Call it anything you want, but it’s still a turbo. Remember this?

DETROIT, Jan. 6, 2008 – Ford Motor Company is introducing a new engine technology called EcoBoost that will deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy on half a million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles annually in North America during the next five years.

EcoEnvironmentalism is one of those political issues that is approached with emotional fervor because there is little to no logic to support its position, especially by the non-scientific constituency (the grass roots greenies). Ford is a company that has long pandered to the emotional mindset of the EnviroCommunists. It came out with a new turbo engine and called it EcoBoost in order to appeal to EcoConsumers who were of the EcoMindset. EcoBoost was hailed by everyone as an environmentally responsible development in engine technology, in spite of the fact that its V-6 gets up to 365 horsepower. Ford not only announced its fuel economy benefits, but it also claimed the EcoBoost would cut CO2 emissions by 15%. Now if Ford would only offer a one-year supply of reusable grocery bags along with the car…

Enter the EcoCalifornians. Typically, they dislike American cars, that is, until Ford introduced the Taurus with EcoBoost. For September, the second best market for the new Taurus was …… California. And no, the mpg of the new Taurus is nothing spectacular.  But with this political issue, results don’t matter – only feelings matter. These people will buy anything that is deemed to be environmentally correct. Turbo = politically incorrect. EcoTurbo = not passable. EcoBoost = environmentally correct. It tells you what marketing folks think about the intellect of the greenies. How ’bout an EcoHummer?

This reminds me of something said by a friend of mine: you can package and market a turd as Almond Roca, and people will buy it.