During the 8th Advanced Diesel Engine Technology Symposium held at the company’s Namyang R&D Center, Hyundai revealed a new diesel powerplant: the R-Engine.
The engine delivers 184 hp and a peak torque of 289 lbs-ft, and Hyundai claims it can compete any German or French engine. This will be put to the test when the engine goes into production next year, and the first recipients of this should be the 2010 Tucson and Sonata. Although we expect this engine to be used throughout Europe, there is no word yet if it will make it to the U.S.
Honda has made a name for itself with cleaner emission cars. It was the first to meet the stricter U.S. emissions standards of the 1970s, without using a catalytic converter. But this was on gasoline engines. It needed a diesel for Europe, so it reinvented the engine again with the i-DTEC clean diesel engine for the European Accord.
It’s a great history lesson, but the real point of telling that was to get up to speed with the last New York Auto Show. There Honda CEO Takeo Fukui announced that 2009 would see Honda’s first clean diesel engine to be sold in the U.S. The car of choice would be the 2009 Acura TSX - not surprising considering that the TSX is basically the European Accord.
Less than a year later it seems the guys over at Temple of VTEC got the scoop from a tipster that the U.S. diesel has been "delayed indefinitely". The reason: emissions certification failure (really, Honda?)
It’s reported that the manual transmission version of the i-DTEC TSX cleared emissions certification, but the automatic-equipped version has been unable to pass certification. Acura believes that the lazy americans will likely not go for a diesel if they have to go the row-your-own route. In its place Acura will likely drop a V6 into the TSX.
As construction of the plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee begins, Americans should soon see a whole new product line from VW. Plans are to manufacture a new-generation of U.S. specific clean diesel engines and, possibly, an advanced diesel-electric hybrid. This is in stark contrast to Fords announcement that they are putting their clean diesel plans on hold. Yet with the impressive sales of the Jetta TDI this year it seems that VW might be heading in the right direction.
The news was announced by Stefan Jacoby, the US chief, who confirmed to the Chattanooga Daily that VW will build a diesel version of a brand new mid-sized car in Tennessee. “We don’t see any conflict between business and the economy and the environment,” Jacoby explained. VW will also produce a smaller version of the Jetta at the US plant, which will compete with the Corolla and Civic. No news on if it will have a diesel option yet.
The Chattanooga plant will start production in early 2011, no date on the diesel models yet.
GM is considering a 4.5L Duramax V-8 turbodiesel engine for the Cadillac CTS. The dual overhead cam, four-valve diesel V-8 that has found use in SUVs and light-duty pickups will also fit in the same space as most small-block gasoline V-8.
While the CTS is due to get a 2.9L V-6 diesel in Europe, the 4.5L diesel V-8 would most likely be seen as a way of filling the gap between the 304-hp direct-injection V-6 of the regular CTS and the 556-hp supercharged V-8 of the CTS-V here in the U.S. The 4.5L Duramax engine features aluminum cylinder heads with integrated manifolding and a variable-vane turbocharger that capable of delivering more than 310 hp and 520 lb-ft of torque.
But will a diesel Cadillac sell in the traditionally gas-only U.S.? GM is hoping that the new diesels from premium manufacturers like Audi and Mercedes will spark (pun intended) a new love for upper market oil burners in the U.S.
Hopefully the public won’t remember GM’s last try at diesel cars. The now-defunct Oldsmobile sold a diesel engine in the late 70s and 80s. Its design came from a gasoline version, and the engine quickly developed a reputation for failing under the diesel’s extra pressure. The Duramax is a proper diesel engine, and a good one too. But if GM goes for diesel cars again, its banking on the public not remembering their father’s Oldsmobile.
In an interview with MotorTrend, Wolfgang Hatz, head of powertrain development at Audi and Stephan Reil, quattro Gmbh’s technology development boss revealed that the S4 will be redesigned in 2010 and that there will be no RS in US line-up in 2009. And if you expected a diesel engine in the RS models you wore wrong, there will not be one.
