Opel to Unveil Three-Cylinder Turbo
General Motors Co.'s Adam Opel unit says it will publicly introduce a new 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine at the Frankfurt auto show in September.
General Motors Co.'s Adam Opel unit says it will publicly introduce a new 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine at the Frankfurt auto show in September.
Opel will use the engine, which will be mated to a new six-speed manual transmission, next year to power its Adam city car.
The new powerplant features a lightweight cast-aluminum block, an exhaust manifold integrated into the aluminum cylinder head, 12 valves and variable valve timing. A counter-rotating balance shaft offsets the engine's inherent vibration.
The little three-cylinder engine produces 115 hp and 122 lb-ft of torque about the same as Opel's existing 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-banger.
Opel's new powerplant will join a growing list of three-cylinder engines being rolled out by European carmakers. Ford will offer such an engine in its Fiesta subcompact car this year, and BMW is using one in its i8 hybrid sports car. Daimler also is developing a three-cylinder engine for the Smart ForTwo and Renault Twingo city cars.