VW Chairman Admits That Engine Downsizing Is Over

Volkswagen chairman Herbert Diess has admitted that the trend of downsizing engines has come to an end.

In October 2016, a report from Reuters revealed that VW, General Motors and Renault would start to increase the size of their engines due to the higher emissions produced by small-capacity three- and four-cylinder units.

Now, in an interview with the Telegraph, Diess said that the German automaker won’t produce engines smaller than its 1.0-liter three-cylinder petrol and that its future diesel engines won’t shrink below 1.6-liters.

“The trend of downsizing is over. Emissions tend to go up as engines get smaller.

“Small diesels are just not economic. The Polo is currently 30 per cent diesel, but as diesel gets more expensive [to meet real-world emissions tests], it will not be as popular.”

Typically, small engines often result in their turbochargers overheating. Consequently, automakers develop engines to inject excess fuel to prevent these overheating issues. This results in higher levels of unburnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and fine particles.

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