Honeywell turbos for Volkswagen 1.5-litre TDI engine

When Volkswagen India inaugurated its diesel engine assembly plant at Chakan in Maharashtra in January 2015, on 29 components of the 166 that go into construction of the newly introduced 1.5-litre TDI engine were going to be locally sourced. Volkswagen didn’t want to compromise on quality which is why there was a delay in introduction of locally produced engines in the first place. 

Off the 29 components, a major part is the turbocharger and Honeywell is the sole supplier of the locally manufactured turbocharger that goes into this engine. Also made in Pune not far away from the Volkswagen plant, Honeywell has now bagged its third big turbocharger order in recent times. The biggest on of course is for the Honda diesel engine that goes into the Amaze, City and Mobilio and will also be powering the upcoming new generation Jazz. Last year, Honeywell introduced its first locally made turbocharger for a petrol car when it bagged the Tata contract for the Revotron engine. 

With Volkswagen in the kitty as well, Honeywell tells us that the company has manufactured over one million turbochargers in India for Indian cars. The Volkswagen deal will now mean that the Polo, Vento and Skoda Rapid use this turbocharger. Volkswagen is also planning to introduce the sub 4-metre sedan based on the Vento. This car will also use the same engine and hence the same turbocharger.

The turbocharger in the Volkswagen engine uses Honeywell’s variable nozzle technology that helps deliver a flatter torque curve across a wider powerband. This gives the engine linear delivery instead of the sudden surge of torque when the turbo kicks in.

Unlike car models, manufacturers introduce lesser engines in the market and the shelf life of an engine is longer than the car itself. This ensures sustained business for component manufacturers once the car manufacturer approves the supplier.