New patents indicates FCA planning straight-six’s return
The blown in-line six will reportedly vary in outputs from as low as 268 kW to as high as 392 kW
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has ignited speculation that is planning a new range of engines based on a patent document leaked online.
According to the Mopar Insiders forum, the patent in question was submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in November 2017 and approved in April this year under the Global Medium Engine Turbo-6 or GME-T6 moniker, which identifies it as a turbocharged six-cylinder reportedly in a straight-six configuration.
In what will be the first straight-six engine produced by FCA since the American Motors Corporation (AMC) made 4.0-litre motor, later renamed PowerTech, departed with the TJ Jeep Wrangler in 2006 after an 11 year production span, the forum reports that the GME-T6 will come with an electric boost system known as e-Booster aimed at reducing turbo-lag from the off and bettering power delivery by 25%, as well as serving as catalyst for the Italian/US marque’s next generation of hybrid powertrain.
Allegedly claimed to have a displacement of 3.0-litres, the blown in-line six will reportedly vary in outputs from as low as 268 kW to as high as 392 kW, and potentially replace the normally aspirated Pentastar V6 that bowed in 2010 as a 3.0-litre, 3.2-litre or 3.6-litre motor with power rated from 172 kW to 225 kW depending on the application.
The current mainstay of FCA’s engine line-up, and the first to emerge after the global financial meltdown, the Pentastar currently serves as the standard engine in a number of models, such as the Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler and Gladiator, the Chrysler 300C and Voyager, Dodge Charger, Challenger, Durango Grand Caravan and Pacifica, the Ram 1500 and the Fiat Ducato based Ram ProMaster van.
A prior post on the site has also alleged that the engine could either join or replace the Pentastar on the forthcoming all-new Grand Cherokee confirmed to debut in 2020, although this currently remains unknown.
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