Several Honda and Toyota vehicles will soon adopt a 4-cylinder turbocharged engine in place of a larger V6, as Automotive News reports. The two Japanese automakers will follow the lead of many competitors such as Ford (EcoBoost), Hyundai, Kia, and Chevrolet.
"The Japanese were able to wait longer to adopt these technologies because they could," said Ed Kim, vice president of industry analysis at AutoPacific. "They had less to prove to the buying public."
Now, however, many Honda and Toyota cars have reached a peak in terms of performance and efficiency. They too (along with Nissan) will have to turn to smaller, thriftier 4-cylinder engines that produce as much power as 6-cylinder units.
Honda, for instance, will offer a 1.5L turbo with the next-generation Civic , which is set to go on sale in a few months. The Accord and CR-V will also adopt this punchy little mill, albeit at a later date.
At Nissan, only the JUKE (4-cylinder) and the GT-R (6-cylinder) currently rely on a turbo. Toyota will replace its 3.5L V6 with a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo in various models over the next few years including the Toyota Camry and Lexus IS.