Honeywell Turbochargers To Help Spur Increase In Diesel Passenger Vehicle Sales In United States

2014 Versions of Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Cruze and Mazda 6 among those benefitting from Honeywell technologies

PLYMOUTH, MI--March 27, 2013:  Honeywell Turbo Technologies is helping provide consumers with an ever-growing list of turbocharged diesel powered vehicles, as manufacturers look to offer U.S. customers the same fuel economy and performance benefits that European consumers already enjoy.

Honeywell turbochargers are vital components of the new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 that will be available for the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 2014 Ram 1500 pickup as well as in the 2.0-liter diesel engine in the Chevrolet Cruze and the 2.2-liter SKYACTIV-D engine in the Mazda 6.

"The increase in turbodiesel applications in the U.S. makes perfect sense in light of the more stringent CAFE regulations requiring more miles per gallon from manufacturers in a relatively short period of time," said Tony Schultz, Honeywell Turbo Technologies vice president of the Americas. "The performance benefits of turbodiesel engines simply cannot be ignored from an industry perspective in their ability to help reach these new fuel economy targets. Furthermore, I think customers experiencing the torque and power of a more fuel efficient turbodiesel engine will really be impressed with the vehicle's drivability."

In the United States, recent industry projections anticipate that sales of passenger cars with turbocharged diesel engines will grow 22 percent in the next five years, with annual sales of more than a million cars per year expected by 2017. Sales of clean diesel passenger cars in North America have increased in 26 of the last 27 months, and were up more than 25 percent in 2012. Honeywell also projects turbodiesel penetration growth of 3 to 4 percent by 2018 following a relatively flat overall penetration rate during the past few years.

"Our experience in Europe and our unique advantage in working with Honeywell's Aerospace team allow us to bring both innovation and value to our U.S. customers and their end consumers," said Schultz. "Even as manufacturers look to differentiate their technology in the showroom today, the ability to combine and pair technologies like turbocharging with engine downsizing, cylinder deactivation and even hybrid powertrains suggests that turbo technology will continue to play a key role for the next decade and beyond."

With downsized and turbocharged gasoline engines and turbodiesel engines accounting for more than 75 percent of the vehicles in Europe, Honeywell continues to use its unique position as the global turbo leader to deliver new performance innovations with 100 new turbo launches annually and some 500 applications in its production pipeline. Collaboration with Honeywell Aerospace engineering is driving even greater turbo performance through ball bearing and air bearing development, high temperature material selection for more gasoline turbo applications and even projects combining turbos with fuel cell applications.