This week saw Ford launch production of their smallest petrol engine – a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbocharged, direct injection EcoBoost engine. 
Earlier this week saw Ford President and CEO; Alan Mulally, launch the production of Ford’s new EcoBoost engine. The new 1.0-litre prtrol engine, will give a combined cycle (average) fuel economy of 56.5mpg thanks to the use of just 3 cylinders, a turbo and direct injection technology. The engine will be available in two states of tune, producing either 99 hp or 123 hp, (the equivalent output of some 1.6 litre engines). At the same time it will only produce ultra-low CO2 emissions of 109g/km and 114g/km respectively.
The engine was designed and developed by UK Powertrain engineers located at Dunton and Dagenham, in Essex. But production of the advanced new EcoBoost engine will be at Ford’s Cologne Engine Plant in Germany, which has seen a £110 million investment. The plant which was designed at Ford’s Virtual Manufacturing laboratory at Dunton, will use efficient energy techniques and have a low carbon footprint. All energy used to manufacture the engines comes from renewable sources.
The Calogne plant will produce up to 350,000 units of the engine per year. But European production capacity could double to 700,000 units per year as production would increase with the addition of Ford’s new engine plant in Craiova, Romania, in early 2012. In the years ahead, Ford anticipates production would expand outside of Europe to deliver global capacity of up to 1.3 million 1.0-litre EcoBoost engines per year.
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost will make its debut early next year in the Ford Focus. It will also feature in the Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, and later in the new Ford B-MAX which enters production in mid-2012. Alan Mulally said, “These engines are delivering the fuel-efficient vehicles customers want and value.”
barrypaulhartley 