Honeywell Report: Turbo Engines In Nearly Half The Vehicles By 2020

Honeywell’s latest annual survey predicts that by 2020, 47 percent of all new vehicles will be equipped with a turbocharger as manufacturers lean towards “rightsizing” engine technology.

“The Golden Age of Turbo is gathering momentum globally as the industry numbers indicate,” says Terrence Hahn, Honeywell Transportation Systems president and CEO. “But there is a clear demand for more sophisticated turbo technology that covers the entire powertrain performance envelope. Automakers are turning to suppliers like Honeywell to meet the unique needs of fuel-efficient 3-cylinder engines, increase power from 4-cylinder engines with advanced aerodynamics, and soon deliver electric boosting and energy recovery systems for advanced hybrid powertrains.”

The survey, which was unveiled just before the Frankfurt International Motor Show where Honeywell showed off its latest technology, says up to 7 million 3-cylinder turbocharged engines, such as the Ford EcoBoost, will be sold annually. Four-cylinder engines will continue to make up 75% of the turbo market. In the diesel segment, multi-stage boosting will be offered in up to 2 million vehicles. Finally, Honeywell says around 25 percent of hybrid vehicles will have turbocharged engines, up from 10 percent today.

“It’s no longer enough to simply downsize the engine and add a turbo,” sums up Craig Balis, chief technology officer at Honeywell Transportation Systems. “Auto makers need solutions for dynamic conditions where the engine reacts instantly to driver inputs while still controlling fuel consumption and emissions. Key design features of the latest generation of Honeywell turbochargers make them more reactive to engine control signals.”

The report indicates that about 23 percent today new-vehicle sales include turbo engines, and that share should jump to 39 percent by 2020 when there will be about 52 million total turbocharged vehicles on the road.