So much so, in fact, that the company’s executive chair even cautioned against over-regulation in the motoring sector, warning that this could lead to a “disconnect” with customers.
V8 Engines: “We Do Them Very Well”
During a sit-down with Australian media representatives at Formula 1’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Bill Ford, also the great-grandson of company founder Henry, emphasized Ford’s strong reputation with V8 powertrains. The Blue Oval, for example, first produced a flat-head eight-cylinder back in 1932. Its V8 options today, meanwhile, range from the 5.0-liter ‘Coyote’ for the Mustang and the flagship F-150 pickup truck, to the 6.8-liter and truly massive 7.3-liter ‘Godzilla’ available for its Super Duty F-Series line-up.
While tight emissions regulations across Europe and North America mean Ford’s frugal EcoBoost V6 is more readily available across its range, Bill Ford emphasized that over-regulation could dent what is still very strong customer demand for V8s:
“They’re really important to us. We feel we do them very well. A lot of it depends on regulations around the world in terms of how much they tighten, but if they tighten too much, they really get out of sync with what the customer demand is… One of the things that we've been impressing to governments around the world is that it's dangerous to get completely disconnected from what the customers want in terms of regulations.”
-Bill Ford, via Drive
Bill Ford, a self-proclaimed lifelong fan of V8 engines and manual transmissions, also hinted that, if emission regulations did not tighten any further, Ford would “continue to work on the stuff that [they] do very, very well.”
The (Re)Rise Of V8 Engines?
While a full-scale revival for the V8 seems unlikely, a mini-resurgence could be just around the corner. Slow demand for all-electric vehicles, coupled with an active reduction in emissions regulations by the US government, has opened the door that was looking all but closed as little as a year ago.
BMW, for instance, introduced its latest-generation M5 with a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, albeit with plug-in hybrid assistance. A recent report suggested that Stellantis may already be working on a revived HEMI V8 to re-join Dodge's Charger line-up above its Hurricane I6. Even off-road specialist Ineos recently hinted (but stopped short of confirming) that a V8-powered Grenadier could be on the cards down the line to rival the Mercedes-AMG G63. And let's not forget, that big Merc is still available with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 of its own.
It's not inconceivable, then, that Ford could follow BMW's example and apply PHEV technology to its V8 engines. After all, the Blue Oval has successfully taken a similar approach with its plug-in hybrid Ranger and Escape models.
