Confirmed: New 4 Cylinder Turbo in Development

Chris Chao Sep 10th, 2008 Link

Perhaps what he is saying is that the specs of the new motor to be designed are not set in stone yet, until they have a better idea of what requirements need to be met in order to meet the government’s new efficiency and emission standards. If the new standards are heavily biased towards greater efficiency, then perhaps the engineers will have to sacrifice some performance and concentrate more on mileage.

I don’t really see a problem with BMW coming out with a new 4-cylinder engine. They could enlarge the 1.6L turbo engine in the Mini, or take the twin turbo 3.0L 335i engine and shorten it by two cylinders and downsize it into a 2.0L twin-turbo 4-cylinder.

my.IS - Lexus IS Forum - BMW cutting V8 engine production to focus on four-cylinders engines Sep 10th, 2008 Link

[...] Jim O’Donnell (BMWNA CEO) has officially confirmed in an interview with Business Week that BMW is working on developing a new 4-cylinder motor. [...]

BMW prepara un nuevo motor de cuatro cilindros Motor Spain Sep 11th, 2008 Link

[...] de la noticia: Internacional Referencias: bimmerfile Relacionados en MotorSpain: Los motores de seis cilindros de BMW también contarán con tecnología [...]

chris Sep 11th, 2008 Link

Alright, this is the engine the 1er has been destined to receive: tii here we come!

Doug Sep 11th, 2008 Link

I think this is great.

A lot of enthusiasts said Audi was lame for having a 4-cylinder engine in their line-up. The BMW engine will likely be better, but the concept is a good one and doesn’t mean the car is not a serious performance machine.

JonPD Sep 11th, 2008 Link

Interesting news about the new engine, I second your concern Michael that BMW is using the election in the US to make strategic planning. While I know this has to be part of the equation I am pretty much sure that 5 years from now every car will be forced to be more efficient.

TMQ Sep 11th, 2008 Link

Government policies will impact business decisions, this should not be a surprise to anyone. BMW can certainly use this motor in other countries, and right now it doesn’t have anything to match Audi’s turbo4 gas engine.

I see that in the future the twin turbo 6 gets more powerful to be about 330 HP, perhaps with a inline6 at 270 HP if they feel like it, and the twin turbo 4 at 210 HP.

Chaz Sep 11th, 2008 Link

The 1 series (and 3) would be a hoot with the 320SI engine that was in the E90 model. I doubt that most BMW people here would want an engine that pulled like a Honda civic SI though.

Certainly with turbo and technology, BMW can do interesting things as they have with the 335. A smaller, sportier (higher revving) efficient 4 cylinder would be pretty popular these days. Maybe they will even put a supercharger and a turbo on the same engine. Certainly would make BMW more of a tuner car (which BMW wouldn’t necessarily like). Still, BMW already has a hot 4cyl turbo 4cyl with the 123 diesel

As for the election, is the tail wagging the dog? Maybe BMW is taking the chance to put some pressure on the US govt to make a decision they would support.

GSKChicago Sep 11th, 2008 Link

Any idea if it will still give the same sound and feel as the bigger engine? One of the things I love about my 1 is how “throaty” the engine sounds.

In your experience/knowledge - what does this do, longer term, to resale values of cars with a 6?

Auto Clerks » BMW Turbo Four-Banger In Development [Bmw] Sep 11th, 2008 Link

[...] After the election? Really? Sure, that makes sense, seeing as BMW’s future North American lineup will vary depending on future legislation. But we thought ze Germans were all about über efficiency, technology, and whatnot anyways, no matter what our stupid politics are. Oh well, either way, it sounds like the perfect engine to stick in a 1-Series tii. [via BimmerFile][image] [...]

cct1 Sep 11th, 2008 Link

A four cylinder engine with forced induction in a BMW-a paradigm shift, and a welcome one, in the BMW train of thought. It’ll be interesting to see what they’ll do with it–I don’t think a twin turbo 4, with 210 HP will be where its at though. The MINI does that with a 1.6 l, and I’ll bet you’ll see a larger, more powerful twin turbo in the BMW’s. Might get me interested in the 1-series again. But this thing could find its way in the Z4 or 6 (or whatever they end up calling it), or better yet, in a Z2, if it ever sees the light of day.

I’ll bet we’ll be looking at HP at the very least in the high 200’s, and, more importantly, torque in the high 200’s. I can’t wait to see this sucker.

BMW to turbocharge their small engines | BMW.SG | The Singapore BMW Enthusiast Community Sep 11th, 2008 Link

[...] Worldcarfans via BusinessWeek via Bimmerfile You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, [...]

Auto Clerks » BMW: U.S. may get turbo 4, depending on next President Sep 11th, 2008 Link

[...] CEO, Jim O’Donnel has ended the rumors of a new BMW four-cylinder engine option. It’s true. And it sounds great. Not only will the new turbocharged engine outperform the current inline-six, [...]

