Toyota Revs Up Engine Development

Toyota Motor Corp. will introduce a sweeping powertrain portfolio starting this spring, as part of a five-year overhaul to make its vehicles more fuel-efficient but sportier to drive. The engine wave begins with a cleaner, more powerful 2-liter that will appear first in the redesigned Auris hatchback, which is to debut at the Geneva Auto Show. The Auris is the European and Japanese version of the Corolla iM sold in the US, Automotive News reported. By 2023, new engines and transmissions will power 80% of new Toyota vehicles. Also among the new products are more dynamic all-wheel-drive systems for trucks and hybrids and a continuously variable transmission that counters the rubber-band feel often derided by CVT critics by adding a toothed “launch gear”. The powertrain blueprint is Toyota’s clear signal that it sees big potential for improving old-school internal combustion technology, even in the dawning age of electrification.