Is it possible that we'll see a Ford Volt at some time in the not to distant future? If a story in the Detroit News is to be believed, yes! Ford and General Motors are apparently in talks to share the E-Flex powertrain technology that underpins the Volt. It wouldn't be the first time that Ford and GM have collaborated. The front wheel drive 6-speed automatic transmissions used in the larger cars and crossovers (Flex, Taurus, Acadia, etc) was jointly developed by the two companies. GM has also collaborated with Daimler, Chrysler and BMW on the Two-Mode hybrid system.

Sharing the E-Flex hardware would allow GM to more rapidly ramp up production volumes and drive down costs. At the same time Ford would be able to pick up an advanced powertrain that they are currently lacking. GM reportedly approached Ford and the Dearborn board of directors approved negotiations. Several meetings have been held but nothing has been agreed to yet. At the same 2007 Detroit Auto Show where the Volt Concept debuted, Ford showed its own Airstream concept with a plug-in fuel cell series hybrid powertrain. Ford has had a prototype Edge running with that powertrain since November 2006 and could provide some controls and system integration experience to the collaboration. GM is likely well ahead of Ford on the battery development side at this point.

[Source: Detroit News]

Click the Fiesta ECOnetic for a high res gallery

At the British Motor Show in London, Ford has unveiled the most fuel efficient version yet of the new Fiesta, the ECOnetic model. Like the Focus and Mondeo ECOnetic models, this Fiesta has been tweaked to minimize fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. In this case the car is equipped with a 1.6L diesel and the usual mix of closing off openings in the front to reduce the drag. A pair of small air deflectors on the trailing edge of the wheel wells helps to control airflow coming off the back of the car. Revised engine calibrations, a taller final drive ratio and low rolling resistance tires yield a combined mileage rating of 65.3 mpg (US) on the EU test cycle. Carbon dioxide emissions are measured at 98 g/km meaning that the Fiesta is exempted from some road taxes in the UK and elsewhere. Unfortunately we probably won't get this version when the Fiesta debuts here in about 18 months. The Ford press release is after the jump.


[Source: Ford]

Every automaker currently selling cars in America is now doing all that they can do to increase fuel efficiency. Even on models which were already launched, redesign time is the perfect opportunity to make another attempt at raising fuel mileage. Such is the case at Ford, as product chief Derrick Kuzak's new mandate for his engineers is to make every new or redesigned Ford the most fuel efficient vehicle in its class, starting with the revised Fusion due for 2010. Currently, the base 2.3 liter four cylinder engine is mated to a five speed automatic transmission. That combo is able to offer up 20 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway. While that is decent, it's not class leading. So, we are expecting a significant bump when the next Fusion appears with both a hybrid model and an enlarged 2.5 liter engine with six speed automatic. We got the chance to sample this powertrain in the 2009 Escape and found that it both increased performance and decreased fuel consumption. Sounds like a winner.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Ford and Navistar have had a long and arduous relationship with each other, with the latter supplying diesel V8 engines for use in Ford's largest consumer-grade trucks. Early 7.3-liter units performed fine, but the updated 6.0-liter V8 engine was notoriously problematic. That cost Ford dearly and has tainted its tenuous contract with Navistar. While the engine issues seem to have been resolved with the latest 6.4-liter twin-turbocharged units, those older mills are still giving Ford fits. A panel of judges recently ruled in favor of Kenneth E. Corder of Louisville, KY, who purchased a new diesel-powered Ford truck in 2004. Corder's truck, however, had an engine that manufactured in 2003. This isn't at all uncommon, as automakers will use the parts they have on hand whenever possible. Unfortunately, the '03 model-year engines had a rather bad reputation, and despite the fact that Corder has never had a problem with his, he brought a suit against the Blue Oval in 2005 for not disclosing the engine's date of manufacture. The most recent set of judges agreed with Corder in a two-to-one split, so it looks as if Ford will be going to court.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

GM thinks that it has learned the lesson not to fall behind on technology and won't make that same mistake again. It's for this reason that the Volt is such a big deal for the automaker. Depending on how the next few years play out, though, we will either look back on Ford and realize just how smart the company was or just how deeply its head was stuck in the sand. It seems that Ford believes it has a solid position in hybrid technology and doesn't see an immediate need to be a leader in the development of a plug-in.

