Over 70 suppliers partner M&M in mFalcon engine project

With the launch of Mahindra & Mahindra’s (M&M) 1.2-litre, petrol-engined KUV100 SUV today, the all-new mFalcon engine family will see the light of day.

M&M invested Rs 500 crore to design and develop this all-new engine family, which comprises petrol and diesel engines in three- and four-cylinder configurations with cubic capacities ranging from 1.2 litres to 1.5 litres. The current 1.2-litre petrol and diesel motors will be followed by a set of 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, which are currently under development.

A total of 72 suppliers contributed to the development of the mFalcon engines. There were 12 suppliers specific to the petrol motor and 30 suppliers specific to the diesel, with about 30 suppliers common between both petrol and diesel engines. Key suppliers include Continental, Bosch, Federal Mogul, Schaeffler Group, Aisin, Magneti Marelli, Mann + Hummel, KSPG, GMB Korea, BorgWarner, Gates, ElringKlinger and Magna.

The mFalcon engine family has seen downsizing in both petrol and diesel formats. The 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder, 82bhp petrol engine has 121 new parts and 60 carryover parts (including hardware). M&M engineers estimate that, thanks to a number of modular concepts, this number is lesser than in engines from other OEMs. Modular concepts in the petrol motor include the plastic intake manifold , throttle body and injector assembly, water pump and thermostat assembly and plastic cam cover with breather system.

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Similarly, the 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder, 77bhp diesel motor has 142 new parts and 100 carryover parts. The modular concepts in this engine include the EGR valve and cooler module, oil cooler and filter module, front cover with dipstick and plastic cam cover with breather.

In its bid to optimise engine efficiency, M&M has also achieved much success in lightweighting measures with the mFalcon engines. These include the aluminium cylinder block in the petrol engine, aluminium bedplate in the diesel engine, plastic cam cover, plastic intake manifold, plastic fuel rail, aluminium water pump  and thermostat module, EGR  cooler and EGR valve module in the diesel engine, and optimised cranktrain and cylinder head.

“The brief was to develop a world-class, compact and lightweight engine that can be used in small cars, SUVs and MPVs. If needed, it can also go on small commercial vehicles but it will be expensive,” Rajan Wadhera – president and chief executive, truck and powertrain, and head – Mahindra Research Valley, M&M, told Autocar Professional at the engine reveal in Mumbai last month. “The new engine family is good for the next decade,” Wadhera added.

Recognising the effort of the component suppliers to the project, Dr Pawan Goenka, executive director, Mahindra & Mahindra, tweeted on the evening of January 15: "Thank you suppliers -- you are the backbone of our product development efforts. Your passion as much as ours and what has made the KUV100 possible."

Also read: Mahindra targets sales of 80,000-90,000 KUV100s a year