Even if its presence on the European market is not so strong, Infiniti used this year Paris Motor Show to introduce a world premiere. Not a completely new model, but a completely new technology.
Infiniti’s new VC-Turbo (Variable Compression Turbo) is the world’s first production-ready variable compression ratio engine. Promising to be one of the most advanced internal combustion engines ever created, VC-Turbo technology combines the power of a high-performance 2.0-litre turbo gasoline engine with the torque and efficiency of an advanced diesel powertrain. Of course, without the equivalent emissions.
VC-Turbo technology uses an advanced multi-link system to seamlessly raise or lower the reach of the pistons, detecting the car’s driving condition and driver inputs, and instantly selecting the most suitable compression ratio. The engine is able to offer any compression ratio between 8:1 (for high performance) and 14:1 (for high efficiency). How about that?
With a development target power output of approximately 268 hp and 390 Nm torque, the VC-Turbo engine will be comparable to certain six-cylinder gasoline powertrains for performance, while significantly outperforming them in efficiency.
The four-cylinder VC-Turbo engine achieves lower levels of noise and vibration than conventional internal combustion engines, particularly diesel, and is lighter and more compact than V6 units with comparable power outputs.
