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Issues concerning the adoption of Diesel Cars in the USA
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Big Oil seems slick as U.S. turns to diesel cars
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008 It's high time for the big oil companies to explain one of life's great mysteries; exactly how they fix the price of fuel at the filling station. The public has heard all sorts of explanations -- market forces, regional instability, refinery issues and so on -- but the logic behind the ups and downs (mostly ups) of gas prices is about as transparent as an IRS tax form.
This topic is a burning concern not just because of costlier gasoline, which is, of course, a major drag on the U.S. economy and which affects all of our lives. It is also pertinent when it comes to diesel fuel, which, for no apparent reason, recently leapt up in price, well above the level of gasoline. Perversely, this has occurred just as consumer interest in fuel-efficient diesel vehicles is on the rise and as several major automakers are launching a new wave of advanced, clean diesel models. Anti-diesel effort brewing?It's bad enough that gas prices are shooting up, but Big Oil's reluctance to produce sufficient supplies of diesel -- thus driving up the price -- does seem like an effort to snuff out a promising, extremely fuel-efficient technology just as it gains a foothold in the United States, the world's most energy profligate nation.
So why is diesel suddenly so expensive just when the country needs it badly? That's a question that Congress should be asking oil executives next time it has them lined up for a grilling.
Congress should also ask the Big 3 CEOs why they won't have any diesel cars for sale anytime soon, despite selling them elsewhere in the world..
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Posted: 12:31 PM, Apr. 16, 2008 |
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Diesel Beats Hybrid for World Green Car Award
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BMW brought its not-for-sale-in-America 118d five-door to New York City to claim the 2008 World Green Car award... and that's probably the only time we'll ever see the thing on US soil. Immediately following the event, BMW packed up the car and put it on the boat back to Deutschland.
The BMW 118d is a great car. There's room inside for five, it looks pretty good, and it lovingly adheres to BMW's rear-wheel-drive Ultimate Driving Machine philosophy. What garnered it the World Green Car award, however (beating such rivals as the not-for-sale-in-America Volkswagen Passat 1.9TDI and the not-for-sale-in-America Smart ForTwo CDI), sits under the hood: its 2.0-liter direct-injection turbodiesel four-cylinder engine.
In the 118d, this engine makes 141 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. It will prod the car to 60 mph in about 8.8 seconds, returning 59 mpg on the (foreign) highway and spewing only 118 grams of CO2 per kilometer into the (non-US) atmosphere. Not bad at all.
And yet, despite winning the World Green Car award in Manhattan last week, BMW won't sell the car here. WTF Norbert?! What is it about America that makes you think such a car wouldn't be a smash hit here? What, we're not ready for a car that goes 700 miles between fill-ups? Indeed!!
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Posted: 12:34 PM, Mar. 25, 2008 |
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VW's Golf Diesel Hybrid Debuts.
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 Volkswagen made it official and pulled the sheet off its awesome Golf TDI Hybrid at the Geneva Motor
Volkswagen says the Golf TDI Hybrid is just a concept at this point, but Germany's Auto Bild and Britain's Auto Express say it's headed for production. Automakers often consider public response to a concept when pondering whether to build it, so if you want one, tell VW.
Subtle styling tweaks, including a narrower grille and smaller front air intakes, improve aerodynamics. VW says the Golf TDI Hybrid consumes 3.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, which by our math is 71.4 mpg. That's a tad higher than the 69.9 cited in earlier reports, but either figure beats the gas-electric Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid by better than 20 mpg. 
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Posted: 2:52 PM, Mar. 6, 2008 |
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Coming Soon from VW:
By Chuck Squatriglia 
February 28, 2008 | 10:04:10 AM
 It's official - Volkswagen is unveiling a hybrid to challenge the mighty Toyota Prius. And not just any hybrid, but a diesel-electric hybrid it says will deliver 69.9 mpg.
