January 2009 will see the roll-out of Active Fuel Management (AFM) technology in all Holden V8 automatic vehicles as part of Holden’s recently announced EcoLine range. Known as Displacement on Demand in the states, AFM has been around for some time now but the release will mark ‘a first’ for a local manufacturer.

Depending on driving conditions, AFM will allow Holden’s big V8 to cut back to as few as four-cylinders when driving. In a combined city/highway cycle, AFM can conserve around one litre of fuel per hundred kilometers, while the savings are greater again for long distance highway driving.

AFM works by closing the intake and exhaust valves on up to four-cylinders under certain driving conditions. Vehicle speed and torque delivery are maintained by utilising the engine’s electronic throttle control to increase cylinder pressure in V4 mode. When conditions change and more power and torque are required - like when overtaking, accelerating or the road climbs - the fuel delivery is seamlessly returned to the de-activated cylinders and normal operation continues.

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss explained how beneficial AFM technology will be both to GM Holden and customers alike:

“AFM delivers the best of both worlds to performance enthusiasts - improved fuel efficiency with the power they want in a V8. For customers looking for V8 performance, AFM makes Holden the smart choice,” he said.

While a Holden V8 with AFM technology will still use more fuel than some of the miserly econo-boxes available today, the technology will be welcomed by car and environmental enthusiasts alike. AFM has been a long time coming to Australia. It’s great to see Holden taking initiatives that are good for the environment and also friendly to V8 lovers.