The tractor that will come

Turkish highways are, sometimes, full of surprises. The proof of that is in this picture, taken recently in the province of Sakarya, along the Otoyol 4 (O-4), a highway that connects Istanbul to Ankara. The vehicle spotted in the picture, still heavily camouflaged, is the new Ford Trucks long-haul tractor, designed and built by Ford Otosan, a 50% joint-venture between the Turkish group Koç and Ford Motor Company. 

The dimensions of the cab - especially its width and height - leave no doubt. This is not a facelift or an upgrade of the existing  Ford Trucks Road and Tractor series, , fitted with a 420 HP (2642T and 1842T) or 480 HP (1848T) Ford Ecotorq engine. 

Ford Trucks tractors  are actually sold directly by Ford in Argentina and South America, and by Ford Trucks in Turkey, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Turkic Republics, Russian Federation. Central and European countries include Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Croatia and Ukraine. 

The camouflaged vehicle is the new long-haul model of Ford Trucks, which will (almost certainly) be presented next September at the Hannover Commercial Vehicle Show (IAA) in Hanover. 

The Euro 6 engine is based on the in-line six 12.7-liter Ford Ecotorq engine, designed and built in Turkey with Ford technical support. The cab dimensions – with a width of 2.5 meters – the weight of the new model and the specific transport mission - the long-haul - require, however, more power. Thus, according to many rumors, the power of the engine has been increased to 500 Hp, leaving, however, unchanged the basic in-line-six architecture  as well as the bore and stroke figures of the Ecotorq. This engine was designed by Ford Otosan engineers with an investment of 100 million dollars (over 83 million euros). 

The most important technical innovation of the new truck regards the automated gearbox, coupled with the engine, a unit designed and built by Ford Otosan, with an overall investment in research and development of 49.5 million euros. It will be used on the product range by 2020.

A strategic choice

The new gearbox, which will officially debut on the heavy duty tractor in 2020, is a strategic choice for Ford Trucks. Just as it was, a few years ago, the decision to implement its own heavy duty engine, Ecotorq, to replace the FPT Cursor, previously mounted on Ford Trucks. The new 12-speed automated  gearbox, of which Ford Otosan has also developed the ‘matching’ software with Ecotorq engine and the advanced functions of the Adaptive Cruise control (ACC) and predictive gear changing (PPC), according to the route’s altimetric profile, opens in perspective to the Turkish truck manufacturer new horizons. 

Which concern, among other things, connectivity and the possibilities of autonomous driving. The cab exterior of the new long-haul model makes it possible to appreciate the solutions for reducing aerodynamic drag. Among these solutions, the downward extensions of the doors, to seal (almost completely) the steps to the driver compartment, and the rounded shape of the roof, integrated by a spoiler of small dimensions. Little or nothing was leaked on the interior. Which should be very different - given the larger dimensions of the cab - from those of current Ford Trucks illustrated in the photos below.

A thirteen liter heavy duty engine

The engine mounted on the new long-haul model of Ford Trucks is the Ecotorq in-line-six of 12.7 liter displacement, which also equips Ford Trucks Road and tractor series  for regional and national transport missions, as well as 6x4 and 8x4 rigid trucks for the construction sector. Ford Trucks offers Euro 3, Euro 5 and Euro 6 emissions, rated between 420 HP and 480 HP, with a torque range of 2,150 and 2,500 Nm . The engine, developed by Ford Otosan's research and development center, is equipped with a common rail injection system, capable of a peak pressure of 2,500 bar. 

Other technical features of the Ecotorq include the variable geometry turbine, a two-speed water pump and intelligent auxiliaries, with low energy absorption. The 500 HP Ecotorq will be coupled, starting from 2020, with the new 12-speed automated transmission developed by Ford Otosan. In this way the entire driveline is designed and produced internally.

(Editor:Rain)