Ford's Bridgend Engine plant has produced the 20 Millionth engine, & continues to produce some of best engines in the world.

Ford’s Bridgend Engine Plant (BEP) in Wales has built its 20-millionth engine, 37 years after the first engine was built in September 1979.

Linda Cash, vice president of Manufacturing, Ford of Europe joined Bridgend Engine Plant manager, Ian Pearson, in marking the achievement saying: “Bridgend has a proud record of high-quality engine production and I’m delighted to celebrate this significant milestone with the team that builds them.

“Today the plant builds a range of high-tech EcoBoost products, and we continue to invest in Bridgend, with the plant confirmed to build the next generation of fuel-efficient petrol engines.”

Ford Bridgend currently supplies petrol engines, including EcoBoost products which provide ultra-low emissions, excellent fuel economy, refinement and performance, for a range of Ford vehicles. The 1.5-litre EcoBoost is available in the Ford Focus, Ford Kuga, Ford Mondeo, and Ford S-MAX models. The multi-award winning Ford Fiesta ST is powered by a 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine, also built in Bridgend. The plant also supplies six and eight-cylinder engines for premium customers.

An all-new family of technologically-advanced, fuel-efficient petrol engines has been confirmed to be built in Bridgend. With an initial investment of £100 million, production is planned to start in late 2018.

• The Bridgend Engine Plant has benefitted from more than £1.8 billion of investment since it opened in 1980.  It builds six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines for customers and, together with Ford four-cylinder engines, total production is currently 3,400 engines a day, or one every 24 seconds off the busiest line.
• The first engine produced in Bridgend was a CVH petrol engine for the third generation Ford Escort.
• Bridgend’s success has been encouraged through a partnership with the Welsh Government who have committed to maximising the potential of Ford’s own investment.  The Welsh Government supports the plant with an annual grant for training of £50,000.
• Ford Bridgend total production now exceeds 20 million engines and its products power the Ford Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX, Kuga and Mondeo models. 

Plant Officially    Opened	May 1980
Number of Employees	1,850
2014 production	701,392 total
Plant size	141,702 sq m on 60 acres
Plant manager	Ian Pearson

Ford guarantees the future of it's Bridgend Engine Facility, Wales, with a £181 Million Investment for new engines.

Ford has approved an investment of £181 million at its Bridgend Engine Plant in South Wales to produce a family of all-new, technologically-advanced, fuel-efficient petrol engines. The investment includes Welsh Government support of £14.67 million, with production planned to start in late 2018.

The Ford announcement was welcomed by Welsh Economy Minister Edwina Hart: “Ford is a Welsh Anchor Company and the Bridgend Engine Plant plays a key role in the economy of South Wales. In a climate of stiff global competitiveness, we have been actively seeking to win a share of this investment for Wales and so we are delighted with today’s announcement.

“Ford’s decision to manufacture its new innovative engine here in Wales is a tribute to the reputation of the local management team and the quality and loyalty of the Welsh workforce and will safeguard more than 750 skilled Welsh jobs for many years.”

Teams from 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, Germany, have worked together on the design and development of the all-new engine family.

Earlier this year, Ford built its 5 millionth vehicle worldwide equipped with a fuel-efficient EcoBoost petrol engine, and in Europe more than one-in-four of all Ford vehicles sold are fitted with an EcoBoost engine. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine – winner of the International Engine of the Year for an unprecedented three years in succession – is the most popular EcoBoost version in Europe, with one-in-five vehicles sold in the region being equipped with the engine.

Notes for Editors:

• The Bridgend Engine Plant has benefitted from a total £1.8 billion investment since it opened in 1980.  It builds six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines for customers and, together with Ford four-cylinder engines, total production is currently 3,400 engines a day, or one every 24 seconds off the busiest line.
• Bridgend’s success has been encouraged through a partnership with the Welsh Government who have committed to maximising the potential of Ford’s own investment.  The Welsh Government supports the plant with an annual grant for training of £50,000.
• Ford Bridgend total production now exceeds 19 million engines and its products power the Ford Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX, Kuga and Mondeo models. 

