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AUTOS: BMW Readies 3-Cylinder Engines
The tiny turbocharged engines are set to power several new products starting next year, including the next-generation Mini and future front-drive BMW compact car.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran  | http://motorauthority.com  |  Posted October 01, 2012   Paris (FRA)
The BMW Concept Active Tourer unveiled at the Paris Auto Show is powered by the new turbocharged three-cylinder engine. (Photo: Motor Authority)
BMW unveiled a radical new concept car last week at the Paris Auto Show, the BMW Concept Active Tourer, which previews future technologies that the automaker plans to introduce across its model range, from the base Mini Cooper to the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car.

One of those technologies is a new turbocharged three-cylinder engine that could begin appearing in some of the automaker’s cars next year, including those in the United States.

The first U.S. model in which the 1.5-liter engine is likely to appear is the i8 sports car, which in concept form has already been previewed with a three-cylinder engine rated at 223 horsepower that combines twin-scroll turbocharging with direct fuel injection. Not long after, expect to see it in the third-generation Mini and several new BMW hybrid models.

The information was first reported by Automotive News, citing an inside source.

There are both diesel and gasoline variants of the new three-cylinder engine, though only the latter is expected in the U.S., with outputs ranging from about 80 to 221 horsepower. According to BMW, the refinement of the three-cylinder engine is equal to or better than that of the automaker’s current four-cylinder units.

BMW has a lot riding on its new three-cylinder engine because the platform for which it was developed – the new UKL structure that will underpin the new Mini as well as BMW’s new front-wheel-drive model –eventually could spawn up to 12 different models.

This story originally appeared at Motor Authority.
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