General Motors India introduces locally-developed 1.2L Smart-Tech Engine
28 January 2011
General Motors India has introduced its new Smart-Tech engine. The 1.2-liter Smart-Tech engine was created by the GM Technical Centre-India in Bangalore in cooperation with GM’s new engine plant in Talegaon. It will be produced at the Talegaon facility for a range of new models offered by GM in India.
The Smart-Tech engine features aluminum cylinder heads, deep skirt cylinder block and lightweight pistons with low tension rings, which decreases weight and maximizes fuel economy. The engine also features a DOHC valvetrain with direct acting valve actuation to further improve the efficiency, a long runner plastic intake manifold for good low-end torque and lightweight counterbalanced crank shaft for great NVH.
The engine has a maintenance-free inverted tooth timing chain drive system. The chain links engage at a lower impact speed, which decreases the noise generated for quiet operation.
India trained more engineers than any other nations for the last few years. This may be the first wave of pay off. India's economic growth and population will catch up with China within 2 or 3 decades. China and India may be neck to neck for first place by 2035 or so.
One thing is certain, much more will come out of India in the next 20 years.
Posted by: HarveyD | 28 January 2011 at 06:03 AM
The small 1.0 to 1.4 liter, the so-called Family 0 of I-4 family of ICE engines has been produced by GM worldwide since the 1980s, and is increasingly obsolescent.
It is also the Family 0 engines that power the Spark, segment A, Sonic, segment B, and Cruze, segment C, sized cars sold worldwide by GM. It also provides the ICE component of the VOLT EREV.
If this Indian engine is to provide the replacement for that semi-obsolescent iron block, DOHC, aluminum headed Family of engines, I applaud that GM is finally replacing some of it overwhelmingly old and obsolescent engine families.
But I fear that this is no such thing. Several manufacturers produce "low cost", ie Cheap engines, for their entry cars sold into underdeveloped country markets,with very minimal if any emissions equipment or even any considerations. I suspect that this is an example of such.
By comparison the Ford and even Chrysler have modern engines across the board. Ford's engines worldwide, from smallest I-4 like this, to their large I-4s, new v-6s and V8s possess lifetimes measured only in months old, while Chrysler has no engine older than 6 years old. Ford's new engines replaced the "Duratec" families which are even newer than the current GM engine offerings.
This engine family the Family 0, is a relatively new engine, in GM terms, that GM produces at almost 30 plus years old. The oldest is the pride of 1955, the "small block" iron OHV V8, some 56 years old. Engines such as these are what powers GM cars worldwide. GM is effectively trying to compete with one arm tied behind its back with these old engine offerings, any despite updates, that were applied.
The only two GM engine families that may be thought of as truly modern is the large I-4 "Ecotec" or aka "Family II" engine family at 20 plus years old, and the 3.6 liter High Feature V-6, originally to be produced in tiny numbers for Cadillac exclusively and new at only 7 years old. The failure of the stillborn "High Value", cheap OHV V6s, and the NorthStar V8 in the past half dozen years, has forced GM to widen the use of that expensive to produce V6 engine, even though not designed for such uses.
Posted by: ExDemo | 28 January 2011 at 08:39 AM
It is surprising to see the two world leaders (Toyota and GM) using out-dated engines. Are we being had?
Posted by: HarveyD | 28 January 2011 at 12:59 PM