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Ford boosts fuel-sipping engines

ESSEX, England – Ford is planning to more than triple production of vehicles equipped with its fuel-efficient and powerful EcoBoost petrol engines to 480 000 a year by 2015.

This projection is up from the 141 000 produced in 2011, ranging from one to two-litre capacities, and the engine is to be introduced to South Africa.

Of the 1.3-million low-CO2 engines expected to go into Fords (in Europe) by 2015, 800 000 will probably be the new one-litre EcoBoost that will be debuted in the all-new EcoSport model. After that EcoBoost engines are expected to power more than half of all petrol-fuelled Ford cars in Europe.

PERFORMANCE + CONSUMPTION

Barb Samardzich, vice-president of product development for Ford Europe, said: “Whether it’s the 92kW one-litre engine in the Focus or the high-performance 184kW two-litre in the upcoming Focus ST, EcoBoost delivers a combination of fuel-efficiency and performance that would have seemed impossible in a petrol engine just a few years ago.

“It provides all the performance, refinement and torque customers want with the fuel consumption of smaller engines,” Samardzich emphasised.

Production of the one-litre EcoBoost engines began at Ford’s engine plant in Cologne in November 2011. The 1.6-litre is produced at Bridgend in Wales, the two-litre EcoBoost engines are produced in Valencia, Spain.

Ford South Africa told Wheels24 there are no plans to produce EcoBoost engines in South Africa.

The two-litre version will be launched in South Africa in the all-new Focus ST in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The one-litre EcoBoost will be introduced here when the EcoSport is launched, although Ford was unable to confirm a date for the local launch.
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