WANKEL LICENSEES

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33094, 8 December 1972, Page 16

WANKEL LICENSEES

Both the Chrysler Corporation and Ameri- ; can Motors Corporation , are expected to con- i tract for rights to build Wankel rotary engines, the vice-presi- ; dent and licensing manager of Audi : N.S.U. (Mr G. Henn) has said, Reuter reports. The Honda Motor Company of Japan is expected to join the growing list of Wankel licensees next year; Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki already hold rights. » The only British companies with rights are the Birmingham Small Arms Company (B.S.A), and Rolls-Royce. So far, there are 24

Wankel licensees throughout the world, plus three companies which hold sublicences through the Cur-tiss-Wright Corporation of the United States. Some firms, mainly in Europe, are holding out against the Wankel engine: they include Renault and Peugeot in France, British Leyland in Britain, and Volvo in Sweden. Barring a breakthrough with one of the other new types of engine under development, these companies may end up having to buy Wankel engines from other companies. Fiat expects to buy Wankel engines from a firm called Comotor: a joint venture between N.S.U. Audi and Citroen. But it has also shown interest in getting its own licence. Mr Henn said it was now clear that Wankel engines

could be made 40 per cent more cheaply than reciprocating engines, and that their exhaust emissions would be cheaper to control than those of conventional engines. He did say that he did not believe the Wankel would completely replace the conventional engine, but that he expected both types to hold 50 per cent of the market each by 1980. The Wankel engine, Mr Henn said, was most suitable as a replacement for six and eight-cylinder engines. In the fourcylinder ranges, its production costs gave it little advantage, he said. About a quarter of American cars would be fitted with Wankel engines after 1975, Mr Henn said. Nine firms should be making Wankels throughout the world by next year, with General Motors, Ford, and Toyota starting production in 1974. ROBBERY VANS London’s Scotland Yard has told its officers to keep a special watch on Ford Transit vans, because they are now being used in 95 per cent of bank raids. Details of any stolen Transits are circulated quickly to policemen on patrol, and many of the vehicles are now stopped for spot-checks. There are now more than 300,000 Transits on British roads, and another 300,000 are in use in other parts of the world. Sales boom More new cars were sold in Britain in the first 10 months of 1972 than in any previous full year. Sales were more than 1.4 million.