Dundee is set to make a French engine for American cars. It is based on the Peugeot EP6, whose early versions (VTI and THP) had an oddly poor timing belt design which hurt reliability; the PureTech version has a better record.
The power rating is hard to predict, but it will likely be 220-300 hp at first. The basic 1.6 liter PureTech, the EP6CDTX, has 201 hp and 203 lb-ft of torque, which puts it between the FCA 1.3 GSE and 2.0 GME. However, the American version might only be sold as a hybrid. The base French EP6CDTX hybrid produces 296 horsepower; a 360-hp version, the Hybrid4, adds power from an electric motor on the rear axle. Both use Aisin automatics to provide electric power for the front wheels; the engine itself has a twin-scroll turbo and direct injection.
The Peugeot basic design was launched in 2003, and it kept its failure-prone oil-soaked timing belt until the 2023 generation, which is the one to be made in the United States; that uses a timing chain. The Michigan version uses a hybrid-electric transmission developed with Punch Powertrain (a former DAF group), owned by China’s Yinyi. This is an “e-DCT” dual-clutch job with built-in motors; it might be used with a rear axle motor, but then it might not. In the United States, it was slated for two vehicles, the Compass and one other. American production is to start in 2025. The direct injection and twin-scroll turbocharger setup have been confirmed, along with coupling the engine to a hybrid transmission.
The European version is made in Hungary, to the tune of 200,000 engines per year. Past EP6 engines were made in Douvrin, which is switching to a battery joint venture.References: Largus, Diplomacy & Trade, Stellantis, Crunchbase.
Copyright © 2021-2025 Zatz LLC • Chrysler / Mopar car stories and history.
YouTube • Editorial Guidelines • Videos
Tailfins Archive • MoTales on BlueSky