Instead, the Blue Oval is content to sit back and let cross-town rival GM and Toyota take the lead. In the meantime, Ford will continue to churn out hybrid versions of its Escape SUV and will introduce a new Fusion hybrid shortly. Hopefully, Ford will be able to play catch-up if the PHEV technology proves popular, otherwise, it could find itself in the same position as GM currently finds itself: as a technology-laggard.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Ford F-150

Another large, powerful V8 engine program has bitten the dust. After GM made the decision to axe its high-tech DOHC V8, it became obvious that automakers are beginning to see the luster disappear from the classic V8 engine architecture. Ford, for its part, has announced plans to replace many of its large eight cylinder engines with new members of its EcoBoost engine family. The latest nail in the V8's coffin may also be coming from the Blue Oval, as it's now asked suppliers to stop working on a new 6.2 liter eight cylinder which was slated for its line of F-Series trucks.

Considering that Ford has already invested a large sum of money into the engine, we would be surprised to see it go away entirely. For this reason, Ford could reduce the displacement of the engine and could even regain lost power by equipping it with the EcoBoost technology. Whatever the case, it's clear that the future will bring smaller engines with fewer cylinders, even in pickup trucks.

[Sources: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click on the image for more high-res shots

Up for auction today on eBay is an extremely interesting 1981 Ford Fairmont. It's not interesting because it's a Ford Fairmont... 'cause they're not all that interesting in and of themselves, are they? What makes this one special is that it's electric. While the seller claims that it was converted by NASA, we can't seen to find any evidence to support this claim via the internet, which usually at least sheds a little light on most any subject. We did, however, locate a DOE document which shows that the vehicle underwent testing by the Army Mobility Equipment Research and Development Command. Whatever the case, the seller also says that it has a "top speed around 65 to 85 easily," a claim we also find to be a bit dubious, especially considering that the current owner has never driven it or even seen it run.

Still, this car is so peculiar that it managed to make it onto Jalopnik's Project Car Hell series, which has to at least count for something right? Not only that, but the car it's up against was another one of our awesome eBay finds too, the electric AMC Hornet which, like the Fairmont, has no batteries. How very meta. Even if you have no interest in the car, you owe it to yourself to check it out just to read the description. Enjoy!


[Source: eBay Motors]

The Australian auto market is an interesting beast. Many of the big players in America offer vehicles there which are completely different from what is available stateside. Ford and General Motors have continued to develop large, rear-wheel-drive passenger cars for the Australian market, and these have recently proven desirable in the states again. New fuel economy regulations, though, may put an end to the idea of importing Australian-designed Ford and Holden vehicles into America. In fact, even the Australians may find it tough to keep these vehicles on the road. Federal industry minister Kim Carr would like to help Holden and Ford make their vehicles more fuel efficient, which could mean an abrupt halt to vehicles like the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore in their current forms. Incentives are being provided which could bring engines like Ford's 3.5 liter Duratec engine to Australia, in both normally aspirated form and even equipped with the new EcoBoost technology. These direct injected and turbocharged mills produce gobs of power while offering a slight increase in fuel efficiency.

[Source: GoAuto]

According to Ford's President of the Americas, Mark Fields, plug-in hybrid vehicles need to be a "national priority" and the United States government should be offering assistance for their development. Fields goes on to say that the governments of competing nations are funding the development of the technology needed to introduce PHEVs, especially batteries. As it stands, most hybrid batteries are produced in factories overseas by companies outside the U.S. If this trend continues, Fields suggests that a continued purchase of these batteries would merely be shifting our foreign dependence on oil to a foreign dependence on batteries. For this reason, the Ford executive calls on increased funding from Washington for high-tech batteries as well as tax breaks and incentives in order to give consumers additional reason to purchase the fuel-saving technology. We would think that high gas prices are effectively doing just that, but it is true that the tax breaks for hybrid vehicles may have contributed to some early sales.

Field's speech, which was made at the Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington? conference on July 11, is a pretty interesting read, and you can find the entire thing pasted after the break.

American car buyers have been turning away from large trucks and SUVs for a while now, and Ford executives think they know what did it: $3.50 for a gallon of gasoline.

