Volkswagen 1.4 TSI wins International Engine of the Year

Volkswagen has knocked BMW off its perch by winning the International Engine of the Year overall honour with its twincharged 1.4 litre four cylinder engine.

Not content with the overall title, the 1.4 TSI also won the Best Green Engine 2009 and Best Engine in the 1.0-litre to 1.4-litre category.

A panel of 64 judges from 32 countries voted on the awards. Dr Ruediger Szengel, Head of Gasoline Engine Development for Volkswagen AG, was on hand to accept the award behalf of Volkswagen, “A combination of downsizing, direct injection and high boost pressure produce exceptionally high specific power output and torque with low emissions and fuel consumption from a gasoline engine.

“The success of TSI technology in this competition has blossomed as it has become available in more countries throughout the world. We are convinced that our competitors will follow but we are determined to keep our lead.”

The full list of winners is shown below, with links to the IEOTY website. Press releases from Volkswagen, Porsche and BMW can be read after the jump:

• International Engine of the Year: Volkswagen 1.4 litre TSI twincharger
• Best new engine of the year: Porsche 3.8 litre flat six
• Green Engine of the Year: Volkswagen 1.4 litre TSI twincharger
• Best Performance Engine: Mercedes-Benz AMG 6.2 litre V8
• Sub 1.0 litre: Toyota 1-litre
• 1.0 litre to 1.4 litre: Volkswagen 1.4 litre TSI twincharger
• 1.4 litre to 1.8 litre: BMW-PSA 1.6 litre turbo
• 1.8 litre to  2.0 litre: Audi 2 litre TFSI
• 2.0 litre to 2.5 litre: Mercedes-Benz 2.1 litre diesel
• 2.5 litre to 3.0 litre: BMW 3.0 litre DI twin-turbo
• 3.0 litre to 4.0 litre: BMW 4.0 litre V8
• Above 4.0 litre: Mercedes-Benz AMG 6.2 litre V8

International Engine of the Year Awards 2009: Outright win for Volkswagen TSI engine technology

Stuttgart – 17 June 2009: Volkswagen’s 1.4 litre TSI engine has achieved the greatest success in the 11-year history of the competition. In addition to winning the overall award of International Engine of the Year 2009 it was also voted as Best Green Engine 2009 as well as Best Engine in the 1.0- to 1.4-litre category.

Voting Volkswagen TSI technology to the number one position was a panel of 64 judges from 32 countries around the world.

Accepting the awards on behalf of Volkswagen was Dr Ruediger Szengel, Head of Gasoline Engine Development for Volkswagen AG commented: ‘A combination of downsizing, direct injection and high boost pressure produce exceptionally high specific power output and torque with low emissions and fuel consumption from a gasoline engine.’

He continued: ‘Small engine capacity means low friction losses and high refinement. Induction boosting provides the ability to operate with long gearing further benefiting fuel economy. Direct injection allows the use of a high compression ratio in conjunction with high boost pressures providing additional efficiency benefits. For similar reasons TSI technology avoids the need to inject extra fuel to cool the mixture at higher power outputs, providing TSI engines with a further fuel consumption saving over conventional, boosted gasoline engines.

‘The success of TSI technology in this competition has blossomed as it has become available in more countries throughout the world. We are convinced that our competitors will follow but we are determined to keep our lead.’

Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards said: ‘The Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI engine fits into our smallest but one engine category and is the overall winner. The fact that it wins both the overall award and our Best Green Engine prize indicates that you can have performance and efficiency in one package. A shift in voting trends this year in favour of the downsized, boosted gasoline engine would seem to indicate that Volkswagen is setting the pace here. I’m sure we’ll see others follow very soon.’

Volkswagen has extended its TSI engine technology to include single-charged engines at reduced cost but units that still achieve high specific power outputs and with similar fuel efficiency. More than 2,373,000 TSI engines have been built to date of which 554,330 are 1.4-litre units, and the latest example is a new four-cylinder, 1.2-litre TSI unit with 105 PS in the new Polo. Twin-charging continues, of course, as the leading technology for performance and economy in spark-ignition production car engines.

Porsche wins ‘Best New Engine 2009 Award’

Porsche has been successful once more in the International Engine of the Year Awards. With the 3.8-litre power unit from the 911 Carrera S models, the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer has underlined its position in a field of high performance competitors, receiving the coveted ‘Best New Engine 2009 Award’. For eleven years, this prize has been awarded by the British specialist journal Engine Technology International for outstanding engine characteristics.

With flat-six engines featuring direct fuel injection technology, Porsche continues to increase the sports driving character, efficiency and environmental compatibility of all its sports cars, and this is especially true of the 911. In combination with the innovative Porsche double-clutch transmission (PDK), fuel consumption can be reduced by more than 13 per cent and CO2 emissions by almost 15 per cent.

Output of the 3.8-litre power unit in the 911 Carrera S models is up by 30bhp to 385 bhp (283 kW), pushing the extra-powerful Carrera S beyond 300 km/h (186 mph). Despite this supreme power and performance, the 911 Carrera S Coupé with PDK offers Combined average fuel economy of just 27.7mpg.

Engine of the Year Award 2009: Triple Victory with Four, Six and Eight Cylinders. BMW Group Continues Story of Success in the World’s Most Significant Engine Contest.

Munich / Stuttgart. Scoring outstanding wins in the three categories of the International Engine of the Year Award, the BMW Group once again highlights its top position this year as a manufacturer of particularly powerful and, at the same time, efficient engines. In the world’s most significant engine contest, the V8 power unit featured in the BMW M3, the straight-six with Twin Turbo Technology to be admired, among other models, in the BMW 3 Series, the BMW 1 Series and the BMW X6, as well as the four-cylinder twin-scroll turbocharged engine in the MINI Cooper S, have all scored triumphant victories in their respective classes.

The Awards were presented on 17 June 2009 at the Engine Expo in Stuttgart. This triple victory continues the BMW Group’s story of success in the International Engine of the Year Award. In this contest held since 1999 BMW engines have brought home overall victory no less than six times, including the four last years in a row.

This year’s three winners once again thrilled the jury through their fascinating development of power as well as their up-to-date efficiency. This combination of such superior virtues is the result of the BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy characterising both the eight cylinder from BMW M GmbH, the straight-six from BMW, and the MINI four-cylinder.

In the engine category between 3.0 and 4.0 litres the V8 power unit featured in the BMW M3 successfully defended the title it had already won last year. Indeed, this 309 kW/420 hp 4.0-litre makes a substantial contribution to the success of BMW’s high-performance sports car in the market, now available in the guise of the BMW M3 Coupé, the BMW M3 Saloon, and the BMW M3 Convertible.

The 3.0-litre 225 kW/306 hp six-cylinder with Twin Turbo and High Precision Injection, in turn, this year dominates the engine category between 2.5 and 3.0 litres for the third time in a row.

Continuity has also been the name of the game in the engine category between 1.4 and 1.8 litres ever since the year 2007, with the 1.6-litre four-cylinder power unit in the MINI Cooper S with its twin-scroll turbocharger, direct gasoline injection and maximum output of 128 kW/175 hp still setting the standard.

The decisions on the International Engine of the Year Award are taken by an international jury made up of renowned motoring journalists. This year the team of no less than 65 experts came from 32 countries, awarding prizes in eight engine classes based on size and in three special categories, as well as the special award for the overall winner.

In the eleven contests held so far since 1999, the BMW Group has already brought home more than 40 trophies. This ongoing success in the world’s most significant engine contest is impressive proof of the BMW Group’s unique competence the world over in the area of powertrain development.