Ford has just unveiled the significantly revised 2011 Edge crossover at the Chicago Auto Show with fuel economy and performance engine options. On the fuel economy side the 2011 Edge will be the first North American Ford to feature the company’s turbocharged 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine. Ford hasn’t released any power numbers for the new engine but says it will deliver the same level of performance as a 3.0-liter V6, whit 30 percent better fuel economy and 15 percent better fuel economy over the current 3.5-liter V6 from Ford.

The 3.5 will be the next step up with 285-hp and 253 ft-lbs of torque. It also delivers segment-best 27 mpg on the highway. Finally, Ford’s new 3.7-liter V6 will be offered in the Sport model with 305-hp and 280 ft-lbs of torque. That’s the same engine Ford offers in the Mustang!

Ford is expanding its Edge offerings as it has high hopes for the crossover and the segment in particular. Ford says that 50 percent of Edge buyers came over to Ford from another brand.

In addition to the new engines and exterior style, the Edge also gets a completely new interior. We had a peak here at the Chicago Auto Show and we are impressed, and not just because of the MyFord Touch system. Instead of a poorly executed faux-luxury, the Edge features a premium non-luxury interior. We even like the wood trim – because it’s finished matte and not high-gloss to look like plastic.

As for the MyFord Touch system, its Ford’s evolution of SYNC and features a touch screen, 5-way steering wheel controller and voice controls to operate every feature in the car.

GALLERY: 2011 Ford Edge

GALLERY: 2011 Ford Edge Sport Official Images

Get more info on the new 2011 ford Edge after the jump:

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A new reports suggests Ford will debut a new EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine at the Chicago Auto Show next week. As the new standard engine in the Ford Edge, it will produce roughly the same power as Ford’s 3.0-liter V6 but with significantly better fuel economy and emissions. As shown already in European models the 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine should make aronnd 230-hp in the Edge. Ford will continue to offer the 3.5-liter V6 as the top engine offering for the sporty crossover.

The Edge will get more than just a new engine, however, and will feature a significant mid-cycle refresh including new bodywork. It will also be the first Ford model to go on sale with the company’s new MyFord Touch system, replacing all the controls on the center stack with a touch screen, voice activated controls and a steering wheel-mounted five-way controller.

For complete 2010 Chicago Auto Show coverage click here

[Source: Detroit News]

The Chicago Auto Show is often used by U.S. automakers to debut new trucks and this year is shaping up to be no different – except for the fact that most trucks are now becoming crossovers. Sure, GM is set to unveil the new Heavy Duty version of the Chevy Silverado, but with the launch of the all-new 2011 Explorer, Ford is expected to announce that the capable truck has moved from a full body-on-frame SUV, to a car based crossover.

The Explorer will share its chassis with the new Ford Taurus sedan and is expected to keep some of the far-out powertrain ideas previewed in the Explorer American Concept when it was first shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.

The biggest surprise is that Ford may debut its new 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine in the crossover, that can get over 30 mpg in front-drive form. Later on, the automaker will deliver more powerful motors, including the new 300-hp 3.7-liter V6 as found in the 2011 Mustang, as well as a version of Ford’s EcoBoost V6 with around 355-hp.

As a result of these changes, the Explorer will get vastly improved fuel economy across the range, however, expect tow ratings to drop.

AutoGuide will deliver live coverage from the Chicago Auto Show on February 10th.

GALLERY: Ford Explorer America Concept

[Source: Wheels.ca]

The idea of building a vehicle to compete with the Toyota FT-86 is “interesting,” but not necessarily the direction Ford has in mind when it comes to the future of small sporty cars. This is according to Ford marketing boss Jim Farley, who’s brain we had a chance to pick a few weeks back during a preview of the all new 2011 Focus.

With Ford having just announced the new 2011 Mustang and Mustang GT, with big increases in power (the V6 now making over 300-hp), it means the iconic pony car no longer competes in the same segment as vehicles like the Hyudai Genesis Coupe. (Not that it really ever did anyway). And with Toyota’s entry-level rear-drive sports car being prepared to hit the market, rumors have suggested that both Volkswagen and Kia are contemplating similar vehicles. So we thought we’d ask Ford about its plans.

“I do think the direction is interesting,” said Farley, but qualified that statement and sent the conversation in a new direction by commenting that what he sees as more compelling are cars like the Subaru WRX, which take a standard economy car (the Impreza) and turn it into a pocket rocket. That of course had the gathered journalists buzzing about the possibility that the Focus RS could very well make its way to North America.

The idea of a Focus RS also works with Ford’s new ONE Ford slogan, which is more than a marketing pitch, but an entirely new business philosophy for the American automaker.The idea is to build world car platforms to significantly reduce costs, from research and development to marketing.

And with an RS model being based on a Focus platform, and the new Focus a genuine world car, many of the roadblocks to bringing the RS to North American in the past are likely to be removed with the all-new Focus model, which is set to debut at the Detroit Auto Show on January 11th.

Even if an RS model never does get approved for North America there are possibilities for peppy small cars, from the Focus to the new Fiesta. During a discussion a day earlier with Dan Kapp, Director of Advanced Powertrain, Engineering and Research at Ford, we asked about the future of EcoBoost engines as performance options. Ford has already announced a new 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost 4-cylinder for Europe, which makes 200-hp and 221 ft-lbs of torque. It’s comparable to the same power a 3.0-liter V6 makes and is expected to be replace many V6 offerings in cars like the Fusion. Following the 2.0 EcoBoost will be a 1.6-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder that will make roughly 180-hp and 180 ft-lbs of torque.

While the original EcoBoost motor, the 365-hp 3.5-liter V6, is found in niche market luxury and performance cars like the Taurus SHO and several Lincoln models, Kapp suggested that future EcoBoost engines will be use as more of a mainstream fuel-economy alternatives in the future. He wouldn’t rule it out as a performance option, however, and when asked if the new 2.0-liter and 1.6-liter EcoBoost mills could be offered in cars like the Focus and Fiesta he said that he, “could imagine them being used as a performance option.”

Ford has just confirmed that it will bring an EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine to marker starting next year. The new engine will be a 2.0-liter gasoline four-cylinder and use a turbocharger to deliver at least 230hp and 240 ft-lbs of torque.

Much in the way that the 365-hp EcoBoost V6 delivers V8 power with V6 duel-economy, the EcoBoost four is designed to deliver V6 power with four-cylinder fuel-economy. Ford says it should deliver a 10 to 20 percent fuel-economy improvement over a similarly powerful V6 engine.

Ford will no doubt begin to use this new EcoBoost four as a replacement for many of its V6 engines in models like the Fusion, Edge and Escape/Mariner. There is the possibility that we could see the turbo-four replace the base V6 powerplants in models like the Mustang and F-150. Some rumors, however, have indicated that the Mustang could use the 3.7-liter V6 from the Lincoln MKS.

As with the current EcoBoost V6, Ford seems dedicated to using the new engines in higher-end trim levels of cars, such as with the SHO or the EcoBoost version of the Flex. That being said, there is potential that this new EcoBoost four could see its way in to a sporty version of the Focus.

Even smaller displacement (1.0- to 1.6-liter) EcoBoost engines are expected to follow for use in the Focus and the upcoming Fiesta, as Ford has its eye on becoming a bigger player in the high-volume sub-compact segment.

By 2010 Ford says it will have improve the fuel-economy of its vehicles by 20 percent as compared to 2005, with a goal of a 35 percent improvement by 2015.

[Source: Car & Driver]