Ford Sees More Consumers in Asia-Pacific Demanding EcoBoost Engines

To mark World Environment Day, Ford Motor Company is this week celebrating the big difference smaller engines can make. Across the Asia Pacific region, consumer demand and growing environmental consciousness are accelerating sales of vehicles with Ford’s advanced family of EcoBoost engines, which cut emissions and boost fuel efficiency without sacrificing power.

The results speak for themselves: With Ford’s total vehicle sales across Asia Pacific increasing an impressive 30 percent in the first four months of the year, sales of vehicles with EcoBoost engines rose a turbocharged 164 percent in the same period. These sales were driven by vehicles like the feisty and fuel-efficient new Ford Fiesta with a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine.

“Across the whole region, more and more customers are choosing EcoBoost for its winning combination of power, efficiency and low emissions,” said Dave Schoch, president, Ford Asia Pacific.

“By choosing EcoBoost over a traditional engine, these consumers are making a real, positive impact on fuel consumption and emissions, region-wide, while saving money in gas bills. The success of EcoBoost is an illustration of how we’re working hard to bring proven and affordable green technologies, with real environmental advantages, to customers in very different markets across this region.”

Ford’s EcoBoost technology, which holds more than 125 patents, uses a combination of turbocharging, direct injection, and variable valve timing to reduce engine displacement while improving fuel efficiency and reducing CO₂ emissions compared with traditional engines of equivalent performance.

The 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in the Ford Fiesta – named International Engine of the Year for two consecutive years in 2012 and 2013 – exemplifies the EcoBoost approach. Small enough to fit in an airplane’s overhead luggage compartment, the engine nonetheless delivers 125 PS (92 kW) of power and 170 Nm of peak torque, rivalling the power and performance of a traditional 1.6-liter petrol engine. In ASEAN markets, the engine achieves fuel economy of 18.9 km/L and carbon dioxide emissions of just 121 g/km.

Between February and April, these advantages convinced more than 27 percent of new Fiesta buyers in Taiwan and more than 15 percent in Indonesia to choose an EcoBoost-equipped model. Between January and April, more than 37 percent of Vietnamese new Fiesta buyers, more than 31 percent of Filipinos and 30 percent of Thais also chose the 1.0-liter engine.

The enthusiasm for EcoBoost extends across the growing lineup of global One Ford vehicles throughout the region. In Japan, 68 percent of total vehicle sales are for EcoBoost-equipped models, closely followed by 60 percent of total sales in South Korea.

In China, where more than 23 percent of new Ford vehicles are sold with EcoBoost engines, fully 95 percent of customers choose an EcoBoost engine for the Ford Edge crossover. And in the Philippines, more than 60 percent of Ford Explorer customers opt for an EcoBoost.

In Malaysia, a key market in Ford’s aggressive ASEAN expansion plan, Ford’s growing product line-up featuring the revolutionary EcoBoost engine includes:

• Ford S-Max 2.0L EcoBoost priced at RM 198,918.60
• Ford Mondeo 2.0L EcoBoost priced at RM193,918.60
• All-new Ford Focus ST 2.0L EcoBoost priced at RM208,918.60
• All-new Ford Kuga 1.6L GTDI EcoBoost priced at RM 161,051.50
• New Ford Fiesta 1.0L EcoBoost priced at RM 96,551.65

“It exciting to see the incredible demand for EcoBoost engines across the entire family available in Asia Pacific – whether 1.0-liter, 1.5-liter, 1.6-liter or 2.0-liter,” said Trevor Worthington, vice president, Product Development, Ford Asia Pacific. “While they’re available in different vehicles, they all deliver the things that matter to our customers: excellent real-world fuel economy, value for money and exceptional performance.”

EcoBoost engines are just one way Ford is working to reduce the environmental impact of its vehicles around the world. By reducing the weight of its vehicles by 250 to 750 pounds, Ford is able to reduce fuel requirements and enable the use of smaller engines. In addition, smart, green solutions like advanced transmissions, Auto Start-Stop technology and electric power-assisted steering add up to significant fuel efficiency improvements, lower CO₂ emissions and a better driving experience.

“In this diverse and fast-growing region, technologies like EcoBoost allow us to deliver environmental benefits and fuel savings to customers quickly and flexibly,” said Schoch. “By working toward our goal of offering EcoBoost engines in 20 vehicles across this region by mid-decade, we’re giving more consumers the chance to experience these advantages for themselves.”