Automakers begin to mull the Trump effect

As UK Prime Minister, Teresa May, become the first foreign leader to meet new US President Donald Trump, focus will be on trade. And trade with Trump will be the one notion that senior executives in the global automotive industry this weekend will be the mulling the implication of Trump’s inauguration.

Texas awaits next Duramax engine

Observers of the US diesel engine scene are waiting for this week's Texas State Fair which opens 30 September to see how General Motors achieves 445 bhp from its 6.6-litre V8 Duramax.

Ford extends aluminium use in F-Series trucks

Ford loves aluminium - especially when it comes to cutting weight from its F-Series trucks.

Ford F-150 powertrain looks set to blossom

One thing is for sure, 2016 could be an interesting year in the life of Ford’s F-150 pick-up truck that this year saw the automaker launch aluminium into the sector as well as a new family of EcoBoost turbocharged gasoline engines.

Ford bolsters Kentucky for 2017 Super Duty

Pickup trucks are vital to profits at Ford Motor Company, hence its announcement of a $1.3 billion investment in its Kentucky Truck Plant to support the redesigned 2017 Super Duty truck range.

Change of technical lead at Cummins

Jennifer Rumsey, vice president of engineering for Cummins' engine business, is replacing Dr. John Wall as chief technical officer as the company begins production of its new ISV5.0 diesel.

Tupy expects four years' significant growth

Brazilian foundry Tupy SA is forecasting four years of “significant growth” of its compacted graphite iron (CGI) business from the automotive sector.

Ford to make new engine in Mexico

Ford is investing US$2.5 billion in new engine and transmission plants in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Guanajuato

New outlets for Ford’s 6.7-litre engine

Ford is dropping Cummins 6.7-litre ISB I6 engines from its F650/F750 Work Truck models in favour of its in-house 6.7-litre V8 diesel.

CGI to power 2016 MKX Lincoln

According to wardsauto, Ford is to bring out an all-new Lincoln MKX CUV in a bid to lift the marque’s annual sales above the 100,000 mark.

Ford’s Lion set to roar in the US

Production of Ford’s Dagenham-built 3-litre V6 diesel, the Lion, could be boosted with the arrival in the US market this year of the 2016 Ranger Rover Diesel and the Ranger Rover Sport Diesel.

. . . As Troy Clarke shutters Indianapolis foundry

Navistar International’s chief executive officer, Troy Clarke, continues to comb through the beleaguered company’s business in search of any area where he can cut costs. And his latest move brings no Christmas cheer for some employees.

Lima wins 2.7-litre EcoBoost CGI engine bid

Ford Motor Company’s Lima Engine Plant, Ohio, has won the bid to upgrade facilities to build the all-new 2.7-Liter EcoBoost gasoline engine for the 2015 F-150 pick-up trucks.

Ford will invest US$500 million to support production facilities in the plant and create 300 jobs. The plant will be the first to manufacture a gasoline vee engine with a compacted graphite iron (CGI) cylinder block.

Cummins feels the Scorpion’s sting

Executives at Cummins Inc. must have known it would happen. Now it has. Ford has dumped Cummins in its medium-duty trucks in favour of its own diesel, as revealed this week at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The new F-650/F-750 trucks are the latest Ford commercial trucks to have a revamp. And they will have the second-generation 6.7-litre Power Stroke V8 diesel engine built at the company’s Chihuahua Engine Plant, Mexico, and which during development carried the code name Scorpion.

Navistar to shutter US engine plant

Troy Clarke, Navistar International’s chief executive officer, has bitten the bullet and ordered the closure of the Huntsville plant of Navistar Diesel of Alabama LLC with the loss of 280 jobs.

Production of the plant will be moved to Navistar’s Melrose Park facility which will add about 75 jobs.

The Lion roars again

Blog readers with a good memory will recall the arrival of the Lion diesel engine from Ford’s Dagenham Engine Plant – the first Ford production engine to use compacted graphite iron (CGI) for the cylinder block material.

Now Ford has repeated history with the arrival of the first gasoline engine with a CGI block. Ford, ever resourceful and expansive in its choice of words, uses the word first liberally. The new 2.7-litre gasoline engine is not the first gasoline engine with a CGI block, but it might just be the first ‘production’ gasoline engine with CGI.

New materials key to Ford’s 2015 F-150

Exactly one month ago today, on 13 December, we asked: “Will Ford respond before Ram wins 3 times?”

Now we have the answer. For while the tabloid media concentrate on the Ford F-150 pick-up truck’s LED lighting, something much more important is happening underneath this ground-breaking vehicle.

For Ford has responded to our question with an engine to knock out any power unit Chrysler has on its stocks; namely the new EcoBoost 2.7-litre gasoline engine with a string of new technology additions.

SCOOP: CGI set for four-cylinder engine blocks

Confirmation that four-cylinder engines with compacted graphite iron (CGI) cylinder blocks are now not far away from volume production comes with the revelation that Grainger & Worrall (G&W) has been casting prototype blocks for some time.

According to sources, the company has been casting four-cylinder blocks for over 12 months. Typical batch sizes range from 50 units, plus or minus 10 or 20 units.

It is understood the engines are destined for a European passenger car. The cylinder blocks are small, compact four-cylinder units, according to well-placed sources.

Ford gives praise for CGI V8 diesels

The 500,000th 6.7-litre Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel engine has just been installed into a new 2014 Ford Super Duty F-350 Lariat at the company’s Louisville Truck Assembly Plant in Kentucky.

Introduced in 2011, the 6.7-litre Power Stroke V8 turbocharged diesel delivers 400 bhp and 800 lbft torque with best-in-class fuel economy. The V8 has a compacted graphite iron (CGI) cylinder block cast by Tupy SA in Joinville, Brazil; the engine is machined and assembled at Ford’s Chihuahua Engine Plant (CEP), Mexico.

"This is a significant milestone for an engine that was introduced just a few years ago," said Doug Scott, Ford Truck group marketing manager. "Demand for the engine has outpaced our expectations; our customers love the combination of performance, towing capability, and fuel economy."

Wider market seen for Cummins V8 CGI diesel

Cummins Inc. is developing a version of the V8 Turbo Diesel for commercial vehicle customers and this could widen the application of the new diesel beyond the first application which is Nissan’s next-generation Titan pick-up truck.

To accommodate this, Cummins has said that its ‘historic’ Columbus Engine Plant (CEP) is being readied to build the new Cummins 5-litre V8 Turbo Diesel for Nissan's next-generation Titan, and will require additional personnel to fulfil the programme, though at this stage Cummins HR department is not revealing numbers.

"This is an exciting announcement for our Cummins team," said Tom Linebarger, chairman and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc. "We are bringing our innovation and latest technology in engines and after-treatment products to a new segment of customers. Importantly, this will help us grow our own business as well as allow us to help an important new partner, Nissan, succeed in the market."