World Top 10 September 2013

"I'm Back, Baby!" - says the Outlander PHEV

Models - Mitsu Outlander is back

Profiting from a full month sales, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV continues to recover and is now looking to get the #5 Zoe.

In the remaining ranking, the C-Max Energi is tied in #7 with the Renault Kangoo ZE, both have 4.422 units, while the #10 Ford Fusion Energi is closing in to the #9 Mitsu I-Miev. 

Not present in this ranking, but worth noticing, the Volvo V60 Plug-In achieved a brilliant #6 position in September, mostly thanks to their success in the Netherlands.

PlWORLDSept.YTD%'12Pl
1Nissan Leaf4.73933.106253
2Chevrolet Volt (1)2.07319.997151
3Tesla Model S2.06214.850117
4Toyota Prius Plug-In1.64914.021112
5Renault Zoe5806.566528
6Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV7725.8554N/A
7Ford C-Max Energi7684.42239
7Renault Kangoo ZE6304.42236
9Mitsubishi I-Miev (2)2103.67235
10Ford Fusion Energi7553.4023N/A

TOTAL17.119132.727


Manufacturers - Volvo Jumps to #8

In the Manufacturers ranking, while the top spots remain stable, in the bottom positions we assist to a surprise appearance, with Volvo coming outside of the Top Ten to a surprising #8, surpassing BYD, Smart and Chery in just one month.


PlWORLDSept.YTD%'12Pl
1Nissan4.73233.106253
2Chevrolet2.15120.307151
3Toyota1.84615.001112
4Tesla2.06214.861119
5Renault1.48314.249114
6Mitsubishi1.14011.31695
7Ford8799.25477
8Volvo7972.513216
9Chery e)2002.40026
10Smart3242.221215





(1) - Includes Holden Volt, Opel and Vauxhall Ampera;
(2) - Includes Citröen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn.
(e) - Estimate


Questions for October

1 - Which model will be #2 in October?

2 - Which model will be #7?

3 - Can Toyota hold on to #3?

4 - How will Mitsubishi behave?

5 - Can Volvo repeat the #8 of September?



Technology focus - Engine Downsizing and Downspeeding


You may have heard the term – Engine Downsizing. It’s a hot topic in the automotive world and many car manufacturers are hurriedly developing ‘downsized’ engines to meet current and future emission regulations. Some, like VW are already ahead of the game and have these engines in production to buy today. But what does this concept actually mean? What are the benefits to this approach? And what are the technical challenges? 


Improved fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions are the major challenge faced by vehicle manufacturers developing future passenger car powertrains. Gasoline engine downsizing is the process whereby the speed / load operating point is moved to a more efficient operating region (at higher load) through the reduction of engine capacity, whilst maintaining the full load performance via pressure charging. Downsizing concepts based on turbocharged, direct injection engines are a very cost effective solution. The most significant technical challenges for such fuel efficient turbocharged GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) are providing the required low end torque and in addition,  a suitable transient response to give the required levels of engine flexibility and drivability.




Fig 1 - What is downsizing?

In downsized engines, by applying a refined single stage charging concept, the full engine torque can be available as low as 1250 rpm. This can be combined with a specific power of 80kW/l. With the use of dual stage boosting, High torque, with a specific power > 140 kW/l is achievable. In conjunction with some other new technologies - exhaust cooling, cooled external EGR at high load - this results in a significant improvement of the real world fuel economy. In addition, efficient spray guided, stratified charge systems are utilised to gain further improvements. The overall goal is to create an engine with excellent high load performance and durability, and to operate the engine in this high-load region as much of the time as possible. The combination of GDI and turbo charging, implemented on a small displacement engine, is the good basis to combine high real world fuel economy with an acceptable performance - even under a stringent CO2-scenario.



