BEIJING: At Beijing Auto Show 2026, Horse Powertrain unveiled the W30 – the company’s first production-ready V6 engine.
The W30 marks a first for Horse Powertrain, in transferring its expertise in developing optimised three- and four-cylinder engines into the V6 category.
Horse Powertrain has developed the lightest V6 on the market and created a hybrid-first V6 with outstanding fuel economy and efficiency.
The Horse W30 is a 3.0-litre engine that can be fitted in a transverse or longitudinal configuration.
The engine can output between 350 - 400kW (476 to 544PS) of power and 600 - 700Nm of torque, with a maximum speed of 8,000rpm.
To maximise efficiency and fuel economy, the W30 features integrated exhaust manifolds with turbochargers mounted directly on the cylinder heads.
The engine weighs just 160kg, approximately 10kg less than the next-lightest V6 engine on the market today.
The W30 is intended to be deployed in mild- and full-hybrid vehicles, with the first models featuring the engine reaching the roads in 2028.
The engine is being presented at Beijing alongside the new Horse 4LDHT four-speed hybrid transmission.
Auto China 2026 (Beijing Auto Show) is from April 24 to May 3 at the China International Exhibition Centre (Shunyi Hall) and the Capital International Exhibition Centre of China (CIECC) in Beijing.
Horse Powertrain CEO Matias Giannini said, “At Horse Powertrain, we believe we can offer automakers unprecedented economies of scale and innovation by consolidating the powertrain production and development pipeline that traditionally would have been replicated by many individual OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), allowing everyone in the industry to benefit from best-in-class technologies."
"The W30 is clear proof of this concept – bringing our mindset and expertise to a new category, we’ve developed the lightest V6 that was designed from the outset to support hybrid vehicles.”
Horse Powertrain chief technology officer Fortune Zhao said, “Leveraging expertise from our wide portfolio of hybrid-first engines, the W30 is lighter and more compact than any other V6 currently on the market, all while delivering superior performance.”
The Horse W30 and 4LDHT will be available in 2028.
Horse Powertrain has operations in Europe, China, and South America, and employs over 19,000 people across 18 plants and five R&D (research and development) centres.
Its 25 customers include Renault Group, Geely Auto, Volvo Cars, Proton, Nissan, and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
Horse Powertrain is headquartered in London, UK.
