Volkswagen is to launch a two-cylinder diesel version of the Up in 2013 as a rival to the Fiat Panda TwinAir.
Speaking at the Sao Paulo motor show, Volkswagen R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg said the engine would be adapted from the radical Volkswagen XL1, which has also been confirmed for production next year.
He said the two-cylinder engine was compatible with all models in the New Small Family platform, which opens up the possibility of a two-cylinder diesel version of the NSF-based VW Taigun concept when it makes production as expected in 2015.
The current three-cylinder engine from the Volkswagen Up range of cars is also compatible with VW’s larger MQB platform-based cars, said Hackenberg, which opens up the possibility of three-cylinder petrol-powered Golfs in the future.
The three-cylinder engine is of a modular design and closely related to the new four-cylinder engines in the new MQB range, meaning installation would be relatively straightforward in a Golf-sized car.
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April Fool
Hahahahaha... the VW publicity machine spills out more rubbish without and reference to reality... even with a 360 degree crank, twin contra-rotating balance shafts and hydramounts, this thing would be evil. It will never see the light of day and is just more VW Group claptrap. Obviously the impressionable still believe that any publicity...
Pauld101 1 They are already
Pauld101
1 They are already about to make it for the XL1 "hybrid".
2 The same layout, albeit with just two main bearings was used in the 1950s-70s Fiat 500, followed by the charmless Fiat 126. They had no side-to-side vibration, owing to a relatively very large central banance weight on the crankshaft.
There was severe vertical shake, coped with by a coil spring engine mount, but Lanchester shafts could deal with that. One couldn't have the whole fwd lump, and by extension the front of the car, jumping up and down at the lights!
3 The difficult problem is going to be the very uneven speed at idle, resulting in severe gear rattle, and it would be desirable to quell the torque peaks too, which a dual mass flywheel is extremly good at - the perimeter is coupled to the centre by springs, which absorb the vibration. I suggest you try any small diesel with a dual mass flywheel for it is almost impossible to get them to labour in the old sense. It is just that the problem is greater with just one bang per rev.
4 Almost every modern manufacturer has standardised on 350-500cc per cylinder because it is extremely expensive to tool up special injectors, fuel meteriang and so on for a very small cylinder; the already tight tolerances would become extreme. Hence the choice of two cylinders here for a very small diesel engine.
anyone remember....
.....the Commer TS3 engine? Flat six piston, three cylinder, single crankshaft two stroke - diesel.
Love to see someone do a modern small displacement version of that!
:)
I think if VW succeeds in making the 2 cylinder petrol and diesel engines work in their Up! that they name the model the "Finger Up!" ...
Engine Vibration
A two-cylinder diesel will need twin Lanchester ballance shafts to quell the vertical shake.
It will also require a carefully calibrated dual-mass flywheel to deal with the very severe torsional vibration - if it is not to be encumbered with an overly heavy flywheel.
Morgan have a similar problem with their 2-litre V-twin employed in the 3-wheeler - which has a dual mass flywheel so as not to destroy the Mazda MX5 gearbox.