According to a forecast released by Honeywell Transportation Systems at the recent 2012 Paris Motor Show, the number of passenger cars worldwide with turbocharged engines is expected to rise by 80% by 2017. Growing demand for cars that save fuel, perform well and emit less greenhouse gas is the main reason for this change.
In 2017, turbocharged engines are expected to be fitted to 36 million passenger cars sold worldwide, or about 40% of all new light vehicles sold that year. In 2011, turbochargers were installed on 20 million new vehicles sold worldwide, about 25% of total vehicle sales.
The United States, India and China are expected to lead global growth, because consumers and automakers in these markets are looking for ways to save fuel, starting from either gasoline or diesel engines. In Europe, turbochargers are already fitted to two-thirds of passenger cars, and the technology will become even more common as automakers have to meet stricter CO2 emission requirements.
Peter Hill, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Honeywell Transportation Systems, said: "Turbocharged engines are expected to keep growing worldwide because they meet consumer needs across a wide range of vehicle segments and regional markets. Compared with other technologies, turbocharging saves fuel and delivers high performance at an affordable price. That makes it popular for compact cars, full-size luxury sedans, pickups and everything in between."
Turbochargers are being used more and more widely around the world, because they allow automakers to use smaller, more energy-efficient engines that still deliver high performance. The main points of the forecast are:
• The number of turbocharged engines in the Chinese market is forecast to grow strikingly: over the next five years the Chinese turbocharger market will double from 4 million to 8 million units, and the share of new vehicles fitted with a turbocharger will rise to nearly 30%.
• In the United States, the number of turbochargers fitted to vehicles is expected to exceed 4 million units by 2017, roughly triple the 1.3 million units of 2011. An estimated one quarter of all new vehicles launched in the United States in 2017 will have a turbocharged engine.
• In India, the number of turbocharged engines is expected to grow from 900,000 units in 2011 to more than 3 million units in 2017, more than three times the 2011 figure.
• In Europe, the number of turbocharged engines is expected to rise from 12.9 million units in 2011, a fitment rate of 67% of new vehicles, to 17.4 million units in 2017, or more than 85%.
