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Ford has today announced that the European market 2012 Focus will be the spearhead of its new 1.0-liter I-3 EcoBoost assault on the world. The new turbocharged three-banger will come in two horsepower ratings, and will, according to Ford, produce the performance of a 1.6-liter I-4, while getting significantly better fuel economy.
The two versions of the 1.0-liter turbocharged three-banger will come with either 99-hp, or 118-hp. The 99-hp 1.0-liter EcoBoost will be mated solely to a five-speed manual transmission, while the 118-hp EcoBoost, which produces 125 lb-ft of torque will be bolted to a six-speed manual transmission. Ford hasn’t yet released torque figures for the lower-powered I-3.
Ford incorporated many new technologies to make the three-cylinder engine both more economical, and less buzzy – something that earlier three-bangers were notorious for. Some of the fuel saving tricks incorporated into the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost include an exhaust manifold cast into the cylinder head, which Ford claims lowers the temperature of the exhaust gases, allowing the engine to run in its ideal fuel-to-air ratio. Ford also built the 1.0-liter EcoBoost’s block out of cast iron instead of the aluminum found in the rest of the EcoBoost lineup in order to reduce the amount of energy needed for the engine to sufficiently warm up.
To combat the harshness that comes with many I-3 engine designs, Ford’s engineers ditched conventional balance shafts, and have instead deliberately offset the flywheel to the engine’s configuration so that they cancel each other out, thus providing a smoother engine.
Ford says that the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost I-3 will make its world debut in Europe in early 2012 under the hood of the Focus, with the C-Max and B-Max joining the fray later in the year. After its European debut, Ford will eventually make the 1.0-liter available in North America, China, and otherworld markets.