The WardsAuto Engine & Technology Update

NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Turbos, HEVs Vie for Wards 10 Best Engines Honors

2017 Wards 10 Best Engines Nominees
Divergent powertrain strategies are evident as high-output turbocharged engines and fuel-sipping hybrids and plug-ins dominate the field of 40 powertrains under review for the 2017 competition.

2016 Los Angeles Auto Show

Click to read WardsAuto stories from 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Active Market for Active Grilles

Mega-supplier Magna International says it already produces millions of wind-cheating active grilles for cars and trucks annually, with automakers beginning to employ even more advanced designs and eyeing spin-off product concepts.

Jaguar Charges Forward With Electric i-Pace CUV

Traditional British automaker Jaguar is set to challenge the Tesla Model X starting in 2018 with a new all-wheel-drive CUV previewed by the i-Pace concept.

Wards 10 Best Engines

Ongoing coverage of the Wards 10 Best Engines competition, sponsored by Federal-Mogul.

Hyundai Supplying 60 FCVs to Paris Taxi Startup

The FCVs will replace existing gasoline- and diesel-powered cars so as not to add to the 17,000 cabs now serving the French capital. Their inclusion is expected to save 800 tons of carbon-dioxide emissions annually.

Buick Envisions More CUV Sales

Test Drive
Priced from $35,000 to almost $50,000, the Envision fits between the Encore and Enclave and is a solid entrant in WardsAuto’s Middle Luxury CUV segment.

Smart Fortwo Splendid Idea, Imperfect Reality

Test Drive
Even with an updated powertrain and driving dynamics over its predecessor, the Fortwo is no smarter an idea today than when Daimler product planners hatched the idea to bring the brand to the U.S. in 2008.

BorgWarner Boosts Turbo Activity

Soon in Europe, BorgWarner will launch its eBooster electrically driven compressor, designed to augment a traditional turbocharger and eliminate the pause that has hindered turbochargers as they spool up with exhaust gas.

Volkswagen Mulls Road Map for New Atlas CUV

Q&A
VW doesn’t believe the new Atlas is the final piece of the puzzle, “but it closes one of the biggest gaps that we have at the moment,” says the automaker’s top North American engineer.

Expert Not Electrified by Tesla As Police Cruiser

The LAPD last year began road-testing two Tesla Model S P85D cars as well as BMW i3 extended-range EVs, mainly for handling and performance. Earlier this year, the department ordered 100 of the i3 subcompacts.

Purdue, Toyota Collaborate on EV Cooling Tech

The organizations have developed a high-performance, 2-phase cold-plate design for automotive power-electronics cooling.