BMW confirms 4-cylinder engines for the U.S., four banger 3-Series coming in 2012
Rather than just covering vehicle debuts at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, there is a lot more news you can pick up here from company executives attending the show. In one such situation, BMW of North America’s CEO, Jim O’Donnell, confirmed that the luxury German automaker will offer 4-cylinder in the U.S. before 2015 to meet stricter fuel economy rules.
Under new federal guidelines revealed yesterday by President Barack Obama, automakers will have to improve the fuel-economy of their fleet by 5 percent annually before the national standard of 35.5 mpg takes place in the 2016 model year.
The 4-cylinder engines will be equipped with BMW’s next-generation twin turbochargers, reports Automotive News. That “is the goal and we will do it,” O’Donnell said.
He said that BMW will add a 4-cylinder variant of the 3-Series in the U.S. by spring 2012. The automaker is also considering 4-cylinder variants of the X1 and the X3 along with the 1-Series.
– By: Kap Shah
