The average engine displacement in Europe has lost 230 cm3 since 2005
Inovev has finalised a comprehensive study on the features of vehicles produced and sold in Europe (masses, dimensions and cylinder capacities).
For more information, please click here. Elements of this study are presented here in this Auto Analysis.
- As analysed in the “Masses-Dimensions-CC” study, the average weight of vehicles remained stable from 2011 to 2019, despite a sharp increase in SUVs and the almost systematic increase in the weight of a model during its renewal. This stabilization can be explained by several factors:
§ A change of mix: owners of D segment sedan renewing their vehicles certainly with SUVs, but from a lower segment, the C segment.
§ But also the significant efforts of carmakers to reduce the weight of their vehicles.
- Carmakers have been able to lower the cylinder capacity of vehicles (and therefore their weight) for equivalent power output (“downsizing”). See graph below relating to non-electrified passenger cars (excluding PHEV and FHEV), produced in Europe (EEZ, European Economic Zone including EU + UK + Morocco + Turkey).
- This optimization is not only due to the addition of a turbo on most engines (even the smallest) but also to other factors, notably gasoline direct injection and hybridization (addition of a electric motor).
- When we look at the petrol or diesel displacements, we see that it is the petrol engines which have benefited the most from downsizing, their average displacement which was 1,750 cm3 in 2005 in Europe has fallen to 1,500 cm3 in 2022, while the diesel engines fell from 1,890 cm3 in 2005 to 1,860 cm3 in 2022. If since 2014 the overall average has fallen sharply, it is also because the share of diesel engines in full thermal and hybrid engines has decreased considerably between 2005 and 2022. It decreased from 50% in 2005 to 30% in 2022, while the share of gasoline engines increased from 50% in 2005 to 58% in 2022. As for the share of hybrid engines (FHEV+PHEV), it went from 0% in 2005 to 12% in 2022.