The new turbocharged engine replaces the naturally aspirated 1.6-liter petrol and is available with two power levels, the first of which produces 99HP (100PS) and delivers 58.9mpg UK (4.8lt/100km or 49mpg US) with 109g/km of CO2 emissions in the five door Focus.
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Ford is willing to compare its new cars, which will be launched in North America in 2012, with the competition and in particular, Toyota’s Prius models.
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Well, it turns out there’s been a slight change of plans as the Detroit automaker just announced it won’t be bringing the petrol-powered Grand C-MAX to the U.S. after all. But not all is lost for fans of the Focus-based minivan as Ford will focus on the five-seat C-MAX in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid formats. The C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid vehicles were previewed at the Detroit Auto Show this past January.
The Valencia Plant also will produce the seven-seat version of the minivan called the Grand C-MAX for export to North America beginning in late 2011.
"The Hybrid Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Electric derivatives of the all-new Ford C-MAX are great news for the Valencia plant and region, for Spain, and for Ford customers across Europe, said John Fleming, CEO of Ford of Europe
Now, the Detroit automaker has officially confirmed that the 2011 F-150 pickup truck will be offered with its 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 upgraded for rear-wheel-drive applications, while a new 2.0-liter inline-four turbo will find its way under the hood of the next next-generation Ford Explorer SUV and Edge CUV.
The 2.0-liter EcoBoost unit will be launched along with a smaller displacement 1.6-liter EcoBoost unit, which will be used initially on the European C-Max people mover, by the end of the year.
Ford didn't clarify in its press release if the new Kuga and Mondeo also benefit from any cosmetic changes of the same subtle nature as those on the S-MAX and Galaxy (the Mondeo pictured above is an '09MY), but here's what the company had to say about the upgrades under the hood.
Starting with the Mondeo, the firm's European competitor in the mid-size saloon and estate segment gains the all-new 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost SCTi gasoline engine with an output of 203HP and a new version of the 2.0-liter TDCi diesel with 163HP, while the 115HP and 140HP variants of the same diesel have been improved.
Furthermore, Ford's Powershift six-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission is fitted as standard with the 2.0-litre EcoBoost gasoline engine and optionally available for the 140HP and 163HP Duratorq TDCi diesel engines.
Together with this transmission, the new Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 163HP delivers a combined fuel economy of 5.6 lt/100km, equal to 42 mpg US and 50.4 mpg UK.
The same 163HP 2.0-liter turbo diesel as well as the six-speed dual clutch transmission also make their way into the Kuga crossover.
With the 163HP diesel engine, the Kuga accelerates from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 9.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 195 km/h or 121mph while achieving a CO2 output of 159g/km in the All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) models with manual transmission.
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At Detroit, Ford showed off the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan versions of the new global Focus. Both models share the same styling that marks the next evolution of Ford's kinetic design form language.
That translates to a crispier and more dynamic design that combines styling features seen in the new Fiesta and the European Mondeo.
The same can be said about the Focus' interior design that was previewed through the MPV variants of the car, the five-seat C-MAX (Europe) and seven-seat Grand C-MAX (Europe and North America).
Ford says that one of the key elements of the interior is the quality of craftsmanship with the soft-touch materials and the choice of trim all helping to give occupants "the feeling that they are travelling in a higher-class car".
The new Focus has been developed by a global team, led from the firm's European small and medium vehicle centre in Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany, with powertrain development spearheaded by the company's technical centre in Dunton, England
Underneath, the 2011 Focus makes use of Ford's new mid-sized architecture. The company claims that the Focus will raise the benchmark in handling once more blending "outstanding steering precision and road feedback with significantly improved refinement and ride control."
The 2011 Focus sticks with front-wheel drive, powered by a new family of engines. European buyers will get 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter Ecoboost turbocharged petrol units as well as improved Duratorq TDCi common-rail diesels offering reductions in fuel consumption between 10 and 20 per cent over the outgoing models.
In North America, the Focus will be offered with a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) and direct injection (DI) delivering an estimated output of 155-horsepower and 145 ft.-lb. of torque.
Depending on the market, the engines will be linked to either manual gearboxes and Ford's new dual-clutch PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission designed to deliver better fuel economy than comparable automatics.
Production of the next-generation Ford Focus will begin simultaneously in Europe and North America in late 2010, with sales set to start globally in 2011. Ford said that initial production will be concentrated at the Saarlouis (Germany), Michigan (United States) and Chongqing (China) Assembly Plants.
Within the next two to three years, the Focus range will expand to include a three-door hatchback, a station-wagon and quite possibly, a coupe-convertible model, though it remains to be seen if these variants will be sold in all markets.
