- VM Motori
VM Motori S.p.A. is a
diesel engine manufacturing company inCento ,Italy , which is the heart ofEmilia Romagna and also home toFerrari ,Lamborghini ,Maserati andDucati . Founded by two entrepreneurs, Vancini and Martelli (hence the "VM") in 1947, the company produced the first Italian air-cooled diesel engine withdirect injection .In 1964 the company introduced entire new families of air-cooled diesel engines for fishing boats and the industrial machine markets. VM merged with "Stabilimenti Meccanici Triestini" in Trieste in 1971, and "Finmeccanica" took a majority stake in the combined company. 1974 saw the introduction of a new series of high-speed (4200 rpm) HR, pre-combustion chamber, water-cooled, turbocharged engines. The
Alfa Romeo Alfetta , produced inArese , rolled off the line with a VM Motori engine under the bonnet in 1979, signaling VM's move to the OEM automotive market. During the 1980sBritish Leyland chose VM engines as the smoothest, most petrol-like units available for diesel models of theirRange Rover andRover SD1 ; the choice continued with the laterRover 800 .In 1989 Finmeccanica restructured, selling its stake in VM Motori to company managers and Midland Montague in a
leveraged buyout , leaving the company with its singleCento plant.The after-cooled, electronic-combustion, "Turbotronic" engine was unveiled in 1990. It was supplied to
Alfa Romeo , Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and Rover. Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) bought VM Motori in 1995, when OEM automotive sales accounted for 75% of income. A major deal with Chrysler saw agreements to supply engines for theirJeep Cherokee and Voyager models. 2000 saw change again with the purchase of DDC byDaimlerChrysler AG. In 2003Penske Corporation purchased a 51% stake, and today the company is co-owned by Penske and DaimlerChrysler (which now has a 49% stake). The company still produces diesel engines for a variety of vehicle manufacturers. In 2007 Penske Corporation bought the remaining 49% of VM from DaimlerChrysler AG and subsequently sold 50% of it toGeneral Motors .Cite web|url=http://www.italiaspeed.com/2007/cars/other/vm_motori/07/gm_stake/1707.html|title=17.07.2007 GM buy 50 Percent stake in VM Motori|accessdate=2007-07-17|work=italiaspeed.com] Both deals are awaiting European regulatory approval; the value of the deal is still not known. In September 2008GAZ buy 50 percent stake from Penske Corp.Cite web|url=http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20080903&id=9091390|title=GAZ acquires 50 percent stake in VM Motori|accessdate=2008-09-04|work=news.moneycentral.msn.com]The company is also selling its products to off-highway applications, such as marine and defense.
MTU Friedrichshafen , a German diesel engine manufacturer, holds the exclusive sales rights for VM Motori off-highway engines outside of Italy.Recently, VM Motori's 2.8-litre
common rail turbodiesel engine was chosen for the Jeep Liberty CRD.GM Daewoo has also licensed the 1.5-litre and 2.0-litrecommon rail engine designs, and they are building a dedicated engine plant, aiming to start production in 2006.The latest vehicle to benefit from a 2.5 VM Motori diesel engine is the purpose-built LTI (
London Taxis International ) London style taxicab - theTX4 is the first of the TX range of taxis to include a VM Motori engine.See also
*
List of VM Motori engines Notes
External links
* [http://www.vmmotori.it/en/index.jsp VM Motori]
* [http://www.penske.com/ Penske Corporation]
* [http://www.daimlerchrysler.com DaimlerChrysler]
* [http://www.detroitdiesel.com/index.asp Detroit Diesel Corporation]
* [http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/VM-dieselengine-group] Discussion group all about VM diesel engines. A resource of otherwise difficult to find information.
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