TMMAL is to boost annual production capacity by 216,000 units solely for the 2GR, resulting in an increase of total engine capacity from 506,000 to 722,000 engines a year.

In addition to the creation of 125 new jobs, approximately 80 million dollars—including funds for the construction of a new building—will be invested towards the expansion.

2GR engines are currently produced in the U.S. at two other TMC subsidiaries: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia, Inc. The engines are installed on such vehicles as the “Highlander” crossover SUV, and the “Camry” and “Avalon” sedans.

TMC will continue to promote localized production based on the concept of producing vehicles where they are sold.

Source: http://www2.toyota.co.jp/en/news/12/05/0518.html

TMMAL currently assembles 4-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines for eight of 12 Toyota North American built vehicles. TMMAL is the only Toyota plant globally to produce these three types of engines in one facility. This investment will increase engine production at the Huntsville plant to more than 700,000 annually, and will increase total Toyota engine production in the U.S. to more than 1.4 million per year. Toyota also builds engines in Kentucky and West Virginia.

“We are proud to announce our fourth expansion, only a few months after celebrating 10 years of success in Huntsville and Madison County,” said Jim Bolte, President of TMMAL. Wouldn’t be possible without continued commitment from our outstanding team members and support from our community partners.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama has been a dedicated corporate citizen in Alabama for more than ten years, and announcement is an exciting new chapter for this company and this community. Toyota’s success in Alabama is a testament to the hard-working men and women of the production and leadership teams who have dedicated themselves to producing quality products,” said Governor Robert Bentley. “This expansion is also a testament to the business climate we’ve worked hard to create in Alabama – a climate in which companies are encouraged to expand, innovate, and create new jobs. We thank Toyota for the company’s continued confidence in Alabama and Huntsville, and we look forward to a continued long-term relationship.

Announcement is the latest in a string of Toyota production increase announcements since February including Toyota plants in Indiana, West Virginia, Canada and Kentucky. Cumulative investment total is approximately $645 million and more than 1,100 jobs are being added. “This V6 line addition continues to reflect our growing optimism for an improving North American market, and we continue to study more localization in North America,” said Steve St. Angelo, Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Source: http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+increase+v6+engine+production+alabama.htm

The first new engine to be introduced is a turbocharged 1598 cc, four-cylinder gasoline unit with direct injection and Start/Stop. The new SIDI (spark ignition direct injection) ECOTEC engine will be available in various power outputs and across several car lines. Production at the Szentgotthardt plant in Hungary will begin in late 2012.

Smooth acceleration, strong pulling power, low noise levels and low fuel consumption were the main focus. The emphasis was on torque with the engineers achieving up to 187.5 Nm per liter of displacement – a benchmark for gasoline engines produced in high volume. Maximum torque is up to 300 Nm and is already available at 1,700 rpm. Peak power of up to 200 hp is reached at 4,700 rpm. Compared to the predecessor 1.6 liter turbocharged gasoline engine, fuel consumption and CO2 have been cut by 13 percent.

In just twelve months we are launching three completely new engine generations. This shows how fast we are introducing new products, says Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke. Our new 1.6 liter direct injection engine is a real giant in terms of torque. Power builds up very smoothly and quietly, the director of gasoline engines, Thomas Johnen, explains.

The first Opel engine with spark ignition direct injection technology, the 114kW/155 hp 2.2 ECOTEC direct made its debut in Opel’s Signum and Vectra in 2003, succeeded by the Zafira. In 2007, the GT offered the first turbocharged gasoline engine with direct injection from Opel, a 2.0 liter unit with 194kW/264 hp. One year later this engine was introduced in the Insignia and was available in the Opel flagship in two variants: 162 kW/220 hp and 184kW/250 hp. The new Astra OPC will be powered by the latest version of this engine offering an output of 206kW/280 hp.

Source: http://media.opel.com/media/intl/en/opel/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/intl/en/2012/opel/05_14_New_generation_1_6_turbo

The Opel engineers carried out far-reaching changes on the existing turbocharged direct injection 2.0 liter gasoline unit used in the Insignia, giving it a more sporty edge and adding extra power to it. A completely new state of the art engine air intake system was developed in order to feed as much air to the turbocharger as possible. The turbocharger itself was further improved to withstand more charge air pressure and therefore the durability of the charger was increased accordingly by using new components. The build-up of pressure starts as early as around 1,400 rpm; gas pedal movements thus result in immediate and powerful propulsion. The maximum charge pressure has been increased to 1.5 bar – that represents a 25 percent increase compared to the one previously used in the Insignia.

A powerful car like the Astra OPC needs a powerful sound track that appeals to the emotional side of the high performance car enthusiast. That is why sound engineering played an important role in the development of the car. The engineers wanted to deliver the robust and masculine exterior sound typical of all Astra OPCs.

They also wanted to re-create the jet noise like sound on the interior which OPC fans will remember from the last Astra when the driver accelerates from the mid to high rpm range. This is especially noticeable when changing up from third into fourth gear under acceleration.

Source: http://media.opel.com/media/intl/en/opel/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/intl/en/2012/opel/05_09_astra_opc

Senior Vice President Research & Development, Nissan Americas Carla Bailo and Vice President Production Engineering and Component Facilities Mark Swenson joined local officials to mark the start of construction on this significant project.

“we begin an exciting new chapter for the Renault-Nissan Alliance and our continued investment in the United States,” Swenson said. “groundbreaking marks the latest move in our collaboration with Daimler to localize production capacity and enhance our competitiveness in the global market.”

