Ford three-cylinder engine and hybrid coming

A new engine is coming from Ford, and at 1-litre it’s the company’s smallest ever, as well as the firm’s first three-cylinder unit.

The all-new 1.0-litre EcoBoost three-cylinder, developed in Europe, has already been confirmed for the new Ford B-MAX, which goes on sale in the UK during 2012, and is also destined for global applications on a number of the company's other small cars.

Technically advanced, it is a super-efficient three-cylinder engine that delivers the same performance as a four-cylinder, but with much higher fuel economy and lower emissions.

To achieve this, engineers focused on improving thermal efficiency and reducing friction of the engine's internal moving parts, especially during warm-up, when an engine emits higher levels of CO2 and other pollutants. 

The 1.0-litre engine offers a number of innovative efficiency solutions:

▪ An offset crankshaft that reduces friction

▪ An advanced, Ford-designed split cooling system that allows the cylinder block to warm up before the cylinder head. Faster cylinder block warm-ups save fuel, especially in cold weather

▪ An exhaust manifold cast into the cylinder head. The one-piece assembly lowers the temperature of the exhaust gases. This enables the engine to run in a wider rpm band with the optimum fuel-to-air ratio. The new design also saves weight and allows the engine to operate more smoothly

▪ EcoBoost technologies, such as turbocharging, direct-injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT).

 Ford has also confirmed that its next generation of hybrid vehicles, including the C-MAX in 2013, will have a Ford-designed, engineered and built transmission.

The new hybrid transmission is Ford–designed, Ford-engineered and Ford-built. An electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT), the new hybrid unit will offer improved performance over the current unit, with a greater top speed on electric only power and a longer range.