American car giant Ford is launching a new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine in the Focus this February in the UK.
This unique, British-developed engine will be offered across the Focus range and can provide the equivalent power to that of a naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre engine.
Available in a choice of two power levels – 100PS and 125PS – the least powerful version delivers a combined fuel economy of 58.9mpg and best-in-class CO2 emissions for a petrol engine of just 109g/km.
Graham Hoare, European executive powertrain director based at Dunton, said: "This is the third addition to our acclaimed EcoBoost engine family. Joining the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre EcoBoost engines which span 150PS to 240PS, this 1.0-litre EcoBoost signals a new era of downsized, super frugal engines for the sub-130PS segment. During development our UK engineers focused on improving thermal efficiency and reducing friction of the engine’s internal moving parts, especially during warm-up."
Around 200 engineers based at Dunton and Dagenham successfully developed the engine, and the engine is so small the cylinder block can fit onto a sheet of A4 paper.
Both versions of the engine qualify for zero rate VED in the first year and then £20 (100PS) and £30 (125PS) per annum thereafter. Compared with the existing 1.6-litre 105PS and 125PS engines, this represents savings of £115 in year one and £95 and £85 respectively in subsequent years. And with petrol around 10p per litre cheaper than diesel at the petrol station it provides significant on-going savings when compared to a diesel-power car.
Mark Ovenden, Ford Britain managing director, said: “Gone are the days when the number of cylinders dictates performance. This highly efficient, technically advanced powertrain is not only great fun to drive, but it delivers fuel economy improvements and ultra-low CO2 emissions which lead to real world cost savings for our customers.”
Ford has also confirmed that the 125PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine will be seen in the C-MAX, Grand C-MAX and new B-MAX later in the year.
