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VM Motori
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VM Motori S.p.A. is a diesel engine manufacturing company in Cento, Italy, which is the heart of Emilia-Romagna and also home to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Ducati.
otori was founded by two entrepreneurs, Vancini and Martelli (hence the "VM") in 1947.
VM merged with Stabilimenti Meccanici Triestini in Trieste in 1971, and Finmeccanica took a majority stake in the combined company.
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 single Cento plant.
Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) bought VM Motori in 1995.
In 2000 the DDC was purchased by DaimlerChrysler AG.
In 2003 Penske Corporation purchased a 51% stake in VM Motori; in 2007 Penske bought the remaining 49% from DaimlerChrysler and subsequently sold 50% of it to General Motors.
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Encyclopedia
VM Motori S.p.A. is a diesel engine manufacturing company in Cento, Italy, which is the heart of Emilia-Romagna and also home to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Ducati.
History
VM Motori was founded by two entrepreneurs, Vancini and Martelli (hence the "VM") in 1947.
VM merged with Stabilimenti Meccanici Triestini in Trieste in 1971, and Finmeccanica took a majority stake in the combined company.
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 single Cento plant.
Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) bought VM Motori in 1995.
In 2000 the DDC was purchased by DaimlerChrysler AG.
In 2003 Penske Corporation purchased a 51% stake in VM Motori; in 2007 Penske bought the remaining 49% from DaimlerChrysler and subsequently sold 50% of it to General Motors. As of 2007, both deals were awaiting European regulatory approval and the value of the deal was not known.
In September 2008, GAZ Group announced plans to purchase a 50% stake from Penske Corp. but ultimately cancelled them in February 2009 .
Products and licensing
in 1947, the company produced the first Italian air-cooled diesel engine with direct injection.
In 1964 the company introduced entire new families of air-cooled diesel engines for fishing boats and the industrial machine markets.
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 in Arese, 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 1980s British Leyland chose VM engines as the smoothest, most petrol-like units available for diesel models of their Range Rover and Rover SD1; the choice continued with the later Rover 800.
The after-cooled, electronic-combustion, "Turbotronic" engine was unveiled in 1990. It was supplied to Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and Rover.
In 1995, when OEM automotive sales accounted for 75% of income. A major deal with Chrysler saw agreements to supply engines for their Jeep Cherokee and Voyager models.
VM Motori's 2.8-litre common rail turbodiesel engine was chosen for the Jeep Liberty CRD.
GM Daewoo has licensed the 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre common rail engine designs, and built a dedicated engine plant, which started production 2006. The 2.0 L diesel is used in the Captiva/Antara/Winstrom, the Lacetti, and the Epica.
The latest vehicle to benefit from a 2.5 L VM Motori diesel engine is the purpose-built LTI (London Taxis International) London style taxicab - the TX4 is the first of the TX range of taxis to include a VM Motori engine.
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.
See also
External links
- Discussion group all about VM diesel engines. A resource of otherwise difficult to find information.
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