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Next-gen BMW 3 series to get turbo three, better aero, hybrid powertrain

The next generation of BMW's 3-series looks like it will get some major revisions when it arrives in about two years. The new model is expected to be the first in the range to get new turbocharged three cylinder engines in both gas and diesel variants. The three-cylinder engines will likely be 1.5-liter units that are essentially half of the latest generation's inline sixes. BMW's current six-cylinder diesels use a sequential dual turbo setup with small and large blowers to give quick response and better top end power. The new engines ... Read more →

Renault gives the green light to build new-generation diesels in France Xavier Navarro

French manufacturer Renault had been recently attacked in France for excessive delocalization, so it doesn't exactly come as a surprise that the marque is going to build its all-new diesels close to ...

Vehicle downsizers now facing buyers remorse Jeremy Korzeniewski

A lot is lost in the transition from a Hummer to a smart. We tend to focus on the benefits: the lost fuel bills and reduced vehicular emissions, and that's not going to change any time soon, we being ...

Ford thinks there's a great future for I-4 engine offerings in the "New Frugality" Xavier Navarro

"New frugality." This is the concept Ford wants to hear shouted from Dearborn. The market is asking for fuel-efficient vehicles and Ford believes that its new line of I4 engines will satisfy ...

Mating the 1.4-liter TFSI to the Skoda Octavia retains performance Xavier Navarro

Automakers claim that the new generation of small turbocharged engines keep the same performance or even improve older powertrains, as we saw for a VW Passat. However, it's good to know that a mostly ...

PSA to copy Renault: new low-cost model in the works 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

The French press is all over this: Dacia has saved Renault's numbers by offering decent quality vehicles at decent prices with the latest emissions technology. PSA has decided that it's time to follow Renault's cheap-is-good path and is now searching for a location in Poland and Turkey to make a ...

Paris preview: Audi downsizes the S4 engine 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

The S4, both in sedan and Avant (SW) version, is the top of the range for the Audi S A4 models. Until now, this beast was powered by a V8 engine, but now it's been replaced by a massaged 3.0-liter V6 TFSI engine. TFSI means that the engine combines single turbo charging with FSI direct ...

Rumormill: Nissan to install 3-cylinder turbocharged engines in the new Micra generation 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Although the Nisssan Micra has become a quiet player in the European supermini segment, it's got an impressive story that goes back 25 years. The next generation, due in 2010, could bring the Micra some well-deserved attention because it spots a major innovation: an all-new 3-cylinder ...

POLL: Buy a more efficient car to save money or the environment? 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

As we've watched the sales of trucks and SUVs implode faster than a twenty-year-old Las Vegas casino over the past year, we of course wonder why? Not that we don't consider this a good thing around these parts. I personally have long felt that American consumers' fascination with SUVs was at best ...

Next-gen Saab 9-5 to get 1.6L base engine 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Saab's decision to start down-sizing goes into full effect in 2009 with the debut of the new 9-5. The 9-5 is expected to break out the Geneva Motor Show in March. Saab's largest car will be built on the new Epsilon II architecture that debuted last month with the new Opel Insignia. The smallest ...

Ford boosting Honeywell turbocharger sales with EcoBoost engines 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Ford is planning to make a huge push for turbocharged engines starting in April 2009 with the introduction of the first in its line of EcoBoost engines. Honeywell Turbo Technologies will be supplying Ford with turbochargers for the 3.5L V6 and the followup four cylinder EcoBoost engines. Honeywell ...

Cadillac may add 2.0L four cylinder turbo to CTS if drivers demand it 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

With everyone else working on downsized engines to deal with rising (in spite of the current respite) fuel costs, one brand who hasn't said anything is Cadillac. One model in the lineup that would be ripe for the treatment is the CTS. For all the praise the model has earned since its debut last ...

Volkswagen Golf getting even smaller engines 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Volkswagen has been one of the leaders in recent years in the area of downsizing engines. The German company was one of the first to start employing boosted and direct injected small displacement four cylinder engines to replace larger displacement equivalents. Yes, I know turbocharged engines have ...

Next generation Audi powertrain info comes to light 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Audi looks set to go on a major engine downsizing kick in the next few years in an attempt to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. It doesn't look like Audi plans any significant power reductions, but many of its engine will move smaller displacements and fewer cylinders with ...

GM Launches two new turbocharged engines 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

At a Powertrain technology event in Europe, General Motors has announced a pair of new small displacement turbocharged engines. The 1.4L turbo is gasoline fueled and will be used globally in cars like the Opel/Saturn Astra starting in 2010. Depending on the application, the engines will generate ...

New emissions rules may force next gen Saab 9-3 to grow smaller 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Upcoming fuel economy regulations in the U.S. and carbon dioxide emissions limits in Europe appear set to take a bite out of the next generation Saab 9-3. The current 9-3 is derived from GM's Epsilon platform and the new 9-3 was due to come off the Epsilon II that underpins the new Opel Insignia, ...

Four-bangers on the rise, sixes and eights start to slide 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

As fuel prices continue on their upward trajectory, more and more evidence is coming to light that American drivers are making adjustments. Sales of mid-sized SUVs have completely tanked in the last few years, and now J.D. Power and Associates has compiled sales data on the relative market shares ...


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