The carmaker fitted the mini concept with the latest EcoBoost powerplant, a turbocharged unit that has three cylinders and a capacity of 1 liter .
The engine uses a cast iron block, cast aluminum cylinder head and a cast aluminum sump. It has a compression ratio of 10:1 and uses a compact architecture, which makes it perfectly suitable for small vehicles, a characteristic demonstrated by its integration in the Start Concept.
The powerplant has undergone extensive testing sessions, which have shown that it offers power and torque figures comparable to those of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder naturally-aspirated unit, while emitting under 100 grams of CO2 per km. The unit is expected to be matted to a six-speed manual transmission, which will maximize its efficiency.
"Ford engineers have experimented with the idea of a three-cylinder engine for the past twenty years, but felt the power that could be achieved from such an engine configuration couldn’t be made substantial enough to offer a practical solution for smaller vehicles.That’s all changed with the advanced yet affordable Ford EcoBoost technology, first introduced in 2009 and proving that substantial power and fuel savings can be realized through a combination of turbocharging and direct fuel injection," stated the press release.
Ford will release further technical and market introduction details for the new 1.0-liter engine closer to the unit’s production launch.
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