Toyota Developing Cheaper, More Efficient Engine Family
Toyota has focused much of its time and energy into hybrid powertrains, but now the Japanese automaker will pour its R&D money into its base engines in an effort to make them cheaper to produce and more efficient to run.
The brand’s plan involves creating many common traits between engines to reduce production costs. That means attributes like the bore, stroke, combustion cycle, and valve timing will be common, along with components such as cylinder heads, cam-shafts and even the engine block. Making these parts transferable between all of the engines means that Toyota will be able to cut production costs by 50 percent
On the efficiency front, many of the engines will use fuel injection and turbocharging, while Toyota is also investigating exhaust gas recirculation systems and stop-start as other potential options for saving fuel. When its all said done, Toyota says that these new engines will be 30 percent more efficient that their current engines.
SEE ALSO: 2016 Toyota Prius to Offer Two Battery Choices, AWD
The new engines are all part of Toyota’s new approach to building vehicles, dubbed Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), which is looking to the future when sales will exceed 10 million vehicles every year. The approach is all about the standardization of parts across the lineup to reduce production costs while increasing output.
The first TNGA car coming to North America will be the new Prius, due in late 2015, followed closely by the new Camry which may arrive in 2016. Both cars will ride on all-new TNGA platforms.
[Source: Auto News]
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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