Ford’s fuel-efficient 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine could revive petrol car sales

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Ever rising global fuel prices and the resulting losses that the state owned oil companies are having to deal with, add to that the Euro zone crisis. The world economies are in turmoil and the middle class is the one who has been hit the most. With petrol prices nudging Rs 80 per litre in some states, while over Rs 81 in other parts of India does buying a petrol powered car really make sense? In a word, no. That said, diesel cars are a tad bit expensive, but that shouldn’t deter customers from spending that extra buck.

As it is, the sales of petrol powered cars have decreased ever since the price of gasoline crossed the Rs 70 per litre mark. There was a time majority of the cars sold in India had a gasoline engine under their hood, now it is exactly opposite. More and more Indians are choosing diesel power over petrol even though the ownership cost is high. Now, the government is even considering to increase the tax on diesel cars to maintain equilibrium in the market.

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Obviously, the car makers are being forced to produce more diesel cars which is very difficult when your manufacturing processes are configured to produce more petrol cars. All said, things may not look conducive for petrol cars at the moment, but this doesn’t mean it’s the end of petrol power in India. In fact, car makers are now investing more in research into modern fuel-saving technologies. One such example is Ford’s new 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine.

The tiny motor is set to make its India debut in the upcoming EcoSport SUV from Ford. The 3-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine employs a high-performance turbocharger that kicks in at low revs thus allowing the engine to produce peak torque of 170 Nm @ 1300-4500 rpm. A new type of exhaust manifold, an advanced “split-cooling” system and twin-independent variable camshaft timing ensure improved performance and economy. Thus, the small capacity engine with its high-tech systems is able to match the performance of a 1.6 litre motor.

Tushar Kelshikar (396 Posts)

Tushar hails from Pune and joined us in 2011. An avid car enthusiast, he loves the greener side of Supercars but has fast adapted to the conventional Indian car scene. The Himalayas have made sure he doesnt miss the Western Ghats and his attention to detail on the site is commendable.