BMW preparing quad-turbo diesel for 2016 – report

According to both Bimmerpost and Autocar, the Bavarian luxury car maker's engineers are working on a new inline six-cylinder diesel engine boosted by four turbochargers.

Neither publication is certain whether the quad-turbo diesel will feature four conventional turbochargers, or whether it will have three gas-driven turbos and one electric turbocharger.

The recently unveiled sixth-generation 7 Series sedan (above) will be the first car to use the new motor, reportedly some time in 2016. Other models that have been earmarked for the quad-turbocharged engine include the X5, X6 and next-generation 5 Series, as well as the all-new X7 that's due in 2016.

The new engine is expected to have around 300kW of power and 800Nm of torque or around 20kW and 60Nm more than the 280kW/740Nm 3.0-litre tri-turbo straight-six diesel that it will replace.

That triple-turbo engine, codenamed N57S, was used in the vehicles like the previous generation X5 M50d and X6 M50d that were sold locally. The engine was also used in the 750d and M550d xDrive sedans, which were sold primarily in Europe.