Production of the new engines will begin in 2014 with installed capacity of 250,000 units per year. At maximum capacity, the new facility is expected to create up to 400 jobs and will be the first location Mercedes-Benz manufactures engines in the North America Free Trade region. The Tennessee plant’s strategic location will ensure a direct supply of engines for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, to be built at Daimler’s vehicle plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (as of 2014).

Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance first announced their strategic collaboration in April 2010 and are extending their reach into the United States as part of both companies’ growth strategy. The companies are also moving forward with a vehicle platform sharing initiative between Infiniti and Mercedes, and development of zero-emission vehicles. The decision to begin jointly producing engines in the U.S. marks the two organizations’ collaborative effort’s largest venture outside of Europe.

Source: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2012/_STORY/120509-01-e.html

Toyota announced it will increase annual engine assembly capacity of 4-cylinder engines by more than 100,000 at its plant in Georgetown, Ky. The increase will begin August 2013. The approximately $30 million project will create about 80 new jobs.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky (TMMK) currently assembles engines for the Avalon, Camry and Venza, all built at TMMK. The capacity increase will supply engines for TMMK’s Camry and Camry Hybrid and RAV4 in Woodstock, Ontario.

The increase will raise TMMK total employment to approximately 6,700 and total plant investment to more than $5.96 billion.

“This is great news for our team members and our company,” said Wil James, president of TMMK. “This project is the result of the strong partnerships we have locally and across the state, which will help grow our business and strengthen the communities where we do business.”

Announcement is the latest in a string of production increase announcements since February including Toyota plants in Indiana, West Virginia and Canada. The cumulative investment is approximately $565 million and nearly 1,000 jobs are being added.

“This engine production increase, and the several announcements before it, reflect our growing optimism for an improving North American market,” said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

This investment will increase engine production at the Kentucky plant to more than 500,000 annually and will increase total engine production in the United States to more than 1.2 million per year. Toyota also has engine plants in Alabama and West Virginia.

Source: http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+engine+kentucky+manufacturing+may8.htm

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces that Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK), TMC’s manufacturing subsidiary in Kentucky, United States, will increase its annual engine production capacity by approximately 100,000 units by August 2013 to meet rising demand for the “AR” engine.

The increase will raise TMMK’s annual engine production capacity from approximately 440,000 units to approximately 540,000 units. New investment, including that toward related suppliers, will be approximately 30 million dollars. Approximately 80 new jobs will be created.

The AR engine is currently produced in North America by TMMK and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc., and is used in the “Camry” sedan, “RAV4″ compact SUV, “Sienna” minivan and the “Highlander” and “Venza” crossover SUVs. Production capacity for the AR engine was increased at TMMK in response to increased demand.

TMC will continue to promote localized production based on the concept of producing vehicles where they are sold.

Source: http://www2.toyota.co.jp/en/news/12/05/0508_2.html

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

To enhance fuel economy, the new CVT is compatible with an idle stop system and features a high-efficiency electric oil pump among other features. In addition, the G-Design Shift, a new coordinated control system for gearing, throttle and hydraulic control, responds quickly to driver input, maintains strong and smooth acceleration G and helps realize an exhilarating and sporty driving feel. Thanks to this combination of technologies, in a comparison of vehicles in the same class, the new CVT offers 5 percent higher fuel economy than a conventional CVT and 10 percent higher than a 5-speed automatic transmission 2.

In November 2011, Honda announced Earth Dreams Technology, a series of next-generation technologies for automobiles that significantly enhance both driving performance and fuel economy, combining environmental responsibility with the fun driving customers expect from Honda. The first technologies in the series were the newly developed engine and CVT for minicars that were featured on the N BOX. The new CVT for midsize vehicles featured on the all-new Step WGN and Step WGN Spada is the second technology to join the series.

Source: http://world.honda.com/news/2012/4120405New-CVT-Midsize-Vehicles/index.html

The Health Effects Institute study, billed as the comprehensive study ever undertaken of the health effects of exposure to new technology diesel engines, has found no evidence of gene-damaging effects.

The Advanced Collaborative Engine Study is exposing rats and mice for 16 hours a day to emissions from a heavy-duty diesel engine meeting stringent 2007 US EPA standards, which reduces emissions of fine particles and other pollutants by over 90 percent from levels emitted by older engines.

The study was conducted by the Health Effects Institute in collaboration with the Coordinating Research Council. The Health Effects Institute is an independent, non-profit research institute funded jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and industry.

The study found that exposures lasting one, three, and in some cases up to twelve months had effects on only a few of the many health markers tested.

One of a few effects that were reported for the rats was mild hyperplasia in the lungs – a symptom of exposure to nitrogen oxides in the engine exhaust, which was virtually eliminated in new generation, 2010 US EPA standards now in effect.

Source :http://www.ontruck.org/imispublic/Home/AM/ContentManagerNet/ContentDisplay.aspx?Section=Home&ContentID=10974

Featuring VMAC’s state-of-the-art Intelligent Digital Controls, this advanced air compressor system is smart enough to turn the truck off when air is not being used and then turn the truck back on when air is needed again. VMAC expects the advancements this control system represents to bring about an evolution in the mobile air compressor market and to contribute to VMAC’s growing environmentally-friendly product line.

VMAC worked closely with customers and dealers to address truck idling, emissions, service intervals, fuel consumption, wear and tear, and longevity challenges to realize this advanced system design.

Producing 70 CFM and 175 PSI, this system employs an adjustable automatic engine control and digital setup on the LCD control box display. This new UNDERHOOD70-G kit designed for the Ford 6.7L Powerstroke Diesel and additional applications are to be announced.

Source : http://www.ntea.com/News/Default.aspx?id=26691