Even Ford's GT supercar is powered by an EcoBoost engine. Image source: Ford Motor Company.

Ford Motor Company (F 0.08%) and General Motors (GM -0.04%) are the fiercest of competitors in just about every aspect within the automotive industry. Detroit's two largest automakers fight tooth and nail to sell you their highly regarded full-size trucks or the newest flashy Mustang/Camaro. Most of the time, regardless of what the two automakers are competing on, they find themselves neck and neck with each other.

But one thing Ford does far better than General Motors is market its EcoBoost technology. Did you know GM has a similar and just as capable Ecotec lineup of engines? In part because Ford has excellently touted its EcoBoost technology, the engine lineup has been a huge success for Ford and its investors.

Just look at the numbers
During October, Ford's highly profitable F-Series sales sold 65,500 units in the U.S. market, and 65% of the F-Series retail sales rolled out with an EcoBoost engine -- a 95% increase in EcoBoost F-150 sales compared to the previous October.

Through October, Ford sold more than 210,000 EcoBoost-powered F-150 trucks in the U.S. and more than 203,000 EcoBoost-powered Escapes. Ford's Fusion was the third-best-selling EcoBoost-equipped vehicle, nearly reaching 106,000 sales.

Put another way, 78% of Escape sales through October were with an EcoBoost engine. Through the same time period, EcoBoost sales represent 64% of F-150 sales and 43% of Fusion sales. Heck, even a vehicle you wouldn't have expected to sell well with an EcoBoost, the iconic Mustang muscle car, sold nearly 40,000 cars with the EcoBoost engine through October -- roughly 37% of its sales in the U.S. market.

While the EcoBoost sales stats per vehicle are impressive, its total sales figures are even more impressive: Total sales of EcoBoost-powered Ford vehicles are up a staggering 46%. This year, for the first time ever, Ford now expects more than 1 million vehicles to be sold with an EcoBoost engine in the U.S. market.

Ford has managed to export its EcoBoost lineup as well. An EcoBoost engine option is widely available across Ford's entire vehicle lineup, and it has been a huge success overseas in Europe, where 1 of every 4 Ford cars is sold with an EcoBoost, and 1 in 5 is sold with the multi-award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost. 

What's the big deal?
For investors, it's a great thing that Ford does so well marketing its EcoBoost technology, because it sells at a premium price tag. Look at the difference on Ford's Mustang:


Image source: Ford's build-your-car website, with Friends & Neighbors promotion pricing.

Furthermore, consider that Ford's 2016 F-150 XLT starts at $29,416 equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 FFV engine. That price tag jumps to $30,794 when equipped with a 5.0-liter V8 FFV engine. When equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine, the price tag moves even higher, to $31,421. The difference between those price tags is even wider when you move up to more expensive versions of America's best-selling truck.

Ultimately, Ford and General Motors are neck and neck in numerous comparisons. But one thing Ford can certainly hang its hat on is how it successfully markets and sells its popular lineup of EcoBoost engines -- and when the difference can be up to a 10% premium for the price tag of vehicles, it starts becoming of interest to investors. Well done, Ford.