BMW: U.S. may get turbo 4, depending on next President » Hybrid News Sep 11th, 2008 Link

[...] CEO, Jim O’Donnel has ended the rumors of a new BMW four-cylinder engine option. It’s true. And it sounds great. Not only will the new turbocharged engine outperform the current inline-six, [...]

Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] gallery of the BMW Concept 1 Series tii Rumors of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered in the United [...]

Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. | Cars Blog Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] gallery of the BMW Concept 1 Series tii Rumors of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered in the United [...]

Auto Clerks » Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered [...]

Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. at Auto Car Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] gallery of the BMW Concept 1 Series tii Rumors of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered in the United [...]

Auto news » Blog Archive » Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] gallery of the BMW Concept 1 Series tii Rumors of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered in the United [...]

Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. | Cars Blog Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered [...]

Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. | Barbara Woodhouse Car Blog Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] gallery of the BMW Concept 1 Series tii Rumors of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered in the United [...]

Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. | 9autos.com Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered [...]

BMW Producting a Turbo 4-Cylinder, US Might Get a Taste | The Auto Junkyard Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] BimmerFile confirmed that BMW will produce a brand new turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that will give faster acceleration while producing less emissions and better fuel economy than the current inline-6.  Sounds promising, but it might not make it to the US if government policies and regulations surrounding fuel economy become too restrictive after the upcoming Presidential election. [...]

Reviews » Blog Archive » BMW Confirms Turbo Fours are Under Development Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] BMW Confirms Turbo Fours are Under Development As you may have read in our look inside Ford’s EcoBoost V-6, forced induction is making a comeback as a replacement for larger engines. And why not? A turbocharged six-cylinder will have lower internal friction than a naturally-aspirated V-8, and given identical gearing will also use less fuel to loaf the engine along at a steady-state cruise. As regulations for emissions and fuel economy ratchet up, BMW is taking the one-downsmanship a step further by developing turbocharged four-cylinders that deliver the performance of their sixes. Rumors of the return of the Bimmer turbo four have been swirling for months, but now BMW North America’s CEO, Jim O’Donnell, has confirmed to Business Week that the company is, indeed, working on the downsized powerplant. To wit, he says that “[The turbo four] will deliver stronger performance in terms of acceleration than the current 6-cylinder, it will deliver lower emissions and will give you better fuel economy; so it is a win, win, win situation.” Now, the wet blanket: Availability of the engine in the U.S. is going to depend heavily on the November presidential elections. BMW believes that whoever wrests control of the White House will also effect their own national energy policy, and the two candidates’ doctrines are so diametrically opposed that the company won’t commit to one solution unless they’re sure it won’t be uprooted by legislation. via BimmerFile [...]

BMW Turbo Four-Banger In Development [Bmw] Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] Afte­r­ the­ e­le­c­ti­on­? R­e­ally? S­ur­e­, that m­ak­e­s­ s­e­n­s­e­, s­e­e­i­n­g as­ BM­W­’s­ futur­e­ N­or­th Am­e­r­i­c­an­ li­n­e­up w­i­ll var­y de­pe­n­di­n­g on­ futur­e­ le­gi­s­lati­on­. But w­e­ thought z­e­ Ge­r­m­an­s­ w­e­r­e­ all about übe­r­ e­ffi­c­i­e­n­c­y, te­c­hn­ology, an­d w­hatn­ot an­yw­ays­, n­o m­atte­r­ w­hat our­ s­tupi­d poli­ti­c­s­ ar­e­. Oh w­e­ll, e­i­the­r­ w­ay, i­t s­oun­ds­ li­k­e­ the­ pe­r­fe­c­t e­n­gi­n­e­ to s­ti­c­k­ i­n­ a 1-Se­r­ie­s t­ii. [v­ia Bimmer­Fil­e][imag­e] [...]

JonPD Sep 12th, 2008 Link

On a positive note if the new 4 bangers come to the US I would expect to see the weight of BMW to start decreasing some also. For large gains in efficiency can be found with smaller engines and lighter weight cars. Though this is a difficult path as BMW owners tend to expect more comforts that all come at the gain of weight.

I personally would forgo any new car if they would bring a high revving 4 cylinder engine lightweight Tii to the States.

Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. » autouncut.com Sep 12th, 2008 Link

[...] gallery of the BMW Concept 1 Series tii Rumors of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered in the United [...]

New inline-4 turbo in the works at BMW Sep 15th, 2008 Link

[...] Source [...]

BMW Time - Kult marki BMW » Archiwum bloga » 4-cylindrówki w BMW Sep 16th, 2008 Link

[...] BimmerFile [...]

syngshin.com » Blog Archive » Confirmed: BMW working on 4 cylinder turbo, may come to U.S. Sep 16th, 2008 Link

[...] of a new four cylinder engine from BMW have been confirmed by BMW’s North American leader Jim O’Donnell. Questions on whether it will be offered [...]

BMW: U.S. may get turbo 4, depending on next President Oct 9th, 2008 Link

[...] CEO, Jim O’Donnel has ended the rumors of a new BMW four-cylinder engine option. It’s true. And it sounds great. Not only will the new turbocharged engine outperform the current inline-six, [...]