Facing stricter fuel economy standards, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are considering bringing four-cylinder engines back to the United States.

BMW stopped offering four-cylinders in 1999 when its 318ti hatchback flopped. Mercedes-Benz had four-cylinder engines on the 2005 C230 and SLK230 but dropped them in favor of six-cylinder models.

BMW of North America is considering a twin-turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder gasoline engine for U.S. vehicles, said CEO Jim O’Donnell.

“The plans will be firmed up when we have definite news from Washington on what the fuel standards are going to be,” he said.

O’Donnell said the engine could be used in 1- and 3-Series cars and the X1 and X3 crossovers. BMW is designing the four-cylinder to have as much power as its current inline six-cylinder family, but with better fuel economy and lower emissions, he said.

One potential snag: The four-cylinder costs more to build than the six-cylinder family, and BMW would pass along that cost to consumers. O’Donnell said buyers may not be willing to pay more for advanced technology.

Mercedes-Benz is deciding whether to offer the four-cylinder diesel from the E250 Bluetec concept at the New York auto show this month.

The show car, based on the new E-Class sedan, has a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel with 204 hp and a fuel economy rating of nearly 40 mpg on the highway.

Ernst Lieb, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, said the E class may not be the right car for the engine in the United States. But, he said, it is well-suited for the C-Class sedan and GLK compact SUV and could be used in the current generation of both vehicles.

Source (article): MSN

Source (picture): BUSINESSWEEK

The BMW Group Forschung und Technik, in cooperation with researchers in Graz and Vienna, Austria, has succeeded in developing a dedicated hydrogen combustion engine with diesel-like geometry and progressive H2 high-pressure direct injection technology.

The result is an efficiency level of up to 42 percent, on par with that of the best turbodiesel engines. Partners in the “H2BVplus” project, which is sponsored by Austria’s Federal Ministry for Transportation, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT), are the Institute for Internal Combustion Engines and Thermodynamics at Graz University of Technology, HyCentA Research GmbH in Graz, as well as HOERBIGER ValveTec GmbH in Vienna.

“In light of the limited availability of fossil fuels and the rising environmental impact from harmful emissions, we are convinced that the H2 combustion engine will assume an important position in the product portfolio of future alternative drive concepts. It will crucially contribute to safeguarding our individual mobility at the high level the customer expects,” said Professor Dr. Raymond Freymann, Managing Director of BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH. B The newly developed combustion system combines the strengths of spark-ignition and diesel concepts, while utilizing the favorable combustion properties of hydrogen, and thereby achieves efficiency values that easily bear comparison with even those of state-of-the-art turbodiesel engines. In the process, the engineers based their work on the joint EU “HylCE” project, during which maximum specific powers of up to 100 kilowatt per liter of displacement were demonstrated for a spark-ignition hydrogen combustion process.

Source (article): AUTOSPIES

Source (pictures): JALOPNIK, CARTYPE

The automotive world has been waiting for BMW’s response to the Mercedes-Benz R-class since the debut of that crossover/minivan curiosity for 2006. For a while, a pseudo minivan in the same vein as the R-class was expected from Mercedes’ German rival, but the R’s dismal sales may have caused BMW to chart a different course of action.

At the Geneva auto show in March, we finally got to see, in concept form, BMW’s answer to the R-class. Mercifully, the company that prides itself on building the “ultimate driving machine” didn’t produce a minivan but rather a high-roofed, not-quite-an-SUV wagon version of the next-generation 5-series. After years of calling it the Progressive Activity Sedan, BMW has ditched that moniker in favor of calling the concept the 5-series Gran Turismo.

Looking like a slightly squashed X6 sport-ute and sitting 5.3 inches lower than it, the 5-series Gran Turismo rides on a long, 120.9-inch wheelbase that provides a 7-series-grade back seat. There’s no third row, and in the concept, the rear seat is only good for two occupants. Production versions will likely have a conventional bench seat. As in many SUVs, the rear seat slides back and forth several inches to accommodate legs or increase cargo area. A length of 196.8 inches makes the 5-series Gran Turismo a scant three inches shorter than the big 750i sedan and almost five inches longer than the X6.

BMW hasn’t officially divulged what will power the Gran Turismo, but we’d guess the most expensive version will get the company’s 400-hp, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8; the 300-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six will likely be the most popular choice; and for the fuel conscious, the 265-hp, 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six should return fuel economy in the mid-20s. Rear-wheel drive will be standard, with all-wheel drive (xDrive) optional.

The Gran Turismo should be available early in 2010, after the production version debuts at the Frankfurt auto show this fall. How the new model will fit in among the X3, X5, and X6 SUVs remains to be seen. But expect a starting price of $45,000, with top models fetching close to $70,000.

Source (Article): CARANDDRIVER.COM

Source (Pictures): DESIGNTOPNEWS, L.YIMG