The Chinese appetite for American car manufacturers and the glory the same American manufacturers are enjoying in China takes the most diverse shapes these days. GM for instance, already a partner of Chinese carmaker SAIC, is planning to manufacturer together with its partner a new small-displacement gasoline engine family and an advanced transmission.
The project will spawn a variety of engines with displacements ranging in between 1.0l to 1.5l, to be fitted into vehicles which will be marketed worldwide. The units, which will be engineered by GM and SAIC engineers in Detroit and at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), will use direct injection and turbocharging.
The transmission to be developed by the two partners is meant for front-wheel-drive and aimed at improving fuel economy and performance. GM says it will provide 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over a conventional six-speed auto and will feature dual-clutch technology.
“The co-development of these new engines and transmissions builds on a strong history of innovation and collaboration between GM and SAIC Motor,” said Tom Stephens, vice chairman of Global Product Operations. "Together, we will continue to quickly provide our customers leading-edge technologies that improve vehicle fuel efficiency and deliver robust performance.”
The combination of engine-transmission currently in the works will provide, according to GM's data, a 20 percent improvement in CO2 emissions, compared to engines and transmissions currently in production in China.
"Not only will they add critical green technologies to our next-generation vehicles, they will also build on the strong engineering capabilities forged as a part of GM and SAIC's corporate responsibility," added Hu Maoyuan, SAIC Motor chairman.
The project will spawn a variety of engines with displacements ranging in between 1.0l to 1.5l, to be fitted into vehicles which will be marketed worldwide. The units, which will be engineered by GM and SAIC engineers in Detroit and at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), will use direct injection and turbocharging.
The transmission to be developed by the two partners is meant for front-wheel-drive and aimed at improving fuel economy and performance. GM says it will provide 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over a conventional six-speed auto and will feature dual-clutch technology.
“The co-development of these new engines and transmissions builds on a strong history of innovation and collaboration between GM and SAIC Motor,” said Tom Stephens, vice chairman of Global Product Operations. "Together, we will continue to quickly provide our customers leading-edge technologies that improve vehicle fuel efficiency and deliver robust performance.”
The combination of engine-transmission currently in the works will provide, according to GM's data, a 20 percent improvement in CO2 emissions, compared to engines and transmissions currently in production in China.
"Not only will they add critical green technologies to our next-generation vehicles, they will also build on the strong engineering capabilities forged as a part of GM and SAIC's corporate responsibility," added Hu Maoyuan, SAIC Motor chairman.