Turbo Market May Double in Five Years

Global demand for turbocharged engines will surge 80% to 36 million units per year and capture 40% of worldwide light vehicle sales by 2017, predicts Honeywell International Inc.

Honeywell says about 20 million new vehicles were equipped with turbocharged engines last year.

Turbocharging already boosts two-thirds of new cars sold in Europe. Honeywell expects the ratio in that region will grow to 85% and 17.4 million units in five years.

The company forecasts turbo demand in China will jump from 2.1 million units last year to 6.7 million, or about 25% of that country's new-vehicle market, by 2017. Over the same period, penetration in the U.S. is expected to climb from 1.3 million to 4 million units, and sales in India will zoom from 900,000 to more than 3 million units.

The company notes that demand is being fueled primarily by their ability to maintain performance while allowing carmakers to downsize to smaller, more efficient engines.