Cars Go Back to the Future. No, It’s Not the Flux Capacitor.

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By Amos Zeeberg (Discover Web Editor)
Nov 26, 2007 9:42 PMNov 5, 2019 8:42 AM

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Word is that American carmakers and -buyers are now "quietly turning" (whatever that means) toward using turbo-powered cars. Turbo-charging involves re-compressing exhaust gas back into the car's cylinders, which gives an engine more power and efficiency, which lets you use a smaller, lighter engine, thereby increasing efficiency further.

Of course, turbo-charging has been around for almost a century, and according to the L.A. Times, the U.S. car market is only really coming around now because turbo was seen as a fiddly tweak for little, zippy Euro cars, not big, burly American models. And Detroit wonders why they have to give cars away...

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