Rupert Stadler, Audi’s chairman, says small turbos offer great performance but luxury car buyers remain wedded to multicylinder engines
Business Car Manager: Editor’s Blog
WHEN it comes to engines, does size really matter anymore?
A few years ago, it certainly did. Salesmen up and down the country defined their success by whether they had a 1.6, 2.0 or even a 3.0-litre motor under the bonnet of their company car. Bigger in those days nearly always meant better, writes Sam Hardy, our road test editor in a special blog report.
But with auto makers building more small-capacity turbos in the pursuit of increased efficiency and lower emissions, what’s happening with size envy in 2010?
As a reader of Business Car Manager, you’re in the know. You’ll be well aware that if, say, you’re in the market for a petrol-engined Audi A3, the 1.4-litre TFSI is the one to go for, not the regular non-turbo 1.6. But while that’s an easier sell on a small car, it’s harder further up the range.
Large car buyers still love lots of cylinders – and Audi boss Rupert Stadler knows it. He says: “The problem we have is a marketing one – four-cylinder turbos offer great performance, but buyers still like V6s and V8s.”
As if to prove this, the new, lighter A8 sticks to the large-engine formula with a range of V6 and V8 units. There’s a W12 on the way, too and a V10-engined S8. Rumour has it that the firm has had several 2.0-litre turbo-engined A8 variants waiting in the wings over the years, ready to go on sale. But they’ve never put them in the showroom for fear they won’t sell.
Over at Mercedes downsizing has gone further – entry-level E200 and E250 models are powered by a supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine. And in future, the only way is down. Come 2012, the BMW 3-Series will be powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol unit – essentially one half of the company’s new 3.0-litre straight six engine.
Back at Audi, it appears that there’s an internal battle going on. Because while the marketing men are unsure, the engineering department is going full steam ahead.
Head of Audi technology development Stefan Reil has a markedly different view. “In my opinion, most people buy performance, not the number of cylinders. I doubt that even enthusiasts these days are that bothered by whether their car is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder or a 3.2-litre V6 or a 2.5-litre five-cylinder. The key for us to create a product which appeals to the head as well as to the heart.”
Both Stadler and Reil agree that saving weight is the most important area of development, though. If you save weight, you increase efficiency. So size still matters… just in a different way, that’s all.
Sam Hardy is motoring editor and digital editor of Auto Express.
