Currently, in the self-owned brand models, there is a phenomenon in which exactly the same engine is used by different manufacturers and different products. These engines are not produced by themselves as joint venture factories, but also through outsourcing. It is precisely this kind of market demand that has led to the existence of a number of supporting plants specialized in supplying engines. This phenomenon is very rare in joint venture brands and has gradually formed a Chinese feature. So is this phenomenon reasonable and how far can they eventually go? In this article, we first understand some background and see why such "Chinese characteristics" appear.
This situation is related to the historical background of automobile development in China in these years.
The development of China's automobile industry is mainly started from commercial vehicles. The procurement of engines is a common method for commercial vehicles.
China’s automobile industry was established in 1956. It has been more than 50 years old. However, before the reform and opening up, the field of passenger cars was basically blank. The only “red flags†and “Shanghai†cars were designed to meet the needs of leading cadres. Only production, and then the main domestic production is a number of cargo, passenger cars. In addition to the few large-scale enterprises such as FAW and China Auto, which are established by the state, there are hundreds of small-scale automobile companies established by provinces, ministries, cities, and offices. Basically, these small businesses do not have any R&D capabilities. Rather than being called an assembly plant, they are more closely related to an automobile manufacturing plant. Because of these so-called automobile factory models, the chassis, engine, and even the body are provided by professional manufacturers. It is to assemble these parts into a complete car.
Although there are many automobile manufacturers, the overall output of domestic vehicles is very small. The products of one engine plant can satisfy the needs of dozens of automobile companies. Therefore, the number of manufacturers specializing in the production of engine core components is relatively small. After the reform and opening up, there have been many joint-venture car brands, and some companies have seen a huge space in the engine market and have produced more advanced engines through the introduction of technology to meet the needs of many domestic auto companies. In the nearly 20 years after the reform and opening up, the passenger car field has always been the joint venture brand, and the commercial vehicle field has continued its past development mode.
The shift from many commercial vehicle manufacturers to passenger vehicles is the main reason for this phenomenon.
With the increase of the national income of the country, the consumption of private cars after entering the 21st century has really boosted the development of the domestic automobile industry. At this time, independent brands have also emerged like mushrooms. Many manufacturers who used to assemble and assemble vehicles to survive have also set foot in the field of passenger cars. There are many automobile production enterprises and there are few scales. This is the current status of independent brands. These emerging independent brand enterprises generally do not have much accumulated technology and experience, and they are even more blank on these key components of the engine. Therefore, in addition to a small number of companies adopting an imitation or reverse method to self-produce engines, many independent brands have adopted outsourcing methods to meet their supporting needs.
Due to the relatively strong market demand, many supporting engine plants have had glorious moments. Then what engine manufacturers are there in the country and what are their current status?
Main domestic engine companies and their current status
Dongan Power
Dongan Power Co., Ltd. is a well-known domestic engine supporting plant. The essential difference from the several manufacturers that will be introduced later is that it is based on the production of small-displacement engines, which is also unique in China. The most important product of Dongan Power is the 465 engine, which was more often used in the early stages of the mini-vans, including Hafei and Changhe. The 465 series is developed by Dongan Power based on the Suzuki micro engine. The technical content is not high. There are only 2 valves per cylinder. However, due to its low cost, low price, and good reliability, it is favored by many "small-faced" manufacturers. At present, except for SAIC-GM-Wuling, Changan, and Dongfeng Xiaokang, which use their own engines, other smaller domestic micro-vehicle manufacturers use Dongan's products.
Since the birth of Chery QQ, Dongan Power's engines have begun to enter the field of passenger vehicles. Chery, the country's largest independent brand at the time, adopted Dongan Power's 465 engine in its new car. At this time, Dongan Power has developed the most advanced self-developed small-displacement engine in the country 468. It adopts a double-top camshaft, 16-valve and all-aluminum structure, and has a maximum power of 48 kilowatts. Most of the engine. However, due to the idea of ​​protecting the group, the engine was only available to Hafei Lobo. Because of this mistake, the marketing of this engine, along with the failure of Lobo, failed and eventually became almost forgotten. model. With Chery QQ gradually adopting its own engine, Dongan Power's supply in the field of passenger vehicles has shrunk dramatically. The once-excellent product 468 has not been popularized and there is not much technical advantage to speak of.
