Prince Of Wales Visits Ford Bridgend Plant

BRIDGEND, UNITED KINGDOM - June 29, 2010: Ford has welcomed HRH The Prince of Wales to its high-tech plant in Bridgend, the UK production home of the new, fuel-efficient and low-CO2, 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost petrol engines.

The official Royal visit of The Prince is the highlight of Ford Bridgend's 30th birthday celebrations. Following his first visit to Bridgend in 1998, The Prince of Wales visited Ford's Dunton Technical Centre in 2007, where he drove a sub-100g CO2 petrol-engined Ford Focus prototype. At Bridgend, The Prince was shown Ford's latest sporty S-MAX with the advanced 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine.

In 2008,Ford announced an investment programme at its Bridgend plant in Wales to produce the next-generation of low-CO2 1.6-litre, four-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engines. The engine features lightweight all-aluminium construction, the latest-generation high-pressure direct-injection system, low-inertia turbocharging and twin-independent variable cam timing. Ford investment at Bridgend totals $2.7 billion.

Ford EcoBoost engines combine the latest powertrain technologies to deliver fuel consumption and CO2 emissions reduced by up to 20 per cent when compared to conventional petrol engines with a similar power output. The new Ford C-MAX, on-sale later this year, will be the first Ford model to be fitted with the 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost petrol engine, built at Bridgend.

Joe Greenwell, Ford of Britain chairman, said: "We are delighted to welcome His Royal Highness back to Ford Bridgend on the plant's 30th birthday. The new Ford EcoBoost petrol engines from Bridgend are providing Ford vehicles with a combination of lower emissions and improved fuel economy and performance. The investment in these high-efficiency powerplants is vital to meet the current and future needs of our customers and the environment."