Ford opens Dagenham Diesel Centre in the UK
13 November 2003
Ford Motor Company’s new £325 million Dagenham Diesel Centre in the UK was officially opened last week by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The first engine to be produced in Dagenham will be the new high-performance flagship V6 diesel jointly developed by Ford and PSA Peugeot Citroen.
The state-of-the-art 2.7 liter, common-rail, direct injection V6 engine, will make its debut in 2004 in the Jaguar S-TYPE, followed by PSA Group vehicles. The initial production volume will be up to 150,000 units per year.
The 60° 24-valve V6 engine has a capacity of 2,720 cc and is capable of delivering over 200 hp. It features advanced technologies including a high pressure, piezo-actuated common-rail fuel system and the use of a Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) cylinder block. According to Ford, it is the industry-first engine built using the CGI technology instead of the conventional cast iron block, thus allowing for a relatively light weight of 202 kg, good power-to-weight ratio and fuel economy characteristics. The V6 engine is Euro IV capable and, with the application of the PSA’s diesel particulate filter technology, particulate emissions can be reduced to near-zero levels.
The Dagenham Diesel Centre, covering an area of 44,530 m2, is the first major building on the Dagenham Estate for more than 30 years. It includes a dedicated “Clean Room Assembly Hall”, which will enable teams of designers and engineers to work alongside their manufacturing colleagues to improve communications and speed of development.
The existing Dagenham Engine Plant, which has built over 33 millions engines, will continue to produce Ford’s Duratorq diesel engines available in the Focus, Mondeo, and Transit models. The old plant will also provide engine machining for the new V6 diesel engine, including the first high volume production line to machine and produce the CGI iron block.
Source: Ford