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GM bringing 1.4L Turbo I4 to North American cars

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Old Jan 28, 2008 | 10:44 AM
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GM bringing 1.4L Turbo I4 to North American cars

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/28/g...ket-next-year/

This would be a cool engine for the Cobalt and Aveo
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 10:55 AM
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I wonder how much over 100hp this will produce
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 10:57 AM
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Highlights

From the page:

Edit: apparently, this is for naturaly-aspirated 1.4L engine not the turbo version

90 horsepower at 5600 RPM, 92 lb-ft of torque at 4000 RPM, and gets 38.5 US miles per

Last edited by muckz; Jan 28, 2008 at 11:47 AM.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 10:58 AM
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You mean too say we may just get that turbo Aveo I've been asking for?
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:07 AM
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From Automotive News:

DETROIT — Never mind fuel cells, plug-ins or diesels. To achieve quick improvements in fuel economy, General Motors is adopting an off-the-shelf technology: small engines with turbochargers.

Next year GM will introduce a turbocharged 1.4-liter gasoline engine for small U.S. cars. The Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Astra are candidates for the engine, which is available without a turbocharger in the European Opel Astra.

GM engineering chief Jim Queen confirmed the company's plans to use the powertrain and said it could be used in mid-sized vehicles, too.

"You're going to see turbocharged four-cylinders in vehicles that no one could have ever imagined that they would be in," he said.

Queen did not indicate where the engines would be made or predict their fuel economy. The 2008 Cobalt with its 2.2-liter engine gets 33 mpg highway and 24 city.

Automakers find turbochargers a cost-effective way to improve fuel economy. This month Ford Motor Co. announced its EcoBoost system, a turbocharged gasoline engine with direct injection.

Next year EcoBoost will debut on the Lincoln MKS sedan. By 2012, Ford expects to have as many as 500,000 EcoBoost vehicles on the road in North America.

The 1.4-liter turbocharged engine is small by U.S. standards.

With its 1.6-liter powertrain, the Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo currently has the smallest GM engine sold in the United States. The Saturn Astra has a 1.8-liter engine.

Turbochargers could cost GM $200 to $450 per vehicle depending on the system's sophistication, said Jim Hall, director of industry analysis at 2953 Analytics in suburban Detroit.
Bring it on, I say - the LNA is a shining example of what such an engine can provide. I'd love to see this engine in a Malibu or Aura, for example.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:26 AM
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I also liked this part:

Turbochargers could cost GM $200 to $450 per vehicle depending on the system's sophistication, said Jim Hall, director of industry analysis at 2953 Analytics in suburban Detroit.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:27 AM
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Originally Posted by muckz
From the page:
The 90 horses is for the Naturally Aspirated version already on the road in Europe. For the new turbo it just says "over one hundred."

Dubbed the 1.4 Twinport Ecotec, the Euro-spec NA version makes 90 horsepower at 5600 RPM, 92 lb-ft of torque at 4000 RPM, and gets 38.5 US miles per gallon in the combined cycle. With a snail attached, the little 1.4L should easily corral over one hundred horses.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:31 AM
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100hp would be perfect for the new Aveo5. (The Aveo currently has 103hp.) However, I'm sketchy as to whether 100hp will be enough for the Cobalt not to feel sluggish. (It currently has 148hp with the base 2.2L Ecotec.) For Malibu, it would be even worse. (Base 2.4L Ecotec has 169hp.)

Personally, I'd like to see the 2.0L turbo Ecotec (260hp) offered in the Malibu with the A6. But maybe that's just me.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:32 AM
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Woohoo 100 HP cars! People love cars that can not get out of thier own way. It really needs to at least make 130 hp if it goes in the cobalts. They base ones are already under powered.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:34 AM
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Originally Posted by Eric Bryant
From Automotive News:



Bring it on, I say - the LNA is a shining example of what such an engine can provide. I'd love to see this engine in a Malibu or Aura, for example.
I don't know, if it is going to get just over 100 hp I think it would be a big joke to most people to put that engine in a car the size of a Malibu.

The Aveo would be the only car I could see it going into even tough it already has 103hp but maybe the economy is a lot better?
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:38 AM
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Originally Posted by 92RS shearn
The Aveo would be the only car I could see it going into even tough it already has 103hp but maybe the economy is a lot better?
Euro-spec NA version makes 90 horsepower at 5600 RPM, 92 lb-ft of torque at 4000 RPM, and gets 38.5 US miles per gallon in the combined cycle.
At this point I agree. However I see where GM is going with this. 38.5mpg combined will go along way to help CAFE. They need to place these in volume vehicles so the can sell more Camaros, Corvettes and other vehicles that get less than 35 mpg combined.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:42 AM
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If they make cars lighter, they will get better MPG.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:47 AM
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It costs less to pump up HP than it does to lighten cars. The goverment keeps telling Manufactors to create heavier cars with better MPG.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Evilfrog
Woohoo 100 HP cars! People love cars that can not get out of thier own way. It really needs to at least make 130 hp if it goes in the cobalts. They base ones are already under powered.
Underpowered for what? I don't rev at anyone in stoplights, but I've never really felt that the 2.2 was underpowered for a daily driver. It's vastly lacking for a sports car, but when compared to the majority of cars in its size and price class it's competitive.

In reality, 140 horsepower is only "underpowered" because the family sedans like Accord and Camry that had 100 horsepower themselves 10 years ago now push 300 and do sub six second 0-60 times. You don't need that kind of power in a family car/commuter. I know everyone will probably disagree with me and say how we're going back to cars that "won't get out of their own way" but if I can have a daily driver that goes 0-60 in 11 seconds and gets 30 MPG city in order to still have V8 sports cars like Corvette, Camaro, and Mustang on the road, I can live with that. And I think we might as well, because that's where we're headed.

Sadly cars aren't going to get lighter any time soon. With all of the safety features that are required now. light means exotic materials, aluminum, Carbon Fiber, which means very expensive.
Old Jan 28, 2008 | 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Evilfrog
Woohoo 100 HP cars! People love cars that can not get out of thier own way. It really needs to at least make 130 hp if it goes in the cobalts. They base ones are already under powered.
If they get 90HP N/A, a Turbo should be good for at least another 40%. That would mean ~ 126HP. A Cobalt could deal with that. Just look at 80/90's compact cars. Plus this end of the market is looking for value and economy, you have the 260HP 2.0L Turbo SS for the performance crowd.



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