JLR fires up Ingenium petrol production
BY DANIEL GARDNER | 13th Sep 2016
The Indian-owned British manufacturer launched its new Ingenium 2.0-litre diesel last year offering significant power and efficiency advantages over the outgoing unit, but now it says it will do the same with the 2.0-litre petrol and an all-new Transcend rear- and four-wheel drive auto.
If the car-maker manages the forecast output gains of up to 25 per cent and a 15 per cent reduction in fuel consumption, the new four-cylinder will be pumping out up to 220kW while using just 6.4 litres of petrol per 100km.
Despite retaining the same capacity as the existing petrol four-cylinder, the Ingenium petrol achieves the improvements through state-of-the-art advances, including electrohydraulic valvetrain, exhaust and partial inlet manifolds integrated into the cylinder head, and a single turbo with ceramic bearings.
The first examples will be slotted into Jaguar and Land Rover models in 2017 and the company says the Ingenium petrol is “scaleable” to allow it to be applied to a range of its vehicles from sports sedans to SUVs.
Likely candidates include the XF and XE large and mid-size luxury sedans, while possibilities in the Land Rover fleet include the Evoque and Discovery Sport.
Like some other mainstream brands, Jaguar has adopted a rationalised 500cc per cylinder strategy for future engine development, which is likely to result in 3.0-litre V6s and a possible 4.0-litre V8 under the Ingenium banner.
The new four-cylinder engine is being built in the company’s 1 billion ($A1.7b) United Kingdom manufacturing centre, under the same roof as its diesel sibling.
Complementing the new engine as well as other powerplants in the British brand’s line-up will be an all-new Transcend eight-speed automatic transmission as a result of a 30m ($A56m) development project, partly funded by the UK government.
JLR is not yet detailing which models will benefit from the fresh transmission, but says it can be applied to both rear- and four-wheel drive layouts with longitudinal enignes, which leaves the door open for any of its cars and SUVs except the Evoque.
The Transcend’s defining feature is an unusually wide ratio spread of up to 20:1 – about double that of more orthodox transmissions, it says – as well as a 20kg weight advantage and the ability to accommodate hybrid drive and dual-clutch gearboxes.
Both the Transcend cog-box and Ingenium engines form critical parts of the company’s commitment to reduce vehicle emissions by 2020 and JLR says a further 25 per cent reduction is possible within the next five years.
Ongoing projects to develop lighter components, more energy efficient manufacturing processes and electrified powertrains go hand-in-hand with the most recent Ingenium and Transcend advances says JLR.
Jaguar Land Rover Group engineering director Nick Rogers said the announcement of the significant new technology highlights the company’s commitment to offering a range of vehicles that are enjoyable to own but not at the expense of the environment.
“Environmental innovation is at the heart of our strategy to dramatically reduce emissions up to 2020 and beyond,” he said. “With the Ingenium family of powertrains and advanced research projects such as Transcend, future Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will emit significantly less CO2. By 2020, new technologies will help us reduce our CO2 emissions by a further 25 per cent.
“Ingenium has been developed as a modular family of powerful, efficient and refined all-aluminum petrol and diesel engines. All Ingenium engines deliver benchmark low levels of friction, contributing to inherently good efficiency and refinement.
“Transcend demonstrates Jaguar Land Rover’s commitment to original research that improves the driving experience and the environmental performance of our vehicles. It will make manoeuvring and off-road use easier than ever before for drivers whilst also improving on-road vehicle dynamics and CO2 emissions.”
