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Car engines of homegrown brands in fast development

120608, Beijing. After a several-year blowout-like development in China's auto industry, China has become one of international auto manufacture powers step by step. And the auto market with huge potentials shaped up during such a period of time provides a driving force and conditions for the accelerated growth of self-independent innovations in China's auto industry, and such self-independent innovations of China's auto industry have extended to such fields of key parts including engines.

In recent years, China's self-owned brand auto enterprises have developed their respective strategies on engine development successively and have made certain achievements in research, development, and manufacture of engines. The gap between China's engines newly put into production and foreign advanced ones are increasingly dwindling.

As early as in 2001, Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. initiated a strategy of "Chery's driving force". On October 31, 2005, Chery launched "ACTECO", a self-owned engine brand with high performance, and planned such a development blueprint for as many as 18 brand-new engine products falling into three major series from Three Cylinder In-Line Engine to V-type Eight Cylinder Engine and an emission capacity ranging from 0.8L to 4.0L. It is disclosed that Chery's ACTECO series engines being developed at present belong to the second generation, and Chery's second-generation ACTECO series engines can satisfy the strictest requirement on pollutant emission in European and the US markets.

Since the first type of 479Q engines developed independently by Geely Group Co., Ltd rolled off the production line in 2002 in Ningbo, Geely Group Co., Ltd has successively developed eight different types of engines with the emission capacities ranging from 1.0L to 1.8L. China's first type of CVVT engines developed independently by Geely Group Co., Ltd was produced in batches in August 2006, marking an important leap for Geely Group Co., Ltd in the field of automobile engines.

Changan Automobile Company Limited set up a research and development team for engines specially while conducting in-depth joint cooperation with such foreign design companies as FEV Motorentechnik GmbH headquartered in Germany and AVL headquartered in Austria. As planned, by 2010, Changan Automobile Company will be provided with over ten types of engines, the emission capacities of which vary from 0.8L to 2.4L, at the same time; thus, Changan's leading advantage in the field of researching and developing drive force systems will be established.

On May 13, a car engine factory affiliated to Great Wall Motor Company Limited was put into production; in the meantime, GW4G15 and GW4G13, two types of Great Wall Motor's full aluminum VVT engines, rolled off the production line in the new factory. Both GW4G15 and GW4G13 engines off the production line are Four Cylinder In-Line Engines with 16 valves and both of them are mainly applied for the succeeding car products of Great Wall Motor. Both of the two types of products adopted electronic throttle valves and variable valve timing technologies, making it possible for the emission capacity to easily meet the Europe ?? Standard. It is understood that as early as in 2000, Great Wall Motor had set up its gas engine company meeting a modern standard and with a production capacity of 200,000 sets. The engines produced in the base were mainly used on pick-up trucks, light trucks and various kinds of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV). Since this year, Great Wall Motor officially stepped into the car field and established a car engine factory with a higher standard, which will get production, learning, and studies integrated. The car engine factory affiliated to Great Wall Motor has an engine specialty team consisting of nearly 400 personnel, which is mainly responsible for concept design, CAE simulation analysis, and research and development, trial manufacture, and production of products. More than RMB700 million yuan was invested in the new factory, which was equipped with five flexible production lines including one cylinder body production line, one cylinder head production line, one bent axle production line, one assembling line, and a thermal test production line, and the annual production capacity can reach 300,000 sets.

Meanwhile, large-scale auto groups in China have realized remarkable achievements in terms of independent innovations on automobile engines depending on their large quantities of funds, intelligent and technology reservation. On the R&D for engines, China FAW Group Corporation has completed its layout for all series of engine products with the emission capacities ranging from 1L to 13L. In terms of engine products for commercial vehicles, such diesel engines independently developed by China FAW Group Corporation as CA6DN??CA6DM??CA6DL are taking the lead in China; in terms of car engines, gasoline direct injection engines ignited by China FAW Group Corporation successfully last year makes it possible for China's car gasoline engine technology to get geared to advanced international standards. Early this year, the first V-type 12 cylinder engine developed independently in China was successfully ignited in the technology center of China FAW Group Corporation, marking that the technology for the development of V-type engines used on top-graded cars has been mastered in China.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (Group) (SAIC)'s research and development for engines also draw people's attention. Since the first sample Roewe KV6 engine rolled off the production line, through an increasingly acceleration, SAIC's engine production line in Baoshan has shaped up an annual production capability of 80,000 sets.

At present, energy conservation and environmental protection have represented a new wave of innovations; and the development of new energy technologies becomes an opportunity for China's auto industry to shorten the gap and enhance its international competitiveness. In the aspect of the new energy driving force technology, auto enterprises with their independent brands in China have started their explorations and have made certain achievements. For instance, Changan Automobile Company Limited's turbocharged hydrogen fueled engine, which is taking the lead in terms of technology in the world and has been ignited successfully, represents the latest achievement made in the application of new energy resources on motor vehicles in China as hydrogen can be directly used energy in such a type of engine. It is believed that along with the development of China's automobile industry, auto enterprises with their respective independent brands will make one new achievements after another in terms of the new energy driving force technology.

Source: China Economic Net.