Tag: engine

General Motors and SAIC to jointly develop small engine and dual clutch transmission

Filed under: China, Technology, GM

General Motors has reached an agreement with one of its primary Chinese partners, Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp. (SAIC), on the joint development of powertrains for small vehicles.

GM and SAIC will develop and produce a family of four-cylinder engines ranging from 1.0- to 1.5-liters with direct injection and turbocharging. The GTDI engines should cut fuel consumption by around 20 percent compared to similarly-sized engines with equivalent output.

The engine will be used in GM and SAIC vehicles in China and around the world, and to go along with the new engine, the partners will also develop a small dual-clutch transmission that should provide a 10 percent boost in efficiency over current six-speed torque converter automatics. Work on the engine and transmission will occur at GM’s powertrain engineering center in Pontiac, MI and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai.

GM has yet to announced when the new powertrains will debut in production, but mid-2011 is a safe bet.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading General Motors and SAIC to jointly develop small engine and dual clutch transmission

General Motors and SAIC to jointly develop small engine and dual clutch transmission originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor drops base engine, gets standard 6.2L V8

Filed under: Truck, Ford

Ford 6.2-liter V8 – Click above for high-res image gallery

During Ford’s announcement of the new powertrain lineup for the 2011 F-150 yesterday, we learned that the new 6.2-liter V8 would only be available in the SVT Raptor, Harley-Davidson and F-150 Platinum models. In the Platinum, the 6.2-liter engine will be an option for those who select the maximum towing package.

However, for the Raptor and Harley models, the big 6.2-liter will now be the only engine available. Since the two limited edition machines are considered premium products, Ford has decided that they should only get the most powerful engine that company will offer in its trucks for 2011. That almost certainly means that the base price of the 2011 Raptor will at least match the $3,000 price premium that was charged for the 2010 SVT Raptor with the then-optional 6.2-liter V8.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 engines

2011 Ford F-150 3.5-liter EcoBoost V62011 Ford F-150 3.7-liter V62011 Ford F-150 5.0-liter V82011 Ford F-150 6.2-liter V8

[Source: Ford]

2011 Ford F150 SVT Raptor drops base engine, gets standard 6.2L V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM quells Corvette rumors: No mid-engine, maybe a hybrid [w/poll]

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Chevrolet, Rumormill

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept – Click above for a new high-res image gallery

Karl Stracke, General Motors VP of global engineering, has unequivocally denied the recent rumors about a mid-engine version of the next-generation Corvette with a wet-dual-clutch transmission. Stracke spoke with editors at Automotive News and Autoweek and addressed the latest batch of rumors. For decades, speculation about what will be done with a next-generation Corvette invariably pops up almost immediately after a new model is introduced.

For example, a mid-engined Corvette has reportedly been on the cards since at least the mid-60s, thanks in part to a string of concept and experimental models of that configuration. The last Corvette-badged mid-engine concept was the 1990 CERV-III, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation – especially in recent years as the Corvette has gained increased respect among the ranks of high-end sports cars. According to Stracke, “There is no mid-engine in the plans.”

The same goes for a the story revealed by a Saab engineer about development of a wet DCT. Automakers are increasingly moving away from wet-clutch gearboxes to dry-clutch units because they are less expensive and more efficient. While Stracke shoots down the wet DCT, no mention is made of a dry-clutch unit… if Chevrolet follows Ferrari and Porsche down the dual-clutch path, that is almost certainly the type we will see.

Stracke also put the kibosh on a V6 Corvette. GM has already announced a direct injected small-block V8 is coming soon for its full-size pickup trucks and the Corvette will no doubt follow. Stracke did acknowledge that a hybrid is a possibility for the sports car and since competitors are going that way it wouldn’t be out of place.

That said, we want to know what you think – What should power the next Corvette? Click past the break to vote in our informal poll.

Gallery: Chevrolet 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept revealed again

[Source: AutoWeek]

Continue reading GM quells Corvette rumors: No mid-engine, maybe a hybrid [w/poll]

GM quells Corvette rumors: No mid-engine, maybe a hybrid [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Engine shortages holding back Jaguar Land Rover sales

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Jaguar, Land Rover

2011 Jaguar XJ – Click above for high-res image gallery

The turnaround at Jaguar/Land Rover is happening even faster than the company’s owner, Tata, had planned. A year ago, JLR posted a net loss of £64 million ($101M U.S.) in Q2; compare that to this year’s second quarter and its £233.8 million ($369M U.S.) net profit on 57,135 vehicles sold.

While we’re sure they aren’t complaining, the boost has left JLR in bit of a lurch: production has bottlenecked because it needs more engines from Ford, after already buying “considerably more” than it expected. Ford hasn’t offered any comment, but it is reported that the two companies are working together to figure out how to get Jaguar the powerplants it needs.

Gallery: 2010 Jaguar XJ

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: Engine shortages holding back Jaguar Land Rover sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order

Filed under: SUV, Technology, Crossover, Ford, Off-Road

2011 Ford Explorer – Click above for high-res image gallery

For part two of our in-depth look at the 2011 Ford Explorer, we’ll take a look at its new powertrains and improvements in fuel efficiency, as well as how well it can still tow a trailer. But first let’s see what kind of techno-goodies Ford has applied to this new SUV.

Technology

This being 2010, technology has to play a big part in any major new vehicle introduction. On the inside, the Explorer joins the new Edge, Focus and Lincoln MKX in adopting the MyFord Touch interface. We first saw this new touch sensitive interface when the MKX and Focus were unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January. Much like modern smartphones, the center stack has a smooth surface with capacitive touch buttons to manage the audio and climate controls. Continue reading after the jump or check out part one of our introduction to the 2011 Ford Explorer first.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Explorer

Continue reading 2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order

2011 Ford Explorer puts four-cylinder EcoBoost engine above V6 in pecking order originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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