BMW Standardizing a New Engine Family for Parts Sharing

Autonews reports that BMW will be standardizing the new 1.5 liter, 2.0 liter and 3.0 liter engine units, for both petrol and diesel variations. This move is in line with BMW’s efforts in parts sharing and saving on production costs. BMW faced the difficult economic conditions by planning intensively on how they could save on production costs, and this is one of their many plans. BMW’s new engine family will share a common engine block design and many parts which makes it easier to use across the BMW fleet.

At a recent press event, BMW’s head of development for inline engines Harald Unger said: “Our goal is to have 60 percent of components shared between engines based on fuel type, and 40 percent commonality between gasoline and diesel engines.”

When standardized, these engines will share the same qualities including reduced fuel intake, variable valve timing mechanisms, injectors, turbochargers and exhaust systems, mounting points for both longitudinal and transverse configurations, displacement, will adhere to a paradigm of 500 cc (cubic centimeters) per cylinder, and the TwinPower Turbo technology.

The new standardized platform will not apply to the larger engines such as the V8, V10 and V12 engine units.

Source: Autonews