Fig 2 - Downsized engine - torque/speed/fuel consumption - development over time

Why Downsize?
In the past gasoline engines were perceived as a very cost effective Powertrain solution. Emissions were not that important as long as three way catalyst technology was used to ‘mop up’ the exhaust. Fuel economy was not really the primary target. If you wanted good fuel economy, you’d buy a diesel! But, on the other hand, diesel engines needed considerable technological effort in order to meet emission legislation, and diesel engine developers were allowed to introduce rather costly technologies in order to meet these emission targets.  The key word was: “emission is a must; low fuel consumption is nice to have”. In current times, there’s a new direction, and that is CO2 reduction.  This discussion is significantly enhanced by a penalty tax for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) not meeting future CO2 limits. Now as CO2 is seen as a harmful emission, gasoline engine developers get a chance to invest in some fuel economy technology. With Gasoline engines in particular, downsizing/downspeeding concepts based on turbocharged GDI, seem to be in pole position for the race of the most accepted technology for reducing fuel consumption - whilst keeping the additional benefit of performance and drivability (when compared to a traditional diesel).




Fig 3 - The technical challenges to achieving a downsized engine concept can be considerable

Technology and Challenges of Downsizing
So what are the technical aspects of a downsized engine?  It’s a small engine that produces high power. So, it’s operating much closer to the thermal and physical limits of the materials used in construction of the major engine components. It needs to have the following attributes:
  • A well designed combustion system that allows high compression ratios to promote efficiency
  • It needs to have excellent low speed torque, as most of the engine power is produced via the torque – like a diesel engine
  • It needs to have good, transient response to give an appealing performance to fulfil driver expectations
  • Good fuel economy – reduced requirements for full load enrichment
  • Very robust and durable base engine design
In order to achieve the above engine profile, there are a number of technologies in development and use. They can be used in combination with each other, or in conjunction with other technologies for CO2 reduction (like mild-hybridisation and start/stop) - some of the technologies specifically involved in a 'downsized' engine package are:

  • Direct Gasoline Injection
  • Turbo and super charging
  • Cooled EGR
  • Active Exhaust cooling
  • Variable valve timing


Fig 4 - Cooled turbocharger housing - no need to run rich to control high exhaust temperatures, thus saving fuel (Source: AVL)


Downspeeding
This is another similar approach, often mentioned in the same context as downsizing. It involves moving the most frequently used engine operating point, to where it is more efficient (as downsizing does, but in this case, lower speed instead of higher load). At lower engine speed, a higher torque is needed to maintain the required power. The advantage of low speed operation is that friction losses are reduced (due to lower rubbing speeds between components). In addition, this concept provides real fuel savings as fuel consumption efficiency often increases with lower engine speed. The technical challenge is that high torque means high load on all engine components, this increases material costs to cope with these loads. Also, Down speed engines need to have a fast torque build up, in order to meet the requirements for transient response. This requires as a minimum pressure charging, and in addition, perhaps some other technical approach to be able to produce the required torque – for example, electrical assisted Powertrain, or electrical assist for the turbo/supercharger.

De-rating
Another less common but viable alternative to downsizing is de-rating, especially for diesel engines. De-rating means to limit the power output of a given engine design - that is, not going to the specific power extremes of the design (power density typically limited at ~ 45 kW/L). The advantage here is that this lessens the requirement for a sophisticated engine design with expensive high-end components, due to lower PFP (peak firing pressure). Of course, for such de-rating concepts, viability has to be investigated with respect to the expected production volume, costs, image, regional market aspects, etc. - these factors all have to be taken into consideration.



Fig 5 - Comparison of concepts downsizing vs. de-rating (Source: AVL)

De-rating also offers the potential of commonality between Gasoline & Diesel engine family production. With increased number of common parts with gasoline engines, this leads to increased production volumes and consequently lower cost.

Summary
It’s a fact that downsizing is the current way forward; you can see in the market that most manufacturers have, or are currently developing, engines with lower displacements and better CO2 figures - maintaining the same power density. That’s all fine – if we can squeeze more out of an engine, increase its efficiency whilst maintaining durability, then that’s a win-win all round.
Developments in material technology and engine design have facilitated this opportunity, but future powertrains will need more than just smaller displacements to achieve forthcoming emission regulations, without sacrificing the driving experience.

