Yeah, we’ll believe this when we see it…
Thanks to a statement made by the president of Unifor, Jerry Dias, there’s now a rumor circulating that Ford is working on developing a new 6.8-liter big block V8 engine. This happened as Dias was talking to media in Canada about a renewed agreement between Unifor and Ford Motor Company, which he referred to as a “shot in the arm” for the two Windsor engine plants as well as the Oakville production plant.
Supposedly, the new 6.8-liter V8 will be used in the Ford Mustang and F-150. It’s an odd move considering Ford has been doing all it can to get consumers to choose smaller engines like the EcoBoost options. However, with fuel economy standards loosened in the United States and a new CEO at the helm of the Blue Oval, the winds of change might be stirring within the company.
#Unifor and @FordCanada have a tentative agreement.
— Unifor (@UniforTheUnion) September 22, 2020
"We are now positioned to be the jewel in Ford’s crown, and a key part of Ford’s future success transitioning to greener technology. As an organization, we've hit a home run." @JerryPDias #AutoTalks2020 #onpoli #unifor pic.twitter.com/reeK5E06vd
This could be good news for people who don’t like the second-generation Ford Raptor. If you’ve been taking in a steady diet of certain automotive publications you might be shocked to hear anyone isn’t a fan of the high-output EcoBoost engine in the off-road truck, but some people prefer the dynamics of the old V8.
Dias didn’t refer to the rumored 6.8-liter big block V8 from Ford just once, but instead mentioned it several times. In an interview with the Windsor Star, Dias said Ford considers operations in the Ontario city to be “one of its key powertrain facilities.”
This news comes after we’ve seriously doubted the future of muscle cars in Ford’s product lineup. With the Blue Oval catering so much to the European market that it decided to ax the Shelby GT350, things have been looking a little grim for the future of the Ford Mustang.
"The fact is until now, Canada has not seen one dime of the more than $300 billion dollars in global investments announced for EV production. This historic agreement changes that today. This is an agreement for our futures." @JerryPDias#AutoTalks2020 #Unifor #onpoli #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/qe49wzEvMa
— Unifor (@UniforTheUnion) September 22, 2020
According to reports, the new 3-year contract will funnel $1.95 billion into Ford’s Canadian operations. The vast majority of that money, $1.8 billion, will be used to retool the Oakville plant starting in 2024. That facility will then start making electric vehicles. Considering that only leaves $150 million for the rumored new big block V8 we’re a little skeptical it’s actually happening.
Source: Windsor Star
