Asia Pacific and Africa Customers' Demand for Green Solutions Drive Rapid Growth for Ford Ecoboost Engines

 
  - Asia Pacific and Africa sales of Ford's EcoBoost-equipped vehicles soar 260 percent in June; 195 percent growth in first half

  - Ford's EcoBoost technology allows greater efficiency, lower emissions without sacrificing performance

  - In South Africa, the EcoBoost engine is available in the Fiesta, Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Kuga and the soon to be launched EcoSport

PRETORIA - As automotive customers in the Asia Pacific and Africa markets demand even more environmentally sustainable technologies, Ford is seeing record region-wide sales for its EcoBoost engine, and South Africa is no exception.

Ford's overall sales in the region rose by an impressive 28 percent to 599,390 wholesale units in the first half of the year, and consumer demand for EcoBoost-equipped vehicles has grown even more quickly as Ford has introduced more vehicles available with the engines. Regionwide, sales of EcoBoost-equipped vehicles rose 260 percent in June to 15,921 units, wrapping up a first half in which sales jumped 195 percent to 66,217 units.

In South Africa,the EcoBoost engine is available in the Fiesta, Focus ST, Fiesta ST, Kuga and the EcoSport, which is being launched later this month. As of June this year, over 50 percent of customers who buy these vehicles choose derivates with an EcoBoost engine.

"At Ford, we believe we best serve our customers by offering them the power of choice in vehicles and powertrains," said Dave Schoch, president, Ford Asia Pacific. "The phenomenal growth of EcoBoost-equipped cars shows how we're going further to make greener vehicles that meet the needs of our diverse customers in this region."

Using turbocharging and advanced direct injection technologies together with reduced engine displacement, Ford's EcoBoost engines offer up to 20 percent gain in fuel efficiency and a 15 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with the larger-displacement engines they replace, without sacrificing vehicle performance. Moreover, these efficiency gains are achieved at better value than many other advanced fuel-efficiency technologies.

"In a region like Asia Pacific and Africa, where different countries have very different market conditions, our EcoBoost engines allow us to offer more customers real improvements, more quickly and with greater flexibility," added Schoch. "It's a proven technology offering real environmental advantages that over time will also save our customers money."

Growing greener
As customer demand for EcoBoost-equipped vehicles rises, Ford is working hard to increase supply. The company recently doubled its China-based engine manufacturing capacity with the opening of the US$500 million Changan Ford Engine Plant in the city of Chongqing. In addition to a naturally aspirated 1.5L four-cylinder engine, the plant will produce Ford's three-cylinder 1.0L EcoBoost engine, recently named International Engine of the Year for a second consecutive year.

By the end of 2013, six plants across Europe, Asia and North America will be producing EcoBoost engines for nearly 80 percent of Ford's nameplates globally. And by mid-decade, Ford Asia Pacific will be offering EcoBoost engines in a total of 20 vehicles, a fivefold increase from 2012.

Comprehensive, portfolio approach
EcoBoost engines are part of Ford's portfolio approach to developing sustainable technologies and alternative fuel options. The approach aims to meet different customer needs with a range of fueling options, including fuel-efficient EcoBoost® gasoline engines, advanced diesel engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, all-electric vehicles and alternative-fuel vehicles.

Taking advantage of the flexibility of Ford's global vehicle platforms, the company can more easily introduce different fueling options depending on customer demand and the requirements of individual markets.

Ford's deployment of more efficient engines across its product range is being accompanied by other innovations to increase efficiency.

Weight reductions of 113 to 340 kg's per vehicle are helping to reduce fuel requirements and enable the use of smaller engines. And 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.

"Our customers in Asia Pacific and Africa have made it clear that they want vehicles that offer the best green technologies without sacrificing capability and versatility," said Schoch. "We intend to continue to deliver for our customers by expanding our offering of smart and green technologies like Ford's EcoBoost  across the region."