BMW Tops International Engine Awards

Anthony Fontanelle
May 12, 2007

From the eighth to the tenth of this month, Stuttgart, Germany played host to the 2007 Engine Expo. The said event is the largest of its kind in the world and is the ninth time that the event was held. This year’s Engine Expo featured the most number of exhibitors in its history. The affair is held in a bigger venue than the previous exhibits. This is a necessary step to accommodate the number of exhibitors showing off the latest in engine technology.

The said occasion hosted the unveiling of different technologies in areas such as engine design, engine electronics, electric and hybrid powertrain technology, engine testing, fuels and lubricants, engine materials, emission controls, quality control and production technology. The event is highlighted with the International Engine of the Year Awards. The said awarding ceremony saw German car manufacturer BMW rack up a total of seven awards for their engines.

The most notable of those seven awards is the prestigious International Engine of the Year Award that was given to the 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine used by the BMW 335i. The distinction was given to the BMW engine after deliberations between 62 notable motor journalists coming from 30 countries. The engine is equipped with twin turbochargers and uses the direct fuel injection system. This combination gives the engine an output of 301 horsepower. The power is complemented by exemplary fuel efficiency with this engine boasting 9.5 liters for every 100 kilometers traveled.

Aside from those awards, the 3.0-liter engine is also awarded the Best New Engine distinction bringing the number of its awards to three.

Another award that goes to BMW is for topping the over 4.0 liter engine class. Winning the said category is the 5.0-liter V10 used by BMW M5 and M6. The said engine also bagged the Best Performance Engine for BMW. This year marks the third time that the said engine was awarded that distinction. Two other engines topped their respective categories to give BMW two other awards.

For the 2.0 to 2.5 liter class, BMW’s 2.5 liter engine used on the 325, 525, X3, and the Z4 bagged the distinction of being the top of the class. Meanwhile, the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine used on the MINI Cooper S and Peugeot 207 bagged the award for the 1.4 to 1.8 liter class. That brings the total number of awards received by BMW to seven. This shows that not BMW is indeed a leader in giving the ultimate in driving satisfaction. These engines are known to complement other components such as BMW axles, transmission, and suspension assembly just to name a few.

BMW’s Director of Powertrains, Peter Langen, is obviously thrilled by their achievements. “This is a tremendous achievement and important recognition of the lengths our engineers have gone to in order to ensure the success of our turbocharged petrol engines,” says Langen. “We are proud to once again be honored as the manufacturer of the International Engine of the Year,” he added. This year marks the third consecutive year that BMW won the prestigious International Engine of the Year Award.

BMW’s dominance of this year’s awards left only five awards for other car manufacturers. Toyota bagged two awards with the Prius helping Toyota to once again rise to the top of the auto industry in terms of fuel efficiency. The Best Fuel Economy Award this year was awarded to the Toyota hybrid synergy drive used on the popular fuel miser Toyota Prius. Another award bagged by the surging Asian brand is for the Sub-One-liter class. The Toyota 1.0-liter used on the Toyota Yaris and Aygo, Peugeot 107 and the Citroen C1 won that class.

Similar to Toyota, Volkswagen also bagged two awards. The VW 1.4-liter TSI used on the Volkswagen Golf, Touran, and Jetta topped the one-liter to 1.4-liter class. The second award bagged by Volkswagen is for the 1.8-liter to 2.0-liter class. Winning the distinction for the said category is the VW 2.0-liter Turbo used on the Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3 and A6, and the SEAT Leon.

Meanwhile, German car manufacturer Porsche won a single award for the Porsche 3.6-liter Turbo used on the iconic Porsche 911.

Source:  Amazines.com