So, downsizing and down speeding will be adopted in conjunction with other technologies. The reason is the smaller engines produce less torque, even highly boosted smaller engines, and the market will not accept ‘sluggish’ vehicles in today’s modern traffic. As we move towards micro and mild hybrids, and start/stop technology, the electric motor, as a torque supporting element becomes even more viable! An electric motor can produces full torque at low speed, and for short time torque boosting, is an ideal option to fill the gap in future downsized powertrains.


10:11:00 AM

Automotive technology

Automotive

Labels

1904 Columbus 1940 Ford 1964 Worlds Fair 1969 Camaro 1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee 2014 2016 Sales 2017 The Bad 8 2017 The Good 12 3 wheeler 4 G 407 407 ex2 427 AC Cobra 440 six pack 442 4x 4x4 55 Chevy 57 Chevy 5th wheel AAR abandoned abs abuse by law enforcement AC Cobra Acadian accessories accident Acoustic processing Active noise control (ANC) Acura Acura Reviews adaptive cruise control ADAS Adobe AIR ads adventurers advertising aerodynamics Aircraft engines airlines airplane Airstream Alfa Alfa Romeo Alfa-Romeo All Cars Rankings All SUV Rankings All Vehicle Rankings Alpina Alpine AMBR winner ambulance AMC America's greatest photographers American LaFrance amphib AMX AMX-3 Andorra Andrew Poliak Android Andy Gryc anti lock braking system App World Apps Arab-Supercar area controller Ariel-Nomad ARM-based devices art Art Arfons Art Deco artist Asset management system Aston Martin Aston-Martin atv auction Audi Audi Reviews audio Augmented reality Austin Austin Healey Australia Austria Auto Accident Attorney auto car donate auto car donation Auto Donate Auto Donation California Auto hobby books Auto Sales By Brand auto show Auto Story in Pictures Wednesday auto taxi Autocar automobile automobile donation AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE automobile parts automobile safety system automobule donate Autonomous cars Awards awesome B 29 B 52 BAIC Baja racing Baker banners barn find barn finds barnfind barnfinds Barracuda Barris barum BatBerry Batman Batteries battery beautiful engine Beautiful paint before and after Belgium Bello's belly tanker Bentley Best Sellers Best Selling American Cars Best Selling Cars Best Selling Luxury Best Selling SUVs Best Selling Trucks Best Selling Vehicles bicycle bicycles Big 3 Swap Meet big wheel bike messengers bike rack biofuel biography BlackBerry BlackBerry Radar BlackBerry-QNX blink code blink code checkup blink code error blink code troubleshooting Blog blogs BMW BMW Audi Mercedes Benz Daimler jeep GM toyota Chrysler VW volkswagon nissan infiniti ford unique rare Bntley boardtrack Boats boattail Bonneville book review bookmobile Boss 302 Boss 429 brake brakes braking system Brand Marketshare brass era breedlove Brewster Brian Salisbury Bricklin bridge British Britten brochure Bugatti Buick Bulgaria burnout bus Buses buying selling cash tips money advice BYD c C-type Jag Cadillac Cadillac Reviews Camaro Can Am Canada Canada 2016 Sales Canada All Cars Rankings Canada All SUV Rankings Canada All Vehicle Rankings Canada Auto Sales Canada Auto Sales By Brand Canada Best Sellers Canada Compact Car Sales Canada December 2016 Canada Entry Luxury Car Sales Canada February 2017 Canada January 2017 Canada Large Car Sales Canada Large Luxury Car Sales Canada Large Luxury SUV Sales Canada Large SUV Sales Canada March 2017 Canada Midsize Car Sales Canada Midsize Luxury Car Sales Canada Midsize Luxury SUV Sales Canada Midsize SUV Sales Canada Minivan Sales Canada November 2016 Canada October 2016 Canada Premium Sporty Car Sales Canada September 2016 Canada Small Luxury SUV Sales Canada Small SUV Sales Canada Sporty Car Sales Canada