DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi have banded together like the best of friends in the development and
production of a family of four-cylinder engines dubbed the World Engine. The joint venture is called the Global Engine
Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) and yesterday Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom LaSorda cut the ribbon in Dundee, MI
on the first of GEMA’s five plants where 420,000 engines will be produced annually. A second Dundee plant is set to
open in 13 months along with an additional two plants in South Korea and one in Japan after that.
Around 1.8 million engines will be produced by GEMA when all of its five plants are operational, allowing each
participating automaker to realize incredible economies of scale while offering the World Engine with more features per
dollar than competing powerplants. The new family of four-cylinders will include a 1.8L, 2.0L and 2.4L, all of which
benefit from dual variable valve timing and integrated intake manifold flow control valves. Engines sourced from the
new Dundee plant will initially appear in the Dodge Caliber, which includes the 2.4L that produces 170 hp and 165
lb-ft. of torque while also meeting ULEV II emissions standards.
[Source: DaimlerChrysler]