英菲尼迪近日发布了其新开发的可变压缩比涡轮增压（Variable Compression-Turbocharged ，VC-T）汽油引擎，该项技术的研发历时达20年。这台引擎的功率为200千瓦/268马力，扭矩390牛米，它的压缩比可在8:1-14:1的区间进行自由调节，以提高引擎在不同工况下的燃烧效率，实现高功率和低油耗。引擎可以根据驾驶条件的不同，采用最优化压缩比以实现最大限度提升性能，降低油耗。与普通涡轮增压引擎相比，新引擎体积更小，重量更轻，噪音更低，震动更小。这台2.0升四缸VC-T引擎未来将替代3.5升V6引擎，且燃油经济性提升27%。同时其生产成本也低于目前的涡轮柴油引擎。英菲尼迪母公司日产在东京举行的发布会上表示，新引擎完全可以满足更严格的氮氧化物排放标准。英菲尼迪将在9月29日发布新引擎细节，而2017款QX50也将成为首款搭载该引擎的车型。

 

Infiniti announces production-ready variable compression ratio engine

Infiniti has taken the wraps off its brand new Variable Compression-Turbocharged (VC-T) gasoline engine which has been in developed over the last two decades. The production-ready unit is rated at 268 horsepower (200 kilowatts) and 288 pound-feet (390 Newton-meters) of torque and can automatically adapt to lower or raise the height the pistons reach. It effectively means the compression ratio can vary between 8:1 and 14:1, thus offering the best of both worlds: high performance and fuel economy. Depending on the driving conditions, the engine’s control logic can apply the optimum ratio for maximum performance or efficiency.

 

According to Infiniti, the new engine is smaller and lighter in comparison to conventional units, and it also has lower noise and vibration levels. The four-cylinder, 2.0-liter VC-T unit is approximately 27 percent more efficient than the 3.5-liter V6 it will replace. At the same time, it is going to be cheaper to manufacture than today’s crop of comparable turbodiesel engines. Infiniti’s parent company Nissan explained at a briefing in Tokyo the engine should comply without any costly modifications with nitrogen oxide and other emissions rules in markets with more stringent laws.

 

More details about the engine will be disclosed on September 29 at the Paris Motor Show, with the next-gen QX50 due in 2017 set to become the first production model to use it.