Fast factory versions of frumpy family sedans are nothing new - they’ve been around almost as long as the industry has - but few really capture the mind of the auto enthusiast like the Ford Taurus SHO (Super High Output) did during the 1990s. Perhaps because it was one of the few American takes on the concept at the time, or perhaps because it was simply a quick and fun sedan, the SHO’s fans are still clamoring for a revival.
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In recent years there has been a dramatic change in the North American Automotive Market. GM, Ford, and Chrysler have been brought down relentlessly by current and upcoming fuel prices causing a great shift in the market trend towards smaller and more fuel efficient means of transportation.

Ford Motor Company’s second quarter fiscal was disappointing at best with Revenue excluding special items coming down to $38.6 billion from $44.2 billion last year. Ford ended the quarter with $26.6 billion of cash declining $10.8 billion from a year ago. That’s a decline of 13 % in revenue and a 29 % drop in cash at hand.

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for Ford? Can Ford still be competitive in the automotive sector?

With EcoBoost Engine Technology in the future things may turn around for the better. They claim to provide a 20-30 % gain in fuel economy as well as V-8 performance from a V-6 engine. This is done by using twin turbochargers as well as direct injection to their vehicles. Ford will introduce the Lincoln MKS in 2009 with this new technology delivering an estimated 340 horsepower and more than 340 lb. ft of torque for a V-6 engine. They will have 500,000 units by 2013 utilizing this new technology. This new technology also consist of up to 15 % fewer CO2 emissions to the environment.

This was stated by Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development.

“We know that what will make the biggest difference is applying the right technology on volume vehicles that customers really want and value and can afford,”

said Kuzak.

“EcoBoost puts an affordable technology within reach for millions of customers, and Ford’s systems approach adds up to a big idea that differentiates Ford’s sustainability strategy in the market.”

said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development.

Ford has also been aggressively working on a Ford Focus hydrogen fuel cell. They have been working on the project for three years and it has just been extended for another two years for deployment in the year 2010. Hydrogen Technology creates no emissions and only dissipates water as the emission. There has been a lot of positive feedback for this vehicle. The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 set a land speed record in 2007 reaching 207.279 MPH in the world’s first production-based hydrogen fuel cell race car at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah.

Will EcoBoost and hydrogen fuel cells be Ford’s savior in this time of need? It’s very hard to say at this point. With all the alternative fuels that are flooding the market currently such as Electric, Hydrogen, Biodiesel, Natural Gas, and vegetable oil vehicles in the horizon there will be a lot of stiff competition for Ford as well as GM and Chrysler.

Let’s hope that Ford Motor Company sticks to these upcoming technologies and doesn’t look back.