Hyundai has unveiled its first ever petrol-powered direct injection engine.

Known as the Theta II GDI, the 2.4-litre 4-cylinder unit is the product of 46 months of research and development and expenses of more than 170 billion won (AUD$160 million).

The ideology for the new engine was simple: lower emissions, raise power output, improve fuel economy.

And Hyundai Australia sales and marketing director, Kevin McCann, is impressed with the final result.

“The Theta II GDI convincingly demonstrates our parent company’s advanced powertrain engineering capabilities,” he said.

With a compression ratio of 11.3:1, the new engine delivers 150kW at 6300rpm and 245Nm at 4250rpm.

A mechanism allowing the catalytic converter to reach its optimum working temperature faster reduces emissions from cold starts by 25 per cent.

The Dual Continuously Variable Value Timing (DCVVT) of the split-injection system also lowers emissions and increases power.

Hyundai will debut the Theta II in the first half of 2010 in the all-new mid-sized sedan codenamed YF – the vehicle expected to replace the current Sonata – before being expanded into other models.

by Tim Beissmann