Dongan Power also has a joint venture plant, Harbin Dongan Mitsubishi Engine Co., Ltd. It is a joint venture between Dongan Power and Mitsubishi, which is similar to Aerospace Mitsubishi, and is also an engine manufacturer that is mainly exported. The Mitsubishi 4G1 series and 4G9 series that they produced were purchased by no fewer than 14 automakers, and the 4G18 model was the most common engine on its own-brand sedan. The 4G15, which has a displacement of 1.5L in the 4G1 series, has multiple versions. In addition to the current common version, 4G15MIVEC with MIVEC variable valve lift technology and 4G15T with simultaneous turbocharging and MIVEC technology are available. Both engines have reached a high level in China regardless of performance or technology. Judging from the current situation, this plant's performance in the passenger car market is not bad, but it can not be considered purely independent engine manufacturers.
Mianyang Xinchen Power
The reputation of Mianyang Xinchen Power is not small. We often see some economical SUVs or sea lion vans. The promotional data will be marked with “Mianyang 491â€, just as the 491 engine of this manufacturer has become a famous brand in this old-fashioned engine. . Mianyang Xinchen was the first to introduce the 491 engine, and Toyota’s technology was introduced at the time. The lineage was relatively pure, and its performance and reliability were superior to those of the same type that appeared later. For a long time, Mianyang Xinchen’s 491 engine was adopted on a large number of economical SUVs and vans, completing the original accumulation for this company. Its success has also prompted other engine companies to follow suit and have introduced models with basically the same structure and technology. However, until now, the output and sales volume of Xinchen Power has remained the largest. In addition to its flagship product 491, Mianyang Xinchen also produces a variety of 2.0L-2.7L gasoline engine and 490, 493 two series diesel engines.
As more manufacturers move into the 491 series of production and the national emission regulations become more stringent, Mianyang Xinchen has introduced the Toyota 2RZ-3RZ series engine technology in recent years to develop more advanced technology and better performance 4RB1. 4RB2, 4RB3, and 495, and other series of engines, and began to gradually replace the backward 491 engine. The 4RB2, which has a displacement of 2.4L, adopts the current mainstream overhead double camshaft 16-valve structure, and its technical specifications have exceeded the original model of Toyota. The 4RB3 structure and performance are similar, but the displacement is slightly smaller. However, in this transformation process, Mianyang Xinchen was hit by the aerospace Mitsubishi series of engines and it was difficult to reproduce the brilliance of the previous 491 era.
Shin Kong Huachen Power
Shin Kong Brilliance's products are very similar to Xinchen Power. Like Mianyang Xinchen, it also has the participation of Brilliance Group. Since the sales of Brilliance Jinbei Automobile are very large, the main production capacity of this plant is to meet the matching demand of Jinbei, and only a small amount of products are exported. Like Mianyang Xinchen, its past 491 is being phased out. The current main product has been transitioned to the 4G20D4 and 4G22D4 series developed in cooperation with Germany's FEV. Different from the introduction of Toyota technology in Mianyang Xinchen, Xinguang Huachen's new product was developed on the basis of the 491 series. The gas distribution system was changed to a dual overhead camshaft structure, and the technical content and performance have been qualitatively changed. At present, many models of self-owned brands such as BAIC and ZTE use Shin Kong Brilliance's engines.
Shenyang Aerospace Mitsubishi
The background of Aerospace Mitsubishi is more complex than the previous ones. It was established in August 1997. It is a joint venture funded by five companies including China, Japan, and Malaysia. It is also considered by many to be a joint venture between Aerospace and Mitsubishi. Thanks to Mitsubishi's technical support, Aerospace Mitsubishi's products have been used as high-end models for economical SUVs and MPVs, coexisting with the 491 engine in the market. The early flagship products were the 4G64 and 4G63 engines. They all had a single overhead camshaft 16-valve structure. Although the technology was not outstanding, it was still a lot stronger than the 491 series camshafts at the time. Coupled with the influence of Mitsubishi's international brands, its adjustment and matching are also in place, making them become the star engine at that time. They are widely used in various autonomous vehicles, and even some Mitsubishi joint venture vehicles are equipped. However, with the strict environmental protection regulations, these two engines are also being phased out. Therefore, more advanced technology models have also been introduced. These are the 4G63 and 4G69 with MIVEC variable valve lift technology. And performance has reached the level of mainstream joint venture models.
In addition, there are many small factories similar to the latter three engine manufacturers. They are more to provide engines in the commercial vehicle sector, and in the passenger vehicle, because they mainly produce medium-displacement high-torque engines. Mainly available only to economic SUVs and economic MPVs, the market share is very limited. Aerospace Mitsubishi's situation will be better, with a large number of autonomous cars adopting their engines, but again, it cannot be regarded as a purely autonomous engine supporting manufacturer.