Chevrolet Europe to Highlight Diesel Announcements at Paris Show
06 September 2006
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| The WTCC Ultra diesel concept |
Chevrolet Europe is introducing a diesel racecar study—the WTCC (World Touring Car Competition) Ultra—at the Paris Motor Show this fall. The ready-to-drive concept car, developed by a GM team around the globe, is the optical vision of a new touring car generation, and features a 190 hp (142 kW) diesel engine.
Chevrolet Europe is also unveiling its second production diesel vehicle—the new Chevrolet Epica Diesel, which will be launched in spring 2007. The mid-class sedan is powered by a 2.0-liter common rail diesel, also used in the earlier announced Captiva Diesel compact SUV. (Earlier post.) The Captiva Diesel goes on sale this fall.
The 2.0-liter diesel in the Epica delivers 110 kW (150 hp) of power and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque at 2,000 rpm. Mated with a manual five-speed gearbox, it can optionally also be paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The Epica Diesel accelerates from 0-100 kph in 9.7 sec (manual) and has a top speed of 201 kph (125 mph).
Fuel consumption for the Epica Diesel is an estimated 6.1 liters/100km (39 mpg US) for the manual, and 7.7 l/100km (31 mpg US) for the automatic.
The engine features a 1,600-bar common rail injection system from Bosch. Among the other technical characteristics of the SOHC unit are the aluminium cylinder head, a balance shaft and a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT).
The 2.0-liter diesel engine was developed jointly by GM Korea and GM Powertrain, and is produced in Gunsan/South Korea. The diesel engine plant was built in the immediate vicinity of one of GM Korea's three Korean vehicle factories, and production began in March 2006. Up to 250,000 engines a year can be produced at the 19,200 sq.m. facility.
Sharp! But why not in the US?
Posted by: Richard | 06 September 2006 at 01:57 PM
Chevy Europe designed by Matchbox?
Posted by: fyi CO2 | 06 September 2006 at 01:58 PM
Richard, there is a reason: "Tier 2 Bin 5"
Posted by: Patrick | 06 September 2006 at 02:09 PM
But wait till 2009. They will have a LEV 2 diesel that will meet all requirements.
Posted by: allen Z | 06 September 2006 at 02:26 PM
When they do, they probably will have a concept car of this nature present at the LA or Detroit auto shows and the above question will be a moot point.
Posted by: Patrick | 06 September 2006 at 02:57 PM
I know this wasn't the gist of the post, but why do I think "Captiva" is one of the worst names for an auto I've heard in a while? Not Toureg bad, mind you, but unsettling somehow.
Posted by: Mark_H | 06 September 2006 at 03:21 PM
Maybe it has a more European flavor (or atleast GM believes it does)?
Posted by: Patrick | 06 September 2006 at 03:26 PM
Have a hard time beating "Nova". It means No Go in Spanish.
Posted by: Lucas | 06 September 2006 at 04:20 PM
Anyone notice that they're claiming 39mpg for the 5-spd manual and only 31mpg for the 5-spd auto? Seems like a rather large difference between the two transmission types. I know manuals are nearly extinct here in the US but maybe we should be rethinking that. Or other good options - the CVT in my former Civic Hybrid got nearly the same mpg as the 5-spd stick, but worked just like an auto from the driver's perspective.
Posted by: Zach | 06 September 2006 at 05:58 PM
Another interesting thing, anyone else noticing that 75hp/liter is probably one of the higher specific outputs for a production diesel? Impressive indeed. If that 190hp is from the 2.0L Epica mill, I'm very impressed
Posted by: Anonymous | 06 September 2006 at 06:05 PM
Actually, nova means the same thing in Spanish and English - a transiently very bright star. The Nova not selling well in Spanish speaking countries because of the name is a myth. 'No va' and 'nova' in spanish are as different as 'no table' and 'notable' in English.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Nova
Posted by: Nate | 06 September 2006 at 06:14 PM
Perhaps a manual with gear shift automation features, or at least a paddle shifter, but with clutch pedal input optional. That way, the average Joe/Jane gets better mileage, the serious driver satisfied, and the novice not stalling and grinding his/her automobile's drivetrain into oblivion.
Posted by: allen Z | 06 September 2006 at 06:36 PM
If in Europe you could buy a BMW 3 series diesel with better mileage and nearly the same output. But the Alpina version that has greater specific output and same great mileage.
http://www.carpages.co.uk/bmw/bmw-alpina-d3-03-09-06.asp
Which would you rather drive?
Posted by: Bill | 06 September 2006 at 08:53 PM
0-60 in 9.7 seconds and 39 mpg? that'd be good for a minivan, but is a dog for any other vehicle class.
not impressed.
Posted by: shaun mann | 06 September 2006 at 11:01 PM
Are you sure that this figures are right? 1991 I had owned
a 1.9 Fiat Tipo Turbodiesel with 90 hp and it had already
195 kmh topspeed. So 100 hp more and only 6 kmh faster..?
Posted by: Mike Weindl | 06 September 2006 at 11:43 PM
Zach:
2007 US spec Honda Civic has 1.8l 140hp engine. Mated to 5-speed manual (vehicle weight 1180kg) it has 30/38 mpg, mated to 5-speed automatic (1210kg) – 30/40 mpg. This is typical for cars with such power/weight ratio, at least according to EPA test procedure. For less powerful engine, like in Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and generally midclass cars sold in Europe, manual transmission returns notably higher mpg then automatic. This is ONE of the reasons why Europeans prefer manual. For non-expert driver automatic transmission perform optimal shift strategy better then driver’s brain, especially in stop-and-go traffic.
Posted by: Andrey | 07 September 2006 at 12:27 AM
Epica Diesel = 31/39 MPG, 0 - 60 in 9.7 sec., 190 HP
Accord hybrid = 29/37 MPG, 0 - 60 in 6.7 sec., 255 HP
If the Epica is a race car, what does that make the Accord?
Posted by: Kip | 07 September 2006 at 01:07 AM
The Epica is a mid-class sedan (150HP) not a racecar
Posted by: Lotfw | 07 September 2006 at 07:43 AM
The Epica is more comparable to a 4-cylinder camry/accord.
Posted by: Patrick | 07 September 2006 at 08:50 AM
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