Four Cylinder Engines May Soon Power Big Cars

The automotive industry is going through a majorname.
change not least being the collapse of salesEcoBoost will be making its debut this summer,
particularly in the United States and most ofwhen the company's big Lincoln MKS is outfitted
Europe. In the states, the industry will also havewith that engine. Ford claims that EcoBoost will
to comply with stricter pollution controls as well ashave all of the power of a V-8 engine while
higher corporate average fuel economy numbersdelivering V-6 fuel efficiency. The company is also
for its vehicles.developing an I-4 EcoBoost engine, but that
The strain that these types of moves will put onmotor will be made available for smaller sedans
manufacturers will be intense, perhaps forcingsuch as the Ford Fusion. Ford is also studying
weaker companies to consolidate or ceaseEcoBoost for its F-Series truck line, but hasn't said
production. That could prove to be harmful forwhich engine these trucks might get.
national economies, particularly in the US whereAudi recently hinted that its largest sedan, the A8,
the industry is most vulnerable right now.could be powered by a four cylinder engine some
But there may be a less costly work around forday. Currently, the potent A8 offers V-6 and V-8
automakers, particularly for those companies whoengines in the European market, but the V-6 is
have embraced advanced engine technology.not yet available in the states. Audi's parent,
Specifically, some larger cars which have runVolkswagen, reportedly has a 230 horsepower
exclusively six or eight cylinder engines, may sooninline four available for the big Audi, an offering
be able to run on in-line four cylinder motors,which would be available in Europe only.
thanks to engineering improvements which help toSupposedly, the V-6 engine would eventually find
boost power.its way into American bound A8s.
Ford is a leader in this new technology, producingWill consumers still embrace big cars with smaller
a fresh line of engines which they call EcoBoost.engines? If they want the interior room they
EcoBoost incorporates direct fuel injection andmight, otherwise look for some consumers to
turbo-charging technology which makes for andownsize to a smaller model, cars for which
improved concentration of horsepower andhaving a four cylinder engine under the hood is
torque while emitting fewer pollutants. Thus thereally no big deal.
Eco (economy) and Boost (power) make up of its