Ford's new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine - which launched to acclaim this year in the Focus in Europe - today was named 2012 "International Engine of the Year." 

The small, high-tech 3-cylinder engine also hauled in two other awards - "Best New Engine" and "Best Engine Under 1.0-litre" - in the awards presented by Engine Technology International magazine, and based on votes cast by 76 journalists from 35 countries around the world.

This marks the first time Ford has won "International Engine of the Year" in the 13-year history of the awards. Moreover, the 1.0-litre
EcoBoost garnered the highest score in the history of the awards.

"We set the bar incredibly high when we set out to design this engine,"said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president, Global Powertrain. "We wanted to deliver eye-popping fuel economy, surprising performance, quietness and refinement - and all from a very small, 3-cylinder engine."

"The team responded to this seemingly impossible challenge with some really exciting innovation," added Bakaj. "The result is a game-changer for petrol engines globally."

Said Dean Slavnich, chairman of the "International Engine of the Year" awards and editor of Engine Technology International: "This is a fitting
victory for a truly remarkable engine."

The engine - small enough to fit on an A4 sheet of paper - was designed at Ford's technical centres in Dunton, UK, and Merkenich, Germany. The engine is built in Ford's plants in Craiova, Romania, and Cologne, Germany.

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost debuted this year on the Focus in Europe and will be offered next in C-MAX and B-MAX later this year. The 1.0-litre
EcoBoost will be made available in Ford models in the U.S. in the summer and in Asia Pacific and Africa next year.

The new Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost 100 PS delivers best-in-class fuel efficiency of 4.8 l/100 km (58.9 mpg) and CO2 emissions of 109 g/km. The 125 PS model returns 5.0 l/100 km (56.5 mpg) with CO2 emissions of 114 g/km.