China Engine to Introduce ATV Engines
China Engine Corp. (CEC), based in Taiwan, recently announced that it was developing a series of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and pan-utility gasoline engines with displacements of 400cc to 700cc. The company says the first of the new engines, scheduled for mass production late next year, will be the largest ATV engine produced in the island nation.
Taiwan currently exports about 300,000 ATVs per year, and the number is continuing to grow as more big international brands outsource production to Taiwanese manufacturers.
CEC president David Lin said that only a few companies in Taiwan, such as KYMCO and SYM, have the ability to produce PTW and ATV engines as large as 300cc.
CEC is a joint venture in which major stakes are held by the government of Taiwan, Chiao Tung Bank and the Yulon Group – Taiwan’s biggest automaker, which turns out Nissan and Mitsubishi models on the island. CEC was set up in mid-1995, using technology developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute, as part of a government program designed to boost the development of home-grown automotive products.
CEC’s core business is as an engine supplier to the automotive industry. The company recently unveiled a prototype 2.2L engine in both naturally aspirated and turbo versions that Lin says a local automaker will install it in minivan models next year. Late this year the company plans to begin mass production of a 2.0L automotive engine that was developed on the same platform as the 2.2L model.
“Our accumulated expertise and know-how in the development and manufacturing of automotive engines gives CEC as strong technical advantage over most of the world’s developers of PTW and ATV engines,” Lin told the China Economic News Service.
Lin said orders have already been received from a local ATV exporter for single-cylinder, four-valve engines with displacements of 400cc to 700cc.
CEC has showcased other niche products at major auto-parts shows around the world, including a high-end 250cc go-kart engine that can also be used on other recreational vehicles and agricultural machines.
