The Ford Focus. You probably passed half a dozen of them this morning on your way to work. There’re so many of them out there that they’re just part of the background. However, a particular Focus with a 1.0-liter turbocharged engine stands out – to the Blue Oval, at least. It rolled out of the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, MI late last week as the 5-millionth vehicle with an EcoBoost power plant under its hood.
Ford launched the EcoBoost engine – in its 3.5-liter size – back in 2009 with the Taurus SHO. The next year, the first full year of EB production, Ford manufactured 62,704 vehicles with EcoBoost power. It hit the 2-million mark in October 2013.
Now, Ford’s cranking out 200,000 EcoBoost motors a month. That’s because it sells them – in 1.0-, 1.5-, 1.6-, 2.0-, 2.3-, 2.7-, and 3.5-liter sizes – in its models worldwide. Ford offers EcoBoost engines in 100 percent of its passenger vehicles in the U.S. In fact, the Blue Oval states, “Ford Fusion, Escape and F-150 are the best-selling turbocharged midsize car, utility and truck sold in the United States.”
The 1.0-liter I3 EcoBoost found in the 2015 Focus has won Engine Technology International’s International Engine of the Year award three years in a row – a feat that no other manufacturer has ever accomplished.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
