Ashok Leyland forms new company, Albonair GmbH, to make exhaust after-treatment systems

Ashok Leyland has announced that it has formed a new company, Albonair GmbH, based in Dortmund, Germany. This company will develop and produce exhaust after-treatment systems for eco-friendly diesel engines. Georg Huethwohl, a pioneer in this technology, and Rene Ruedinger have been appointed as Albonair GmbH’s Managing Directors.

The compelling rationale for the formation of this company is that regulations for diesel exhaust emissions are getting increasingly stricter worldwide. In fact, Euro IV norms, currently in effect in Europe, are also expected to be introduced in India and China soon.

Albonair GmbH will engage in research and product development in after-treatment systems, with emphasis on design innovation and improved value being provided to customers.

‘We already had a group of scientists and technologists who were assisting us in our R&D efforts to develop vehicle emission treatment systems and products. Therefore, it made sense to start a company with them and formalise the working arrangement,’ said R Seshasayee, MD, Ashok Leyland.

While its Dortmund, Germany headquarters will be the company’s central hub for R&D, Albonair GmbH will also cater to the requirements of emerging markets. Regarding where it’ll actually manufacture its products, a decision will be made in the next few months.

Porsche Cayenne to go diesel in 2009

Ready for a diesel-engined Porsche SUV? What's the world coming to...

A diesel Porsche?! Well, it had to happen someday, so yes indeed, there’ll be a diesel-engined Cayenne in Porsche showrooms by March 2009. If Porsche can build an SUV – something that many consider the very antithesis of what the Porsche name used to stand for – then why not go the whole hog and build a diesel SUV. It only makes sense…

For its oil-burning Cayenne, Porsche is likely to source a 3.0-litre TDI diesel V6 from Audi. This engine will help Porsche offer an SUV that offers at least reasonable fuel economy, full emissions compliance worldwide and enough power to not discredit the Porsche name completely. Of course, expect the diesel Cayenne to also come to India - perhaps by end-2009.

And now that nothing’s sacrosanct anymore, what’s next? A diesel-powered Ferrari F480 MultiJet by 2012…?

Ford’s new engine plant in Chennai is now operational, will make 60,000 engines per annum

The new Ford facility in Chennai will initially make 1.4-litre diesel engines for the Fusion and the Fiesta

Ford India has started operations at its engine assembly plant near Chennai. The new plant will initially make 60,000 engines per annum, for the Ford Fiesta and Fusion models. Production will start with the Ford 1.4-litre Duratorq diesel engine.

‘This facility will help position Ford India as a strategic manufacturing hub for low displacement powertrain engines within our Asia Pacific and Africa region. The domestic assembly of these engines will facilitate quicker time-to-market response, and greatly enhance the efficiencies of our operations,’ said Michael Boneham, president and managing director of Ford India.

Ford makes no secret of the fact that it wants a much larger share of the Indian car market than it currently has. The new engine assembly plant will allow Ford to increase the local content in its diesel engines to nearly 50 percent, as a result of which the company will be able to compete more effectively in the fast growing diesel car market in India.

Ford, which started its India operations back in 1995, will invest US$500 million towards doubling its manufacturing capacity to 200,000 units by 2010, and also launch a small car to compete with Indian, Japanese, Italian and Korean car manufacturers.

BMW twin-turbo engine wins 2008 International Engine of the Year award

The BMW X6 is fitted with BMW's 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine, which is supposedly the best engine in the world!

A BMW 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine has won the International Engine of the Year title for the second year running. The powerful BMW mill uses turbocharging to achieve high power output from smaller displacement, uses less fuel and produces less CO2.

Another class-winner from BMW was its 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel unit, which makes 204 horsepower, and only sips 5.2 litres of fuel per 100km. This engine picked up the ‘Best New Engine of the Year’ award.

‘BMW rightly views these awards as the highest industry recognition of its outstanding achievements in engine technology and manufacturing. It is an honour for our 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine to have secured the highest accolade for the second year running, and we are truly delighted that so many of our other engines have been judged as class-leading,’ said Peter Langen, BMW’s director of powertrain.

The Tenth Annual International Engine of the Year Awards ceremony took place at the Engine Expo 2008 in Stuttgart, Germany, today. The event, one of the annual highlights of the worldwide automotive industry calendar, saw a total of 12 Awards given to manufacturers who have been judged to have achieved excellence in their powertrain engineering.

One of the judges for the awards, which are judged by 65 motoring journalists from 32 countries from four continents, includes Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India magazine.

International Engine of the Year Awards 2008: Winners

Best New Engine of 2008
BMW 2.0-litre Diesel Twin-Turbo (123d)

Green Engine of the Year
Toyota 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius)

Best Performance Engine
Porsche 3.6-litre Turbo (911 Turbo, 911 GT2)

Sub 1.0-litre
Toyota 1.0-litre (Aygo, Yaris, Peugeot 107, Citroën C1, Subaru Justy)

1.0-litre to 1.4-litre
Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf, Touran, Tiguan, Jetta)

1.4-litre to 1.8-litre
BMW-PSA 1.6-litre Turbo (MINI Cooper S, Clubman, Peugeot 207, 308)

1.8-litre to 2.0-litre
Volkswagen/Audi 2.0-litre Turbo (A3, A4 Cabrio, A6, TT, Eos, Jetta, Golf GTi, Seat Altea, Leon, Skoda Octavia)

2.0-litre to 2.5-litre
Subaru 2.5-litre Turbo (Forester, Impreza, Outback, Legacy)

2.5-litre to 3.0-litre
BMW 3.0-litre Twin-Turbo (135, 335, X6)

3.0-litre to 4.0-litre
BMW 4.0-litre V8 (M3)

Above 4.0-litre
BMW 5.0-litre V10 (M5, M6)

International Engine of the Year 2008
BMW 3.0-litre Twin-Turbo (135, 335, X6)

Ford plans to make India its APA hub for engines

Ford India will start making engines for export to Asia-Pacific and Africa regions, within the next two years

Ford India plans to make India its strategic manufacturing hub for engines in the Asia Pacific and Africa (APA) region. Ford will export petrol and diesel engines from India to South Africa and other countries in the APA region in the next two years. From the current 60,000 engines per annum, Ford India wants to increase its engine production capacity in Chennai to 250,000 engines per annum. This is part of Ford’s strategy to invest Rs 2,000 crore, to increase the production of engines and vehicles in India by the year 2010.

Michael Boneham, the new president and MD at Ford India, says that Ford wants to source engines from India for adjoining markets. He said that while locally-produced engines are already meeting all of Ford India’s domestic requirements, the company wants to start exporting engines in the next phase of expansion. The company wants to take advantage of India’s low-cost operations, and produce engines that are price competitive around the world.

With it market share in India having fallen to 19% in FY08, Ford India also wants to introduce new cars in the Indian market, and implement new marketing strategy to improve its position in the Indian market. For this, the company may look at introducing the brand-new Fiesta and its other global cars in India, to take on the likes of Toyota, Honda, Skoda and Hyundai.

Greaves Cotton to start making diesel engines for four-wheeler good carriers

Greaves Cotton Ltd (GCL) has announced that it would start making diesel engines for four-wheeler goods-carriers. The company already makes diesel engines for three-wheelers, but according to P Sachdev, MD and CEO, GCL, ‘The three-wheeler goods carrying segment suffers setbacks because of high interest rates, inflation and lack of credit. To ensure growth, we have to enter other segments like the four-wheeler goods carriers.’

Sachdev also said the company would set up a new unit in Gummudipoondi (about 50km from Chennai) to make petrol engines for specialised vehicles, at an outlay of Rs 100 million.