Renault starts production of new 1.6-litre diesel engine

Renault’s powertrain plant in Cleon, France has just commenced production of its all new Diesel Energy dCi 130 (R9M type) engine. The engine, first in the new ‘Energy’ family, will gradually replace the similarly-powered 1.9-litre dCi F9Q 130 motor in various Renault and Nissan C-segment applications.

Development costs of the engine, which amounted to a cool € 230 million, were borne by the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but most of the dirty work were carried out by the Renault engineering team based in the Rueil-Malmaison centre outside Paris. Cleon will serve as the engine’s sole production plant, with both Renault and Nissan set to receive equal share of its projected annual output of 150,000 engines.

In 2006, it was decided that the F9Q had reached its maximum development potential, and a brief was set to create a new engine able to meet stringent Euro V and eventually Euro VI emission and fuel consumption standards. These objectives were to be achieved while maintaining a maximum output of 130hp.

The engineers’ starting points were the existing 2.0 dCi (M9R) and V6 dCi engines. Parts from these two engines constitute 25% of the R9M’s 274 components, with the remaining 75% being developed new for this engine. Some of the new stuff that this engine is designed to work with include stop&start system, regenerative braking, and exhaust gas recirculation.

Renault Scenic

New extreme tests were designed to ensure the long term durability of the new engine. In total, some 30 units of the Energy dCi 130 engine were put through a combined 15,000 hours of bench testing and 400,000km of test driving. Off the production line, each engine will be put through a 10-minute on-site validation test.

First to receive this engine will be the Renault Scenic, in which it will produce 130hp @ 4,000rpm and 320Nm @ 1,750rpm. Fuel consumption is rated at 4.5 l/100km, and CO₂ emissions at 117 g/km, both figures claimed to be some 20% lower than its predecessor engine. This reduction is in line with Renault’s ambition to be the European leader for low CO₂ emissions by 2015.

Official specifications of the new engine are as follows:

KON

Pictures: Official Renault release.