OREANDA-NEWS. The birth of the EcoBoost engine happened seven years ago in Cleveland, and today, Ford announced a $145 million investment and 150 created or secured jobs at Cleveland Engine Plant to support production of an all-new, second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine family for the 2017 Ford F-150 lineup.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to build on our history of being the first Ford plant to produce an EcoBoost engine,” said Cleveland Engine Plant Manager Kevin Heck.

The new engine on the block is the second-generation, high-output, 3.5-liter EcoBoost, which will power the all-new, 2017 F-150 Raptor truck.

“We are excited about the new technology coming into the plant,” boasted  Mark Payne, Local 1250 UAW president. “It will maintain our production(?) volumes and keep us (Ford) the customers’ choice for years to come.”
Customers have made the F-150 the top-selling truck in America for more than three decades, and that popularity is expected to make the new Raptor a success as well. The Raptor’s new high-output, 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine will be more fuel efficient than the 6.2-liter V8 previously under its hood, but still give it the guts and growl it needs to power through rugged, off-road trails.

Payne says the future of Cleveland Engine Plant looks bright.

“We will be producing over one million engines per year and are very pleased to be part of the company’s success story.”

That sentiment was echoed by Heck.  “The team here at Cleveland is up to the challenge and looking forward to delivering a winner for many years to come,” he said.

Production of the new 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine begins this summer.