Ford's Ecoboost Engine Take-Rate Low
11-30-2010, 01:16 PM
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Ford's Ecoboost Engine Take-Rate Low Turbocharged Engines Appear Poised to Stay Despite Mediocre Sales
November 29, 2010 - 4:05 pm ET
Jamie LaReau covers Ford Motor Co. for Automotive News.
Ford Motor Co.'s direct-injection, twin-turbocharged EcoBoost is promoted as providing a boost of power without sacrificing fuel economy. So the engine should be popular, right?
I looked up the sales figures to see whether most consumers are indeed shelling out an extra $750 to $1,700 for the EcoBoost option.
According to Edmunds.com, of all the 2010 Flex models sold through October, about 11.5 percent had the EcoBoost engine. The 2010 Taurus SHO, which offers the 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost, comprised 14.2 percent of all Taurus sales.
About 30 percent of all 2010 Lincoln MKS sedans were sold with EcoBoost, and about 46 percent of the 2010 MKT crossovers sold had EcoBoost.
It's not surprising that more premium brand buyers will pay for an upgraded engine. But does lower demand on some Ford brand models spell doom for these engines in a mainstream division?
Not necessarily.
Ford has said EcoBoost sales are meeting its expectations. And outside experts note that the Flex and Taurus EcoBoost engines are paired with all-wheel drive.
“If you live in the Sun Belt states, you have to pay extra for awd and then pay for the EcoBoost on top of that,” said Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing for Edmunds.com. “It's a double whammy.”
Pairing the engine with rear-wheel-drive or front-wheel-drive options would make the cost less prohibitive.
Going forward, Ford will offer 4-cylinder EcoBoost engines on smaller vehicles such as the Focus ST, due in 2012. Those engines won't require an AWD application.
Likewise, the V-6 EcoBoost coming on the F-150 pickup will be a RWD application.
Overall, 3 percent of new vehicles sold today are equipped with turbocharged engines, Edmunds says.
But demand aside, turbocharged engines are said to help automakers meet CAFE standards.
And with competitors such as General Motors Co. now offering a turbocharged engine on volume models such as the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan, Edmunds concludes that no matter the sales results, this engine “is here to stay.”
http://www.autonews.com/article/2010...#ixzz16nWjsvD3
November 29, 2010 - 4:05 pm ET
Jamie LaReau covers Ford Motor Co. for Automotive News.
Ford Motor Co.'s direct-injection, twin-turbocharged EcoBoost is promoted as providing a boost of power without sacrificing fuel economy. So the engine should be popular, right?
I looked up the sales figures to see whether most consumers are indeed shelling out an extra $750 to $1,700 for the EcoBoost option.
According to Edmunds.com, of all the 2010 Flex models sold through October, about 11.5 percent had the EcoBoost engine. The 2010 Taurus SHO, which offers the 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost, comprised 14.2 percent of all Taurus sales.
About 30 percent of all 2010 Lincoln MKS sedans were sold with EcoBoost, and about 46 percent of the 2010 MKT crossovers sold had EcoBoost.
It's not surprising that more premium brand buyers will pay for an upgraded engine. But does lower demand on some Ford brand models spell doom for these engines in a mainstream division?
Not necessarily.
Ford has said EcoBoost sales are meeting its expectations. And outside experts note that the Flex and Taurus EcoBoost engines are paired with all-wheel drive.
“If you live in the Sun Belt states, you have to pay extra for awd and then pay for the EcoBoost on top of that,” said Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing for Edmunds.com. “It's a double whammy.”
Pairing the engine with rear-wheel-drive or front-wheel-drive options would make the cost less prohibitive.
Going forward, Ford will offer 4-cylinder EcoBoost engines on smaller vehicles such as the Focus ST, due in 2012. Those engines won't require an AWD application.
Likewise, the V-6 EcoBoost coming on the F-150 pickup will be a RWD application.
Overall, 3 percent of new vehicles sold today are equipped with turbocharged engines, Edmunds says.
But demand aside, turbocharged engines are said to help automakers meet CAFE standards.
And with competitors such as General Motors Co. now offering a turbocharged engine on volume models such as the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan, Edmunds concludes that no matter the sales results, this engine “is here to stay.”
http://www.autonews.com/article/2010...#ixzz16nWjsvD3
11-30-2010, 02:33 PM
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I think the Ecoboost is a pretty good engine. For those who can never have enough power even in their family sedan, they can be made decently quick for a small amount of money.
We've tuned a lot of Ecoboost SHO's, Flex's, MKS's, and MKT's and the ones that we have taken to the strip have knocked off a second plus in the 1/4 mile depending on mods.
Our own SHO shop car run 14.1 stock and 12.98 with just a catback and our custom dyno tune.
click
-Rick
We've tuned a lot of Ecoboost SHO's, Flex's, MKS's, and MKT's and the ones that we have taken to the strip have knocked off a second plus in the 1/4 mile depending on mods.
Our own SHO shop car run 14.1 stock and 12.98 with just a catback and our custom dyno tune.
click
-Rick
11-30-2010, 04:54 PM
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It's good to see tuning available for Ecoboost engines. The sales will still be low when compared to standard models, not just because of the mentioned issues in the article like AWD or the added cost of the turbo engine itself. In her article though, she doesn't point out Ford offers EcoBoost ONLY on the SHO version of Taurus. Sales are low by design on that car. She didn't make note that the SHO start price is roughly 12,600.00 MORE than base Taurus price. She kinda went on like the EcoBoost isn't selling that well because IT is pricey... The CARS it's in are pricey! Plus, the other variants of Taurus get a little better economy, while lacking all the power. I think that engine is a rather expensive option though, in whatever vehicle.
The biggest single reason is probably the overall cost per vehicle, which is clearly affected by both Ecoboost and AWD, but also by model within platform. If I want added power, great... Gotta pay for it. Personally, I think the turbocharger is blatantly the best option for adding power to any engine with proper compression and internals. The article fails to mention that adding a turbo to ANY vehicle increases cost.
GM should have a good handle on all this already, considering how long they've been offering boosted engines. I think it's JUST about time though, these manufacturers are pushing turbos over superchargers, even though all of "The Big Three" have offered turbo's in some form or another many times over the yrs, not even including diesels. GM could use a turbo with several applications and see in immediate increase in performance.
The biggest single reason is probably the overall cost per vehicle, which is clearly affected by both Ecoboost and AWD, but also by model within platform. If I want added power, great... Gotta pay for it. Personally, I think the turbocharger is blatantly the best option for adding power to any engine with proper compression and internals. The article fails to mention that adding a turbo to ANY vehicle increases cost.
GM should have a good handle on all this already, considering how long they've been offering boosted engines. I think it's JUST about time though, these manufacturers are pushing turbos over superchargers, even though all of "The Big Three" have offered turbo's in some form or another many times over the yrs, not even including diesels. GM could use a turbo with several applications and see in immediate increase in performance.
