Eco engines

Car manufacturer Ford has announced a £70m investment programme to produce next-generation, low-CO2 petrol engines at its Bridgend plant in Wales.

Investment in the plant has totalled £315m in the last five years and employment has risen to over 2,000.

The investment includes a £13.4m support package from the Welsh Assembly Government and is hoped to increase the plant’s production capacity to approximately one million units per year.

The new 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engines will be among the first of a new generation of EcoBoost petrol powertrains that feature turbocharging and direct injection technology.

According to Ford, the EcoBoost engines will provide up to 20 per cent better fuel economy and 15 per cent lower CO2 emissions compared with current displacement petrol engines of similar power.

The EcoBoost engines will join the existing Ford ECOnetic range of low CO2 diesel vehicles and are expected to go into production within the next two years.