Ford launches 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine

Ford continues to add new fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines to power a variety of vehicles in its global vehicle lineup. Ford recently announced a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine that will join its lineup of fuel-efficient turbocharged engines. Ford says the new engine will help to meet the strong global demand for four-cylinder EcoBoost powertrains.

Ford now has the capacity to build 1.6 million EcoBoost engines annually with the addition of the new 1.5-liter model. By the end of 2013, Ford will have six plants across Europe, Asia, and North America producing EcoBoost engines. That is three times as many facilities producing these engines as Ford had in 2010.

The 1.5-liter engine is the fifth member of the EcoBoost family and will be produced initially at Ford's facility in Craiova, Romania. Mass production of the new engine will begin later this month and Ford says that other manufacturing locations for the engine will be announced in the future. The first vehicle to get the new 1.5-liter engine will be the Ford Mondeo that will debut in China later this month at Auto Shanghai 2013.

The 1.5-liter engine will also find its way under the hood of the Fusion sedan in North America and the new Mondeo in Europe a later date. The engine uses an aluminum block and has twin-cams. It also features the integrated exhaust manifold introduced on the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine. Ford says that the 1.5-liter EcoBoost will deliver similar horsepower and torque compared to its current 1.6-liter EcoBoost.

[via Ford]