Stuttgart, Germany – MAHLE has delivered its one millionth steel piston to automaker Renault, less than a year after launching production at its Rottweil plant in Germany.
Renault’s 1.5L and 1.6L diesel engines are the first diesel engines for passenger cars worldwide to come equipped with MAHLE’s Monotherm steel pistons, which reduce engine friction, improve thermodynamics, and boost fuel efficiency by up to 3%. MAHLE also has received Renault’s award for “Outstanding Innovation Performance” for its development of the new steel pistons.
Production of the pistons began last year on fully automated assembly lines at MAHLE’s Rottweil plant. Added production will begin in Izmir, Turkey, before the end of this year. The company expects that more than 2 million steel pistons will roll off its lines in 2016.
Prior to introduction on production vehicles, MAHLE’s steel pistons already were being used successfully on the racetrack around the world, including Le Mans.
Source: MAHLE