GM developing new small engine; May be Aveo Engine Replacement

[igor]

http://autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../70626004/1528

Igor

(shall I say : "FINALLY"?)

The engine being developed in China and Korea is based on a GM Daewoo engine now being produced at Shanghai General Motors, GM's joint venture here. That engine is derived from a Suzuki design. Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center is owned jointly by GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.

Production of the new engine will start in 2009.

[HEVguy]

Very good developments! What was the displacement of the little ICE in the Chevy Volt Plug-In version???

[igor]

Originally Posted by HEVguy

Very good developments! What was the displacement of the little ICE in the Chevy Volt Plug-In version???

that was a 3cyl unit .. 1.0l I believe ..

That engine will be easy to do, because its dynamics will be non-important .. it will just hum at a constant speed ...

This will replace the awful awful awful engine in the Aveo .. the only reason the Aveo is uncompetitive.

Igor

[fenderbender]

Any chance of revamping the Ecotecs soon for actual competitive fuel milage?

[mbukukanyau]

Ecotecs are high displacement Camry type Engines, they have no business being in a Cobalt.
Like Igor, I say its about time

[Ming]

Great news. Interested to see if DmitryKo has any input on this.

[69Firebird400]

Sounds like a welcome move to me. 25% more power and fuel economy should do the trick for me, I think. Built in China though, huh?

Actually, I haven't heard of any manufacturing problems (quality-related) from the old 3400s in the Equinox and Torrent, in spite of the engines being built in China. Apparently they have some refinement issues, etc., but that would be more engineering-related than manufacturing-related.

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by fenderbender

Any chance of revamping the Ecotecs soon for actual competitive fuel mileage?

Define competitive. I average 33-36 mpg (80% highway, but I have never gone below 32mpg) in my 2.2L Saturn Ion - with 5 speed manual of course. I think that's pretty good considering the perceived 'unrefinededness' (did I just make up a word?) of the Ecotec family, and the weight of the Ion. Sure, it doesn't say 40mpg on the window sticker (of course, neither does the Civic anymore, not with the '08 EPA ratings), but you don't have to hit the rev limiter to get onto the Interstate.

[Mikkoo]

Originally Posted by Saturn69

Define competitive. I average 33-36 mpg (80% highway, but I have never gone below 32mpg) in my 2.2L Saturn Ion - with 5 speed manual of course. I think that's pretty good considering the perceived 'unrefinededness' (did I just make up a word?) of the Ecotec family, and the weight of the Ion. Sure, it doesn't say 40mpg on the window sticker (of course, neither does the Civic anymore, not with the '08 EPA ratings), but you don't have to hit the rev limiter to get onto the Interstate.

It just goes to show you how inefficient the Aveo powerplant is. Your highway mileage is really impressive for that size of vehicle.

[DmitryKo]

Sounds like a new version of the S-TEC engune (0.8 L and 1.0 L for the Matiz Spark, 1.2 L for the European Kalos and Aveo). This engine was used in the 1983 Suzuki Alto, which was licensed as the Daewoo Tico and later evolved into Matiz M100/M150 and the current M200.
1.2 L version was launched in 2003, and 0.8/1.0 engines were last updated in 2005.


I guess Autoweek probably messed up the displacements because they didn't check up the European specs for the Aveo and assumed that every Aveo out there comes with 1.6 L E-TEC II, which is not true.

1.6 L S-TEC is completely unlikely to appear IMHO. In theory, an up-stroked 1.4 L S-TEC could be a possiblity, since the 1.4 L SOHC E-TEC II seems to be out of production - it is not available in Europe and Korea anymore (Ukrainian Aveo and Chevrolet lanos are using older 1.5 L D-TEC SOHC engines built by FSO).


As for the possible improvements to the S-TEC, it would probably be standard things like all-aluminum block, chain-driven valvetrain, increased compression ratio, VVT and most likely turbo capability as in the Chevrolet Beat concept which has an unspecified 1.2 L turbocharged engine.

See also: forum thread about the new Fiat Uno. which will feature a 0.9 L turbocharged engine.

[iamwin]

You know, one of these days it would be interesting to see GM come out with a whole new design for a 4-cyl instead of rehashing an older one yet again... Just a thought.

[Co27sskid]

What about DI ? (Direct Injection?) Is there any plan for that to be added into this new motor? That + VVT would be very good!

[nadepalma]

I think this is great news -- but I have to ask -- why go and create a new engine off a Suzuki based design and develop it in China, when GM already has newer Ecotec engines being used by Opel? Is this an "improved" engine for world-wide use that would put the Opel based engines to shame? Or is this a "logisitics" solution for the Far East and GM's operations there?

One has to wonder --- it kinda parallel's GM's joint-effort with VM Motori for their diesel engines made in South Korea, when GM has diesel engines already online in Europe, but were curtailed from using them in GMDAT based products due to the divorce agreement with Fiat.

I wonder if there is a similar logistics twist here as well as to the reason of developing this engine rather than looking to already useful engines?

Don't get me wrong, it's all good news and an update is needed, but just wodnering.

[Dgrocho]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

Ecotecs are high displacement Camry type Engines, they have no business being in a Cobalt.
Like Igor, I say its about time

Did you just use the term "high displacement" to describe an Ecotec?

If, judging by their size, they have no place in a Cobalt, what engine would you have in a Cobalt?

the sooner I can get an electrically driven vehicle the better, then I can actually have power and torque and not have to pay for gas. If an Ecotec is high displacement and too big for a Cobalt....I...I....I don't know what I would do, but surely I wouldn't want to drive it with anything smaller

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by Mikkoo

It just goes to show you how inefficient the Aveo powerplant is. Your highway mileage is really impressive for that size of vehicle.

In the winter it drops down to about 32mpg, which is normal since winter gas sucks, but the rest of the year I am between 33 and 36, although I did squeak out a 37.46 mpg tank once. I don't have cruise control, I just keep a consistent throttle opening by leaving my foot in the same position, there are only two 'hills' on my way to work, the rest is Missouri River valley bottom land, all flat, and I keep the car at 2500 rpms and by doing this I regularly get an average of 34.5mpg. A/C drops me down to 33, no A/C and I'm getting 35 or 36 - and of course that one time 37.46!

I can't imagine why the E-Tec in the Aveo can't pull those numbers in a car that weighs at least 400 lbs. less and has a little over half a liter less displacement. Yeah, that engine needs to go.