VW's been experimenting with hybrids of the gasoline-electric variety since the early 1990s, but the Golf hybrid it will unveil next month at the Geneva Motor Show is the first production model the German company's rolled out. Volkswagen isn't offering much in the way of details, but the car is expected to have a parallel hybrid drivetrain with a 2.0 liter engine. Look for it to have an all-electric mode at low speed, start-stop capability, regenerative braking and a 7-speed DSG double-clutch transmission, according to Auto Express and AutoBlog Green.
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Posted: 1:12 PM, Feb. 28, 2008 |
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We are launching BMW diesels in North America.
BMW to sell 50 state X5 and 335 diesels starting this fall
01/14/2008 -- Speech by Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of
Management of BMW AG, Dr. Klaus Dräger, Member of the Board of
Management of BMW AG, Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO of BMW (US) Holding
Corporation, BMW Group Press Conference, 2008, North American
International Auto Show, Detroit, January 13th, 2008:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This dynamic performance symbolizes an exciting year for BMW - worldwide, and specifically here in the U.S.:
1. We are launching BMW diesels in North America.
2. We are launching the BMW X6, the first Sports Activity Coupe.
3. We are bringing the successful BMW 1 series to the American market.
Here you have "The New BMW Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance".
These are the first two BMW diesel models for the U.S. market: The BMW
X5 xDrive35d and the BMW 335d sedan. Both cars will be available at BMW
centers starting in the fall of this year.
Why are we bringing BMW diesels to North America?
More and more of our American customers expect the ultimate driving
machine to give them not only high performance - but also
fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly solutions.
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Posted: 10:50 PM, Jan. 15, 2008 |
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Honda CEO says clean diesel cars to be profitable
By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia auto correspondent
DETROIT, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The head of Honda Motor Co (7267.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Sunday that the Japanese automaker's yet-to-be released clean diesel cars will be profitable immediately, unlike expensive gasoline-electric hybrid cars that still yield little or no profit after a decade on the market.
"Our diesel cars are going to have an appropriate level of profit from the start," Chief Executive Takeo Fukui told a small group of reporters in an interview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
He said Honda's clean diesel cars, to be launched in the United States next year, will not require a urea tank as most European systems do.
Japan's second-biggest automaker is set to announce later this afternoon the launch of its first ultra-clean diesel car in the United States in 2009, as planned.
Honda's premium Acura brand will be the first to get the four-cylinder diesel engine, Fukui said. Models fueled by V6 diesel engines will follow after 2010, he added.
Diesel cars now make up more than half of Europe's new cars but have a poor image among consumers in the United States, as well as Japan, as being both loud and dirty.
But Fukui said he expected Honda's sale of four-cylinder diesel cars to reach about 150,000 vehicles globally by around 2010 with the planned roll-out in the United States and Japan.
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Posted: 10:48 PM, Jan. 15, 2008 |
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Using diesel could reduce imports of oil, refiner says
Refiner Jeff Morris says it will also lower air pollution
07:05 PM CST on Sunday, January 6, 2008 By ELIZABETH SOUDER / The Dallas Morning News
esouder@dallasnews.com Jeff Morris' dream car is a Cadillac CTS with a diesel engine. That car doesn't exist. But the chief executive of Dallas refining company Alon USA thinks that if the folks at Cadillac – and the rest of America – would share his diesel dream, it would solve a lot of the country's energy problems. "I believe it's the fuel of the future," Mr. Morris said. "If we're going to address global warming today, then we need to use technology that we have today."
Diesel vehicles typically use 20 percent less fuel than comparable gasoline vehicles. That means a diesel car emits less pollution and greenhouse gas than a gasoline car. And by using less fuel, diesels could cut U.S. dependence on oil.
Mr. Morris is making a $200 million bet that Americans will wake up to the benefits. He's refurbishing a California refinery to double its diesel production capacity.
