The 355hp-365hp 3.5L EcoBoost engine already in the Ford Taurus SHO and Flex and the Lincoln MKS and MKT will begin its full production rollout this summer, featuring advanced deceleration fuel shut-off and cam torque actuated intake variable cam timing to improve power and efficiency under dynamic load conditions.
The EcoBoost invasion will carry forward across most of Ford's lineup, until by 2013, over 90% of the company's vehicles will be available with at least one EcoBoost offering.
Next on the docket is hybrid powertrains. For 2010 the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid will break new ground as the most efficient American hybrids and the most efficient midsize sedans on the market. Some of these gains will carry over to the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid, but the new advanced hybrid powertrains will remain unique to the Fusion and Milan.
Some of the technology that will be found in all of the Blue Oval hybrids includes a 2.5L inline four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine paired with an e-CVT transmission plus intake variable cam timing that helps bridge the transition from gas engine to electric motor and back.
For more on the benefits of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and its Mercury counterpart over previous Ford hybrids, read up on our release story.
Further plans for 2010 to be found throughout the Ford lineup include a new 6F six-speed automatic transmission that reduces parasitic losses, improves shift points and warms up faster to help improve fuel efficiency, and it will also be joined by a new six-speed Powershift transmission paired with the four-cylinder EcoBoost engine announced today.
The end goal with all of these new powertrains is to improve fuel economy while delivering a satisfying experience behind the wheel. Ford says the EcoBoost V6 will deliver a fuel savings of up to 20% compared to a similarly powerful V8 engine. That's not to say that the V8 is out at Ford, however. A new 5.0L V8 engine dubbed 'Coyote' will be making its way into the range in 2010, including a spot under the hood of the Mustang, where power output is expected to nudge the 400hp mark.
For more on the Coyote engine, read our latest coverage here. Adding even more interest is the 5.0L 'Bobcat' ethanol-injected V8 engine based on the Coyote, though that engine may be further out, with initial testing in the F-150 to begin at the end of this year.
