Electric cars are the alternative chosen by manufacturers to reduce their emission levels. But the benefit will not be immediate. According to the forecasts of the consultancy firm JD Power and the gas station companies, the massification of technology will take at least a decade in developed countries and up to two in emerging markets such as Mexico. So as more battery-powered cars hit the streets, automakers continue to strive to develop technologies that help save fuel and improve the performance of their vehicles. Small turbocharged three-cylinder engines are an example of this.
This is the second time manufacturers have done a massive ‘downsizing’ of their engines. The first was in the 1970s, when in the wake of the oil crisis, small Japanese cars with efficient four-cylinder engines became popular, while big V8s became a headache for American manufacturers. Since then, four-cylinder engines have been positioned as the best option to reduce fuel consumption, until the three-cylinder turbo engines made their appearance.
“You no longer need huge 8-cylinder engines in regular cars because engineering has reached a point where a small turbo engine can push a big car,” says Arnulfo González, Product, Price and Planning Manager for Volkswagen in Mexico. The German automaker, for example, has developed a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine – delivering 114 hp and 131 pound-feet of torque – for its subcompact models. and in the future Polo and Virtus could have it too.
Power vs efficiency
Smaller engines provide some benefits over larger naturally aspirated ones. The main one, both for manufacturers and users, is fuel efficiency, which translates into lower emissions. The less gasoline an engine burns, the less gases the vehicle will expel through the exhaust. Size is also another benefit to consider. Freeing up space in the engine compartment is something that engineers can take advantage of to add a few extra inches to the cabin and increase comfort for passengers. Despite the benefits, some consumers are still skeptical of turbocharged three-cylinder engines.
In North America, the idea has always prevailed that the bigger and more powerful a car is, the more car it is. Volkswagen executives explain it well: in Mexico, consumers have the perception that a sedan is more of a car than a hatchback, and that an SUV is more than a sedan. Something similar happens with engines. There are those who even make fun of the three-cylinder for the simple fact of being small.
But as new generations of consumers give more weight to other elements inside the car, such as connectivity, the number and size of screens or the number of airbags; consumers are more willing to give smaller, less powerful engines a chance, compared to the 6- or 8-cylinder that was prevalent two decades ago.
Although you don’t get the torque with turbo engines that you would with 6 or 8 cylinders, for a driver who uses his vehicle daily, to get from point A to point B, that’s all he really needs. In addition, gasoline prices, which have risen globally in recent months due to sanctions imposed on Russia, one of the largest oil producers, are prompting consumers to seek more efficient models. A completely different scenario than 20 years ago, when gasoline had become really cheap compared to historical records, allowing people to buy gas-guzzling vehicles like SUVs, pickups, and Hummers.
In 2002, the price of gasoline in the United States was $1.75 per gallon. In Mexico, it did not exceed 10 pesos per liter, according to data from the United States Office of Energy Efficiency and the Mexican Energy Information System. But now the price of gasoline has skyrocketed. Almost three months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Americans face a jump in the average price of gasoline, which went from 2.75 per gallon in 2021 to 4.37 dollars per gallon in May, from the maximum price of 4.11 dollars established in 2008. In Mexico, this increase has been mitigated thanks to
They are more efficient, but also more expensive
In most ordinary driving situations, a car does not require full power. Except for high-speed passing or the occasional freeway ride, there is no circumstance where 100% engine power is used. Most of the time the engine is kept in the low rev band so in most cases not all cylinders are operating at full capacity.
Volkswagen engineers recognized this and have accelerated the development of small turbo engines. Today, the range of engines that the German manufacturer offers in Mexico includes three turbocharged engines, 1.0, 1.4 and 2.0 liters, as well as two aspirated ones, 1.6 liters for small models and 3.6 liters for larger SUVs.
Although turbo engines have responded well to Mexico’s complex terrain, their price still does not allow manufacturers to shelve naturally aspirated engines. “A turbo engine is 20,000 pesos more expensive than a naturally aspirated one,” says González.
To stay competitive in prices, the German manufacturer has chosen to maintain the aspirated engine for the cheapest versions and place the tube in the intermediate and top of the range. T-Cross is a good example of this strategy. A version below 400,000 pesos will have the 1.6-liter aspirated engine, which in fact will have the same level of equipment as the one that follows it in price, but which is around 20,000 pesos more expensive because it has the most modern engine. , the turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder.
