BMW's new weapon
BMW's inline-six petrol engine could be a thing of the past in Thailand - should the current excise tax regime remain in place.
The 2.0-litre turbo inline-four can outperform a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre straight-six.
With the announcement of a new twin-turbo 2.0-litre motor, the Munich-based luxury car manufacturer has further underscored the importance and effectiveness of engine downsizing.
The efficient petrol head will be launched first in the X1 sport utility vehicle in Europe, replacing the naturally aspirated 3.0-litre inline-six in 28i form.
As seen in the accompanying graph, the new 28i trumps the old version in all aspects - tractability, performance, economy and CO2 emissions.
With the use of twin-scroll turbo technology, the new 28i produces maximum torque at an impressively low 1,250rpm.
The use of BMW's latest eight-speed automatic also plays a role in the technological upgrade.
Currently, engines displacing less than 2,000cc are subject to 30% excise tax (25% and 22% for E20 and E85 capabilities, respectively), while those sized between 2,500-3,000cc face 40% (35% and 32% accordingly).
This 10% difference in excise tax can bring down the prices of BMW's luxury cars by as much as half-a-million baht, according current pricing trends.
The only obstacle BMW (Thailand) has to deal with the new turbo engine is the power output exceeding the 220hp tax barrier, meaning that it will be immediately subject to the 50% maxim.
However, the Thai BMW office is no stranger to "engine-detuning". The inline-six petrol and diesel engines sold in applications like the X5, X6, 730Li and 730Ld have outputs reduced to 219hp from the original ones exceeding 220hp.
Although BMW executives are still mum about Thai sales potential of the new petrol engine, it will eventually follow into other mainstream BMWs like the 1-, 3-, 5-series, X3 and Z4 through managed product life cycles within the next five years. Models like the 6-, 7-series, X5 and X6 could even follow suit should customers accept four-cylinder power in high-end cars.
At the moment, the 184hp 2.0-litre diesel-turbo is proving to be an effective weapon in Thailand as it powers models like the 120d, 320d, 520d and the 20d variants of the X1 and X3.
In Europe, there's a 201hp 2.0-litre diesel with twin-turbo first used in the 123d, although that card up BMW's sleeve will only be drawn out when Thai pumps upgrade their fuel quality.
Although diesel technology in passenger cars is gaining increasing popularity in the country, many Thai buyers are still faithful to petrol tech.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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