How I Am Going To Do It

So. Quite the task I've laid out for myself. Design a full product range for 3 divisions of a major US auto manufacturer. All while attempting to employ or hold on to a sense of reality, by which I mean attempting to make use of technology, components, and even entire vehicles that exist currently within the corporate toy box. I'm not saying that these aren't going to be budget busters (nobody could implement all of these vehicles all at once, retooling nearly every factory at the same time) or push the bounds of practicality, but based on what Ford Motor Company is currently producing, the vehicles I will present are theoretically possible to produce.

The way that I will organize this experiment is as follows:

1. I will prepare a post that outlines the basic vehicle platforms that would be utilized throughout the lineups. I'm no engineer, so I'm not saying that the platforms I describe (assuming they currently exist) could accommodate what I'm proposing. I'm just laying out a general description of where I think the company should go and how they could possibly get there. So the Platform Post will describe the various vehicle platforms, establish what size vehicles the respective platforms could support, and what powertrains the platforms could accommodate.

2. I will prepare a post that outlines the various engine and powertrain options that would be utilized throughout the lineups. Some engines are existing, some are likely variations on existing engines, and some are completely new engines. Horsepower ratings are based on real world examples of similar engines/powertrains throughout the entire industry. I'm attempting to be realistic and not guarantee that if Nissan's 3.5L V6 makes 305 hp then the Ford 3.5L V6 will make 310 hp. When the engines are tuned and tweaked, the hp figures will rise and fall to fit what is expected. But for now, my estimates are I believe to be realistic estimations. Also regarding engine displacement, again I'm not an engineer, so whether it's feasible to have a 4cyl engine block support displacements from 1.5L to 2.5L, I don't know. I do know that historically engine blocks can support a wide range of displacements, assuming they are sized to accommodate modifications to the basic bore and stroke figures. Witness the historic small block Chevy. The original displacement for this motor was 283 cubic inches. The engine block was sized in such a way that, maintaining the original bore spacing, displacements could range up to 400 cubic inches. In fact, the most popular recent such modification (still a popular one among hot rodders and off-roaders) is to take a basic 350 cubic inch engine (of which GM made billions of), increase the bore of the cylinder and piston by .030 inches, and the displacement rises 33 cubic inches (or approximately 0.5L) to the popular 383 c.i. displacement. So again, what I'm proposing is theoretically possible.

3. Once the platforms and powertrains are established, then I will do a post to lay out the vehicles, division by division and maybe even platform by platform (the Ford division obviously will have the greatest number of vehicles and may require multiple posts to lay out the lineup). Where possible, I will include pictures that are either of current vehicles (like the Aussie Ford Falcon or European Ford Focus), or photochop renderings of what I'm envisioning. Estimated basic vehicle dimensions or size comparisons will be provided, along with a list of potential competitors.

So there you have it. How I will do, "How I Would Do It." Hopefully the right people will find some inspiration out there.