Looking to improve both fuel economy and performance in its future products, the Volkswagen Group is reportedly working on the development a new family of turbocharged V-6 and V-8 engines. Although no timeframe was given for when these engines will debut, they will first appear in Audi->ke14 and Porsche->ke1 products before making their way under the hoods of other VW Group brands, including Volkswagen->ke94, Bentley->ke15 and perhaps even Lamborghini->ke44.

The source of the information is unknown, but Autocar reports that the new engines will share common elements, including a 90-degree layout with each cylinder having a 0.5-liter displacement. This means that the V-6 will be a 3.0-liter engine, while the V-8 will be a 4.0-liter. Making these new engines even more intriguing is that each will be fitted with a standard turbo at launch but could eventually switch to an electric turbo in the future. Audi could also be developing a downsized version of the V-6 – around 2.5 liters – that will be used on entry-level products and use the Atkinson cycle.

Based on the report that these engines will be utilized by Porsche, it would seem that they are being developed for larger passenger cars->ke1371 and SUVs->ke145 such as the Porsche Panamera->ke1840 and Porsche Cayenne->ke212.

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Why it matters

With a growing focus on corporate fuel-economy averages, the new engine family from the Volkswagen Group would likely help improve efficiency without sacrificing performance. Expect these engines to also come with an equally new transmission family to improve efficiency even further.