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Turbocharged vehicles are no longer associated with just high-performance models, and that is driving sales numbers up. 

Almost a third of new vehicles on dealer lots will be turbocharged by 2018 according to a major supplier of automotive turbochargers.

Last year, a new refrigerant was at the center of controversy when Daimler raised concerns about it igniting on the hot surface of an engine.

Recently, engineers at Mercedes-Benz were shocked when a new refrigerant being tested ignited into a ball of fire before their very eyes.

Turbochargers are increasingly common as automakers seek to maximize performance while striving for efficiency.

Traditionally, the most effective way of combining performance and fuel economy is via turbocharging; the idea being that using exhaust gas to produce boost and hence greater air volumes, results in the driver having performance on demand.

While forced induction has long been in favor in the rest of the world, Americans have often favored big displacement motors, but recent trends towards fuel economy have necessitated a shift to smaller motors, and turbocharging is considered the optimal way to stretch 4-cylinders into feeling like 6.

Turbocharging is moving away from the performance sphere and into the mainstream as companies seek to get more power and fuel economy from smaller displacement engines.

Ford is set to release a revolutionary new 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo-diesel engine for its line of Super Duty F-Series trucks in 2011. The all-new engine promises a, “significant improvement in torque, horsepower and fuel economy,” says Ford in a press release, stating that this new F-Series Super Duty would continue to be a class leader in both payload and towing.