Magneti Marelli Powertrain is Magneti Marelli business line dedicated to engines and transmissions components production for cars, motorbikes and light vehicles. 850 MIO/€ of revenues, 2 R&D centres, 4 applicative centres and 11 manufacturing sites, located in 4 continents: these are the significant data about 2009 for this business unit.
Powertrain
Gasoline System GDI
Gasoline Direct Injection or GDI is expanding significantly on the US, Chinese and European markets. Magneti Marelli believes that a homogeneous turbocharged engine with GDI technology represents one of the most efficient technological solutions for small and medium-size cars. Indeed, high-pressure fuel injection, guided by suitable control algorithms found in the electronic control unit (ECU), allows for proper combustion in turbocharged engines, with a negligible formation of particulate matter. The same level of torque and power can be reached by considerably smaller engines (downsizing), with a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 13%.
Magneti Marelli can realize turn key systems, developing and validating the core system and managing all the activities as systems player
Gasoline System PFI
Magneti Marelli has been supplying for years gasoline engine control systems installed by the most important carmakers and motorcycle manufacturers in the world. Magneti Marelli Powertrain stands out thanks to its technological contribution aimed at reducing vehicle CO2 emissions and at optimizing the efficiency of engine and transmission. The Port Fuel injection (PFI) system consists of: electronic control unit (ECU), injectors, fuel pump and piping, intake manifold and throttle body. All components are compatible with gasoline and ethanol blends. Magneti Marelli also supplies “turnkey” systems, in other words systems that are completely optimized from the calibration standpoint thanks to full and specific skills. Test facilities and expertise are available at the application centres in Europe, China, United States, India, South America and so on, for the design and development of complete PFI systems.
Diesel System
Magneti Marelli offers advanced solutions for diesel engines by applying the same concepts of reliability, performances and respect for the environment developed for gasoline engines. The Multijet system achieves all objectives, thanks to the evolution of the Common Rail system, for which the company developed and patented the idea in the 1990s. In the Multijet system, high-pressure diesel fuel is injected directly in the combustion chamber, distributing the quantity of fuel during each engine cycle. This solution reduces pollutants and noise and guarantees optimal performances, which is why it is being widely used throughout the world. Magneti Marelli has developed all the competences in order to offer a state-of-the-art product on the market.
The hardware and software electronic control unit (ECU) makes the engine compatible with the EU5, BS IV and PROCONVE6 emission standards, and also with the EU6 and BS V standards by 2014.
BEV HEV
Magneti Marelli, always alert to new market trends, is developing a range of innovative products in the HEV-BEV field capable of assisting customers in the definition of vehicle architecture optimized in the best way possible in order to satisfy they specific needs. Within this programme, Magneti Marelli Powertrain offers as part of its product portfolio electronic components for energy management and accumulation and auxiliary electrical components.
Trasmission
The robotized gearbox is a type of gearbox for automotive use whose name comes from the “robotization”, in other words the substitution of manual drives with automatic drives, of a regular manual gearbox. The electronic control unit independently manages the clutch and gear engagement movements. The Magneti Marelli robotized gearboxes feature hydraulic actuation of the movements, with faster actuation speed and consequently improved sports performances and greater vehicle comfort. Strong of a longstanding experience in this sector, which began with the first robotized gearbox created for the Formula 1, Magneti Marelli supplies its robotized gearboxes to all manufacturers of super sports cars (Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Audi), compact cars and commercial vehicles.
Motorbikes
Through the years, Powertrain has developed a wider range of products intended to equip 4-stroke engines for motorbikes and scooters. The architecture of motorbike engines varies widely, the most common ones being the horizontal or vertical single-cylinder engines with air or liquid cooling, parallel twin-cylinder, horizontal or transversal V twin-cylinder, inline or V four-cylinder with variable bank angle width, etc. The developed systems cover all these types of engines, and can be classified as “stand-alone” systems, with no integration between control unit and throttle body, and as “mechatronic” systems, where the engine control unit is incorporated in the throttle body. Each solution features specific characteristics and offers customer ideal solutions to satisfy their needs.
Multifuel System
Magneti Marelli supplies Dual Fuel engine control systems for original equipment, running on gasoline and gas (methane or LPG), Euro 5, EOBD and soon Euro 6. The system is completely integrated and guarantees optimal operation for both fuels (improved combustion, minimum consumption and emissions), while the fuel switch is handled depending on the driver’s request, engine conditions and tank status, in order to ensure the highest comfort and continuous driving. The system can recognize methane quality, which varies in the distribution network, and consequently adjusts gas injection in order to always optimize combustion, consumptions and emissions. Magneti Marelli has developed this system with special focus on safety; in fact, the control unit can diagnose any malfunctions, gas leaks and instantly close the Methane or LPG pipes, indicating the problem on the instrument panel and switching to gasoline. The use of methane and LPG ensures considerable savings in terms of fuel costs compared to gasoline. Furthermore, methane is the ideal fuel from an environmental standpoint: it reduces CO2 emissions by 25% and eliminates the most complex and most harmful unburned hydrocarbons.
Competences
During the course of its long experience as partner to major carmakers worldwide, Magneti Marelli Powertrain has developed specific in-house competences aimed at providing the best support possible to its customers during all phases, from design to development, up to product validation and launch in production.
The commitment to invest in an increasingly technologically advanced know-how is geared towards making the final product compliant with specifications requested by the customer, reducing the time-to-market and maximizing quality levels.