Ford Will Add Small-Engine Output in Ohio

Ford Motor Co. confirms that it will begin making 2.0-liter EcoBoost engines in Ohio by the end of next year.

Those 240-hp engines currently are imported from Ford's facility in Valencia, Spain. That factory will continue to supply powerplants for the European market.

Ford's Cleveland Engine Plant will begin producing the 2.0-liter four-banger at the end of 2014 following a $200 million upgrade to the factory. The facility will continue to build 3.5-liter EcoBoost and 3.7-liter Duratech V-6 engines.

Ford offers the Spanish-built 2.0-liter engine in the Ford Focus, Fusion and Taurus cars, Explorer and Edge crossover vehicles and the Lincoln MKZ midsize sedan and MKT Livery wagon.

The company didn't say how many 2.0-liter engines it expects to make per year. But it predicts that its array of EcoBoost engines will be available in 95% of Ford brand vehicles in North America by 2015.

The EcoBoost system uses smaller displacement, turbocharging, gasoline direct injection and variable valve timing to improve fuel economy 20%.