Peugeot Citroen (PSA) to DOUBLE petrol engine production

PSA Group are to double production of their 1.2 litre 3-cylinder petrol engine and build their petrol-electric hybrid powertrains in France.

The world has been calling time on the petrol engine for some time, but the backlash against diesels after the VW dieselgate scandal – and subsequent news about fiddled NOx emissions across many diesel cars – is making the petrol engine more appealing to car buyers once more.

If you need evidence of the resurgence of the petrol engine, PSA’s announcement that it is to double production of its very good 1.2 litre 3-cylinder petrol engine in the next couple of years tells you all you need to know.

Frankly, in many cars, a small three-cylinder petrol turbo is brilliant, and after Ford led the way with its 1.0 litre EcoBoost in the Fiesta, PSA have caught up with their 1.2 litre 3-pot which delivers appealing performance and decent economy.

The increase in production of the petrol engine will see 670,000 units a year being built by 2018 at the Douvrin and Trémery plants, which will become PSA’s most diversified, with petrol, diesel and electric powertrains being built.

PSA are also planning to build its main electric powertrain components in France, and fit its plug-in hybrid petrol cars with engines produced in France, although it will also build the petrol 3-pot at its plant in Trnava, Slovakia, from 2019 too.

Gilles Le Borgne, PSA’s R&D VP, said:

We will be launching an unprecedented technological offensive as part of the Push to Pass plan, to provide our customers with an attractive offering of sustainable mobility solutions and maintain our lead in terms of pollutant emissions reduction, with seven plug-in hybrids and four other new electric vehicles scheduled for launch by 2021, in addition to our flagship engine models.

We have to say, it is good to see a petrol engine (and a very good petrol engine at that) at the heart of PSA’s future powertrain plans.