PSA 3-cylinder turbo

PSA Peugeot Citroën is planning to invest €175 million in a new 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. To be built at the Douvrin factory in northern France, which is jointly owned by PSA and Renault, production is scheduled to begin in 2013.

Anticipated output is 320,000 units annually, although there’s no word yet on which vehicles will use the 1.2 litre engine. Given its capacity, Peugeot’s 107 /207 and Citroen’s C1 / C3 ranges would probably be prime candidates.

A normally aspirated version of the new engine is already under development, and that will be manufactured at PSA’s Trémery plant in eastern France from early 2012.

Does this mean there’s now the possibility of a future Mini (or even BMW) with 3-cylinder power? It seems unlikely for the time being, because the existing PSA - BMW development agreement only covers four-cylinder petrol engines.

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