Set to launch first in the new Transit and Transit Custom vans, the new unit will be offered in outputs from 100hp to 240hp and targets a 13% fuel efficiency improvement along with a 20% increase in torque.

“Ford’s EcoBoost created a new standard for petrol engines – smaller, more efficient with surprising performance. That same obsession to innovate for the customer is behind our new Ford EcoBlue diesel engine range,” said Jim Farley, chairman and CEO of Ford of Europe. “This new engine lifts fuel efficiency and reduces CO2 by over 10% in Transit, part of Europe’s best-selling commercial vehicle line-up, lowering costs for our customers.”

Developed by Ford engineering teams in the U.K. and Germany, the 2.0-litre Ford EcoBlue engine initially will be offered with 105hp, 130hp and 170hp in commercial vehicle applications.

Capable of delivering more than 200hp, the engine will later feature in Ford passenger cars alongside further new EcoBlue engines – including a 1.5‑litre variant.

Ford said the new engine will comfortably meet future European emissions requirements supported by Ford’s first standardised selective catalytic reduction system.

Other developments include a mirror-image inlet design in combination with an optimised combustion chamber layout and new fuel injectors.

The 2.0-litre Ford EcoBlue engine will be the first diesel commercial vehicle powertrain from Ford to achieve passenger car noise, vibration and harshness criteria.

The new 2.0-litre Ford EcoBlue engine meets Ford's global commercial vehicle durability standards for extreme usage in markets as diverse as Europe, the U.S. and China.

“We developed the 2.0-litre Ford EcoBlue engine using feedback from customers around the world,” said Paul Turner, base engine technical leader, Ford of Europe. “The versatile design even allows the same block to be used for front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive applications, and the sophisticated design and technologies deliver future-proofed fuel efficiency and emissions.”