Lifan (traditional Chinese: ??) is the largest individually-owned Chinese motorcycle and automobile manufacturer in Chongqing, a provincial-level municipality of the People's Republic of China. They also make the
Lifan is most commonly known in the Western world for the production of engines used for mini dirt bikes.
Lifan 520 compact sedan which uses the 4-cylinder 1.6-liter Tritec engine.
in 1997, Chrysler Corporation and Rover Group (then a subsidiary of BMW) formed Tritec, a joint venture to design a new small straight-4 engine for small cars. They built a factory in Curitiba, Brazil to manufacture the engine. When BMW sold Rover Group, BMW retained the stake in Tritec.
The common MINI engine name has two meanings: It refers to the small size of the engine and the cars it would power, and also to the most notable of those cars, the MINI . It is also called the Pentagon engine. Production began in September of 1999.
The Tritec engine was designed entirely by Chrysler and is related to the 2.0 liter Chrysler Neon engine. It is a modern engine with an SOHC 16-valve head, electronic throttle control, and meets Euro III emissions requirements. There are three current versions of the engine, 1.4 L, 1.6 L, and supercharged 1.6 L.
BMW will replace this engine in the MINI with the new Prince engine family developed in partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroƫn, since Chrysler was a part of their arch-rival DaimlerChrysler. BMW's contract with Tritec expires in 2007.
In February of 2006, the Chinese auto company Lifan bid to purchase the factory after 2007, when the current Tritec engine is no longer needed by BMW and Chrysler. Lifan's plan calls for moving factory tooling to China where it would produce a derivative of the Tritec engine by 2008. These engines would then be used by Lifan to begin an automobile export business to Europe and North America.
1.6
The 1.6 L (1598 cc) version uses the same 77 mm (3 in) bore with a longer 85.8 mm stroke. Output is rated at 66 kW (90 hp DIN) and 140 Nm (104 ftĀ·lbf) in the One, and 85 kW (116 hp DIN) and 149 Nm (110 ftĀ·lbf) in the Cooper.
Applications:
* MINI One and Cooper (until 2008).
* Chrysler PT Cruiser (in non-US markets)
* Chery Flagcloud and Windcloud.
* Lifan 520