Ford 1.0-Liter EcoBoost Engine Wins Unprecedented Third Consecutive ‘International Engine of the Year’ Honour

Ford 1.0-Liter EcoBoost Engine Wins Unprecedented Third Consecutive ‘International Engine of the Year’ Honour
  • Ford 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine named 2014 International Engine of the Year for an unprecedented third consecutive year
  • Fuel-efficient and powerful 1.0-liter EcoBoost – available in Ford Fiesta and upcoming 2015 Focus – also named Best Engine Under 1.0-Liter for third year in a row
  • Judges call 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine “one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering” as it finishes ahead of entries from premium and supercar brands

Dubai, UAE, 3 July 2014 – Ford Motor Company’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine, which lowers fuel consumption without sacrificing power, was today named 2014 International Engine of the Year for an unprecedented third straight year.

The 1.0-liter EcoBoost – available for Ford Fiesta and slated as a power offering for the 2015 Focus as well – fought off competition from premium brands and supercar contenders to win the award for its driveability, performance, economy, refinement and technology.

A panel of 82 automotive journalists from 35 countries also named the engine Best Engine Under 1.0-Liter for the third year in a row at Engine Expo 2014 in Stuttgart, Germany.

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“This year’s competition was the fiercest yet, but the 1.0-liter EcoBoost continues to stand out for all the right reasons – great refinement, surprising flexibility and excellent efficiency,” said Dean Slavnich, co-chairman, 16th International Engine of the Year awards and editor, Engine Technology International magazine. “The 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine is one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering.”

The 1.0-liter EcoBoost has now won 13 major awards. In addition to collecting seven International Engine of the Year awards in three years – including Best New Engine in 2012 – the 1.0-liter EcoBoost also was awarded the International Paul Pietsch Award 2013 for technological innovation in Germany; the Dewar Trophy from Royal Automobile Club in Great Britain; and the Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics in the United States. Ford is the first automaker to win Ward’s 10 Best Engines trophy for a three-cylinder engine.

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“The EcoBoost engine technology is one of the key pillars in Ford Motor Company’s greening of its products without compromising on performance,” said Kalyana Sivagnanam, director of Ford Middle East and North Africa. “This recognition represents yet another seal of approval of the unique innovation which Ford has brought to the automotive industry. EcoBoost continues to grow in our region, with increased offerings across the Ford and Lincoln ranges. We are confident that the EcoBoost following will grow as more customers realise the benefits of this technology, which combines more torque and power than traditional larger-sized engines with better fuel economy and lower emissions.”

Global power

Ford vehicles equipped with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine are now available in 72 countries worldwide. Later this year, U.S. customers will be able to buy the new Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost. The Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost is in dealerships now.

More than 200 engineers and designers from Ford research and development centers in Aachen and Merkenich in Germany, and Dagenham and Dunton in the United Kingdom spent 5 million-plus hours developing the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine.

The engine’s compact, low-inertia turbocharger spins at up to 248,000 rpm – more than 4,000 times per second and almost twice the maximum rpm of the turbochargers powering 2014 Formula 1 race car engines.

With an engine block small enough to fit in the overhead luggage compartment of an airplane, the 1.0-liter features a cylinder head with an integrated and cooled exhaust manifold that lowers exhaust temperatures for optimizing the fuel-to-air ratio. An innovative flywheel and front pulley design delivers improved refinement compared with traditional three-cylinder engine designs.

Engine friction is reduced by specially coated pistons, low-tension piston rings, low-friction crank seals and a cam-belt-in-oil design. A variable-displacement oil pump tailors lubrication to demand and optimizes oil pressure for improved fuel efficiency.

“The 1.0-liter EcoBoost was created as a radical, smaller-displacement engine to meet the biggest automotive challenge in the world – no-compromise refinement, performance and great fuel economy,” said Andrew Fraser, manager, Gasoline Calibration, Ford of Europe. “The secret to EcoBoost success is a range of innovative technologies that deliver big-car benefits from a small engine.”

In the Middle East region, EcoBoost engines were first introduced on certain 2010 model year vehicles, beginning with the Ford Flex. Today, the technology is available on the Ford Focus ST, Taurus SHO, Flex, Explorer Sport, as well as the Lincoln MKZ, MKS and MKT. More models are expected to feature this innovative powertrain later this year. 

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 180,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information about Ford and its products worldwide please visit www.corporate.ford.com. 

Ford’s history in the Middle East goes back more than 60 years. The company’s local importer-dealers operate more than 155 facilities in the region and directly employ more than 7,000 people, the majority of whom are Arab Nationals. For more information on Ford Middle East, please visit www.me.ford.com 

Ford Middle East is also a responsible corporate citizen with currently three CSR initiatives running in the region including the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants, Ford Warriors in Pink® breast cancer awareness campaign and Ford Driving Skills for Life safe driving awareness programme for young drivers and teens. 

The Ford Grants is a grass-root level initiative that has offered US$1.3million in grants to more than 150 Middle Eastern environmental projects since 2000. Ford Warriors in Pink® is a breast cancer community-based awareness initiative recognising the strength and courage it takes to deal with the everyday challenges of battling breast cancer throughout the year.  Ford Driving Skills for Life is a free programme designed to impart safe driving practices to students to help improve their road safety record.