Although hybrids and diesels are the current favorites of a car industry trying to be seen as environmentally responsible, the purely petrol engine has not been forgotten.

Evidence of this can be found in the recent announcement by European car-making giant PSA that, under its Citroen brand, it is to embark on a program to design and manufacture a family of super-clean, super-efficient three-cylinder 1.3-litre petrol engines.

Citroen, which claims it is currently the leader in low-CO2 vehicles, says the power outputs will range from 50 to 75kW and that the plan is to cap CO2 emissions below 100g/km for all variants, "without additional technology."

According to Citroen Australia spokesman Edward Rowe, the development of the new pint-size engine is part of a downsizing trend in Europe that is a response not only to buyer demands for economical vehicles, but also to government legislation that encourages low-emission powerplants.

It is also an illustration of how differently the matter of power and torque outputs is interpreted by Euro car-makers, where small does not necessarily mean puny. A smaller engine also affects the design, packaging and weight of the vehicle in which it is used.

PSA will establish two new facilities to built the little three-cylinder engines, one in France on the existing site in Tremery where 500 new jobs will be created, and another at an as-yet unnamed site in Eastern Europe.

The existing plant at Tremery in France was opened in 1979 and has built more than 30 million engines.

PSA expects to announce details by the middle of the year of a new facility that will join plants already established in Slovakia (Trnava), the Czech Republic (Kolin) and Turkey (Bursa).

PSA's chairman Christian Streiff said recently that the company had developed a strategic plan to make it the most competitive car-maker in Europe.

Among the objectives are to enhance future eco-friendliness by using existing technologies to limit fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, while developing new technologies. Among these are plans to incorporate fuel and emissions-saving engine stop/start functions, normally seen in hybrid applications, in a wide range of conventionally powered vehicles.

And, as we now know, PSA intends that the petrol engine will continue to play a significant role in all this.

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