Saab’s managing director in the U.K. Jonathan Nash has revealed to 4Car that hybrid powertrains and biofuels won’t be sufficient in the short-term. Saab will instead focus on turbocharged small capacity flex-fuel engines capable of running on E85 biofuel, Nash explained.
A unique design feature of Saab’s engines is that they deliver more power when the run on the blended ethanol fuel. By adding a turbocharger, engineers have been able to extra similar power levels as a 2.0L engine from a unit as small as 1.4L.
Saab is not alone in its quest to downsize. VW has already shown what can be achieved with its amazing TSI range and Renault is doing the same with its new TCE engine.