International Engine of the Year awards reflect the ongoing revolution in automotive powertrain design
July 2, 2014
The key winners in this year’s International Engine of the Year awards once again reflect the revolution that is happening in automotive powertrain design, with a move towards global engine designs that make use of much smaller and more power dense configurations.
For the Powder Metallurgy industry, this revolution brings with it both opportunities and threats, with increased power density adding significantly more stress and demands on many of the current PM components. On the other hand, it is anticipated that many of the next generation engine systems will find new applications for PM components, offsetting many of the losses incurred with engine downsizing [1].
The 1.0 EcoBoost is used in the Ford Fiesta,
B-Max, Focus, C-Max, Grand C-Max, (100ps, 125ps),
EcoSport (125ps) and Tourneo Connect (100ps)
Ford’s 999cc three-cylinder Turbo Ecoboost unit, winner of International Engine of the Year 2014, is the first engine in the award’s 16-year history to successively win the title three years in a row.
An 82-strong panel of international experts judged the awards and winners were announced at a ceremony at the recent Engine Expo 2014 in Stuttgart, Germany.
The Ford Ecoboost variant has now won seven awards in just three years, and is found in a variety models including the Ford Fiesta, B-Max, Focus, C-Max, and the Tourneo Connect. The 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine is available in 125PS and 100PS versions.
“Ford’s triple has done the treble! No other engine has won the overall International Engine of the Year Awards for three successive years. This achievement not only cements the 1.0 EcoBoost’s place in the history books, but is proof that this is one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering,” stated Dean Slavnich, Editor of Engine Technology International and Co-Chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards.
The AMG 2l turbo is used in the A45 AMG, CLA45 AMG
and GLA45 AMG
Mercedes were presented with two awards at the ceremony, with its AMG 2-litre four-cylinder turbo engine (housed inside the A45 AMG, CLA45 AMG and GLA45 AMG) winning both the Best New Engine category and the 1.8 – 2.0 litre category. Sporting an output of 360ps at 6,000rpm and 450Nm of torque from 2,250-5,000rpm, the in-line turbo unit is the world’s most powerful four-cylinder in series production.
BMW also collected awards, winning the 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre category for the PSA 1.6-litre turbo and the 2.5-litre to 3-litre award for its Twin-Power Turbo.
US electric car maker Tesla won the Green Engine Award, becoming the first all-electric powertrain to win the award. Tesla’s win recognises the genuine importance that all-electric technology continues to play.
VolksWagen’s 1.4 TSI Twin Charger also made history, becoming the awards’ most celebrated engine ever, winning in the 1-1.4 litre category to bring its total haul to 13 awards since 2006.
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