The begining of the end?...

[FG Falcman]

well it's official, Ford may close it's Geelong engine plant! That means NO I6! Correct me if i'm wrong, but is there any other place where the I6 is built? Heres some more:http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...559819207.html

[MRJUCY]

It's the only place that makes the straight 6 & since it will be dropped in 2010 for a new better engine they will cease making engines there then but still continue with the other operations at Geelong & Broadmeadow. It's much like Holden have done when they replaced their 6 in the mid 80s & V8 in the late 90s.
Ford will try & move as many people as possible from the engine plant into others areas so the job cuts wont be as dramatic as being sensationalised.

[gocrzn]

I heard they where going to axe 5 or 6 hundred jobs too i can see this is just a bean counting exersise get rid of 600 ish wages and replace it with one importing bill
Why else would ford want to replace an engine with 387 NM of torque @2400 with one that has 338 NM @4300 say goodbye to towing with an XR6.
What are they going to do about the XR6T they won't turbo the V6 because of all the extra plumbing and cost involved with twin or single systems.
The japs killed off their IL6 years ago, and they still don't have a V6 that can replace it in terms of power and ease of modification, it boggles the mind

[FG Falcman]

Heres info on the new engine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Du...ine#Duratec_35 It ain't that bad, and Ford will naturally try and get the twin turbo version for F6 and single turbo for XR6T...

[gocrzn]

Consider my puppies hushed!
I hope if this trend continues and ford has to drop the v8 we end up with the 6.0 V12 out of the aston martin. Orion Xr12 anyone?

[YPURV4]

A V6 hey dam, bye bye ford

[dazza1966]

I cant believe after 45 years of making one the hardiest motors in the world ford are going to do this.
That,s what global companies do I spose,Its all about the dollar.

Bummer.

[MRJUCY]

There is a bit more on the potential new engines HERE & the 6 speed DSG gearbox, it doesn't sound all bad.

Originally Posted by Go Auto

Mr Kuzak said Ford had fast-tracked many technologies and that the new TwinForce engines would deliver fuel economy that approached diesel engines – without the expensive development and production costs.

“Our TwinForce engine technology is a key element of how we’re going after fuel economy gains without asking anyone to give up performance,” he said when presenting the MKR at Detroit in January.

The MKR’s E85-compatible engine was claimed to deliver 309kW and 540Nm – and 15 per cent better fuel economy than a V8 with similar performance.

The figures eclipse even the twin-turbo/direct-injection 3.0-litre inline six (225kW/400Nm) of BMW’s highly acclaimed 335i which, unlike the TwinForce V6, runs only on premium unleaded.

Latest speculation from the US is that the flagship of the 2009 Ford Fusion range in the US will receive a single-turbo 2.5-litre inline four that produces 194kW, while further-out the 5.0-litre GTTDI V8 will offer more than 320kW.

Of most significance to Australia is the 3.5-litre GTTDI V6 that will dispense somewhere between 261kW and 313kW when it powers the production Lincoln MKS, next-generation Mustang and, potentially, Ford’s local FPV and/or XR models.

And that should be enough to appease those already lamenting the banishment of Ford’s brilliant turbocharged six in the XR6 and FPV F6s from 2010.

What ever happens I'm sure it will be a better engine then we have now, Holden guys were upset when it was announced they were dropping the 304 but I don't hear too many complaints now.