Automotive News (subs req'd) reports that Ford CEO Alan Mulally spoke last night to automotive reporters and revealed that his company's internal sales data from early May (combined with earlier reports) shows that the move toward smaller vehicles "is more dramatic and permanent than previously projected," in AN's words. Mulally said that the $3.50 level was when buying shifts "really started to move." Ford's U.S. pickup sales numbers dropped from 14.1 percent of its retail sales in 2007 to 13 percent in early 2008 to 11 percent in April to just 9 percent so far in May. SUV sales dropped as well (from 8.4 to 6.8 to 5.2 to 4.4 percent in the same time frames). Looking to the future, Ford is estimating that U.S. gas prices will sit somewhere between $3.75 and $4.25 a gallon for the rest of this year and next.

[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

The second generation of the baby of Ford's European lineup is going kinetic when it arrives later this year. The new Ka shares a platform with the Fiat 500 and Panda, but it has a look totally in keeping with its stablemates. The kinetic design language common to other current Euro-Fords translates remarkably well to the diminutive dimensions. The Ka will be built at Fiat's assembly plant in Poland. Ford's mini-car will also share engines with the Italian-branded cars. Four cylinder engines of 1.3L MultiJet diesel or 1.2L gasoline varieties will be offered. The new Ka will debut in November of this year. For now at least there are no plans to offer the Ka in the U.S. market.

[Source: OmniAuto.it]

Ford announced during the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit that it's investing a bunch of money in researching nanotechnology for developing paints, plastics, light metals and catalysts that will allow reduced vehicle weight and improved fuel economy. The idea is to use nanoparticles dispersed in existing materials to improve properties of those materials.

Examples of this technology are potential new alloys that could make engines lighter, or a thermally sprayed nano-coating that could replace the heavier cast iron liners that provide the necessary wear resistance of cylinder bores in aluminum block engines. Then there's improved surface coating for the vehicle's sheetmetal and nanotechnology in lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells.

[Source: Ford]

While many high-end autos are boasting seven or even eight gears in their transmissions, mainstream vehicles often are saddled with units including only half that many. The lack of mechanical gear ratios is rather detrimental to fuel economy, so we're happy to see that Ford is launching more six-speed units for both front- and rear-wheel-drive applications. The new 2009 F-150 will feature a six-speed, and considering the huge sales numbers of that vehicle, the 4 to 6 percent improvement in fuel efficiency on average should translate into a good deal of fuel savings. Also slated for six-speeders are the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariners when powered by the gasoline engine. The hybrids will continue to use a CVT.

Ford is also planning on bringing their dual-clutch Powershift transmission to America for upcoming models. The Powershift is available oversees already in the Euro Focus and is capable of providing a 10 percent decrease in fuel mileage.

Two activist shareholder groups who work together in an attempt to force automakers to care about green issues - the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and the Investor Network on Climate Risk Network (which includes the Connecticut State Treasurer's office) - have backed off of Ford. The groups are pleased with Ford's announcement that details how it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in the next dozen years. The groups had targeted FoMoCo for a shareholder resolution but Ford's public comments have put such plans on hold - the two groups even issued a joint press release (pasted after the break) that praises Ford's actions. Sue Cischke, who's been more than willing to talk to AutoblogGreen in the past, met with the activist groups last month, Reuters reports, and talked to them about how Ford will green up its offerings through spending most of its $6b annual R&D budget on technology that ups MPG or lowers CO₂ numbers.

While Ford has earned a reprieve here, GM remains in the groups' sights. We'll know more by the time GM's annual meeting takes place in June.

Wind-power is proving a popular choice for automakers in their quest to curb costs and present an environmentally-aware public face. Nissan has eight turbines at its Sunderland plant, Toyota has one planned for its Flintshire, Wales factory and even Chrysler is investing in a wind project at its Chelsea Proving Grounds in Michigan.

While that may seem like a decent effort they will have to do better than that if they want to match the initiative of Ford at its Dagenham Diesel Center. Already supplied with 100 percent wind-generated electricity for its existing operations, expansion plans for a 1.4/1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine line means they're adding a third wind turbine to supply the extra needed power. The new installation will be handled, as before, by Ecotricity and should produce 1.8 megawatts. Check out the press release from Ford for all the details after the jump.