February 14, 2003

New Freestar, Monterey V6 engines built in Windsor, Ontario

Windsor, Ontario - Ford of Canada's Essex Engine Plant in Windsor will supply V-6 engines for the all-new 2004 Mercury Monterey and Ford Freestar minivans - including a new 4.2-litre engine that is the largest and highest torque motor offered in a minivan.

The Ford Freestar was unveiled Thursday at both the Toronto and Chicago auto shows. Freestar, and the new Mercury Monterey, which debuted on February 12 in Chicago, are built by Ford of Canada's Oakville (Ontario) Assembly Plant. Both minivans go on sale in the fall.

A 200 horsepower Essex-built 3.9-litre V-6 is the standard Ford Freestar powertrain in the U.S. The new 201 horsepower 4.2-litre V-6, which shares the same engine architecture as the 3.9-litre motor, is optional on Ford Freestar in the U.S., and standard equipment on both the Mercury Monterey and Canadian market Ford Freestars.

For smoothness and refinement, both engines share free-flowing intake manifolds, a new crankshaft damper, a new structural engine oil pan and an all-new powertrain mounting system, which includes hydraulic engine mounts and a powertrain roll restrictor. Engine radiated noise is reduced by 25 percent, and the transmission of noise and vibration into the cabin is cut sharply.

The Essex Engine Plant also produces 3.8-litre V-6 engines for the Ford Mustang and 4.2-litre V-6 engines for the Ford F-150 pickup and the Econoline Van and Clubwagon. In 2001 Essex began producing V-8 crankshafts for the Triton 5.4-litre V-8 and 6.8-litre V-10 engines and received a 22,500 square metre (242,188 square foot) building expansion. Essex Engine also does final assembly for the new 3-valve 5.4-litre Triton V-8 engine found in the all-new F-series pickup truck.

Essex Engine Plant Facts

• Employment: 1,800 men and women.
• Size: 1,052,183 square metres (260 acres) and the plant itself totals 204,387 square metres (2.2 million square foot).
• Production: In 2002, EEP produced 546,000 engines. On average, the plant produces 2,650 engines per day and over 8 million units since it opened in 1981.
• Recognition: ISO 9001 standard for quality and ISO 14001 for environmental efficiency. EEP was the first engine plant certified Q1 in 1998. It won the prestigious Shingo Award for Excellence in Manufacturing in 2001.
• Customers: Ford plants in the U.S. (Dearborn, Mich., Norfolk, Va., Lorain, Ohio, Kansas City, Kan., Romeo, Mich.), Canada (Oakville, Windsor), Mexico (Cuautitlan), Venezuela, Brazil and Australia.

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