conaero
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How to ruin the 4C in one easy swipe, put a Chrysler engine in it, FFS!
Fiat pulled out an unexpected announcement today when it issued a press release confirming a new 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine is to be built at its FMA plant in Pratola Serra, Italy, beginning in early 2013 for initial use by Alfa Romeo.
According to a press release, the engine “will have a displacement of 1.8 litres and a maximum output of 300 hp, setting a new performance standard in its category.†The release also notes it will be compliant with future emissions standards in both Europe (Euro 6) and the U.S.
According to the release, the engine will be of all-aluminium construction and incorporate advanced technologies, including “a 200-bar gasoline direct injection system, dual variable timing and a high-efficiency turbocharger.†Fiat claims the new unit will offer “power-to-weight ratio, fuel efficiency, acoustic and vibrational comfort, and driving performance that are the very best in its category and characteristic of Alfa Romeo engines.
The news that Alfa Romeo is getting a new engine was unexpected, especially as the brand recently introduced the highly-regarded 1.8 TBi direct injection ‘1750' engine. For a loss-making carmaker such as Fiat, which is suffering the effects of ageing models and is reduced to hasty rehashes of Chrysler Group models to try to tide it along, a new 1.8 petrol engine for Alfa Romeo is one of the few items which is not a pressing priority. It is a curious announcement for a management which is obsessed with cutting costs ahead of producing
That scenario has thus led to immediate speculation that Fiat could be poised to built a revised version of Chrysler Group's World Gasoline Engine (WGE) in Italy, although details remain very unclear. The current TBi ‘Family B' unit is built at Pratola Serra alongside FPT's 1.6, 2.0 and twin-turbo 1.9 MultiJet diesels, all of which derive from the same family. Indeed, the TBi engine shares its fundamentals of bore and stroke with the 1.6 and 2.0 diesels. However, all Family B variants have a cast-iron block which would involve significant re-engineering work to convert to an aluminium item, and none in their current form are designed for longitudinal applications.
On the other hand, the WGE family, built in Dundee, Michigan, already features all-aluminium construction and the ability to adapt to both transverse and longitudinal installations. A 1.8-litre variant of the WGE – with bore of 86mm and stroke of 77mm – was previously used in base-model Dodge Calibers, although this version has not been produced since 2009. Nevertheless, the WGE consistently appears as a long-term offering in Chrysler Group presentations, and the 2.0 and 2.4 variants are currently the focus of an intensive re-engineering program which involves the addition of Fiat's acclaimed MultiAir induction system and, in higher-performance variants, direct injection and turbocharging. (With this said, the current TBi unit is also explicitly named in last year's 2010-2014 Business Plan as a core future powertrain component.)
Chrysler's November 2009 powertrain presentation does offer a possible hint that the WGE's 1.8-litre option was, even at that stage, being considered for future high-performance applications. Under a slide entitled “Potential Gasoline Engine Expansion Through 2014â€, it features all three capacities of the WGE, and notes the future of the 1.8 as being in direct injection and turbocharging. (The projected schedule for the engine's debut – less than 18 months away – certainly implies development has been underway for a significant length of time.) The presentation does not offer any clues as to why a WGE-derived engine might be earmarked for Pratola Serra. However, this may simply be a politically-correct announcement – with Fiat frequently chopping and changing its production plans (and the future of Mirafiori once again thrown into doubt), there is every possibility the production of such an engine, should it prove to be a WGE derivative, would in fact take place at Dundee.
If WGE is indeed the future option for Alfa Romeo products – and its first production application will be in the Alfa 4C sports car – it would be a huge gamble for Fiat to take, as the base engine is one of the most derided engines in recent years. WGE is the leftovers of the former Chrysler/Mitsubishi/Hyundai joint venture, the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA). Production began in 2005, but despite its relatively recent design the result was a low-tech and generally unrefined powerplant which is now well off the pace of modern rivals.
According to Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester, the new engine marks “an extremely important step for Alfa Romeo, as we continue to reposition our brand and prepare it for global distribution. The United States remains our primary objective as we prepare for a 2013 introduction of our models.†He added that “the dedication of group-wide resources to develop specific powertrain solutions for the specific needs of Alfa Romeo is a reflection of the renewed thrust we are placing on the development of this brand. This is a first step in a series of initiatives to be implemented in the near future which will reconnect Alfa Romeo to its historical roots as a premium Italian sports car brand.â€
Fiat pulled out an unexpected announcement today when it issued a press release confirming a new 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine is to be built at its FMA plant in Pratola Serra, Italy, beginning in early 2013 for initial use by Alfa Romeo.
