How small can automakers go in forcing downsizing before U.S. buyers balK and walk?
The smallest engine in Ford Motor Company history, a 1-liter three cylinder, will enter production during 2012 in Europe. A North American appearance is, eventually, promised, with the Fiesta sub-compact a likely application.
The new Ford three-cylinder engine arises in part from the success of the award-winning Fiat Twinair two-cylinder engine already on sale Europe. A large factor is also impending European emission standards that are forcing automakers to produce radical engine designs with low CO2 emissions. The newest Ford Ecoboost three-cylinder is projected to have CO2 emissions under 100 g/km.
For the moment Fiat, arguably, leads this clean air, downsizing race. The two-cylinder Fiat engine is currently available in Europe at 85 horsepower in the diminutive Fiat 500/500C and in the upcoming Lancia Ypsilon (sic). The Fiat Twinair is also about to enter production in a 65 horsepower normally aspirated version. Also due from Fiat is another high-performance, 105 horsepower turbocharged version – that’s a mind-boggling 120 horsepower per liter of displacement.
The new Ford three-banger was first seen in the Ford Start concept car, which debuted at the Beijing Motor Show in 2010. The engine more recently made its European appearance in the Ford B-MAX at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
As is the case with the much larger 1.6- and 2.0-liter four-cylinder Ford Ecoboost engines, now in European production for Ford’s medium and large cars, the 1.0-liter engine combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and twin independent variable cam timing to achieve – in Ford’s vague language – “significant reductions in fuel-consumption and CO2 emissions.”
The performance of the production Fiat twin-cylinder is equivalent to a traditional 1.4-liter 16 valve engine, but its fuel consumption and therefore CO2 emissions are 30% less.
Designed to replace larger conventional four-cylinder petrol engines, the three-cylinder Ford Ecoboost engine is undergoing final development prior to its production launch in Europe next year. More technical and model application details for the new 1.0-liter Ecoboost engine will be released in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.
