Infiniti Just Created A First-Of-Its-Kind Production Engine

So, Infiniti has done something that no one else has done before. We’re all a little flabbergasted by this one, but in the best way imaginable.

Infiniti isn’t known for its industry leading innovations, but being the luxury brand of an automaker as large as Nissan affords Infiniti the resources few others have. They have proven themselves insanely resourceful by bringing to the world the first ever VC-T. Usually those letters, C V & T, are associated with a truly horrible abomination of a transmission, but not this time. VC-T stands for Variable Compression-Turbocharged. What that exactly means can be better said by Infiniti themselves.

More than 20 years in development, INFINITI’s new four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline VC-T engine represents a major breakthrough in internal-combustion powertrain technology.

“VC-T technology is a step change for INFINITI,” said Roland Krueger, president of INFINITI Motor Company. “It is a revolutionary next-step in optimizing the efficiency of the internal combustion engine. This technological breakthrough delivers the power of a high-performance 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine with a high level of efficiency at the same time.”

VC-T technology signifies a new chapter in the story of the internal combustion engine – engines are no longer limited by a fixed compression ratio.  The ingenuity of VC-T engine technology lies in its ability to transform itself and seamlessly raise or lower the height the pistons reach. As a consequence, the displacement of the engine changes and the compression ratio can vary anywhere between 8:1 (for high performance) and 14:1 (for high efficiency). The sophisticated engine control logic automatically applies the optimum ratio, depending on what the driving situation demands.

VC-T technology delivers multiple customer benefits including significantly reduced fuel consumption and emissions, greatly reduced noise and vibration levels; it is also lighter and more compact than comparable conventional engines.

What this essentially means is that the engine will vary the compression ratio in real-time from 8:1 for a higher performance to 14:1 for a higher efficiency. This is technology that could render diesel engines completely obsolete. This also gives the efficiency of a smaller displacement without power loss, so expect power anywhere from 250hp to 300hp.

This is a truly remarkable development in engine technology. Expect to see this all over the Infiniti range of vehicles and potentially replacing their V6.

(Source: Infiniti News)