Toyota Releases Photos, Some Details on New Powertrains

Toyota releases photos of its new range of powertrains to complement its Toyota New Global Architecture platform.

Deployment of the new engines and transmissions claiming “significant improvements in driving and environmental performance” will begin with ’17-model vehicles.

Improvements claimed are low center of gravity, high-speed combustion and efficient, multi-gear transmissions, while modular designs create standardized structures to establish a foundation for the future manufacturing of “well-built cars.”

Toyota says the new engines and transmissions achieve about 10% more power and 20% better fuel economy. Newcomers:

A member of what has been dubbed the Dynamic Force Engines range, this claims one of the world’s highest thermal efficiency levels – 40% when used in a gas-powered vehicle, 41% when used in a hybrid vehicle. It features many new technologies, including precise control to secure highly responsive performance and the generation of ample torque at all speeds.

Toyota has developed two new automatic transmissions: the 8-speed Direct Shift-8AT and the 10-speed Direct Shift-10AT. Both use a new surface coating to achieve a lower friction coefficient when the gears engage. By optimizing the configuration of the friction material inside the clutch, clutch torque loss during rotation has been reduced about 50%, compared with a conventional 6-speed transmission.

Also, wider gears combine with a new high-performance, compact torque converter to give a broader gear lock-up range. The Direct Shift-10AT claims “among the world’s quickest” changes with the use of close-ratio gears.

Toyota Hybrid System II.

Toyota claims reduced size and weight plus loss-reduction technologies used in the fourth-generation Prius improve its hybrid system for the new 2.5L engines. The new, high-performance Multistage THS-II also is applicable to rear-drive vehicles. It claims improved system efficiency at high speeds and it makes intermittent use of the engine possible, further improving fuel economy.

The system for plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs) also has been enhanced with a dual-mode system that allows the electric motor, previously used only as a generator, to provide direct-drive power-boosting performance even when the vehicle is operating in all-electric EV mode. A high-capacity lithium-ion battery brings further benefits, helping increase the driving range in EV mode to 37 miles (60 km) or more.

In the five years through 2021, Toyota plans to introduce 17 versions of nine engines, including the 2.5L; 10 versions of four transmissions, including multi-geared automatic transmissions and a new kind of continuously variable transmission; and 10 versions of six hybrid systems.