 ELIZABETH M. CLAFFEY/DMN Jeff Morris, chief executive of Alon USA, turned the company's Big Spring, Texas, plant into the most efficient small refinery in the U.S. Now he's advocating the use of today's diesel - an ultra low sulfur formulation that is less smelly and greasy than the diesel of the past - to run American cars. With today's better diesel engines, vehicles would use 20 percent less fuel than cars burning gasoline, he says.
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Posted: 3:42 PM, Jan. 9, 2008 |
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Mercedes Debuts Diesel-Fueled E-Class in California
With the release this week of its E320 Bluetec
sedan, Mercedes-Benz becomes the first manufacturer to offer a
diesel-powered car that complies with California's strict air-quality
standards.
Dr. Leopold Mikulic, Vice President with responsibility for
Passenger Car Engine and Powertrain Development within Mercedes-Benz
Cars, comments: “Thanks to the highly favorable emission
characteristics of this car, only minor technical adjustments were
required to obtain type approval for the clean compression-ignition
engine in California. We are complying with the stringent LEV2 limits
even with our very first BLUETEC generation and are therefore able to
offer the car in all 50 states of the U.S.A.”
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Posted: 12:57 PM, Oct. 31, 2007 |
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VW, Audi drop marketing moniker in favor of TDI badging
No More Bluetec
Volkswagen and Audi have ended plans to market diesel cars in North America under the name Bluetec, according to a report in AutoWeek sister publication Automobilwoche.
VW
group formed an alliance with DaimlerChrysler last November to market
Mercedes, VW and Audi diesel cars in the U.S. under the Bluetec name.
Now VW group has changed its mind, Automobilwoche
said. The VW and Audi brands will continue to use the TDI designation
for diesel cars sold in North America. "The TDI brand is strong enough
in the U.S. "We don't need Bluetec," an Audi spokesman told Automobilwoche.
TDI is fine with me, I think this is a smart move, everytime I see a TDI drive by I get very, very jealous.. 50 state TDI's just may well save VW operations in North America.
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Posted: 1:14 PM, Aug. 9, 2007 |
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Long popular in Europe, diesel cars poised for big U.S. future
By CANDICE FERRETTE
THE JOURNAL NEWS
Eric Larca of Brewster purchased his second diesel car, a 2006 Jetta, for about $25,900 when he lived in Connecticut. He said he was pleasantly surprised to find out that the car gained value with age. According to the Kelly Blue Book Web site, the suggested retail price for his car is now about $27,400.
Diesel cars are appreciating!!
"If that doesn't convince you to buy one, I don't know what would," Larca said. "Seems like a no-brainer to me."
Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News Eric Larca of Brewster stands next to his 2006 diesel Jetta. He gets about 50 miles to a gallon with the car.
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Posted: 10:18 AM, Jul. 16, 2007 |
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GM plans diesel passenger cars in US by 2010-paper
TOKYO, July 13 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. plans to offer diesel-engine cars under the Cadillac and Saturn brands in the United States by 2010, industry journal Automotive News reported, citing a source familiar with the plan.
In a video blog on the company's website dated Thursday, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz confirmed the top U.S. automaker would use clean diesel engines in passenger cars, sport utility vehicles and other light-duty trucks.
Lutz has changed his tune and seen the light apparently!
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Posted: 10:13 AM, Jul. 16, 2007 |
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Audi Wins 4th-Straight 24 Hours Le Mans
Marcos
Werner of Germany, in his Audi N.1, in the last meters of the 75th
edition of the 24-hours race in Le Mans, western France, Sunday, June
17, 2007. Audi team took the victory by a diesel-powered car at Le Mans
for this 75th edition of the race, beating Peugeot N.8 by a comfortable
ten-lap margin. (AP Photo/David Vincent)
 Audi's diesel-powered R10s led for virtually the entire race
Audi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the fourth straight year, overcoming the challenge of two Peugeot cars and a slippery track Sunday in the world's most famous endurance race.