Plant Opened	May 1980
Number of Employees	1,860
2014 production	701,392 total
Plant size	141,702 sq m on 60 acres
Plant manager	Ian Pearson

The Jaguar C-X75 Prototype VIDEO

• The Jaguar C-X75 is a state-of-the-art hybrid supercar with the efficiency of a low-emissions city car.
• The C-X75 can hit 100mph from standstill in less than six seconds and has a top speed of 220mph.
• It can emit less than 89g/km of CO₂ and has a pure electric vehicle range of 60km.
• Its 502bhp, 1.6-litre turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder engine is one of the world's highest specific power output powerplants at 313bhp per litre.
• The C-X75's two electric motors add a further 390bhp, for a combined output in excess of 850bhp.

“The C-X75 programme represents the pinnacle of Jaguar's engineering and design expertise. It is arguably the world's fastest test-bed for the world's most advanced technologies, combining as it does a remarkable hybrid powertrain with awe-inspiring performance. Jaguar is always looking to shape the cars of tomorrow and with projects like C-X75 we are laying the foundations for the next generation of Jaguar innovations.”
- Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar

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Introduction

Following the highly successful introduction of the C-X75 supercar to the media for test evaluation in June 2013, Jaguar is releasing a behind-the-scenes film of the car’s development: C-X75 – A hybrid supercar prototype without equal.

The film features contributions from the car’s lead programme engineers and reveals the challenges overcome in developing a vehicle with a 220mph top speed but that is also capable of producing less than 89g of CO₂ per kilometre and can even run with zero emissions for up to 60km.

When Jaguar unveiled the C-X75 concept in 2010, it was the beginning of a new chapter in innovation and technological advancement that would see the car evolve from a design study to a fully working prototype in just two years.

In that incredibly short timespan, Jaguar and development partner Williams Advanced Engineering have created an all-wheel drive, plug-in parallel hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with the world's highest specific power engine and Jaguar's first carbon composite monocoque chassis.

Although the decision was taken in 2012 that as a result of the global economic climate the C-X75 would not enter full production, it was clear that it was a powerful showcase for Jaguar’s world-leading expertise in lightweight vehicle construction and the ideal test-bed for the company’s innovative research into high-performance, low-emission powertrains.

The great achievements in the development of C-X75 prototypes – including cutting-edge hybrid technologies, carbon composite materials and advanced design solutions pioneered in association with Williams Advanced Engineering – will be utilised in other areas of research and development, innovative future products and next-generation engineering for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

Highest power and torque density

The C-X75 has a combined power output in excess of 850bhp and 1000Nm of torque, thanks to its state-of-the-art, Formula 1-inspired, 1.6-litre dual-boosted (turbocharged and supercharged) four-cylinder powerplant which generates 502bhp at 10,000 rpm.

It is allied to the highest torque and power density electric motors in production, which generate a further 390 horsepower. The battery pack in the C-X75 is the highest continuously rated power PHEV pack in the world, capable of delivering more than 300kW over the full state of the charge window.

The C-X75 can sprint from 0-100mph in less than six seconds, thanks to its advanced 7-speed automated manual transmission that allows gearshifts in under 200 milliseconds. The very first C-X75 prototype exceeded 200mph in testing with ease, and the car has a theoretical maximum velocity of 220mph.

The car's deployable aerofoil and underfloor aerodynamics create more than 200kg of downforce at 200mph, and active systems enhance its high-speed stability.

Ultra low emissions and pure electric mode

Thanks to the most extreme PHEV specification of any mobile battery in development, the C-X75 will also run for 60km in pure electric vehicle mode and its CO₂ emissions fall below 89g/km.

The C-X75 project al

 Jaguar to stake an even stronger claim as the UK's most significant investor in innovative technology. The results of the C-X75 programme, in particular in advanced powertrain technologies and lightweight composites, demonstrate Jaguar's technical leadership at the very cutting-edge of automotive development and manufacturing.