Ian F
Veteran Member
Autoweek:
http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_...t_code=06944069
(08:19 May 10, 2004)
Ford revives V6 diesel plan for light-duty pickups, SUVs
By RICHARD TRUETT AND AMY WILSON
Automotive News
DETROIT - Ford Motor Co.'s on-again, off-again plan to install a V6 diesel engine in its light-duty pickups and SUVs is on again.
At a recent meeting in Las Vegas, Ford officials told dealers to expect a V6 diesel engine in the F-150 pickup and Expedition SUV sometime after 2007. That's when low-sulfur diesel fuel becomes available nationwide, thereby helping diesels meet stricter emissions standards.
A Ford source says the introduction of a V6 diesel engine in the lineup in 2008 or later is "directionally" correct.
Ford COO Jim Padilla would not confirm the company's V6 diesel plans in an interview last week. But he did say that diesels make the most sense for big SUVs and full-sized pickups.
"Where can you do it, and where can the customer perceive some potential payback?" Padilla said. "I think that is with the bigger vehicles."
Ford was working on plans two years ago to install a diesel V6 in the F-150 but abruptly canceled the project because the engine might not have met emissions standards. The engine was to have been supplied by International Truck and Engine Corp., which makes the Power Stroke diesel V8 for Ford's heavy-duty pickups.
One source with knowledge of Ford's diesel plans says the V6 also is slated for the Lincoln Navigator SUV. The engine will be built by Cummins Inc., the source says.
But the Ford source says the supplier of the new engine "is not a done deal."
Cummins supplies the inline six-cylinder diesel engine that powers the Dodge Ram pickup. But Cummins' contract with DaimlerChrysler does not preclude the company from selling a different diesel engine to another automaker.
"Cummins has been out there aggressively trying to market their V-engine architecture," says Ed McLaughlin, an analyst who tracks diesel engines for the Automotive Technology Research Group, a consulting firm in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Cummins spokesman Mark Land said his company is working on a V6 diesel engine for light-duty trucks. He declined to identify any automakers that might buy it.
Another Ford source says the company delayed the introduction of a smaller diesel in part because it did not want to cannibalize sales of the heavy-duty F series. Ford's profits on those diesel-powered trucks are thought to be as much as $10,000 per vehicle.
But Nissan and Toyota are expected to offer diesels in the Titan and Tundra light-duty pickups by the end of the decade. General Motors also has a V6 diesel truck engine in the works but has not announced plans to use it.
http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_...t_code=06944069
(08:19 May 10, 2004)
Ford revives V6 diesel plan for light-duty pickups, SUVs
By RICHARD TRUETT AND AMY WILSON
Automotive News
DETROIT - Ford Motor Co.'s on-again, off-again plan to install a V6 diesel engine in its light-duty pickups and SUVs is on again.
At a recent meeting in Las Vegas, Ford officials told dealers to expect a V6 diesel engine in the F-150 pickup and Expedition SUV sometime after 2007. That's when low-sulfur diesel fuel becomes available nationwide, thereby helping diesels meet stricter emissions standards.
A Ford source says the introduction of a V6 diesel engine in the lineup in 2008 or later is "directionally" correct.
Ford COO Jim Padilla would not confirm the company's V6 diesel plans in an interview last week. But he did say that diesels make the most sense for big SUVs and full-sized pickups.
"Where can you do it, and where can the customer perceive some potential payback?" Padilla said. "I think that is with the bigger vehicles."
Ford was working on plans two years ago to install a diesel V6 in the F-150 but abruptly canceled the project because the engine might not have met emissions standards. The engine was to have been supplied by International Truck and Engine Corp., which makes the Power Stroke diesel V8 for Ford's heavy-duty pickups.
One source with knowledge of Ford's diesel plans says the V6 also is slated for the Lincoln Navigator SUV. The engine will be built by Cummins Inc., the source says.
But the Ford source says the supplier of the new engine "is not a done deal."
Cummins supplies the inline six-cylinder diesel engine that powers the Dodge Ram pickup. But Cummins' contract with DaimlerChrysler does not preclude the company from selling a different diesel engine to another automaker.
"Cummins has been out there aggressively trying to market their V-engine architecture," says Ed McLaughlin, an analyst who tracks diesel engines for the Automotive Technology Research Group, a consulting firm in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Cummins spokesman Mark Land said his company is working on a V6 diesel engine for light-duty trucks. He declined to identify any automakers that might buy it.
Another Ford source says the company delayed the introduction of a smaller diesel in part because it did not want to cannibalize sales of the heavy-duty F series. Ford's profits on those diesel-powered trucks are thought to be as much as $10,000 per vehicle.
But Nissan and Toyota are expected to offer diesels in the Titan and Tundra light-duty pickups by the end of the decade. General Motors also has a V6 diesel truck engine in the works but has not announced plans to use it.