FORD 1L EcoBoost Named ‘International Engine Of The Year 2012’

Ford’s new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine – which was launched to widespread acclaim this year in the Ford Focus, in Europe – is named 2012 “International Engine of the Year”.

The small, high-tech, 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine also received two other awards – “Best New Engine” and “Best Engine Under 1.0-liter” – in the awards presented by Engine Technology International magazine, based on votes cast by 76 journalists from 35 countries around the world.

This is the first time Ford has won International Engine of the Year in the 13-year history of the awards. Ford’s debut as International Engine of the Year winner in the awards’ 13-year history is marked by the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine also attaining the highest score ever.

The International Engine of the Year judging panel of automotive journalists consider drivability, performance, economy, refinement and the successful application of advanced engine technology. The popularity of the 1.0-liter EcoBoost with judges saw it receive 28 per cent more points than its closest rival as well as the highest points total of any engine in the competition’s history.

Ford 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine
The 1.0-liter EcoBoost uses low-inertia turbos to deliver power quickly when the throttle is opened from low RPM and deliver high power at turbine speeds of up to 248,000 RPM.   Further 1.0-liter EcoBoost innovations include:

•    An exhaust manifold, cast into the cylinder head, lowers the temperature of exhaust gases to enable the optimum fuel-to-air ratio across a wider rev band
•    A unique cast iron block warms the engine more quickly than a conventional aluminium block to cut by 50 per cent the amount of “warm-up” energy required, and cut fuel consumption
•    Two main engine drive belts are immersed in oil to deliver a quieter, more efficient engine
•    Offsetting the engine configuration by deliberately “unbalancing” the flywheel and pulley instead of adding energy-draining balancer shafts.

Development of the award-winning engine – small enough to fit on an A4 sheet of paper – was led by the UK’s Dunton technical Centre in Essex, with assistance from other Ford European technical centres. The engine is built in Ford’s plants in Craiova, Romania, and Cologne, Germany.

The 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine debuted this year on the Ford Focus in Europe and will be offered next in the Ford C-MAX and Ford B-MAX later this year. The 1.0-liter EcoBoost will be made available in Ford models in the U.S. and in Asia Pacific and Africa next year.

The new Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost 100PS delivers best-in-class fuel efficiency of 58.9mpg and CO2 emissions of 109g/km.  The 125PS model returns 56.5mpg with CO2 emissions of 114g/km.

In its first full month of sales across Europe, more than 4,700 customers ordered a Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost, accounting for nearly a quarter of all Ford Focus cars ordered in Ford’s 19 traditional European markets.

Ford of Europe plans to triple annual production of vehicles equipped with efficient EcoBoost petrol engines to approximately 480,000 by 2015, from 141,000 in 2011. The company projects that more than 300,000 of those vehicles will be equipped with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost.