Ford Motor Co.’s new 1-liter EcoBoost engine – which launched to acclaim this year in the Focus in Europe – today was named 2012 “International Engine of the Year” based on votes cast by 76 journalists from 35 countries around the world.

The small, high-tech three-cylinder engine also hauled in two other awards – “Best New Engine” and “Best Engine Under 1.0-Liter.” The awards were presented by Engine Technology International magazine.

This marks the first time Ford has won International Engine of the Year in the 13-year history of the awards. Moreover, the 1.0-liter EcoBoost garnered the highest score in the history of the awards.

“We set the bar incredibly high when we set out to design this engine,” said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president, Global Powertrain. “We wanted to deliver eye-popping fuel economy, surprising performance, quietness and refinement – and all from a very small three-cylinder engine.

“The team responded to this seemingly impossible challenge with some really exciting innovation,” Bakaj added. “The result is a game changer for gas engines globally.”

Said Dean Slavnich, chairman of the International Engine of the Year awards and editor of Engine Technology International: “This is a fitting victory for a truly remarkable engine.”

The engine was designed at Ford’s technical centers in Dunton, U.K., and Merkenich, Germany. The engine is built in Ford’s plants in Craiova, Romania, and Cologne, Germany. By Joseph Szczesny