Regulatory Pressure Boosting Turbocharger Sales

While the Mad Dash to Improve Fuel economy is expected to double global demand for turbocharged engines by 2013, unit sales of turbochargers will triple, says a top technology supplier.

“Fuel economy will be a primary driver behind powertrain development for years to come,” BorgWarner Inc. Chairman and CEO Tim Manganello tells a forum at the World Congress.

Turbocharging is one means of improving fuel economy without compromising performance — still a key consumer demand. And the proliferation of twin-turbo engines, such as BMW AG's 3.0L I-6, is behind the projected hike in unit sales, says Manganello, whose forecast is consistent with recent trends.

From '06 to '07, U.S. installation rates for turbocharged engines increased 0.7% to 2.3%, Ward's data shows.

Unlike BMW's spark-ignition twin-turbo I-6, which aligns one blower with cylinders 1-3 and the other with cylinders 4-6, Manganello says most future applications will be in series, with turbos of disparate sizes. The smaller one will spool up first, allowing time for the larger unit to kick in, he says.

Regulatory pressure also will boost technologies such as gasoline direct injection and dual-clutch gearboxes, he says.

Featured in 1.9 million engines globally in 2007, direct injection will be found in 7.5 million engines annually by 2013, allowing for engine downsizing without power loss, he says.

BMW Offers Blow-by-Blow on New Turbo Development
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