[car fanatics]

Source
Photo credit: Opel
March 23, 2012
By: CF staff

Opel/Vauxhall's new small gasoline engine family is set to debut in the Junior minicar at the Paris auto show in September.

Opel parent General Motors Co. and its China partner, SAIC, are co-developing a small engine family of three- and four-cylinder units with displacements from 1.0 liters to 1.4 liters in the first joint powertrain development between the two companies.

The engines are Euro 6-compliant and have direct injection and turbocharging capability.

Opel has not said which will be the first car to use the small engine, which it says has a compact, lightweight design, but the brand's new minicar, code-named the Junior, is a strong candidate, according to sources.

SAIC will produce the engines in China for use in its MG and Roewe brands. Opel will build the engines in Hungary.