Toyota called the 2.8-liter engine “one of the most thermally efficient in existence.”
Future Product Pipeline
TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. is stepping up a global upgrade of high-efficiency powerplants through the end of this year with the deployment of two new turbodiesel engines.
They are part of a new generation of fuel-sipping, but more-powerful, engines that Toyota began introducing last year. By the end of 2015, 14 models will get improved engines, including such powerplants as the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine mounted in the Lexus NX crossover.
Toyota unveiled the latest volley today in announcing a newly developed 2.8-liter turbocharged diesel engine and a 2.4-liter turbodiesel engine.
The 2.8-liter is deployed in the Hilux small pickup launched in Thailand last month and will appear in the partially redesigned Land Cruiser Prado introduced to Japan in June.
The 2.4-liter turbodiesel engine will also be offered in the Hilux.
Thermal efficiency
Toyota called the 2.8-liter “one of the most thermally efficient in existence.”
It achieves thermal efficiency rates of 44 percent. Thermal efficiency is a measure of how much energy is lost through heat — a higher number is better. The ultra-efficient engine on the current-generation Prius hybrid, by contrast, achieves thermal efficiency of 37 percent.
Compared with the larger-displacement diesel engine they replace, the new diesel duo boost maximum torque by 25 percent and improve low-speed torque by 11 percent, while lifting fuel efficiency 15 percent, Toyota said in a statement.
They are part of a wave of new engines that include downsized gasoline turbo powerplants and more efficient direct-injection traditional gasoline engines. When they come to market by the end of 2015, the new engines will cover about 30 percent of Toyota’s global nameplates.
The suite of engines, which deliver at least 10 percent better fuel economy than existing ones, is a key part of Toyota’s push to meet increasingly stringent emissions standards.
The world’s largest automaker had prioritized gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrains over traditional internal combustion systems. But Toyota is now revamping base engines across the lineup. The new technologies draw on direct injection, turbocharging, high compression ratios and lean-burning Atkinson-cycle combustion.
Toyota’s new powerplants come as rivals such as Honda Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. overhaul their own engine lineups.
Honda’s line of Earth Dreams engines tap direct-injection technology and turbocharging. Mazda’s updated Skyactiv engines pair fuel injection with ultra-high combustion ratios.
Engine evolution
Toyota will introduce new, high-efficiency engines across 14 models by year-end
New engine
Introductions so far
1.0-liter
Passo
1.3-liter
Vitz
1.5-liter
Corolla
1.2-liter turbo gasoline
Auris
2.0-liter turbo gasoline
Lexus NX 200t
2.0-liter
Camry (China market)
2.7-liter
Hiace
2.4-liter turbo diesel
Hilux
2.8-liter turbo diesel
Hilux, Land Cruiser Prado
Source: Toyota Motor Corp.
You can reach Hans Greimel at hgreimel@crain.com. — Follow Hans on 
advertising
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
www.autonews.com