What a difference a decade makes. In response to the global recession and the surge in gas prices, the size of the average car engine has plummeted, and today a majority of motors displace between 1.0 and 1.9 liters. By 2020, it’s estimated that more than 52% of car engines will be this size as the downsizing trend continues.
The study was done by Wards Auto/Automotive Compass and looks at the future forecast of engines worldwide. Despite engines getting even smaller though, the average automobile still makes more horsepower than ever before. Technologies like direct injection and turbocharging are turning 1.0 liter three-cylinder into track monsters, while also being able to deliver hybrid-like fuel economy. Some engine segments, like those between 4.0 and 4.9 liters, are expected to all but disappear by 2020, though the number of motors with 2.0 to 2.9 liters of displacement is expected to stay about the same, though turbocharged engine sales are expected to triple by 2017.
Also worth noting is that electric vehicles seem to gain very little market share in the next six years, inversely proportionate with the softening of demand for engines larger than 5.0 liters. Other studies forecast as much as 7% of all new car sales will be electric in 2020, though the Wards study pegs it at about half that.
Small engines will continue to dominate the world going forward, but will electrics really stay such a small segment of the market? This writer thinks the study’s authors underestimate the potential of EVs.
Source: Wards Auto
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