Ford is poised to introduced the fifth engine in the Ecoboost family. The 1.5-litre unit will premiere in the Chinese-market Mondeo at the Shanghai motor show
The next Ford Mondeo will be offered with a new four-cylinder 1.5-litre Ecoboost petrol engine. The powertrain will premiere at the Shanghai motor show later this month.
Although the final powertrain line-up in UK-specification Ford Mondeos is still to be confirmed, a spokesman said the 1.5-litre Ecoboost will be available from launch, alongside the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Ecoboost unit and a 2.0-litre petrol hybrid.
Ford will introduce the 1.5-litre engine in the Chinese-market Mondeo this month, followed by the American-market Fusion and European Mondeos.
The new powerplant will be the fifth Ecoboost unit and will ramp Ford's production capacity for the engine series up to 1.6 million annually. The engine will initially be built at Ford's plant in Craiova, Romania, with more locations to be announced.
Like other Ecoboost engines, the 1.5 will feature turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing. It will borrow the integrated exhaust manifold from the 1.0 and will be the first Ford engine to use a computer-controlled clutch on the belt-driven water pump, reducing warm-up time.
Power and torque figures are claimed to be similar to the 148bhp and 177lb ft developed by the 1.6-litre Ecoboost, but with improved fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
Ford says the engine is a strategic choice for global markets offering tax incentives for buyers who choose engines of 1.5 litres or less.