Following the introduction of a new 1.6-liter SIDI ECOTEC turbocharged gasoline engine family last fall, GM Europe and its Opel and Vauxhall brands continue to revamp their powertrain portfolio with the release of an all-new four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine.
The new powerplant has a displacement of 1.6-liters and is available in a variety of power outputs across several models replacing the existing 1.7-liter engines and certain lower powered versions of the 2.0-liter diesel range.
According to GM’s European division, peak output and torque have been increased over the current 1.7-liter diesel to 136-horses and 320Nm (236 lb-ft) respectively, while fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 10 percent over similarly powerful versions of the 2.0-liter diesel unit.
The aluminum-block 1.6 CDTI ECOTEC is the first diesel from the company to comply with future (and much stricter) Euro 6 emissions requirements.
“The comprehensive renewal of our powertrain portfolio continues at wide-open throttle,” said Thomas Sedran, Deputy Chairman of the Opel Management Board. “Our new 1.6-liter diesel will set benchmarks for refinement, performance and environmental compatibility. By the end of this year we will have launched three all-new generations of gasoline and diesel engines, as part of our roll-out of 23 new models and 13 new powertrains by 2016.”
Production of the new family of 1.6-liter turbo diesels will begin in the spring at the same plant as the new 1.6-liter gasoline engine, in Szentgotthard in Hungary.
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