For the second year in a row, the 1.0 EcoBoost gasoline engine of the Ford Motor Company has been declared the International Engine of the Year! O3-cylinder engine – which combines direct fuel injection, super-compression and variable valve timing to reduce consumption without sacrificing performance – received the highest score in the history of the institution. It also won the ‘Best Engine Under 1.0-litre’ category in the annual awards presented by Engine Technology International Magazine. At the same time, Ford confirmed that it plans to double production at its Engine Plant in Cologne (Germany) from mid-August to over 1,000 units per day to meet demand.
A total of 87 editors of the special press from 35 countries around the world deliberated and decided on the basis of drivability, performance, economy, civilized operation and the successful application of advanced engine technologies. Ford is one of only three car manufacturers to achieve back-to-back wins in the 15-year history of the event.
Ford of Europe plans to triple annual production of vehicles equipped with efficient EcoBoost petrol engines to around 480,000 by 2015 (from 141,000 in 2011). The company predicts that more than 300,000 of these vehicles will be equipped with the 1.0 EcoBoost engine. In the first quarter of 2013 in Europe, the engine accounted for 42% of orders for the B-MAX, 30% for the Focus and 24% for the Fiesta in Ford’s 19 traditional European markets.