Ford to scuttle TwinForce branding

Ford’s upcoming TwinForce technology, which debuted in the Lincoln MKR, will likely be introduced to the market under a different moniker after the company realized that the name could cause some confusion.

The technology was originally dubbed TwinForce to indicate two things, performance and fuel-efficiency, however Ford found that the message wasn’t quite getting through as TwinForce was being taken to refer solely to the engines’ twin-turbo technology.

The TwinForce technology uses direct injection and turbochargers to match V8 performance in a V6 powerplant, thus maintaining performance but improving fuel economy.

Jim Farley, Vice-President of Marketing at Ford, stated that Ford has “to come up with a name, and we’re in the midst of that right now.”

While it may seem a little trivial, coming up with the right branding for this technology could mean the difference between the success and failure of a whole family of engines set to come out of Ford to match emissions and mpg targets. In the current market, where even luxury car buyers are concerned with fuel-efficiency, Ford’s branding of this technology will be its primary means of communication with customers and thus it is important for the company not to misstep in the marketing of it.