Ford Edge Will Get First I4 EcoBoost Engine

What you see is the 2010 Ford Edge. At the 2010 Chicago Auto Show a refreshed 2011 Edge will make its debut and feature an all new engine.

Ford’s EcoBoost engine technology, introduced last summer in the Lincoln MKS, Ford Taurus, and Lincoln MKT, will soon get expanded to other vehicle lines. That original 3.5L V6 represents the first of a family of direct injection, turbocharged engines, with a 2.0L I4 up next. The smaller engine will find its way under the hood of the Ford Edge, a medium sized crossover model.

The Importance of EcoBoost

EcoBoost is important for a number of reasons. First of all, the technology squeezes more horsepower and torque out of a smaller engine, giving it the ability to work as efficiently as a larger motor. Secondly, the engine burns cleaner, resulting in fewer harmful emissions. Thirdly, EcoBoost is more fuel efficient, allowing drivers to enjoy the mileage benefits of a smaller engine, while receiving the power of a larger one.

The 2011 Ford Edge will make its bow at this year’s Chicago Auto Show. According to The Detroit News, this model will also be the first to feature the automaker’s MyFord Touch system, an arrangement which replaces most of the standard gauges, switches and knobs with full-color computer screens and sensitive to the touch buttons.

Mid-Cycle Refresh and More

The changes made for the Ford Edge represents a mid-cycle refresh, with the nose, hood, and windshield tweaked accordingly. But underneath the hood, the base 3.0L V6 will be replaced by the 2.0L I4 EcoBoost, offering similar power levels as the engine it replaces but with improved fuel economy. The optional 3.5L V6 remains; but engines will be paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Last month, Ford unveiled its refreshed Lincoln MKX, the luxury version of the Ford Edge. It, too, is receiving a significant mid-cycle upgrade, but Ford has not announced whether an EcoBoost engine will be made available for that model when it goes on sale later this year.

Both the Ford and the Lincoln are built at the company’s Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario, with the Edge ranked as the top selling midsize crossover model.

Other Ford Motor News

In other news, Ford’s January 2010 US car sales increased by 25 percent over January 2009, on the strength of fleet sales. Retail sales were actually down for the month, but the fleet sales helped Ford record the best month over month improvement among the Big Six automakers. Ford also replaced Toyota as the second best selling brand in the US as the Japanese automaker saw its sales decline in the face of a recall and sales halt.

Is Ford Itching To Sell Mazda?

Not too many global automotive relationships have lasted as long as the Ford Motor Company’s relationship with Mazda Corporation has. Since the early days of the 1970s, Ford and Mazda have collaborated on a number of projects starting off with Mazda supplying Ford with its first compact pickup truck, the Ford Courier, which eventually gave way to Ford building its owns small truck, the Ranger.

The Ford Ranger is the Mazda B-Series

In an amazing twist of events, the Ford Ranger is now sold as the B-Series in the US. In addition, the Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, and Mazda Tribute are essentially the same and the platform that underpins Ford’s midsize models which includes the Ford Fusion, is the same platform which drives the Mazda6.

Now, word is coming forth that Ford wants to sell its 33.4% stake in Mazda in a bid to raise cash. Ford, like General Motors and Chrysler, has been battered throughout the year by double digit sales decreases and a need to raise cash to fund new product development. At the beginning of the year, Ford had enough money on hand to weather the current crisis, but with the financial markets being especially tough, the company is bleeding through cash at a record pace.

Unraveling Mazda From the Ford Web

Selling Mazda just a year ago would have been unthinkable, given the intertwining of the brands. Though Mazda is a separate company, they pretty much operate as a Ford subsidiary especially in North America.  Selling off Mazda could take years to untangle a very complicated relationship, then again the buyer may find that keeping its relationship with Ford intact could be in everyone’s best interest.

Other Alliances Shaping Up For Ford?

Ford seems determined to go it alone even as the global automotive crisis deepens. Quite frankly, there is too much capacity and too many brand names, with automakers trying to maintain market share as demand drops. Likely, the current economic mess is only temporarily, suggesting that by 2010 things will once again turn around, but in the meantime waiting it out could prove disastrous for financially strapped automakers.

General Motors has discussed merging with Ford (as it has with Chrysler) and idea that Ford is cool too. Both companies collaborated on a project to build six speed automatic transmissions and there is plenty of room for the two companies to work together on additional projects. If Ford had the cash, they’d probably make a pitch for Chrysler, if only to salvage the valuable Jeep brand. Perhaps tossing Mazda would help Ford do just that, but methinks that selling Mazda is a big mistake.

Ford management is denying that a Mazda sale is being considered, calling such reports speculative and distracting.  At the same time, the company says that Mazda and Ford’s operations are separate despite jointly developing several vehicle lines. What that sounds like is that Ford is leaving all options on the table.

Ford Canada Cancels Shift, Lays Off 350 Workers

Announcements of layoffs in the automotive industry hasn’t been uncommon news over the past year what with Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors closing plants and encouraging people to take early retirement. Nobody likes to lose a job, but in the current economic climate it can be particularly hurtful.

A recent decision by Ford Canada strikes at the heart of the matter in a slightly different manner. The company had been expected to begin a third shift at its Oakville, Ontario plant, but has since backed off from that move indefinitely. Though the plant produces the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKZ crossover vehicles and had recently added another crossover vehicle, the all-new Ford Flex, demand for these types of cars hasn’t kept pace.

The result for 350 workers is that they don’t have jobs, at least for now. Worse, some of these same workers left previous jobs to begin work at Ford and now find themselves unemployed.

Ford had expected that its widening fleet of crossovers would fuel demand for these vehicles but $4 per gallon gasoline and an uncertain economic climate have conspired to push down demand. Only the most fuel efficient cars are selling, particularly the Ford Focus which gets 35 mpg on the highway.

“The delay is certainly regrettable,” Ford spokeswoman Lauren More said. “We recognize it affects the lives of hundreds of people. As difficult as the decision is, it’s the only way to do it, to adjust production with demand.”

Ford had expected that as many as 100,000 Flex vehicles would be sold annually, but the early sales trends for this unusual looking vehicle which went on sale in June shows that the demand isn’t there.

On Thursday, Ford announced that several small European models would be produced in the US and Canada for the domestic market as the company attempts to keep pace with rapidly shifting consumer demand for small cars.

(Source: Ford Motor Company and news wires)