Ford has announced a new version of its 1.0 litre Focus EcoBoost family car, which will be the first petrol-powered vehicle in its category to produce carbon emissions of less than 100g per kilometre.
In addition to the 99 g/km CO2, the model will also provide class-leading fuel efficiency of 67.5 miles per gallon, thanks to its specially-calibrated 100 hp version of the award-winning Ford engine.
The vehicle will include Ford ECOnetic Technology, low rolling resistance tyres and a new aerodynamic under-car setup.
To further improve the model's petrol usage, the gearing system has been revised and the car will be the most fuel-efficient petrol-powered family car when it goes on sale early next year.
Barb Samardzich, vice-president of product development at Ford Europe, said: "Even just a couple of years ago few people would have thought it possible that a medium-sized petrol car could break the 100 g/km CO2 barrier."
"The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine has a habit of taking expectations of what a petrol engine can deliver and turning them upside down," she added.
Produced in Ford's Saarlouis factory in Germany, the new model will mean that there will be three versions of the Focus available with the 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine, while there are also standard 100 hp versions producing 109 g/km CO2 emissions and a 125 hp option, providing 114 g/km emissions.
New features such as Auto-Start-Stop, Ford EcoMode and smart regenerative charging will also be available in the new fuel-efficient model.
The 1.0 litre Ecoboost engine was voted International Engine of the Year in 2012 and 2013 and its strong fuel-efficiency results were one of the key reasons the Ford Fiesta model containing the technology was named 2013 Women's World Car of the Year last month.
This suggests that there are numerous options open to those looking for ford deals that also offer low carbon emissions and high efficiency.