Fifty-five automated and 14 semi-automated processes are used, alongside 90 work stations for skilled employees.
Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally today launched volume production in Cologne of Ford’s smallest gasoline engine – a 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine that will debut in Europe in early 2012. Eventually variants of the three-cylinder, turbocharged, direct injection gasoline engine will be available worldwide after appearing in the Ford Focus sold in Europe.
Production of Ford’s 4.0-liter V6 engine – long a powerplant for what were once best selling Ranger pickup trucks and Explorer SUVs – ends today at Cologne Engine Plant.
In the EC emissions version the three-cylinder will produce 125PS while producing CO2 emissions performance of 114g/km. Ford claims that a 100PS version of the same engine will deliver outright best-in-class petrol CO2 emissions of 109g/km, an assertion that awaits confirmation because of expected improvements from competitors. Fiat for example has two-cylinder MultiAir engines in production in Europe. All automakers are pursuing the same downsizing strategy because of EU emission regulations.
New “cold testing” technology allows completed engines to be tested without being started.
The engine will also appear in the Ford C-Max, and in the new Ford B-Max, when it enters production in 2012. Further global applications for both the 125PS and 100PS variants will be announced by Ford later.
Mulally was joined by Hannelore Kraft, prime minister of Nordrhein Westfalen, Germany, and Elfi Scho-Antwerpes, mayor of Cologne, for the photo op. Ford said it invested €134 million (~$200 million) to develop a special line at the Cologne Engine Plant to build the engine.
Cologne’s 870 employees will build up to 350,000 units a year of the new engine. European production capacity could increase to up to 700,000 units per year as production at Cologne is joined by Ford’s new engine plant in Craiova, Romania, which opens in early 2012.
“Ford’s commitment to Germany as a high-tech manufacturing location is significant,” Mulally said. “Nowhere outside of the U.S. do we have a stronger design engineering and manufacturing presence than we do here in Germany.”