Mr. Hatz reiterated that transmission and packaging problems ultimately killed the idea of an RS8 TDI variant, but pointed out that putting that engine in the (European) Q7 makes that a Q7 RS in everything but name. It is a quattro Gmbh product, but the company is loathe to apply the RS designation to any tall, heavy SUV.
Volkswagen is proving that diesels may have a future in North America. Introduced in August, VW has sold out this year’s allocation of about 1,300 Jettai TDi "clean" diesels. It’s a good start for diesels, but in a slow year like 2007, 16.14 million cars total were bought in the U.S.
About a month ago, Volkswagen was predicting that diesels would make up 25 percent of Jetta sedan sales in the United States and a third of all wagon sales.
Volkswagen credits part of the reason for the sales success is that is already established itself as a provider of diesel cars in the U.S. (it began selling diesel rabbits as early as 1976 and the latest direct-injection diesels from almost a decade.) VW sees this sales victory as a sign to expand its diesel line up including the return of the diesel-powered Rabbit when a redesigned version goes on sale next year.
Although Volkswagen promotes the fuel efficiency of its diesels, "we are not competing with Prius," said Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.
If Volkswagen really wants to up it millage with the oil burners, it could start selling cars with the small diesel engines know as "BlueMotion". Already on sale in Europe, the Jetta version is expected to get at least 40 mpg.
October 5-20, 4,800 miles, 184 drivers and 23 cars from four different model lines, New York to Los Angeles through major cities and passing countless natural wonders. This is the resume of the Audi Mileage Marathon.
Along with the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI, the brand new Audi Q5 3.0 TDI will make its debut on the wide roads of the North American continent. The Audi A4, the sportiest sedan in its class, will also make its appearance with the superb 3.0 TDI engine.
The Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI – equipped with the innovative and particularly efficient S tronic transmission – will add yet another highlight to the Mileage Marathon’s efficiency statistics.
Press release after the jump.
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Volkswagen is using their clean diesel Jetta TDI in an attempt o break the current world record for lowest fuel consumption across the 48 contiguous United States. The car will be driven by the world’s most fuel efficient drivers, John and Helen Taylor. The Jetta TDI are fueled by Shell’s best diesel fuel.
The couple will drive on a counter-clockwise route and plan to pass through these cities: Chantilly, Va.; Rutland, V.T.; Toledo, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Spearfish, S.D.; Missoula, Mont.; Winnemucca, Nev.; Santa Monica, Calif.; Durango, Colo.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Mount Vernon, Ill.; Ponchatoula, La.; and, Beckley, W. Va. Some of the Shell FuelStretch tactics the Taylors will employ on the road include: avoiding idling and higher speeds, minimizing vehicle drag and performing regular vehicle maintenance.
Press release after the jump.
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Mercedes is ready to launch a new diesel engine in the fall of 2008. First model that will receive this engine will be the C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Prime Edition, a 500 units limited edition that will be priced at €40,638. Mercedes has not given any information on if the car will be available in the traditionally diesel-unfriendly U.S.
In this model the engine produces, with its 2.2 liters of displacement, 204 hp and almost 370 ft. lbs of torque. The premiere model can accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 7.0 seconds, on the way to its top speed of 250 km/h. The Prime Edition only consumes an average of 5.2 liters of fuel per 100 km (NEDC), with CO2 emissions of 138 g/km.
Press release after the jump.
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Two things that usually don’t go together are performance sedans and diesel engines. According to The Car Connection, Volkswagen is considering a diesel version for the 2009 Passat CC. Brett Scott, product planner for Volkswagen’s trucks and mid-size cars, says when it comes to a diesel version of the new coupe-like four-door, the company is "certainly looking at it," though it’s not currently in the product plan. In the short term, VW is working on adding engine detail to the badging on the new CC: the four-cylinder versions will be badged "CC 2.0," for example.
Volkswagen plans to open a new assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2011. That plant will have a capacity of 250,000 vehicles when it’s fully up to speed. VW plans to build a new mid-size sedan there, and intends to export it around the world. Since diesel is a must-have engine for some European markets, this global vision for the Passat CC may explain why diesel would be a useful engine for this car.
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