BMW announced pricing for its two 50-state clean diesel vehicles yesterday. The BMW 335d sedan will carry a price tag of $44,725, while pricing for the BMW xDrive35d SUV will begin at $52,025. BMW officials said the vehicles will carry “the most fuel efficient engine we have ever offered in the US.”
Honda announced last week that it will delay the launch of its planned first diesel for the United States. The diesel-powered Acura TSX will be delayed to 2010 from 2009. Some reports claim that the company’s U.S. diesel program is being completely canceled. The main reason for the delay is cost.
As more clean diesel vehicles begin to hit the market, consumers should be aware that diesel car manufacturers are taking different technology paths. The two main paths mean different responsibilities for car owners, although the goal is the same: to reduce emissions.
The green car movement has historically been comprised of many camps, each one arguing that he or she has the winning fuel or propulsion system. Yet the notion that no single solution will solve our energy and environmental problems is now gaining widespread acceptance. A smorgasbord of promising technologies was on display last week at a meeting of the Western Automotive Journalist in South San Francisco.
The EPA and Energy Department this week issued its 2009 fuel economy guide. Hybrids, once again, dominate the top of the list with five of the six most efficient vehicles. The 2009 Toyota Prius is the leader with ratings of 48 mpg in the city and 45 on the highway.
By most accounts, clean diesel is beginning to make its run into the automotive mainstream in the United States. So, we decided to take the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI out for a test drive to judge for ourselves. “If any car is going to wake America up to the diesel movement, it’s this one,” Ben Davis, road test producer for PBS’s MotorWeek, told Hybridcars.com.
Volvo loyalists have been wondering for some time now about the Swedish carmaker’s near-term plans for producing an eco-friendly offering within its lineup. The Ford subsidiary has shown several hybrid concept vehicles at various international auto shows, but there have been no formal announcements about taking any green ideas to market. Until now.
The first “clean diesel” vehicles are making their nationwide debut in late September and early October. Two new factors could boost sales of these vehicles: a recent drop in diesel fuel prices and new federal tax incentives for clean diesel vehicles.
Audi announced a 4,800-mile American driving tour, known as the Audi Mileage Marathon, yesterday in an effort to promote the arrival of the carmaker’s TDI clean-diesel technology in the US. “Think of it as the ultimate efficiency test,” said Marcel Barro, an automotive journalist and Marathon participant.
If the US automobile industry ramps up its efforts to produce eco-friendly vehicles for the mass market, it could cut the nation’s gas consumption by 30 to 50 percent by 2035. That’s according to a new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But the study also asserts that the mentality of car consumers will need to change.
