Turbocharger and turbo parts manufacturer Melett is expecting annual growth of 7% in the turbocharger market, as engine downsizing continues.

Vehicle manufacturers are employing turbocharging as a strategy to improve fuel efficiency, and meet increasingly strict emissions regulations.

Turbocharged engines can make more power with less displacement than their naturally-aspirated equivalents, using exhaust gasses to spin a turbine, which forces more air into the engine, allowing for better performance.

As engine downsizing continues, turbochargers are required to produce higher levels of boost in order to keep power levels up, with this requiring new and complex technologies to achieve.

Technologies such as twin scroll turbochargers, and variable vanes in the turbine are increasingly common, especially with the upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations, but these solutions require skill from technicians to service and repair.

Melett believes that this will increase the demand for turbocharger repair, with high-quality, precision-engineered components key to satisfying this demand.

Turbocharger repair is also better for the environment, with 55% less energy and 85% less raw material involved in repairing a turbocharger, as opposed to producing a new unit.

Melett, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, manufactures bearings and seals to tolerances as low as two microns, providing the durability required to survive the 200,000 rpm plus speeds of turbochargers.

It believes that increased proliferation of turbocharged cars will provide steady demand for quality replacement parts for years to come, even with the looming ZEV mandate.

New turbocharging technology, including electrically-assisted e-turbos, are increasingly common in hybrid vehicles, with turbocharger servicing unlikely to die with pure petrol and diesel cars.