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VW awarded International and Green Engine of the Year |
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VW denied BMW the chance to secure the overall International Engine of the Year award for the fifth year in succession. What’s more, VW’s 1.4 liter petrol TSI Twincharger engine also took top honours in the Green Engine of the Year category – dethroning Toyota’s 1.5 liter Hybrid Synergy Drive power unit of the Prius. This turbocharged and supercharged power unit is offered across much of the VW model range, and is expected to be available on the India-spec Golf when it’s launched in 2010.
The prestigious International Engine of the Year awards are adjudged by 65 journalists from 32 countries. Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the awards, said, ‘It’s a masterstroke of downsizing technology and a real engineering showcase. I have no doubt that this engine will become the template for a whole new generation of high efficiency, small capacity engines in the years to come. The fact that it wins both the overall award and our Best Green Engine prize indicates that you can have performance and efficiency in one package.’ |
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Accepting the awards on behalf of Volkswagen, Dr Ruediger Szengel, Head of Gasoline Engine evelopment for Volkswagen AG, commented, ‘A combination of downsizing, direct injection and high boost pressure produce exceptionally high specific power output and torque with low emissions and fuel consumption from a gasoline engine. Induction boosting provides the ability to operate with long gearing further benefiting fuel economy. Direct injection allows the use of a high compression ratio in conjunction with high boost pressures providing additional efficiency benefits. For similar reasons, TSI technology avoids the need to inject extra fuel to cool the mixture at higher power outputs – providing TSI engines with a further fuel consumption saving over conventional, boosted gasoline engines.’
The 2009 awards clearly demonstrate that driving pleasure and green technology can be molded into a single package. It also points to the clear shift in focus towards green technology – a shift that’s allowed a small and efficient engine such as this to win both the overall award, as well as the Green Engine of the Year. |
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Tata Motors to launch the Electric Indica Vista in Europe
The Battery Electric Indica Vista EV, which was on display at the 2009 Geneva Motor show in March, is expected to be launched as early as September this year. Tata’s EV will first be introduced in Norway, since the country has sufficient infrastructure in place to support the use of electric vehicles.
In addition to the Indica Vista EV, which has a 200km range, development work is also underway to produce an electric version of the Ace one-tonne light commercial vehicle – all of which indicates that Tata Motors is taking the green movement very seriously indeed. Who knows, you may even see a Nano EV in the near future? |
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Toyota Prius takes over as
the best-selling car in Japan
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We reported last month that the Honda Insight became the first hybrid vehicle to be named the best-selling car in Japan with sales of over 10,000 units for the month of April. Well, the month of May saw one hybrid supersede the other, as the all-new Toyota Prius took the top spot with a staggering 180,000 bookings in its first month alone.
Here are some of the reasons as to just why the new Prius has been so readily accepted – the new 1.8 liter VVT-i Atkinson-cycle petrol engine is not only more powerful, but also 10% more fuel efficient at over 30 kilometers to a liter. 90% of the components have been redesigned for a lighter, more compact and efficient hybrid system. Plus, the Prius features firsts such as solar powered ventilation, and a remote air-conditioning system. The system uses solar panels that are integrated into a sliding glass sunroof to power an electric fan, which circulates air in the cabin when the car’s parked in the sun. Furthermore, thanks to the power available from the Prius’s large capacity battery, the air-conditioning system, which can be activated via the key fob, can run for up to three minutes before the car is occupied.
Twelve years on from the launch of the original Prius, and the latest model ensures that no comfort is spared in eco-friendly motoring for the modern age. Toyota states that over 1.7 million of their hybrid vehicles have been sold all over the world, which accounts for 80% of total hybrid sales. They also claim that this has contributed to a reduction in automotive CO2 emissions of around 9 million tones.
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