SEOUL, South Korea — Hyundai has finished developing its Theta II in-house gasoline direct-injection (GDI) engine that will deliver 201 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque while remaining very fuel efficient.
The engine is set to debut early next year in the redesigned 2011 Hyundai Sonata. All in all, it took the Korean automaker just under four years and the equivalent of $146.9 million (including the factory) to develop the direct-injection power source. Hyundai plans to eventually bring direct injection to its full line of gasoline engines.
"The Theta II GDI convincingly demonstrates our advanced powertrain engineering capabilities," said Lee Hyun-Soon, Hyundai-Kia Motor Group vice chairman and chief technology officer.
The first unit developed is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder unit with a compression ratio of 11:3:1. A high-pressure fuel pump sends fuel to the injectors and helps bring output to 201 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. Compared with a conventional engine of the same size, the GDI Theta II delivers 7 percent more torque on the low end, 12 percent more at the high end and as much as 10 percent better fuel economy.
Other engine features include a three-stage variable induction system (VIS) that helps create an optimal air-to-fuel mix as well as Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (DCVVT) to improve engine breathing. A lightweight crankshaft and catalytic converter also knock off some weight to further increase the four-cylinder's fuel economy.
Inside Line says: Hyundai spent a lot of time and money developing this technology that is sure to pay off in the future. — Mike Lysaght, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
isend2c says:
02:36 PM, 11/24/2009
Love Hyundai. I'd be so happy to see them as the first mainstream manufacturer to have DI throughout their range. I hope this increases their redline also. It'd be nice to have a family car that revs to 7500 or even 7000. I'm not excited about the Turbo 4 though, I'm sure it'll be great but it won't have the force of a V6.