Toyota borrows BMW’s engine to lift Verso Sales in Europe
March 19, 2014
Toyota expects the majority of future Verso sales in Europe will be versions equipped with a BMW-sourced diesel engine. The Japanese automaker, which is the world's No. 1 seller of petrol-electric hybrids, is strengthening its diesel line-up in the region where about half of new vehicles sold use the engine. The Verso compact minivan sold in Europe now will be offered with a BMW-sourced 1.6-liter diesel."The new 1.6 D-4D will be by far the most popular engine in our Verso lineup," said Fabio Capano, Toyota Europe's product communications director. "We plan to sell more than 25,000 a year." This year, Toyota expects to sell 44,000 Versos in its European markets, which include Russia and Turkey, up from 39,320 in 2013.Capano declined to comment on reports that Toyota will also use the BMW diesel in its Auris compact hatchback and RAV4 compact SUV. Up until now, the Verso only has been offered with Toyota's 2.0- and a 2.2-liter diesels. Capano said Europe's compact minivan segment is dominated by small diesels, with 1.6 variants ranking as the best sellers in the segment. Toyota considers the 1.6 D-4D's main diesel rivals to be the 1.6 Citroen C4 Picasso, 1.5 Renault Scenic, 1.6 Volkswagen Touran and 1.6 Ford C-Max. Toyota made some changes to the engine for the Verso. "Several key components, such as engine mounts, intake, cooling and fuel systems, had to be re-developed to ensure the mechanical marriage between the engine and the vehicle," Mehmet Kilic, Toyota's project manager responsible for the Toyota/BMW engine integration project, said at a press event. The companies have said they also plan to work together on development of a fuel cell system, joint research into lithium air batteries, the creation of lightweight vehicle body technologies and possibly the joint development of a sports car platform.
Categories
- TOYOTA
- TOYOTA YARIS
- TOYOTA LANDCRUISER
- Guest Post
- TOYOTA COROLLA
- Toyota Aygo
- Toyota Celica
- Toyota Avensis
- iPhone
- Toyota Urban Cruiser
- TOYOTA HILUX
- turbocharged
- DIESEL
- TOYOTA IQ
- TOYOTA PRIUS
- Uncategorized
- TOYOTA DIESEL
- News
- TOYOTA SUPRA
- Toyota Auris
- Toyota RAV4
- TOYOTA RAV 4 RAV4 DIESEL
- TOYOTA LUCIDA
- TOYOTA PRADO
- TOYOTA EMINA
- TOYOTA PREVIA
- TOYOTA MR2
- TOYOTA LANDCRUISER DIESEL