Although the end of the internal combustion engine seems to have been sealed for many manufacturers, it appears that new petrol and diesel engines are still in the pipeline.
News of the ICE’s demise is apparently premature, because as the auto industry moves into the electric age, a new combustion engine alliance is being formed in Japan by makers Toyota, Mazda and Subaru.
The three automakers announced the plan in a joint statement at a recent Multipathway Workshop in Tokyo.
They said the new ICE power plants will emerge as powerful weapons in the war against CO2 emissions, even in the era of electric vehicles. The new engines could also run on hydrogen and bio-ethanol.
Three different engines were on display in Tokyo with a cylinder capacity of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 liters. Many questions remain, but experts believe that the engines would ideally be paired with electric motors for a new generation of efficient hybrids.
“To provide our customers with diverse options to achieve carbon neutrality, it is necessary to take on the challenge of developing engines that are tailored to the energy environment of the future,” said Toyota CEO Koji Sato.
He said the three companies shared the same ambitions and will refine engine technologies through friendly competition.
“As we continue to refine electrification technology, we will also improve our horizontally opposed engines with the goal of using carbon-neutral fuels in the future,” said Subaru CEO Atsushi Osa.
The makers said that while the new engines are “highly efficient and powerful,” they also offer a more compact form factor than existing models.
Smaller engines will allow for even lower engine cowlings, improving design capabilities and aerodynamic performance while contributing to better fuel efficiency, the statement said.
Sales of internal combustion engine cars will end in most of Europe from 2035, although some politicians within the EU have ignored emissions targets and called for this deadline to be extended.
In many other parts of the world, ICE-powered cars are still in high demand, as electrification has been slow to take off due to a lack of charging infrastructure.
Mazda said it would continue to develop combustion engines even as mobility moves into an “electrification era.”
The trio’s new generation of compact combustion engines is tailored to electrified powertrains and respective operating requirements, the companies said. They will be further developed and integrated into the powertrains of their respective models.