Frank Biela and Marco Werner of Germany and Emanuele Pirro of Italy drove diesel-powered Audi No. 1 to victory, taking the lead in the morning after Dindo Capello's Audi No. 2 crashed out. Fifty-four cars started the 75th edition of Le Mans, and 25 failed to finish. "We had nine stressful hours with the Peugeot right behind us," Pirro said. "But the more you suffer, the greater the pleasure."
McNish, driving the leading Audi R10 diesel, clocked 3min27.204 around the 13.629km track to beat the 3min27.47 set by Eddie Irvine in a Toyota in 1993.
The average speed of more than 236 km/h managed just after the halfway stage by Audi's No.2 car that has been leading almost from Saturday's start highlighted the German manufacturers' domination of the race.
Audi was the first brand to win here with a diesel-fuelled prototype in 2006
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Posted: 12:51 PM, Jun. 17, 2007 |
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Report: Diesels will outsell hybrids in the U.S. by 2012
Right now in the U.S., hybrids are all the rage among drivers who want to be more green in what they drive, but it may not stay that way for much longer. New research by Ricardo and UBS is projecting that total sales of hybrid and diesel vehicles will hit 2.7 million annually by 2012, and that oil burners will account for 1.5 million of those sales. For those not good with math, the report is claiming that within five years, diesels will outsell hybrids in the U.S.
The report concludes that the added complexity of hybrid systems with their batteries, electric motors and internal combustion engines won't be able to overcome the cost advantage of a modern diesel engine, even with the expensive exhaust treatment systems needed to make diesels meet our new stricter emissions requirements.
Ricardo - Deisels set to out strip hybrid Report
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Posted: 9:46 PM, Jun. 6, 2007 |
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No new Honda Accord Hybrid, diesel will make its debut
There will be no new Accord Hybrid in their lineup. Instead the North American market will get a diesel Accord to fight the mileage wars. Honda will still develop hybrids for the Civic and "another subcompacts currently under development" according to Nihon Keizai Shimbun, but don't expect a hybrid Accord. Midsize and larger vehicles will go the oil-burner route with Honda's new clean diesels that we expect to see in 2009.
For those that still need a little more power, Honda is also working on a diesel V6 that will first appear in the Ridgeline and then find its way into Honda's vans and SUVs. While the Germans have been advancing the acceptance of diesels for years, a mainstream player like Honda will really push the technology to the forefront in North America.
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Posted: 9:43 PM, Jun. 6, 2007 |
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BMW: Bring the MINI Cooper D (diesel) to the United States!
The MINI Cooper is a great, fun, fuel efficient car. The 2008 MINI Cooper D model is a 1.6L 110HP turbodiesel model that gets upwards of 64.2 mpg on the highway (Keep in mind that 64.2 Imperial MPG is about 53.5 US MPG.)
Americans want better fuel economy now that our gas prices are over
$3/gallon. Sales of SUVs are plummeting as the oil companies get
greedier, and people are seeking more economical cars. (electric cars
aren't really an option yet)
More on the MINI Cooper Diesel:
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Posted: 11:15 AM, May. 19, 2007 |
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A diesel Honda? That gets 62.8 miles a gallon?
Feast your eyes on this, car technology and high-mileage nuts. It's a Honda Accord that runs on diesel.
Honda expects to bring the clean-diesel car to the U.S. by 2010. It
gets 62.8 miles a gallon on the highway, but otherwise looks and feels
like a regular Accord. At that mileage level, the car is about as
"clean" as a new Toyota Prius. But if you run it on biodiesel, a form
of diesel made from vegetable oil or animal fat, it would be even
cleaner than a Prius (Priuses get 60 in the city). The advantage of diesel cars, however, is that they pack a lot of power.
