Ford to triple EcoBoost production
Blue Oval closing in on target of half a million EcoBoost vehicles to be built annually by 2015Ford plans to be building around 480,000 EcoBoost engines a year by 2015, according to a press release issued by the company's European arm over the weekend.
And within that same three-year timeframe, the number of EcoBoost-equipped models in Ford's European range will double, from five to 10. EcoBoosted models are expected to account for more than half of all petrol-engined Fords sold in Europe by that time.
“Our plans to expand EcoBoost availability are aggressive, but we believe as customers experience this engine family, they’ll understand why,” said Sherif Marakby, powertrain director, Ford of Europe. “We’re at the cutting edge of innovation and the 1.0-litre engine, for example, cannot be matched for its balance of efficiency, power and refinement.”
Ford's engine plant at Bridgend in Wales is building the 1.6-litre EcoBoost four for domestic consumption and export. To date the plant has produced over 120,000 units of the turbocharged and direct-injected engine, with 230,000 planned to be manufactured before the end of this year. Ford has long planned to introduce EcoBoost variants to each and every one of its models sold throughout the world, with the local Falcon being the latest to offer consumers the technology.
“Whether it’s the 125PS 1.0-litre engine in the Focus or the high-performance 250PS 2.0-litre version 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,” said Barb Samardzich, vice president, Product Development, Ford of Europe. “It provides all the performance, refinement and torque customers want with the fuel consumption of smaller engines.”
If Ford's half-million unit goal is to be achieved, it will be a joint effort by the Bridgend plant, the Cologne facility where the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine (for the EcoSport) is built and the Valencia (Spain) factory that manufactures the 2.0-litre engine that powers the Falcon.
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