The designers at Ford Europe have created a third generation of the ECOnetic vehicle line based on the Ford Fiesta coupe. This fuel-efficient coupe was shown to auto enthusiasts, reporters and executives in London at the recent British International Motor Show. Ford Europe’s release of the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic follows on the heels of the company’s Ford Mondeo and Focus versions in recent years.
European drivers from London to Berlin can expect to see the Fiesta ECOnetic in showrooms by the end of 2008. The Fiesta ECOnetic uses clever vehicle design and mechanical efficiency rather than hybrid technology to reach 63 miles per gallon in recent testing. Ford Europe has addressed the concerns of European motorists who love high speeds as well as lower fuel costs with a strong 1.6-liter Duratorq TDCi diesel engine. The top speed of the Fiesta ECOnetic is 111 miles per hour, which should please casual drivers who like to put the pedal down on highways.
There are several design elements used by Ford Europe to achieve the high fuel efficiency cited above. The Fiesta’s diminutive frame is lowered and the tires are narrower to reduce wind resistance that contributes to wasted fuel. The latest ECOnetic model uses a lightweight steel frame that reduces the vehicle weight for better gas mileage. Ford’s engineers inserted an efficient transmission and electric-powered steering that allows the Fiesta ECOnetic to run on less fuel while creating ample power. The prototypes used during ECOnetic testing ran on low-friction engine oils that create longer intervals between oil changes than traditional vehicles.
The latest addition to the Ford ECOnetic family shows the strengths and weaknesses of the motor company’s approach to fuel efficiency. It is critical for every manufacturer to look at basic elements like frame weight, transmission efficiency and vehicle profile before moving to hybrid drive trains. These fundamental changes in the vehicle design process should be the bridge to an auto market filled with hybrids, all-electric cars and other automobiles running on alternative fuels.
The primary issue for Ford Europe and many of its competitors is that these changes are seen as the end product instead of a step in the evolutionary process. Many manufacturers are looking at short-term concerns by consumers about fuel costs rather than larger concerns about the quality and performance of vehicles on the market. Every company should be looking at Nissan, Toyota and Honda as examples of how to keep one foot in the traditional automotive market while moving toward the next generation of vehicles.
