Ferenc Anisits

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Ferenc Anisits Dr. (1938-) is a Hungarian engineer, engine developer. He founded the BMW Diesel Development Center[1] in Steyr, Austria.

He was born in Szolnok, Hungary. He graduated in 1962 from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. He finished his PhD in Braunschweig in 1973[2] after learning German in only a few months. Besides cars he developed diesel engines for trucks and ships too. He's been in a leading role at several companies including MAN and Saurer. At the latter from his office at the Lake of Constance he could see three countries at once. He was developing the diesel engines of FIAT there.

At the Zurich University they already tested the common rail engines even though they didn't know at the time that would be the injection system of the future. That was the time when one of his colleagues called him back first to Mannheim, then asked him to lead the diesel development of BMW in Steyr. The new 4-cylinder engine was as powerful as the older 6-cylinder, was less in size with better fuel mileage. That engine made the engineer world famous. In 1998 at the 24-hour Nuremberg race the world saw the first victory of a diesel powered car. The 3-Series BMW outperformed its petrol driven rivals.

At BMW he developed the world's first direct injection diesel, a V8. This one and a 6-cylinder version became the "International Engine of the Year" in 1999 and 2000. He has developed three generations of Diesel engines at BMW. Hungarian journalists jokingly asked him at the Munich Technik Tag around the year 2000 why the otherwise very good designed BMW 320d is so loud. He answered their diesels suddenly became better than gasoline BMWs. Who would buy a gasoline model if the company let them made diesels even quiet[3]? In 2001 he became the Freeman of Szolnok, his town of birth.

In 2006 40% of all sold BMWs were diesel powered. In 2007 and 2008 BMW spends 14 million euros on the expansion of the Diesel Development Center at the Steyr factory[4].

In 2008 BMW enters the North American market with a diesel powered car.

[edit] References

  1. ^ BMW puts an emphasis on Diesel engines (Hungarian). HVG. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  2. ^ There is no elevator to success (Hungarian). Hungarian Electronic Library. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  3. ^ Antidepressant anti-Diesel (Hungarian). Totalcar. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  4. ^ Incredible Diesel from BMW (Hungarian). Vezess.hu. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.