Images Source: Ford Motor Company

Back in November of last year, we reported that the UAW’s contract with Ford will bring forth some highly speculated updates to many of the company’s vehicles, including the Mustang and many current and future EcoBoost platforms.

Recently, Ford Motor Company sent out a press release detailing its $145 million dollar investment in the Cleveland Engine Plant. The investment plans to ramp-up production of the all-new second generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine while creating or retaining over 150 jobs and securing about 8,500 or more in the process.

Ford is investing $145 million to upgrade its Cleveland Engine Plant – creating or retaining 150 jobs to support strong demand for an all-new second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine family for the 2017 Ford F-150 lineup. Image Source: Ford Motor Company

As part of the original $9 billion dollar UAW agreement, production of the second generation EcoBoost engine family is said to secure more than 8,500 hourly-wage jobs across multiple Ford assembly plants, including states such as; Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and more over the next four years. While 8,500 jobs may not sound like a lot compared to nearly 80,000 employees total who are currently working for Ford, this agreement is about more than just the production of the soon-to-come EcoBoost engine. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine plays a huge role in Ford’s platforms. The engine currently powers more than a third of the company’s lineup, including the Expedition, Explorer, F-150, Taurus, Flex, and Transit – and that’s just one example of the EcoBoost engine family.

The stability of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, along with the other engines that are built at the Cleveland Engine Plant (such as the 2.0-liter and 2.3-liter EcoBoost, as well as the 3.7-liter Duratec V6 engine), help to create stability for families, enthusiasts, and the economy in over 6 or more states across the country.

Images Source: Ford Motor Company

The biggest emphasis on the production of the second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, is for the all-new 2017 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

According to Ford’s press release, “As the cornerstone of Ford’s global engine strategy to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, EcoBoost engines, introduced in 2009, deliver the same capability as larger-displacement engines, with significantly better fuel economy.” This statement holds true to the all-new raptor which will be powered by the all-new second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. The ’17 SVT Raptor is expected to to be powered by a higher output version of the second-gen EcoBoost V6 engine, producing more horsepower while reducing fuel consumption in comparison to the previous 6.2-liter 2-valve V8 which powered the SVT Raptor, according to the same press release. The all-new SVT Raptor will also feature a 10-speed automatic transmission, which will also contribute largely to the improved fuel economy. Investments like the UAW agreement and innovations like the second generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine are what make it possible for Ford to continue leading the automotive manufacturing industry.

On that note, we’ll end things here with a quote from Joe Hinrichs, Ford President, The Americas. Hinrichs says, “Ford customers have embraced EcoBoost’s unbeatable combination of power and efficiency, with more than 60 percent of F-150 customers choosing trucks powered by EcoBoost. This second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine is another great example of Ford continuously improving and innovating to give these hardworking customers the best engines and trucks we can.”