BROOK PARK, Ohio — Ford is preparing for a day in the near future when a small four-cylinder engine will be the motor of choice in most of its vehicles, perhaps even in pickup trucks.

Demand for the company’s 2-liter turbocharged engine is growing so fast in North America that Ford unveiled plans Thursday to start building the engine late next year at a factory in Brook Park, Ohio, near Cleveland. Currently it’s importing the motors from a factory in Valencia, Spain.