There’s one thing we love about the Europeans: they know exactly how to slap a large motor in a small car - such is the case with the latest Chevy Spark we just laid eyes on. Apparently some guys at Chevrolet’s office in Europe thought that it’d be a good idea to transplant the new LUJ 1.4L Turbo motor into the upcoming B-segment hopeful, the Chevy Spark, and send it out for WTCC pace car duty. All we know is that we’d like to meet the man that thought of this idea and buy him a drink.

The LUJ puts out an incredible 140hp out of its miniscule 1.4L displacement – that’s less space than that bottle of Mountain Dew you pounded last night. That’s not N/A of course and comes via the help of the snail integrated into the header of the ECOtec four. And keep this in mind; the LUJ has an iron block… That means it’ll eat boost up better than your Uncle at the Sizzler buffet. For that reason, we can’t wait to see what Tuners do with this motor when it finally makes its way over to the States this fall underhood of the Chevy Cruze (WTCC-version Cruze shown in the background of the image above).

Fun fact: the Spark only tips the scales at 1,905lbs. Do the math on that and let us know how easy it will be to clean house at your local test-and-tune on Friday night in a LUJ-powered Chevy Spark. For now though we’re forced to live vicariously through the WTCC pace car iteration of the turbo Chevy Spark and hope that it comes as an option on the US Spark order form.

Would you be down to roll out in a Spark Turbo? What would you be willing to spend on such an automobile should it be parked at your local dealer? Let us know in the comments below!

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is very close to becoming the next staple GM small car for tuners to tweak, tuck and play with. With a new Delta II chassis underpinning the new Cruze, a new ECOtec was developed to properly motivate the new car. With all of the performance heritage behind the L61 though, the next-gen ECOtec had its work cut out for it. Enter the LUJ: a turbocharged, VVT, 1.4L ECOtec that puts out 138hp and 148lb.-ft of torque. Weekend warriors rejoice, there is a new top dog in town.

Staying true to ECOtec form, the new 1.4L LUJ ECOtec is quite the potent, pint-sized little package. Seemingly having two engines in one package, the low displacement and high power output of the LUJ allow the engine to deliver fuel economy of 40mpg on the highway or 148lb.-ft of torque depending on what the situation requires – groceries: 40mpg, drag strip: 148lbs of torque! This kind of multiple personality disorder is possible because of the turbocharger that comes bolted to the 1.4L ECOtec and is part of the recipe for the domination of the Cruze over its competitors.

Having a built on power-adder makes potential upgrades even easier than with prior-generation ECOtecs, coupled with a traditional port-injection system for easy tunability and the 1.4L ECOtec has the potential to usurp the LNF as the breadwinner in the ECOtec family. Pretty strong words we know but you’ll see why we’re not completely out of our minds as the new LUJ has some critical benefits that make this engine a monster waiting to be unleashed. These additions include a cast iron block with 5-bolt mains and hollow frame construction that reduces weight by 20 percent. Connecting rods that are forged, piston cooling jets to calm high boost temperatures, an on-board oil cooler, VVT in the head, and to cap it all off – a six-speed manual transmission makes gearheads around the world rejoice.

Check out this new video and some pics below that show how the whole LUJ deal works. Pretty basic turbocharged affair here but cool stuff nonetheless. If you want to print out either image and put it on your wall let us know we’ll shoot you over the high-res file.

Things are looking good for the GM Sport Compact world and we can’t wait for the Cruze to get here to keep sticking it to the competition!