从明年开始，丰田将推出更优异的动力传动系统，从而提升车辆燃油经济性，这其中包括新的2.5升四缸引擎和两种变速器以及下一代混动系统。这些新的传动系统将使车辆加速性提升10%，燃油经济性提升20%。丰田的目标是到2021年，在日本、美国、欧洲和中国销售的车辆中60%都安装了经过升级的动力传动系统。将搭载在丰田旗下车型的2.5升四缸引擎采用直喷技术，开启了丰田新的“Dynamic Force Engin”系列引擎，这款直列四缸2.5L直喷引擎通过采用高速燃烧技术、可变控制系统，并减少排气、冷却、机械运转等各类能量损失，在热效率提升的同时实现了高动力输出。据丰田官方公布新开发的2.5L汽油车发动机及混合动力车(HEV)发动机的热效率分别达到了40%和41%。丰田还将推出新的“Multistage Toyota Hybrid System II ”混动系统，它更小，更轻，比现行版效率更高。在插电混动车型上，车载发电机可在车辆电动模式下提供更多动力，进一步提升车辆加速性能。丰田的下一代引擎将搭配新的八速 Direct Shift-8AT和十速Direct Shift-10AT自动变速器。这两种变速器将采用新的生产技术可以减少轮齿的内部摩擦。新的距变器也将进一步提升油门反应。丰田表示，十速变速器换挡非常顺滑，更适合高端后驱车型，这可能指的是未来的雷克萨斯LS车型。新的引擎和变速器只是丰田全新动力传动系统更新的开始，到2021年底，丰田将推出9大类17款引擎，4大类10款变速箱和6大类10款混动系统。
Toyota's new 10-speed gearbox and engine boost fuel economy 20 percent
Toyota has some major powertrain innovations on track for its vehicles starting in 2017, including a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder, two transmissions, and the next generation of the brand’s famous hybrid system. This tech can allow for a 10-percent boost in acceleration and 20-percent improvements in fuel economy. By 2021, the company targets that the updated drivetrains should be in 60 percent of the vehicles sold in Japan, the United States, Europe, and China.
The new powerplant entering the lineup is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with direct injection that inaugurates Toyota’s new family of Dynamic Force Engines. These will be some of the most thermally efficient mills on the market at 40-percent when gasoline-fueled and 41-percent for hybrids. With less energy lost to internal friction and other losses, the engines will be able to send more horsepower to the wheels.
The firm is also introducing the new Multistage Toyota Hybrid System II that is smaller, lighter, and more efficient than the current version. In plug-in hybrid applications, the on-board generator is able provide power to the wheels in EV mode, which provides an extra boost of acceleration.
The automaker’s next-gen engines will hook up to new eight- and 10-speed automatic transmissions called the Direct Shift-8AT and Direct Shift-10AT. Both of them will use new production techniques that will allow for less internal friction from the gear teeth. A new torque converter will improves throttle response, too. Toyota teases that the 10-speed shifts so smoothly that it’s “suitable for a premium rear-wheel-drive vehicle,” which might allude to the future Lexus LS.
This engine and transmissions will be just the beginning for a major onslaught of new Toyota drivetrains. By the end of 2021, the company will introduce 17 tunes of 9 engines, 10 versions of 4 gearboxes, and 10 iterations of 6 hybrid systems.