Ford will equip 70 percent of its North American lineup with automatic start-stop by 2017. The low-cost technology is a key part of the company’s recent prioritization of greener and fuel-saving strategies.
Ford estimates that automatic start-stop, which turns the engine off rather than keep it idling when the car is stopped, improves fuel economy numbers by about 3.5 percent in mixed driving and as much as 10 percent in heavy city driving. The 2014 Fiesta‘s 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost is the latest engine to be coupled with this technology, and even greater fuel savings are expected when it’s mated to larger engines.
The commitment is just one step of a multi-layered blueprint that Ford has to make fuel economy a primary focus of its brand. In addition to rolling out EcoBoost technology across 90 percent models ranging from the Fiesta to the 2015 Mustang to the Lincoln MKC, the automaker is counting fuel economy improvements in by single digit percentages: Dynamic cruise control can save up to 10 percent; six-speed transmissions four to six percent; electric-assisted power steering three to five percent.
Although an extra-cost option on some models, Ford estimates it will sell 500,000 cars globally equipped with auto start-stop.
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