Latest Green Hybrid Engines to Battle BMW for the International Engine of the Year Title

BRACKNELL, UNITED KINGDOM – May 11, 2009: BMW has a fight on its hands as it guns for a record-breaking fifth consecutive International Engine of the Year title. The German marque, which has scooped more trophies for engine excellence than any other company in the Awards’ 11-year history, faces tough competition from over 60 new entrants to the Awards in 2009…

Expected to fare well in this year’s Awards are the brand-new hybrid entries of Toyota’s 1.8-litre Prius and the Honda 1.3-litre Insight. Previous generations of both engines took the overall International Engine of the Year title in years past. These green candidates will be battling with a brace of Porsche’s mighty new direct-injection engines as well as Jaguar’s advanced 5-litre supercharged V8.

Strong contenders for BMW’s crown also come from its chief rival, Daimler, with its new Mercedes diesel engines and small-capacity, supercharged petrol units having already received tremendous praise from the world’s motoring press. Other competition comes from Renault’s smooth, powerful, yet frugal new 3-litre V6 diesel, and from the USA in the form of GM’s 6-litre Cadillac hybrid. However, BMW also has a brand new engine to help defend its number one status: the mighty 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo that powers the 750i – can it help BMW retain the title?

The results of the International Engine of the Year Awards 2009 will be decided by a panel of 65 renowned automotive journalists from 32 countries and will be announced at Engine Expo, held in Stuttgart 16, 17, 18 June 2009.