The Dearborn-based automaker said production of its 1.0-litre EcoBoost, which combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing to lower fuel consumption, at its Cologne (Germany) Engine Plant to more than 1,000 engines a day from mid-August to meet demand.
The new 2014 Ford Fiesta will be the first vehicle available in the United States with Ford's award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine (pictured above). (Courtesy Ford).DEARBORN, MI- Ford Motor Co. plans to double production of its smallest EcoBoost engine, officials announced today.
The Dearborn-based automaker said production of its 1.0-litre EcoBoost, which combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing to lower fuel consumption, at its Cologne (Germany) Engine Plant to more than 1,000 engines a day from mid-August to meet demand.
The small engine is in an array of vehicles in Europe and will be offered in the U.S. for the first time in the Ford Fiesta later this year. It also is being launched in India and China in the Ford EcoSport.
“With a technology as mature as the internal combustion engine, it’s very rare to achieve a true breakthrough, but that is exactly what the team accomplished with this engine,” said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president of global powertrain, in a statement. “You have to drive it to believe a small three-cylinder engine can deliver such performance and fuel economy.”
Ford of Europe plans to triple annual production of vehicles equipped with fuel-efficient EcoBoost petrol engines to approximately 480,000 by 2015, from 141,000 in 2011.
The production announcement was made in conjunction with engine being named the 2013 International Engine of the Year for the second consecutive year. The award is voted on by 87 automotive journalists from 35 countries around the world based on drivability, performance, economy, refinement and the successful application of advanced engine technology.
The engine also won the “Best Engine Under 1.0-litre” category at the annual awards presented by Engine Technology International magazine.
The acknowledgements come at somewhat of a controversial time for EcoBoost engines in the U.S. Three Ohio drivers are suing Ford Motor Co., claiming the company's six-cylinder EcoBoost engine is defective.
The lawsuit says the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine can shudder, shake and then rapidly lose power while drivers are accelerating. It also states more than 100 drivers have complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the V6 EcoBoost rattling or losing power, according to the Associated Press. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not announced any investigations into the engines.
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost was designed at Ford’s research and development centers in Aachen and Merkenich, Germany, and Dunton, U.K., and is built in Cologne and Craiova, Romania.
Ford’s Ecoboost engines are credited with significantly helping the automaker’s overall fuel economy. Since launch in 2009, Ford has sold more than 520,000 EcoBoost-equipped vehicles globally and expects volume to grow to 1.6 million in 2013.