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After conquering Europe, turbocharged engines are now picking up steam in North America, mainly thanks to the efforts of Ford Motor Corp. and General Motors that embraced the technology on their mainstream products.
Honeywell, which develops and provides turbochargers for many vehicles including the gasoline-powered Dodge Dart and Fiat 500 Abarth, and the diesel versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and Volkswagen Touareg, estimates that North American sales of turbocharged commercial and passenger vehicles is projected to reach 3.2 million units in 2012, up from 2.2 million in 2011.
The report says that passenger vehicles alone will account for nearly 850,000 additional turbo engines in 2012, a 61 percent increase from last year.
According to research firm LMC Automotive, while only 2 percent of gasoline or flex-fuel vehicles produced in the United States in 2008 were fitted with a turbocharger, that figure rose to 9.5 percent in 2011 and is predicted to more than double to 23.5 percent in 2017.
"With fuel prices being a significant concern for consumers and businesses, turbochargers are a smart choice for getting more miles to the gallon," said Tony Schultz, vice president for the Americas, Honeywell Turbo Technologies.
"Turbocharging technology has been a fuel economy driver for decades in the United States for the on- and off-highway commercial vehicle market, as well as in global passenger vehicle markets like Europe," added Schultz.
In a separate report from J.D. Power and Associates, data showed a steady decline in large 8-cylinder engines - from 18.3% of the new light vehicle market in 2008, down to 14.6% in 2011 and 12.7 percent in the first quarter of 2012, as U.S. consumers downsize to smaller engines and engines with turbochargers, mainly because of higher gas prices.
On the other hand, sales of 4-cylinder engines increased from 42.7 percent of new light vehicles in 2008, to 49.7 percent in 2011 and to nearly 54 percent in the first quarter of 2012.
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