As automakers seek to maximize performance while striving for efficiency, turbochargers are becoming increasingly common. Recent studies show over the next five years, turbo usage will see a global increase of 80 percent. This means by 2017, an estimated 36 million vehicles on the road, which is about 40 percent, will be turbocharged.

“Turbocharged engines are expected to continue to grow globally because they meet the needs of consumers in a wide range of vehicle segments and geographic markets,” said Honeywell Transportation Systems Vice President of Marketing and Product Management Peter Hill.

During this year, to prove performance and respectable mpg figures for its customers, Ford has continued to expand its EcoBoost engine line by pairing a turbochargers up with a fuel-efficient four-cylinder.

Over the years, automakers have been reluctant to widely use turbochargers in vehicles  because of the fear of having issues associated with forced induction. However, automakers now can not only feel safe about using turbochargers, but they can feel comfortable with it as well thanks to recent advancements in turbocharging technology.

There are plenty of other automakers other than Ford that are jumping on the bandwagon to offer owners the best of both worlds. General Motors estimates to have seven percent of their vehicles have turbochargers this year, and will aim at 10 percent by 2013.

Image courtesy of KenyaJarvis