2012 FORDS USE SMALLEST ENGINES EVER - FRANKFURT

Championing the move towards more efficient motoring, Ford have revealed that their 2012 model line up will come with a 3-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost option. Unveiling the concept at this years Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford told us that the light weight 3-pot will come in two outputs, 100pPS and 120PS running through a 5-speed and 6-speed manual gearbox, respectively.

Power is said to be comparable to existing Ford engines working from 1.6-litres, and the power should be more accessible with the inclusion of the new Ford EcoBoost triadic features, direct injection, new variable valve timing and a low-lag turbocharger.

The stronger of the two engines will produce 170Nm torque from as low as 1,300 RPM, a figure closer to current small diesel outputs than petrol cars.

The UK can be proud of Ford's new offering as the engine developed in the Dunton Technical facility where before being finalised and production ready, it underwent over 720,000km of testing including 360,000 km of durability trials and 10,000km of environmental testing.

As the first mainstream 3-cylinder petrol engine, various hurdles would have had to been overcome, chiefly the natural imbalance in. To counter this, British engineers 'unbalanced' the flywheel in aid of offering a "refined performance feel".

Available in 2012, the EcoBoost package which includes an 'Active Grille Shutter', 'Regenerative Charging' and start-stop technology - as well as the revolutionary engine - will be an option initially for the Ford Focus but its application is expected to reach the C-Max and the all new B-Max later in the year.