Ford Motor Co. has decided to ride down the road of improved gas engines in order to come up with a fleet that is more fuel efficient.
One engine the automaker's rolling out is the the EcoBoost, which combines gasoline-injection with a turbocharger and six-speed transmissions. Reports are that the combination will achieve a 20 percent improvement in fuel efficiency.
Ford has tested ethanol-injection gasoline engines as well. These engines are supposed to assist in power and efficiency.
Our take? We admit we were a little concerned about Ford for a while. Rival GM, on the one hand, had sheer size to keep it afloat while Chrysler was at least protected by Cerberus. Ford hit the road all by its lonesome and worse, it was sheltering Mazda and Volvo.
But as the economy worsened and fuel prices continued to skyrocket, Ford's push towards smaller, more fuel-efficent vehicles first started by Bill Ford, Jr. and carried on by Alan Mulally, started to see results (and sales). And while the automaker is still in the red overall, it suffered losses the least among the Detroit Three. Here's hoping Mulally will continue to steer the helm.