The 2014 EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta, arriving at dealers later this year, will be America’s most fuel-efficient non-hybrid, gasoline-powered car. The EPA has certified the new Fiesta as the only vehicle in the subcompact class offering 45 miles per gallon in highway driving.
“With the new Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost (engine), we’re pushing into fuel economy numbers only seen on hybrids and diesels,” says Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president of the Americas for Ford, noting that the 2014 Honda Insight and 2014 Volkswagen Golf diesel with a manual transmission achieve 44 and 42 mph in highway driving, respectively.
Fuel economy is often cited as the No. 1 purchase consideration in the subcompact class, according to Ford research. Offering 120 horsepower, the new engine has already proved popular in Europe, where the automaker has doubled production capacity at its Cologne, Germany plant to more than 1,000 engines a day.
Along with other powerplants, including a V6, Ford says its EcoBoost technology will be offered on approximately 80 percent of its global nameplates by the end of the year.
In related news, the United States Council for Automotive Research announced SAE International approved new specifications Wednesday for aftermarket spin-on oil filters for cars and trucks among the Big Three automakers. The specifications will lead to longer intervals between oil changes.
Tom Spix, USCAR’s GM representative and chair of the group behind the specifications, says that manufacturers and suppliers will benefit from streamlined parts inventory, improved customer satisfaction, and fewer oil-related warranty claims.
It is our hope that manufacturers will see the advantages in building filters to meet or exceed this specification,” Spix says. “Not only will building filters common to Chrysler, Ford, and GM reduce proliferation and production costs, (it will) potentially enable industry self-regulation.”
