(May 29, 2012) BRENTWOOD, Essex, England — How small can you go. Incredibly small according to Ford in Europe. The new Ford Focus 1.0-liter 3-cylinder EcoBoost model accounted for 17 per cent of sales in April — its first full month of being on sale — which equates to almost 1,000 cars. Overall UK orders for this multi-award-winning engine in Focus currently stand at more than 25 per cent of sales.

Across Europe, more than 4,700 customers ordered a Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost in April, accounting for 23.3 per cent of the Ford Focus models in Europe’s major 19 markets.

“The 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine is an example of an innovation arriving to market at just the right time, when customers are looking for a very fuel efficient but still-fun-to-drive petrol engine,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “I have rarely seen such universal praise from the press, dealers and customers as that received for the Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost.”

Philip Maskell, Ford UK dealer council chairman and chairman and managing director, Essex Auto Group, said: “The new and exciting 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in Focus has attracted a lot of positive attention at Ford dealers since its launch in April.  We are delighted that over 60 per cent of customers who are in the market for a Ford Focus with a manual transmission go on to purchase one equipped with the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine after a test drive.”

The new EcoBoost turbo-charged, direct injection engine is Ford's smallest, yet highest power density gas engine ever, delivering the performance of a conventional 1.6-liter engine with improved fuel efficiency. The 3-cylinder engine comes in two versions, 99 or 123 horsepower.

The engine combines turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing to deliver the power of a larger engine with fuel efficiency of a smaller unit.

The 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will also be available in the Ford B-MAX and Ford C-MAX later this year, with further applications yet to be announced.