Korean manufacturer Hyundai has enjoyed vast sales success in recent months, but it clearly has no intention of resting on its laurels.
Now the carmaker has unveiled the 2.4 Theta II GDI, which is its first gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine. The new technology was showcased at the Ninth Annual Hyundai-Kia International Powertrain Conference in Korea and has a compression ratio of 11.3:1.
Compared to a conventional engine, the GDI offers seven per cent more torque at low revolutions and 12 per cent more at the high-end which creates better take-off and overtaking performance. It has been developed with a budget of 170billion won over a 46-month long period and is expected to make its debut in 2010 in the newly launched Sonata.
The new production version includes a high pressure fuel pump that injects the fuel at pressures up to 150bar. The injection is split into two phases to optimise combustion with the first phase involving the pilot injection and the second phase seeing more fuel injected and ignited during the piston’s descent. This split technique reduces the loading on the catalytic converter while lowering emissions. Indeed the split injection helps the catalytic converter to optimal operating temperatures much faster and is therefore able to cut emissions by around 25 per cent during cold starts.
Additional performance gains have been achieved thanks to the incorporation of dual continuously variable valve timing which enhances the engine’s breathing while offering better fuel economy and lower emissions.
