Ford Cleveland Engine Plant Begins Producing New 2.0L and 2.3L EcoBoost Engines

Providing a much-needed stimulus to the rust belt was Ford’s announcement in 2013 that it would invest $200 million and add 450 jobs to its Cleveland Engine Plant in Ohio to produce EcoBoost engines for North American vehicles. Two years later, the operation is under way to build the turbo-charged motors.

As of March 6th, 2015, the Cleveland facility is the exclusive home of North American EcoBoost production. The twin-scroll 2.0- and 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engines join the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and 3.7-liter Duratec V6 motors that have already been manufactured there.

“With more than 4 million EcoBoost-powered vehicles on the road today, Cleveland Engine has been at the forefront of our plan to provide our customers with fuel-efficient, affordable engines,” said Bruce Hettle, Ford vice president of North America Manufacturing. “The hardworking team at Cleveland Engine is proud to build two of the most technologically advanced engines on the market today.”

Previously, the twin-scroll 2.0-liter and 2.3-liter EcoBoost engines destined for North American vehicles were produced in Valencia, Spain. Ford says that the production move to Cleveland optimizes its production capabilities around the world, leaving the Valencia plant to produce 2.0-liter EcoBoost engines for European consumption while also continuing to ship components to North America.

The move in production comes at a crucial time in the marketplace. Ford estimates that by 2020, utility vehicle sales, including vehicles such as the Escape, Edge and Explorer, will reach 23 percent of the global industry, up 135 percent from 2009. And it is very possible that these vehicles will continue using engines like the 2.0- and 2.3-liter EcoBoost units.

“With the new 2.0 and 2.3-liter EcoBoost engines featured in the all-new 2015 Edge and freshened 2016 Explorer, Ford is well-positioned to benefit from the rapidly-growing utility vehicle segment,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president of U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “Utility sales are growing at three times the rate of the global vehicle industry.”

As for EcoBoost, the engine line can now be found on every new Ford vehicle on sale in North America, and over 1.6 million of the turbo-charged engines have been produced to date. As such, it seems that consumers’ love affair with the motors won’t be dwindling any time soon. Hence, moving production to Cleveland seems is just sound business for The Blue Oval.