DEARBORN, MI – Ford’s cleanest, most powerful V-6 engine ever — the Duratec 35 — is coming off the line at the company’s Lima, Ohio, engine plant. The new, 265-horsepower, 3.5L engine will power one in five of the company’s North American vehicles by the end of the decade. The Duratec 35 debuts in the new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossover utility vehicles and the Lincoln MKZ sedan later this year. The Duratec 35 was engineered to accommodate future capabilities such as super clean Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle emissions, hybridization, direct-injection, and turbocharging. The Duratec 35 will be mated to a new six-speed, front-wheel-drive transmission in the Edge and Lincoln MKX, providing up to 7-percent fuel economy improvement compared with a typical four-speed automatic. It is the same height and width as Ford’s Duratec 30 V-6, so the Duratec 35 can be used in a variety of current and future products. The Duratec 35 engine block is cast from aluminum using a high pressure diecast (HPDC) process, a first for Ford. The company chose HPDC over more conventional methods for lighter weight, improved quality, lower cost, and environmental considerations. The new engine is built on a newly tooled $335 million flexible engine line. The flexible tooling allows for future changeover to new products over a weekend, compared to the months of tooling required under the old system.
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