According to a press release, the engine “will have a displacement of 1.8 litres and a maximum output of 300 hp, setting a new performance standard in its category.†The release also notes it will be compliant with future emissions standards in both Europe (Euro 6) and the U.S.
According to the release, the engine will be of all-aluminium construction and incorporate advanced technologies, including “a 200-bar gasoline direct injection system, dual variable timing and a high-efficiency turbocharger.†Fiat claims the new unit will offer “power-to-weight ratio, fuel efficiency, acoustic and vibrational comfort, and driving performance that are the very best in its category and characteristic of Alfa Romeo engines.
The news that Alfa Romeo is getting a new engine was unexpected, especially as the brand recently introduced the highly-regarded 1.8 TBi direct injection ‘1750' engine. For a loss-making carmaker such as Fiat, which is suffering the effects of ageing models and is reduced to hasty rehashes of Chrysler Group models to try to tide it along, a new 1.8 petrol engine for Alfa Romeo is one of the few items which is not a pressing priority. It is a curious announcement for a management which is obsessed with cutting costs ahead of producing
That scenario has thus led to immediate speculation that Fiat could be poised to built a revised version of Chrysler Group's World Gasoline Engine (WGE) in Italy, although details remain very unclear. The current TBi ‘Family B' unit is built at Pratola Serra alongside FPT's 1.6, 2.0 and twin-turbo 1.9 MultiJet diesels, all of which derive from the same family. Indeed, the TBi engine shares its fundamentals of bore and stroke with the 1.6 and 2.0 diesels. However, all Family B variants have a cast-iron block which would involve significant re-engineering work to convert to an aluminium item, and none in their current form are designed for longitudinal applications.
On the other hand, the WGE family, built in Dundee, Michigan, already features all-aluminium construction and the ability to adapt to both transverse and longitudinal installations. A 1.8-litre variant of the WGE – with bore of 86mm and stroke of 77mm – was previously used in base-model Dodge Calibers, although this version has not been produced since 2009. Nevertheless, the WGE consistently appears as a long-term offering in Chrysler Group presentations, and the 2.0 and 2.4 variants are currently the focus of an intensive re-engineering program which involves the addition of Fiat's acclaimed MultiAir induction system and, in higher-performance variants, direct injection and turbocharging. (With this said, the current TBi unit is also explicitly named in last year's 2010-2014 Business Plan as a core future powertrain component.)
Chrysler's November 2009 powertrain presentation does offer a possible hint that the WGE's 1.8-litre option was, even at that stage, being considered for future high-performance applications. Under a slide entitled “Potential Gasoline Engine Expansion Through 2014â€, it features all three capacities of the WGE, and notes the future of the 1.8 as being in direct injection and turbocharging. (The projected schedule for the engine's debut – less than 18 months away – certainly implies development has been underway for a significant length of time.) The presentation does not offer any clues as to why a WGE-derived engine might be earmarked for Pratola Serra. However, this may simply be a politically-correct announcement – with Fiat frequently chopping and changing its production plans (and the future of Mirafiori once again thrown into doubt), there is every possibility the production of such an engine, should it prove to be a WGE derivative, would in fact take place at Dundee.
If WGE is indeed the future option for Alfa Romeo products – and its first production application will be in the Alfa 4C sports car – it would be a huge gamble for Fiat to take, as the base engine is one of the most derided engines in recent years. WGE is the leftovers of the former Chrysler/Mitsubishi/Hyundai joint venture, the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA). Production began in 2005, but despite its relatively recent design the result was a low-tech and generally unrefined powerplant which is now well off the pace of modern rivals.
According to Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester, the new engine marks “an extremely important step for Alfa Romeo, as we continue to reposition our brand and prepare it for global distribution. The United States remains our primary objective as we prepare for a 2013 introduction of our models.†He added that “the dedication of group-wide resources to develop specific powertrain solutions for the specific needs of Alfa Romeo is a reflection of the renewed thrust we are placing on the development of this brand. This is a first step in a series of initiatives to be implemented in the near future which will reconnect Alfa Romeo to its historical roots as a premium Italian sports car brand.â€
