Optimizing the replacement for engine displacement

New boosting and fuel-delivery technologies, and even twin-cylinder ICEs, are among the solutions being employed by powertrain engineers aiming for the next round of fuel-consumption and emissions targets.

Engine downsizing, coupled with forced induction (and a greater number of transmission ratios), has become a central automotive powertrain philosophy for the 21st century.

Such a radical shift away from the established powertrain norm-“there is no replacement for displacement,” as the old saying goes-is demanding new solutions to the balance between efficiency, driveability, and cost. Engineers at turbocharger supplier Continental state that a car must be fun to drive as well as have lower environmental impact.