Ford Australia Says I6 Engine Out, New V6 Coming in for 2010

Ford Australia has announced that its Falcon will have a new V6 engine in 2010, the Duratec 35, also known as the Cyclone, which went into production in the U.S. late last year and is already in use in Lincoln-Mercury's MKZ. That news lines up with the announcement that Ford is stopping production of its inline six-cylinder engine in Australia.

The automaker called the moves "a new engine direction." Curtains for Ford Australia's long-serving, trusty inline six-cylinder power plant will mean the loss of about 600 jobs at the automaker's Geelong engine plant. The engine, in various forms of development, has been built at Geelong for more than 40 years. The incoming V6 will be imported from the U.S.

The main driver for the change in engine strategy is the continued drop in demand for locally built large six-cylinder cars and the need to comply with the Euro IV emissions standards that will be introduced for locally made cars in July 2010. The inline-6's cast-iron engine block takes longer to reach operating temperatures than an aluminum block, making it difficult for the engine to meet emissions standards.

The all-aluminum Duratec V6 was selected from several engine options available in the Ford world to power future Falcon and Territory models. It comes in a range of sizes and specifications and was named by Ward's as one of the 10 best engines available in the U.S. this year.