Truck Sales Canada Van Sales Canada Worst Sellers car care car chase scene car clubs car collections car collectors Car Donate car donate california car donation Car Donations California Car or the Future car wash carbs carrozzeria cart caterpillar tracked vehicle CCS celebrities celebrity Certicom CES CESA 2012 CESA 3.0 Chademo Challenger Chaparral Charger Charity Charity auction charity car donation Charity Car Donation Program Charity Car With Your Credit Card cheating Checker Chery Chevelle Chevrolet Chevrolet Reviews Chevy 2 China chopper Christian Sobottka Christie Christmas Chrysler Citroen Citroën classics cleaning clip Cloud connectivity CO2 Cobra Cobra Daytona Coupe Cobra Mustang Cobra Torino COE Cogent collection collector College Colombia commercial common rail direct injection Compact Car Sales companies comparison compliment components components of anti-lock braking system concept Concept car Concept team Connected Car construction Consumer Electronics Show consumers Contest convertible Coronet Corvair corvette Corvettes Costa Rica coupe coventry cragar crash crde crdi Croatia Crosley crossover Cruise 4 Kids crypto cryptography CTS Cuda Cunningham Curtiss Aerocar Custom customer satisfaction cutaway display cycle car Cyclone Cyprus Czech Republic dacia Daihatsu Dan Gurney dart Datsun Daytona ddis DDS dealers Dealership Dean Martin December 2016 Degree delivery truck Delorean Delphi Demon Denmark Derek Kuhn design deuce devices Dick Landy dicor Digital instrument clusters digital spark ignition Diner with car theme direction injection Disney display diy Dodge domain controller Donate Donate A Car Tax Deduction Donate Automobile To Charity Donate Car To Charity Tax Deduction Donate Vehicles To Charity donation donation auto car donation vehicles to charity Doug Newcomb Drag racing drag strip Dragonsnake dragsters DREAM drifting Driven Driver distraction driving assistance drunk driver DS dtsi dual carbs dual engined dualie Ducati dump truck dvla E-type Jag ECC economy ECU Ecuador electric electric car Electric cars electromagnetic brake Elliptic Curve Cryptography EMF Emil Dautovic Endurance racing engine engine accessories Engine sound enhancement engines Entry Luxury Car Sales enzo Erskine Essex estate Estonia etc EUCAR Europe EV Business Case Evel Knievel event experience experiment extreme sports video F1 Factor-Aurelio Factory lightweight Factory race car Fairlane Falcon Fast boot Fast-Charging FCA FCEV February 2017 Ferrari Fiat Fiat Botafogo finance Finland fips fire engine fire fighting fire trucks Firebird Firestone firetrucks Fisker flamejob fleet management Ford ford escort Ford Reviews Fordson tractor Forecasts FOTA found around the neighborhood France Franklin Free Car Donation Freescale french fuel fuel injection fuel injection system Fuel Tanker fuel-cell fun Funny car Futurliner gadgets Galpin Ford game garage garner gas mileage gas stations Gasser Gauges GCBC Awards GCBC Most Popular Geely Gene Winfield General Motors German Germany give your car to charity GM GM MyLink GNX Go cart good news Goodwood Goodyear gourmet food vans GPU Graham Gran Prix Grand National Roadster Show 2017 Grand Sport Corvette Graph Great Wall Motors Greece green Green car Gremlin GT GT 350 GT 40 GT 500 gt40 GTO GTX Gulf race car Gullwing Guy Martin Hands-free systems Harley Harley Davidson hauler Hawaii helicopter hemi hemmings Hennessey Henry J hero Hertz hire Hispano-Suiza historical history HMIs Holden Hollywood Holman Moody Honda Honda Reviews Honda Sales Hong Kong Hood ornaments hood scoops Horizon 2020 horse carriage horse wagon host blog info about auto Hot rods Hot Wheels Housekeeping How To Donate How To Donate A Car For Tax Deduction How To Donate Car To Charity how to donation car to charity