Production has now begun of an all-new fuel-efficient petrol engine at Ford’s Bridgend engine plant in South Wales (www.ford.com).

The three-cylinder 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine, which debuts in the multi-award-winning Fiesta ST and all-new Focus, is built on a new ‘state of the art’ flexible manufacturing facility after an investment of £100 million (including support from the Welsh government).

Plant manager Wallace Yearwood said: “I’m personally very proud to see production start of this all-new engine, here in Bridgend.

“It is the result of a significant investment in a plant that has a long-established history of delivering world-class engines, and we will make this engine another success.”

Economy and Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: “I’m delighted to see our Welsh Government investment supporting hundreds of high skilled jobs in south Wales.

“We are proud to have played a part in developing this world-class manufacturing facility and look forward to continuing to work with the company and workforce to ensure a bright future for the plant at Bridgend.”

The new engine family was designed and developed by engineers at the Ford Dunton Technical Centre in Essex, as well as Ford’s Technical Centre in Merkenich (Germany) and the Ford Research and Innovation Centre in Aachen.