BorgWarner, the global product leader in clean and efficient technology solutions for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles which is currently exhibiting its latest petrol exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) products, a gasoline variable turbine geometry (VTG) turbocharger as well as the innovative eTurbo solution at the Auto Expo 2020 Components Show at Pragati Maidan (Hall 5, Stall No. 5.56), is aggressively driving its India growth programme.

The latest news from the US-based Tier 1 supplier, which is supporting OEMs ahead of tough new BS VI and CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulations in India, is that it has confirmed that its EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) technology will be enabling a global OEM in India to work towards a cleaner petrol-driven future. BorgWarner's EGR cooler and tube are to be used on a new 1.5-litre petrol engine with the company being selected as technology partner as India Auto Inc's passenger vehicle industry shifts focus from diesel to petrol.

BorgWarner says its proven technologies are designed to deliver improved fuel economy and reduced emissions in preparation for tougher BS VI emission and CAFE regulations. BorgWarner says it "has been supplying a market-leading Indian passenger car manufacturer with EGR coolers and EGR tubes for 1.3-litre diesel engines since 2008, helping the company achieve BS IV emission standards."

On February 5, the company issued a release saying it "is supplying newly developed components for a new 1.5-litre gasoline engine, designed to meet BS VI emission norms. The new cooler will be manufactured using hybrid tube technology, which is best suited for gasoline/petrol engines due to their high-performance requirements. Production is expected to start in 2021. BorgWarner will also supply the components to the manufacturer’s European plant, production there is expected to start in 2020."

Both the Skoda Vision IN and Volkswagen Taigun will be powered by a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine, albeit in different states of tune. 

EGR tech for Skoda Vision IN and Volkswagen Taigun
BorgWarner’s EGR cooler technology employs highly corrosion-resistant, stainless-steel hybrid tubes inside the cooler to quickly reduce the temperature of hot exhaust gases from 875deg Celsius to 150deg Celsius. The specially shaped high-density gasoline fin design keeps a high heat transfer rate with very low loss of pressure in the exhaust gases. Built for durability and performance, BorgWarner’s advanced EGR cooler is a compact, cost-effective and easy-to-install technology engineered to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy.

The EGR tube and EGR cooler will help the automaker to meet India’s CAFE CO₂ emission standards currently set at 130 g/km but falling to 113 g/km by 2022.  

Given this, it can be surmised that the OEM is Volkswagen, which has earlier this month revealed an ambitious India market growth plan, and aiming at a 5% passenger vehicle market share by 2025. Leading the charge will be two models, revealed as concepts at the Auto Expo: the Skoda Vision IN and the Volkswagen Taigun. While the production-spec Skoda Vision IN SUV’s India launch will take place sometime between April-June 2021, well before Volkswagen launches its own MQB A0 IN-based Taigun SUV.

Powering the Skoda Vision IN is a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that develops 150hp and 250 Nm of peak torque. And, the production-spec Taigun will be powered by a 130hp, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine. This tech-laden engine comes with cylinder-deactivation tech and could set the benchmark for economy in the segment. We believe BorgWarner is supplying its EGR technology to these two new SUVs for the Indian market.

“For BorgWarner, product leadership means staying ahead of market trends and having global, proven solutions suited to the demands of local OEMs,” said Joe Fadool, President and General Manager, BorgWarner Emissions, Thermal and Turbo Systems. “Our gasoline EGR systems are supporting customers in India with localised solutions as they pursue improved fuel economy and emissions standards.”

BorgWarner part of Volkswagen's FAST program
It is to be noted that BorgWarner is part of Volkwagen Group's FAST – short for 'Future Automotive Supply Tracks' supplier program first initiated by the procurement and development departments in 2015. FAST is the approach of the Volkswagen Group to intensify collaboration with its most important suppliers worldwide and currently constitute 66 of the best-known component and technology vendors.

In a similar manner, Spanish company Gestamp, which is also part of Volkswagen's FAST programme, has been mandated to supply lightweight chassis parts to Skoda-VW's India 2.0 cars, news which Autocar Professional broke a few days ago. 

Also read: Volkswagen Group's 2+2 approach to gain 5% market share in India