BorgWarner announced it has developed the first flex fuel turbocharger made in Brazil for the country’s growing passenger car market.
The B01-series turbocharger helps boost performance, improve fuel economy and reduce emissions, enabling automakers to comply with Brazil’s INOVAR-AUTO (local content) requirements, the supplier said.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Designed for 0.8- to 1.6-liter engines, the turbo will be launched by “a major global automaker” in mid-2015.
“Downsized, boosted gasoline engines are already a major trend. As drivers in Brazil also desire fuel economy and lower emissions, we expect demand for our latest turbocharging technology to grow significantly,” said Frederic Lissalde, president and general manager, BorgWarner Turbo Systems.
The supplier has been producing turbochargers for commercial and light-duty diesel vehicles in Brazil for 40 years and this new product will allow it to expand into Brazil’s petrol/ethanol-powered passenger car market.
In Brazil, flex fuel vehicles run on petrol (which contains up to 25% ethanol) or 100% ethanol fuel. High amounts of ethanol can cause higher corrosion rates and more oil dilution than other fuels. Engineers employed advanced materials and design ideas to improve turbocharger durability even with 100% ethanol fuel.
Featuring a compact design for small passenger car applications, the flex fuel turbocharger includes a milled compressor wheel, optimised bearing system and wastegate controlled by an electric actuator with advanced noise suppression features. The turbocharger has been developed to be directly mounted to the cylinder head’s integrated exhaust manifold, thus allowing a compact engine installation.
The turbochargers are made at a factory in Itatiba City, Brazil, using high-volume, lean manufacturing processes and precision robotics.
