PRESOV, Slovakia -- Honeywell has announced plans to invest in a new turbocharger manufacturing facility in Presov, Slovakia. The new plant will initially produce turbochargers for light vehicle and commercial vehicle applications and is expected to be operational by 2012.  

Honeywell says the new Slovakia facility will supplement the company's global footprint and address the rapid increase in turbo adoption around the world. Honeywell expects global vehicle production to increase in 2011 and beyond, and the turbocharger segment is expected to grow by more than 2 million vehicles this year alone. In the next five years, turbo penetration is expected to nearly double as automakers turn to turbos as a technology enabler to meet fuel economy and emissions regulations around the world.
 
"The new plant in Slovakia further extends Honeywell's leadership in the development of turbochargers," said Alex Ismail, president and CEO of Honeywell Transportation Systems. "Turbochargers give car- and truck-makers the flexibility to downsize their engines to increase fuel efficiency as much as 40 percent and reduce emissions without sacrificing the performance that consumers demand."

Honeywell says it expects to introduce more than 100 new turbo applications this year alone, and has more than 500 engine applications in its development pipeline.