 (Credit: Courtesy Diesel Technology Forum) |
Posted: 12:38 PM, Apr. 30, 2007 |
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Nissan to Sell Diesel Cars in North America by 2010
One after another, automakers are beginning to see the light with regards
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| A new diesel, developed with partner Renault will yield a turbodiesel engine for the Maxima in 2010. (Photo: Nissan) |
to diesel fuel. Along with Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and
DaimlerChrysler's Jeep brand, which already sell diesels in North
America, Audi, BMW, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Honda have also pledged to
bring diesel-powered vehicles to these shores by the end of the decade,
giving consumers the combustion engine of choice for our friends across
the Atlantic. The most recent manufacturer to join the “diesel” list is
Nissan of North America, which announced that it would have an "oil
burner" that meets the US EPA Tier II Bin 5 requirements on our shores
by 2010.
Late last week, Nissan announced that it will debut the new diesel in the Maxima, its luxury-sport oriented full-size sedan.
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Posted: 1:52 PM, Apr. 23, 2007 |
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New Jetta TDI Wagon coming in 2008
The Jetta SportWagen will be available here in the States with a 2.5l
base engine (although power may be bumped to 170hp) and a 2.0T with a
minimum 200hp. A 2.0 TDI model will also be offered sometime in
calendar year 2008. Expect pricing to start at least $1000 more than
current Jetta models.
VWVortex
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Posted: 10:18 AM, Mar. 19, 2007 |
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BMW will bring 50 state Diesels 2008
CarConnection Article
BMW is a diesel force in the European car market, but in North America, it's stood back while Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have weathered the changes in regulations and technology. In 2008, though, BMW will re-enter the U.S.
diesel market. Recently, TheCarConnection spoke with BMW AG's new board
member, Dr. Klaus Draeger, who is responsible for Research &
Development and Purchasing. Draeger confirmed that BMW will introduce
its first diesel model with "clean diesel technology" in America sometime in 2008.
What about diesels? In Europe
we are having a huge number of diesel cars running in our fleet. They
represent 40 percent of the total BMW production. The diesel engines
definitely are always the best engines in their class. We just received
again the Ward's Engine of the Year award for the 3.0-liter diesel
engine and we decided to bring diesel technology to the U.S.
as well. We will not limit this and offer vehicles with diesel engines
in 50 states in 2008. These are wonderful cars and we meet the Bin5
regulations… We are going to equip the cars with a urea system and SCR
technology that we all use from the same suppliers in Germany. Will you call this Bluetec? Evidently,
that question comes up, but until now we have not decided. We do not
say we don't, but we have not decided yet if we will call it Bluetec. Most
important is that the customer gets the BMW diesel engine, and we are
not talking only about the exhaust treatment. Important is the typical
BMW smooth-running, high power, high-torque engines.
Bosch Urea treamtment by any other name is still Bosch.. BMW likes to be seen as the innovator - and not adpoting Mercedes technology or names so that is why this is even an issue.
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Posted: 10:12 AM, Mar. 19, 2007 |
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Audi TDI Diesel Wins Again at Sebring
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SEBRING, Fla. 18 March 2007: Despite new regulations, the Audi R10 TDI remains the
sports car to beat. By achieving an impressive victory in the 12 Hours of
Sebring (USA), AUDI AG made a perfect start into the 2007 motorsport season
with its revolutionary diesel sports car and also a successful dress
rehearsal for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16/17 June. It was the eighth victory
in a row in the classic American endurance race for the manufacturer from
Ingolstadt.
The Audi R10 TDI, which remains unbeaten in its ninth consecutive race,
had to start for the first time with a 10 percent smaller fuel tank (81
instead of 90 liters). This meant the Audi had to come to the pits for
refueling up to five laps earlier than their competitors. Despite the R10
TDI being the fastest car on the 3.7-mile track, also setting a new track
record, newcomer Acura/Honda was able to get into the lead on various
occasions with its 150-kg lighter LM P2 cars.
AutoChannel Link
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Posted: 10:06 AM, Mar. 19, 2007 |
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