General Motors has recently joined the International Fluids Consortium (IFC), a not for-profit membership organization, which is focused on developing global fluid specifications to advance  the future of mobility. Founded by a group of vehicle manufacturers in 2020, the International Fluid Consortium provides a forum to  match evolving technologies with innovations in vehicle fluids and to collaborate with industry partners to  accelerate the commercialization of these fluids. Other original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) members of IFC include Aurobay (formerly Volvo Cars), Honda, Hyundai Kia, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan,  Mazda, Mitsubishi, Renault, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota.

“We are happy to welcome General Motors to this group of pioneers who are making significant changes  for the future of fluids and vehicle performance,” said Teri Kowalski, principal engineer, Powertrain Division, Engine Design & Evaluation, Toyota Motor  North America. “Our goal is to improve and speed up the industry specification process,” said Teri Kowalski, “Prior to the IFC,  industry specifications were often regionalized, fostering duplication and inefficiencies. But the IFC changes  this by simplifying the fluid specification development process. OEMs define the fluid needs for their  vehicles and drive the specification development process, collaborating heavily with industry partners to  develop advanced fluid technology. Having OEMs lead the fluid standardization effort helps streamline and  globalize the process. In turn, this saves time and money and supports innovation and performance.” 

“As an industry, we are at a critical juncture,” said Pete Spence, group manager, Powertrain Testing,  Toyota Motor North America, R&D. “We all know that the industry is in a ‘once in 100 years’ transition to  newer and better things. As the world moves toward new concepts in mobility and all the wonderful things  this will embrace, our future success depends on managing this transition well.”

Membership in the IFC is open to vehicle manufacturers, Tier 1 OEM suppliers, and industry partners  involved in the development, production, and support of vehicle fluids. Other IFC members include Adeka, Afton Chemical, APL, Chevron Oronite, Evonik, Infineum, Intertek, ISP,  OH Technologies, Oleon, Savant Labs, Sinopec RIPP, Songwon, Southwest Research Institute, and  Vanderbilt.  

The IFC has also retained the Center for Quality Assurance (CQA) to support global awareness, availability,  and use of fluids meeting IFC specifications. CQA administers the IFC licensing and fluid certification  program, making it easier for vehicle owners to identify the right fluids for their vehicles.