NGK spark plugs have been selected for a ground-breaking new Ford petrol engine that will debut in the all-new Focus and deliver class-leading CO2 emissions and fuel economy.

The 1.0-litre, turbocharged, direct injection EcoBoost engine will debut in Europe in early 2012 and will ultimately be available worldwide.

The three-cylinder engine will produce 125PS in the Focus while delivering a combined fuel economy of 56.5mpg and ultra-low petrol CO2 emissions performance of 114g/km – a level unmatched by its competitors. 

A 100PS version of the same engine will deliver outright best-in-class petrol CO2 emissions of 109g/km.  This engine will also feature in the Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, plus the new Ford B-MAX which enters production in mid 2012.

Brian Childs, Deputy Managing Director, NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd, said: “It is a major achievement for NGK that our spark plugs have been selected as original equipment on this ground-breaking new Ford engine which will return incredibly low emissions and also reduce fuel consumption.

Ford has invested £110 million to develop a special high-tech line at its Cologne engine plant to build up to 350,000 units a year of Ford’s smallest petrol engine.

This new EcoBoost engine delivers performance to rival a traditional 1.6-litre engine and with significantly improved fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost cylinder block can fit onto a sheet of A4 paper but delivers up to 125PS and 170Nm peak torque (with 200Nm overboost), giving it the highest power density of any Ford production engine to date.

Meanwhile NGK Spark Plugs have also been chosen by Fiat, as the exclusive supplier of precious metal spark plugs and wideband NTK Lambda sensors for its new TwinAir naturally aspirated engine, which will debut in the new Panda.