-mobility, was a recurring theme throughout the show. It was a significant change from just two years ago, when electric cars received scant attention. One reporter, noting all the recent interest surrounding electric vehicle concepts, suggested that "electric cars were the new black."
There is clearly strong momentum around electric vehicles of all types - hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure battery electrics. At Ford we're working hard to bring all of those options to market. (See Ford's Fuel Efficient Future: Bringing Electrification to Life). We're not only developing the plug-in hybrids and EVs of tomorrow, we're working in partnership with electric utilities to understand all the challenges of connectivity between vehicles and the grid. We believe EVs will play a part of the transportation equation of the future, but we do not see them as the sole solution for consumers.
Ten years after their introduction, hybrid vehicles are still only 3 percent of the market. It will clearly take time for plug-ins and EVs to gain acceptance and to become affordable for large numbers of buyers.
We are not putting all our eggs into the electric basket. We know consumers are asking for more fuel efficient solutions that are affordable today. That's why we have continued to engineer improvements to the internal combustion engine. While the auto industry is embracing new technologies to move toward the least vehicle emissions possible, the combustion engine is going to be around for a long time.
Those of you who watch football might have noticed recent ads for the new Ford Taurus SHO. If you listened carefully, you might have caught one message, "the thrust of a V8 with the thirst of a V6."
It's one way to characterize Ford's new technology for the traditional gas engine that will increase fuel efficiency - and decrease CO2 emissions. We call this technology EcoBoost. It combines direct injection and turbo charging, to allow for engine downsizing without compromising performance. In short, this engine produces more power while using less gas. For example, a V6 engine performs like a V8, and an I-4 engine performs like a V6. But most importantly, they can deliver the performance drivers want but consume less gas.
We talk a great deal about technological innovation as providing solutions to our commitment to address climate change and energy independence. Innovation drives our engineering development. As an example, the technology behind EcoBoost, will add no less than 125 patents and patent applications to Ford's existing 4,618 active U.S. patents.
Not only is EcoBoost a reality today, it is affordable, and requires no additional infrastructure or maintenance. Today it is offered in the Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKS and Ford Flex. Next year it will be offered in an I-4 version. In 2010, it will be available in the crown-jewel of Ford's truck lineup, the F-150. By 2013, we will be building more than a million EcoBoost powered vehicles for the global market.
Will the internal combustion engine disappear? Not likely for a long time. That's one of the reasons we continue to work to make it better, more fuel efficient, with fewer CO2 emissions. But we recognize the significant need to develop alternative technologies in the evolution of transportation. Ford fully expects to help lead this evolution with our current development of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.
We have said it before, but it bears repeating, there is no single, silver bullet solution to the challenge of reducing transportation's carbon footprint. The solutions will come from multiple technology paths to achieve real and sustainable results.
Sue Cischke is Ford's Group Vice President of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. Ford will introduce a pure battery electric Transit Connect commercial van in 2010, a battery electric Focus compact car in 2011, a next generation hybrid and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in 2012.
Car manufacturers don't make what people want, they make what's most profitable for them.
It takes 10 to 20 horse power to maintain an average vehicle at 60 MPH on level ground. A recent GMC commercial on television touts their new pickup with a class leading 360 HP engine. We really need 360 hp to move two people down the highway. Manufacturers sell hype, and the American public buys it.
I have to wonder if anyone did actually produce a modern day Volks-Wagen, cheap to buy, easy to maintain, high quality, great mileage, and relatively underpowered. Would people actually buy it?
With the advances in technology a modern 40 HP "beetle" could get well over 100 MPG.
Whenever decisions are made in business it is always wise to "follow the money". Too bad logic holds so little sway.
Ford's new 1.6L I4 turbo is a phenomenal engine. Nobody gets 180bhp out of 1.6L engine. That's unprecedented in production cars, and power-to-weight ratio pays off big time at the pump.
Now, can you please make 1.4L and 1.2L versions that produce 150bhp and 130bhp, respectively?
Also, can you please make a series hybrid with a constant-speed engine and an electric variable transmission? I don't want to plug it in. Your engine is greener than the electric grid.
Please leave the car talk to people who even have a passing familiarity with Japanese cars.
Starting off, Toyota produced the venerable 4A-GZE in 1987, it produced 168bhp.
In 1987. Repeat: Toyota was 12 hp short of this "landmark" 22 years ago. You can actually get it to 180 pretty easily by replacing the cams which costs about 200 bucks. Let me also remind you this motor retails for about 400 bucks and gets about 33MPG.
With a modern supercharger or turbocharger it easily produces over 200bhp.
And apparently you have never heard of a Honda B16 which was basically the cornerstone of all modern Honda motors and the most familiar engine to an entire freaking generation of tuners. In 1995 a B16A5 puts out 180bhp without a turbo.
Anyone who talks about "an I4 that has the power of a V6" is already speaking like an idiot to me when discussing cars. An Evo X puts out the same power as a Mustang GT with a 2 liter I4 engine.
So what exactly is the Mustang doing with the other 2.6 liters and 4 cylinders besides being terribly inefficient?
Any truth to the rumor about the 2011 Mustang getting the 5.0 liter, 400 HP "Coyote" motor?
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/09/ford-to-reveal-2011-mustang-powertrain-updates-at-l-a-auto-show/