Horse, a specialist in low-emission powertrain systems, has begun production of its 1.2-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine (HR12) at its plant in Mioveni, Romania. The HR12 engine will be supplied for the new Dacia Duster range.
The HR12 has a maximum power output of 96kW at 4,500rpm and a maximum torque of 230Nm at 1,800rpm. The engine complies with EU 6D – full regulations, and is designed to meet the forthcoming Euro 7 regulations.
It also features thermal management technologies, including water-charged air coolers and low-pressure cooled exhaust gas recirculation, and a long-stroke layout for improved fuel economy.
The company has made significant investments in the Mioveni facility to enable HR12 production; more than 75% of the existing workstations have been modified and 24 new workstations have been installed.
The plant also includes an aluminum foundry for casting the cylinder blocks. Testing and quality assurance capabilities, such as a helium leak testing system, a CT scanner for cylinder blocks and high-pressure washing and drying machines, have also been added with this investment.
The Mioveni plant has an engine assembly capacity of 450,000 units per year; approximately 18% of the production will be exported outside of the EU to Horse’s Bursa plant in Turkey. This supplements Horse’s global production capacity for the HR12 engine, which is also manufactured at the Horse Valladolid factory in Spain for the Renault Austral and Espace models.
Patrice Haettel, CEO of Horse, said, “We have started the production of the HR12 engine at our factory in Romania, building upon our ongoing assembly of the engine in Valladolid, Spain. It is part of a global strategy that provides us with unprecedented scale and competitiveness due to our proximity to key markets.”