Ford's tiny EcoBoost sales star
2012-05-30 11:34
SMALL ENGINE, BIG MOVES: Ford's one-litre EcoBoost engine has proved to be an early sales success story in European markets where it's just been launched.
Ford has said its new one-litre EcoBoost engine will be introduced in South Africa in the cute little EcoSport crossover but the potent three-cylinder is already making waves in Europe in the bigger Focus cars.
The automaker reports the 92kW turbocharged engine accounted for 17% of sales in April, 2012 (its first full month of sales).
Roelant de Waard, head of marketing, sales and service with Ford Europe, said: "The engine is an example of an innovation arriving at just the right time, when customers are looking for a very fuel-efficient but still fun-to-drive petrol engine."
ATTENTION SEEKER
Philip Maskell, Ford UK's dealer council chairman, added: "We're delighted that more than 60% of people who want a Focus with a manual transmission elect to buy one with the one-litre engine - after a test-drive.”
Wheels24 will be in Europe to drive the Focus 1.0 EcoBoost in June, 2012.
The new 92kW turbocharged, direct-injection, EcoBoost engine is Ford's smallest, yet most power-dense, petrol engine yet, the automaker said. It is said to deliver performance on par with a conventional 1.6-litre engine but uses less fuel and emits less CO2.
It weighs only 97kg and is small enough to sit on a sheet of A4 paper, Ford said.
The engine is expected to be available in South Africa, although a launch date could not be confirmed. For now, the smallest Ford engine available in SA is a 1.4 capable of 62kW.
