FORD has revealed its new four-cylinder 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, which can be found in the upcoming Mondeo, set to have its debut at the Shanghai Motor Show next week.

Last month, Motortrades Insight was the first publication to exclusively reveal details of a new fuel rail used in the Ford Mondeo, made with a revolutionary process that will eventually see parts maker Unipart Eberspacher produce one fabricated fuel rail every 32 seconds.

Ford now has the capacity to produce up to 1.6 million EcoBoost engines annually.

Production of the four-cylinder 1.5-litre EcoBoost – the fifth member of the EcoBoost family – will commence initially at Ford’s facility in Craiova, Romania, later this month.  

The new engine will be first introduced in China in the all-new Ford Mondeo, making its public debut next week at Auto Shanghai Show 2013, with applications following in the Fusion saloon in North America this year, and later the new Mondeo in Europe.

The new aluminium-block, twin-cam 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine will feature some of the innovative features introduced on the award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost, including an integrated exhaust manifold. The new engine is expected to provide similar horsepower and torque performance to Ford’s current 1.6-litre EcoBoost, while delivering improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.

The 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine is the first engine from Ford to incorporate a computer-controlled clutch on the belt-drive water pump, which further improves efficiencies by reducing warm-up time. A water-cooled charge air cooler is added to offer a more efficient feed of air into the engine.  

“Ford EcoBoost technology has changed the way people look at petrol engines and has enjoyed huge success with customers,” said Joe Bakaj, vice president, Powertrain Engineering, Ford Motor Company. “The new 1.5-litre unit further extends our EcoBoost promise of economical motoring in terms of both fuel efficiency and, in some markets, tax-savings.”

Ford has sold more than 600,000 EcoBoost-equipped vehicles globally since the range was launched with the 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost in 2009. Ford added the 2.0-litre EcoBoost in 2010. The 1.6-litre EcoBoost followed in 2011. And last year, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost was launched, winning the 2012 “International Engine of the Year” award.

By the end of this year, nearly 80 per cent of the company’s global nameplates will be available with fuel-saving EcoBoost technology.