The 1.8 Liter Engine
This is a 16 valve, four-cylinder SOHC gasoline engine, based on the Neon 2.0 but smaller to get around the tax hurdle often placed on 2.0 liter and larger engines. It was developed with a number of corporate partners, to spread research costs and apply more expertise. It had lower noise, vibration, and harshness than the 2.0, according to Chrysler, along with better fuel economy. Like all new Chrysler engines, the design process was "paperless" and used extensive computer modelling and rapid modelling techniques.
A factory worker wrote:
The 1.8 liter neon export engine was based on the Trenton-made 2.0; it was a smaller bore, with the same rods and crank as the 2.0 (it’s easier to make different sized pistons than both rods and crank). The block line would change over the tooling for the smaller bore and run a few thousand per month, but you had to make sure there were no 1.8 blocks in the system — if you tried to bore out a 1.8 liter, rough-bored block to finish the 2.0 liter bore size, the tooling wouldn’t take it. It happened a few times.
This is not the 1.4/1.6 liter engine developed with Rover (and BMW, when they bought Rover).
Specifications, as of 1995
| Manufactured: | Trenton, Michigan |
| Volume: | 10,000 a year |
| Why: | To customize the Neon for the European market |
| Market: | European left-and right-hand drive |
| Emissions: | European Stage III capable |
| Fuel usage: | 8.3 l/100km combined (11.1l/100km urban, 6.7l/100km extra urban) |
| Displacement: | 1796cc |
| Power: | 86 kw/115 bhp @ 5750 rpm |
| Torque: | 152 N-m/112 lb-ft @ 4900 rpm |
| Transmission: | Five speed manual Automotive Club Racing (ACR) with shorter gear ratios to keep the power ratings equivalent to the 2.0 L engine |