Will turbo revolution stick this time around?

At the Paris auto show this month, Chevrolet will unveil a new sedan called the Cruze, powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. Ford has been touting its upcoming EcoBoost technology for both cars and trucks. BMW is selling turbocharged sixes and V8s. And Mercedes R&D boss, Thomas Weber, just announced that every Mercedes will come with at least one turbocharged engine by the end of 2010. I think We’ve seen this movie before.

It was after the last fuel crisis in the early Eighties, when turbocharging first hit the technological big-time as an important fuel-saving technology. Ford put turbocharged four-cylinders in Mustangs and Thunderbirds. Chrysler developed all manner of turbocharged Chargers, Shadows, Daytonas—even minivans. Buick built a variety of turbo V-6s, including the memorable GNX. And let’s not forget the turbocharged Saabs, Volvos, and five-cylinder Audis.

There were also performance turbos from Porsche, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Mazda. But the big promise of the turbo was efficiency: Turbocharge a small engine and get big-engine power while retaining small-engine fuel economy. Sounded great, but by the end of the Eighties, most of these mainstream turbos had disappeared. Will this second turbo revolution have a different ending? More at Car and Driver