I regret to tell you that domestic engine technology has not yet surpassed that of foreign engines. At present, domestic engine technology is still far behind that of developed countries such as Europe, the United States, and Japan. It is true that in recent years, our domestic car companies have indeed launched several internationally advanced engines, but this is not enough to show that our country's engine technology has surpassed foreign countries.
The engines launched by our domestic car companies are all limited to small-displacement engines, and there are no large-displacement engines. Just relying on a few small-displacement engines, it is a sign of Yelang's arrogance to claim that the technology of domestic engines surpasses those of foreign countries. We must face up to our shortcomings and continue to work hard to surpass foreign countries as soon as possible. Next, let me tell you specifically about the shortcomings of our domestic engine technology.
First let’s talk about engine development. The path taken by domestic engine development is basically reverse development. The so-called open-ended R&D is to find an engine, then disassemble it, observe it, learn it, digest it, and then produce the engine you want. As for original development and research, taking the independent route, we have not yet seen such a car company. Perhaps, Geely is the car company most likely to take this path. The acquisition of Volvo has given Geely this foundation.
Let’s look at the raw materials of the engine. The raw materials of the engine are mainly steel and aluminum alloy. The performance of these materials in China still lags behind the international advanced level, which makes the durability and fatigue resistance of domestic engines not as good as those abroad. Perhaps the performance parameters of domestic engines are almost the same as, or even surpass, the international advanced level, but the service life is not as long as foreign engines, the stability is also better than foreign engines, and the failure rate will be higher. If foreign engines can be used stably for 10 years, then domestic engines will only last about 7 years.
The third one depends on production quality requirements. The so-called quality requirements mainly focus on the issue of processing accuracy. At present, China lacks both high-precision production tools, high-precision detection methods, and a high-precision attitude. Relevant information shows that the machining accuracy of engine pistons and cylinder blocks of Japanese companies must be controlled within 5 thousandths of a millimeter, while domestic ones only need to reach 15 thousandths of a millimeter. Three times the difference! This three-fold gap means that there is still a big gap between our country's engines and the international advanced level.
From these three aspects, we can know that our overall domestic engine manufacturing level is still far behind the advanced foreign level. These gaps are due to research and development, materials, and production reasons. There are many problems. However, there is no need to belittle ourselves. As long as the Chinese people want to do something, they will always catch up with the most advanced international level.
At present, car companies such as Geely, Changan, and Great Wall have all launched engines that have reached internationally advanced levels. The performance of these engines is not inferior to that of PK international engines of the same level. This is a very high start. As the saying goes, "Everything is difficult at the beginning." With this beginning, I believe that domestic engine technology will become more and more advanced and eventually surpass foreign ones.