HRM HTML5 Hudson Hummer humor humour Humvee Hungary Hupmobile Hurst Hurst SC Rambler hybrid Hybrid cars hydrogen hypervisor Hyundai Hyundai Reviews Ian Roussel Iceland ID4 Car ignition IIoT immitation Impala india Indian Indianapolis industry news infiniti Infiniti Reviews Info infographic informative Infotainment Injury Lawyer Innotrans innova innovation innovative instrument panel insurance intake Intel interior International Harvester Internet of Things Internet radio invitation IoT Ireland iris iris details iris engine details iris technical Isetta Iskenderian Isky Isle of Man ISO 26262 Israel issues Isuzu Italian Italy ITS ITU IVI Jaguar January 2017 Japan Japanese Javelin Jay Leno Jean-François Tarabbia Jeep Jeep Wrangler JLR John D'Agostino John Deere John Wall Justin Moon jv Kaivan Karimi Kandi kawasaki Ken Block Kerry Johnson Kia kids Kim Cairns Kissel Kombi Kroy Zeviar Kurtis La Carrera Panamerica lace paint Lamborghini Lamborghini Revuelto Lancia Land Cruiser Land Rover Land Rover Sales land speed record holder Land-Rover Large Car Sales Large Luxury Car Sales Large Luxury SUV Sales Large SUV Sales Larry Wood LaSalle Latvia launch law enforcement lawnmower laws Le Mans legends Leno Lexus license plates Lidar Life Insurance limited Lincoln Lincoln MKZ Linda Campbell Linda Vaughn links lists Lithuania live Loans Locomobile logging train logging trucks Lola London to Brighton Looking for EV's Los Angeles Lotus lowrider LSR Luxembourg luxury Lyft Lynn Gayowski Mach 1 machine shop Mack Mad Max magazine magazines magic iris mags Malaysia March 2017 Mario Andretti Mark Donohue marketing Marketshare Maserati Matt Watson Maverick Mazda Mazda Reviews MB McLaren mechanic Megan Alink meme Memory Lane Men Micro Mercedes Mercedes Benz Mercedes-Benz Mercer Cobra Mercury Metallica Metro Mexico Miata microkernal Midsize Car Sales Midsize Luxury Car Sales Midsize Luxury SUV Sales Midsize SUV Sales Military Miller race car mini mini bike miniature Minivan Sales MirrorLink mission-critical Mitsubishi Miura MMI Mobile connectivity Mobile World Congress mod top Model Model A model T modifications Momo Monaco Monster Truck Moon Moon eyes Mopar Mopar parts Morgan Morocco morons mot Motor shows motor wheel Motorcycle Motorcycles motorhomes Mouse movie movies mpv Multicore Munsters Muntz muscle cars musclecars museum music video Mustang NAIAS Nancy Young Nascar Nash Navigation naza neglec neglected Netherlands new tv show New York New Zealand news ni Nissan Nissan Reviews Nomad Norway nos nose art Nova November 2016 Nurburgring Object Management group October 2016 off roading offenhauser Oldsmobile OMG Online College OnStar Opel Open source Open standards OpenGL ES option orders original owner Ormond Beach land speed racing pace car Packard Pagani Paige pamphlet panel paint Paris to Peking race parking parts Patryk Fournier Paul Leroux Paul Newman Paul Sykes Pebble Beach pedal car perodua personal Peter McCarthy petrol petroliana Peugeot Phoenix Injury photographer photography pics pictures Pierce Arrow Pike's Peak Pinin Farina pinstriping Pit row Pits Pixar PKI plank road PlayBook Plymouth Point Grey Camera Poland pole wheel police Polysynch Pontiac Porsche Porsche 917 Porsche Carrera Portugal POSIX pre 1930's gas station Premium Sporty Car Sales President of the USA Preview prices prius project prooject Proton prototype PSA Peugeot Citroen public key cryptography Pullman QNX QNX CAR QNX Garage QNX OS Qualcomm quiz quote race cars racing racing. LSR Radar radio Raid Data rail railcars railroad ralliart Rally rallying Ram range rover rant Rapid Transit System advertsing rare Real time Innovations recall recommended shop record setter Red Bull Sports Reference vehicle Reliability Rémi Bastien RemoteLink Renault Renesas