DEARBORN, MI, – EcoBoost is taking over the world – at least when it comes to Ford Motor Company’s motorsports program in the month of August.
Ford’s latest engine technology, which provides increased fuel efficiency and decreased emissions without sacrificing power, has been a major hit with consumers worldwide. Beginning with the first weekend in August, motorsports fans will get a heavy dose of Ford EcoBoost highlighted through a unique livery on selected racing vehicles around the world.
Ford will use its North American racing programs in NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide, NHRA drag racing and Best in the Desert, while its FIA World Rally Championship and China Touring Car Championship programs will also participate.
“Simply put, our Ford EcoBoost technology is going global with our production cars around the world, and we wanted to find a unique way to highlight that fact,” said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service. “What better way to do that than to use our global motorsport program as a way to reach out with the Ford EcoBoost message to the millions of fans who follow the sport all across the globe.
“Motorsport fans are just like any consumer. They care about having a combination of power and fuel economy, whether it’s in the cars they drive to the track, or in the cars that their favorite drivers compete with on the track.”
The livery campaign kicks off on the weekend of Aug. 3-5 with NHRA star Bob Tasca III sporting Ford EcoBoost on his NHRA Mustang Funny Car in Seattle for the annual Northwest Nationals while Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala will team up in their Ford Fiesta RS WRC for the World Rally Championship event in Finland.
The promotion will continue the following weekend of August 10-12 at Watkins Glen International as champion drivers Matt Kenseth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, respectively. Kenseth will be in his No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Fusion while Stenhouse drives his No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Mustang.
Two other series will round out the Ford EcoBoost blitz August 17-19 with Steve LaRoza piloting his Ford EcoBoost-powered F-150 in the Las Vegas to Reno off-road race sanctioned by the Best in the Desert Racing Association, and Fan Gaoxiang will sport Ford EcoBoost on his Focus in the China Touring Car Championship event at the Ordos International Circuit in China.
The Ford EcoBoost livery made its debut on the 2013 NASCAR Fusion that debuted in January and race fans have also seen the livery debut earlier this year in series such at Rally America and Formula Ford Great Britain.
“Not every race car with Ford EcoBoost on it during those weekends actually runs an EcoBoost engine,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “First and foremost, this is a marketing effort to let the world know more about this great technology.
“But the fact is, we do have cars in World Rally, Best in the Desert, and sports car racing that are currently using Ford EcoBoost Technology in competition. This helps us prove-out the technology in terms of power, fuel economy and reliability in a competitive and demanding race setting, then take those learnings from the track to the street.”
What is EcoBoost?
Ford EcoBoost, which uses turbocharging and direct gasoline injection to boost engine output, reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency by as much as 20 percent, made its debut in the marketplace in 2009 in the Ford Taurus SHO. Since its debut, the engines have beaten Ford sales expectations, brought younger, more affluent customers to the brand and returned some of the highest customer satisfaction numbers the company has ever received.
Ford plans to offer EcoBoost engines in 11 vehicles in 2012, up from seven in 2011, and tripling the capacity of EcoBoost-equipped Ford vehicles. Expanded availability in high-volume nameplates helps make fuel economy more affordable for hundreds of thousands of drivers.
There were a record 127,683 EcoBoost-equipped vehicles sold by Ford in 2011.
EcoBoost engines are available worldwide on Ford vehicles, including:
• 1.0-liter three-cylinder
• 1.6-liter four-cylinder
• 2.0-liter four-cylinder
• 3.5-liter V6
EcoBoost engines are a key element of the power of choice Ford offers buyers seeking fuel-efficient solutions. From EcoBoost to hybrids and from plug-in hybrids to full electric vehicles, this year Ford will offer nine vehicles reaching an anticipated 40 mpg or more.
By 2013, Ford plans to offer an EcoBoost engine in up to 90 percent of its North American nameplates, supporting global sales of 1.5 million EcoBoost-powered vehicles per year.
