MPI & TSI. Škoda in charge of combustion engines for 7 brands

Škoda developers’ technical know-how has been honoured with another prestigious assignment. The developers have been given responsibility for the development of EA 211 series combustion engines for 50 model lines of seven Volkswagen Group brands.

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The new responsibility builds on Škoda’s previous roles in the area of MPI engines as well as other tasks that Škoda carries out in the context of VW Group. For example, the Czech carmaker is already responsible for the development of the MQB A0 Global platform, which can use the EA 211 engines. It also develops drum brakes for the entire group. And alongside the new generation of the Škoda Superb, the new Volkswagen Passat was also developed in Mladá Boleslav.

Developing the EA 211 engine series will boost Škoda’s competitiveness and create new jobs.

Engine-making tradition

Škoda’s engine development tradition in Mladá Boleslav stretches back almost a century and a quarter. The history of the development and production of internal combustion engines in this town dates back to 1899, when Václav Laurin and Václav Klement built their first bicycle fitted with an auxiliary engine. As early as 1905, Laurin & Klement presented its first car, the Voiturette A, which was powered by a 1-litre liquid-cooled engine developed in-house.

The Voiturette A and its 1 litre engine

With a few exceptions, the Czech carmaker used its own power units almost exclusively until it joined the Volkswagen Group. And even this merger in 1991 did not put an end to the engine-making tradition in Mladá Boleslav, although engines developed by other group brands did start to appear under the bonnets of Škoda cars. Škoda continued to develop its own units and continued to manufacture them.

1997 saw the start of production of the 1.0 MPI engine in Mladá Boleslav, which the brand also supplied to other car companies in the group. The legendary 1.2 HTP unit of the EA 111 series, the predecessor of the current EA 211 series, was developed in-house. In almost 15 years of production, this three-cylinder engine has found its way into more than 3.5 million vehicles from all of the Group’s “volume” brands (in addition to ŠKODA, these include Volkswagen, SEAT, Cupra and Volkswagen goods vehicles).

1.2 HTP engines delivering various power outputs were not used only in Škoda's Fabia and Roomster models, but in other Volkswagen Group models like the VW Polo and Seat Ibiza.

Production of the EA 211 engine series began in Mladá Boleslav in 2012 with the new 1.0 MPI type. Shortly afterwards, Škoda was put in charge of the complete development of MPI power units for the entire group. In 2014, Škoda opened a brand new engine centre, which gave it the necessary capacity and cutting-edge technology to take responsibility for an entire engine series.

High efficiency, low consumption

Consequently, engineers in Mladá Boleslav are now going to gradually take charge of developing the future TSI engines of the EA 211 series in addition to the MPI units. Today the EA 211 model range is characterised by a high degree of variability. The engines can have three or four cylinders, range in size from 1.0 to 1.6 litres and currently cover a power output spectrum from 48 to 115 kW. The engines can burn petrol, CNG or ethanol and are also available in mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions.

The Czech carmaker will be hiring almost a hundred and fifty new skilled workers for its Technical Development department.

The MPI units are naturally aspirated engines with indirect multipoint fuel injection, which are renowned for their robustness. A typical representative of this range is the 1.0 MPI unit used by the brand in its smallest and most affordable models. The TSI engines, by contrast, feature an exhaust pressure wave supercharger. These are powerful, high-torque engines that can power a wide range of models and offer drivers a combination of high performance and low fuel consumption, as well as excellent handling. The popular three-cylinder 1.0 TSI or the four-cylinder 1.4 TSI (for plug-in hybrids) and 1.5 TSI are examples of this range.

Škoda is being given sole responsibility for developing EA 211 series engines

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The developers in Mladá Boleslav will continue to improve and adapt these engines to the needs and regulations of dozens of global markets. The aim is to develop even more powerful and more fuel-efficient engines with lower emissions, with an emphasis on maximum reliability.