Renntransporter rentals REO repair reports resarch research restoration restoration shop review Richard Bishop Ridler Award Winner rims river bank cars road and highway Road Runner roadster Robot OS Robot wars Roewe Roger Penske Rolls Royce Romain Saha Romania ROS Roth RTI RTI Connext rumble seat Russia Ruxton RV Safety Safety systems safety-certified sales Sales By Model Sales Stats samba sampan Saoutchik Satellite satnav Scaglietti scallops Scat Pack SCCA racecar School bus sci-fi Scooter SCORE Baja trucks Scott Pennock Scout sculpture Security sedan segway semi sensor extension cable sensor fusion September 2016 service service repair automotive vehicle car buying selling mission statement blog free broker shay drive locomotive Shelby shifter shop Show cars sidecars signs skateboarding Skoda slicks slingshot dragster Slovakia Slovenia Small Luxury SUV Sales Small SUV Sales Smart Smartphones snow machines snowmobile Soapbox South Africa South Korea Sox and Martin Spain spare tire spark ignition spark plug spark plugs Spatial auditory displays special edition Mustangs Speech interfaces speed limit Speed Record speedfest speedster sports car sports cars Sporty Car Sales spy shots spyker Sri Lanka SS SS/AH Stagecoach Stanley Station Wagon steam locomotive steam powered steam shovel steampunk steering wheel Steve McQueen Stig Stirling Moss Stolen streamliner street cars Street Van studebaker stunt stunts Stutz Stutz Blackhawk Subaru Sunbeam Super Bee Super Stock Superbird Supercar supercharger survey suv Suzuki Sweden Swift Switzerland System development Life Cycle Tablets Tach takeover tank tata tata magic iris tata vehicles tax Tax Deduction For Car Donation taxi taxi cab TCS tdi teardrop technical technology Telematics Telematics Detroit Telematics Update tempo Tempo Matador Terlingua Racing Team Terry Staycer Tesla test testdrive Texas Instruments The Race Of Gentlemen Thomas Bloor thoughts three wheeler Thunderbird ticket Tiger Tim Neil Tina Jeffrey tips tires tool tool kit toolbox tools Top Gear top ten list Torino tour bus tourbus towtruck Toyota Toyota Entune Toyota Reviews tractor trailer train train wreck trains Trans Am transmission Transporter Traval trike Triumph trivia trolley Troy Trepanier truck Truck Sales trucking trucks Tucker turbocharger turbojet turbonique Turkey tv tv cars twin spark type 1 type 2 tyres UAE Uber UK UK Auto Sales UK Best Sellers uk market Ukraine Unimog unique University of Waterloo Unser unusual unveil upgrade US US 2016 Sales US All Cars Rankings US All SUV Rankings US All Vehicle Rankings US Auto Sales US Auto Sales By Brand US Best Sellers US Compact Car Sales US December 2016 US Entry Luxury Car Sales US February 2017 US January 2017 US Large Car Sales US Large Luxury Car Sales US Large Luxury SUV Sales US Large SUV Sales US March 2017 US Midsize Car Sales US Midsize Luxury Car Sales US Midsize Luxury SUV Sales US Midsize SUV Sales US Minivan Sales US Navy US November 2016 US October 2016 US September 2016 US Small Luxury SUV Sales US Small SUV Sales US Sporty Car Sales US Truck Sales US US Auto Sales US Van Sales US Worst Sellers USA used cars V2X van Van Sales vauxhall VeDeCoM Vehicle Donation California Velodyne Vespa Video vintage vintage racing Virtual mechanic Virtualization VOIP Guide Volkswagen Volkswagen Reviews Volkswagen Sales Volvo Von Dutch vote VW VW bug W3C wagon train wall of death washer washer fluid Watson's Webinars website what is donation what is it wheel speed sensor wheelchair White williams Willys windshield washer wing Wireless framework women woodlight headlights Woody work truck working principle of anti-lock braking system workshop World Worst Sellers wreck Wrongful Death WW1 WW2 XK SS Yoram Berholtz Yoshiki Chubachi Z 11 Z-28 Z28 zamboni ZL1 Zotye