Proton X50's 1.5 TGDi Flagship engine and transmission duo awarded with SAE-China highest honour

KUALA LUMPUR: As informed by Geely China itself, China’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE-China) has awarded Geely’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo engine and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission combo with its highest honour - the “China Automotive Industry Science and Technology Award’.

For the year 2020, the 1.5TD and 7DCT combo was selected among 170 innovative entries coming from top Chinese universities, global automotive R&D centre, and science academies.

The said mill is co-developed by Geely and Volvo and is the product of their years of collaborative work. Also, it is the same unit that powers the recently launched X50’s range-topping variant. Further, this engine+gearbox combo has made breakthroughs in three major areas faced by the auto industry -

• Enhancing reliability and utilisation of hybrid power
• Developing high versatile compact power plant
• Balancing performance with mileage

This engine and transmission combo is capable of providing sufficient power to a wide variety of models hailing from different segments. It’s designed to be fitted into four different hybrid power setups - hybrid, range extender EV, plug-in hybrid, and 48V mild hybrid.

In Proton’s range-topping 1.5 TGDi Flagship model, the combo makes a maximum power of 177 PS along with a peak torque of 255 Nm. The setup helps the X50 touch the 100 kmph mark in 7.9 seconds. The 7DCT gearbox can handle up to 450 Nm of torque, has an industry-leading transmission efficiency of 97.2 percent, and shifts gears instantaneously in 0.2 seconds.

As for the powerplant, three-cylinder mills are commonly used in fuel-efficient cars and have a bit of a stigma attached to itself when it comes to refinement. However, Geely has overcome the problem, with the engine’s NVH levels matching that of a four-cylinder unit.

Contributing to 1.5TD NVH following parts -

• Dual-mass flywheel with centrifugal pendulum absorber damper
• Counterweighted crankshafts
• Low noise timing belt
• Single balancing shaft
• Asymmetric oil pump impeller
• High stiffness oil pan
• An engine compartment & vibration dampener

It has been two years since the arrival of Geely’s 1.5TD engine and 7DCT gearbox and the automaker has produced and delivered more than 1.6 million units of the combo. Further, the engine and transmission duo has found across the Geely and other auto brand groups like Geely Coolary/Binyue (Proton X50), Geely Boyue/Azkarra, Geely Okavango, LEVC TXe, all Lynk & Co models, Volvo XC40, among others.

Info courtesy: Geely China PR

Also Read: Proton X50 - Top Features