Gale Banks

Gale Banks has been building high performance engines for half a century.  Over the Labor Day weekend Banks was in Detroit for the Grand Prix at Belle Isle and he took time out to speak with Green Fuels Forecast about his latest passion, diesel engines.

The Highcroft Acura

Acura announces plans to move up to the top category in the American Le Mans Series in 2009 as it develops an all-new car for the LMP1 class. Honda Performance Development President Erik Berkman would not reveal and detail specifications, but a diesel may be a strong possibility.

Robert Bosch LLC CEO Peter Marks

Peter Marks CEO and Chairman of Robert Bosch LLC remains confident that market share for light duty diesel engines in North America will grow significantly by the middle of the next decade. Speaking at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City Marks believes that diesel refinery supply issues will be resolved by 2010-11.

2008 BMW 123d

Diesel Forecast tests out another fuel efficient diesel vehicle from the Robert Bosch promotional fleet. This time around: a week with the BMW 123d hatchback demonstrates once again that fun to drive and low fuel consumption are not mutually exclusive.

The Internal Revenue Service certifies the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI as eligible for a $1,300 federal tax credit when it goes on sale to the public in September. The Jetta is the first new clean diesel car to receive that distinction.

Subaru chose the British Motor Show to unveil the sedan version of its new Boxer Diesel Legacy, powered by the company’s extraordinary flat, horizontally opposed engine.

2008 MINI Cooper D

Diesel Forecast drives another diesel powered car that's unavailable to US consumers and comes away enthralled. The combination of the smooth, quiet diesel engine and the auto start-stop system gives the MINI Cooper D exceptional fuel economy.  During several days of fairly aggressive driving, the MINI managed 47mpg.

The Euro-spec Q5

Audi's new mid-size SUV, the Q5, will be available with a choice of three engines including two diesels when it goes on sale in Europe this fall. In addition to its fuel efficient engines, the Q5 and the A4 sedan/wagon include a number of other technologies that help reduce parasitic losses and fuel consumption.

With the cost of vegetable oils and waste grease - the primary feedstocks for biodiesel - rising along with the price of food and the fuel to produce it, the new B20 standard won't have much impact on biodiesel prices. But some analysts see non-food sources, such as algae, as the key to increasing fuel supplies and lowering prices.

2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

The initial batch of 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDIs are now arriving at Volkswagen dealers across North America. Diesel Forecast dropped by a local Volkswagen showroom to take a look and a quick test drive. According to sales people the high current high price of diesel fuel is not deterring buyers from placing orders for the new high-mileage Jetta.

2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec

Mercedes Benz intends to be the first automaker to market with 50-state legal clean diesel SUVs when the new BlueTec ML, GL and R-Class go on sale. The Stuttgart automaker held a preview drive in rural Vermont this week to let the world's media sample its latest compression ignition technology.

The American Society for Testing and Materials this week approved new standards for commercially available biodiesel. The new rules define minimum requirements for biodiesel blends of up to 20 percent, as well as the inclusion of up to five percent biofuel in standard pump diesel fuel.

The eagerly awaited 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI now has an official price tag for its August on-sale date. The first new 50-state legal diesel car to come to market will be priced from $21,990 for the sedan and $23,590 for the SportWagen.

The Audi R10 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Diesel engine technology proves yet again it is no flash in the pan as Audi battled to a 4 minute 31 second victory over diesel rival Peugeot to capture its fifth straight 24 Hours of Le Mans.

BMW's X5 on loan from Honeywell

Late in 2008, BMW will launch its first US market diesel engines since the 524td of the mid-1980s. Beyond all the techno-gimmickry on the X5, when it comes down to actually driving the X5 diesel, it's hard not to wonder why every car on the road in the US doesn't have such an engine.

Audi R10s at 2008 Sebring 12 Hours

Audi will add a new twist to its diesel powered R10 TDI in the 2008 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After debuting with gas-to-liquid fuel in 2006, fuel supplier Shell is blending in biomass-to-liquid fuel for the first time at this year's endurance contest.

Audi Q7 3.0 TDI

Late in 2008 Audi will introduce a clean diesel powertrain for its Q7 SUV in the US market.  Diesel Forecast was able to get a preview of the Q7 3.0 TDI when fuel system supplier Bosch provided a current European specification model to evaluate.

2009 Jetta SportWagen

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI has finally received official mileage ratings from the EPA with a city cycle score of 30mpg and 41mpg on the highway. When the new diesel powered Jetta goes on sale later this summer it will be the first light duty vehicle to meet the new Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions requirements for all fifty states.

Jetta TDI Cup driver David Jurca

The second race of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI cup is now history as the field which includes four Canadian drivers makes its first border crossing for another exciting race. Unfortunately cold rainy weather made conditions rather treacherous at times for the young racers.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed a law mandating all diesel fuel in the state have a 20 percent biodiesel content by 2015. Currently, diesel fuel in the state contains 2 percent bio content.

Just as three German automakers prepare to launch a batch of 50-state legal diesel powered vehicles for the US market, BASF announces a price hike on one of the key ingredients making the engines compliant.

2010 GM Duramax 4500

In 2009 General Motors is introducing an all-new diesel V-8 for use in light-duty applications such as pickups, SUVs and even passenger cars. The new Duramax 4500 has been specifically designed to fit in the same package size as the classic small-block V-8 engine that has appeared in GM applications for over half a century.
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BMW 2.0L dual turbo diesel

The 2008 International Engine of the Year Awards are announced and some very efficient engines are among the winners.  The Toyota Prius hybrid power-plant, BMW's 2.0L twin turbo diesel and Volkswagen's 1.4L TSI four cylinder were all chosen by the 65 person jury for Engine Technology International magazine.

VW Jetta TDI Cup qualifying

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup kicked off this weekend with 30 race prepped clean diesel Jettas taking to the track in Virginia.  The TDI Cup cars are all running with full diesel after-treatment systems and averaging 25mpg under racing conditions.

VW Touareg V12 TDI Trophy Truck

Volkswagen and Arciero-Miller racing are preparing  a new race truck powered by the 6.0L V-12 diesel that has been shown recently in the Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans concept. The Touareg trophy truck will use the production V-12 diesel destined for the Q7 V12 TDI later this year rather than the racing engine in the Audi R10 Le Mans prototype.

2009 Jetta BlueTDI

Volkswagen is announcing the completion of development of its BlueTDI system at the Vienna Motor Symposium in Austria. The first production application will go on sale later this summer in the US market as the Jetta TDI. The new diesel Jetta will be legal for sale in 50 states and have 12 percent better fuel efficiency than the previous Jetta TDI.

2008 SAE World Congress

The Society of Automotive Engineers is holding its annual gathering of scientists, engineers, and managers from around the world April 14-17, 2008 at Cobo Center in Detroit MI. The theme for the 2008 SAE World Congress is A Climate for Change, with many of the discussions revolving around alternative powertrains, new fuels, and ever increasing demands for reduced emissions and fuel consumption.

2009 Mercedes Benz Four Cylinder diesel

Mercedes-Benz has a trio of redesigned four-cylinder diesel engines that will debut in the C-Class this fall. The new engines produce up to 25 percent more torque than the previous units while emitting 13 percent less carbon dioxide.

Mahindra Scorpio SUV

Powertrain engineering consultancy FEV joins forces with Mahindra & Mahindra on development of a diesel hybrid drivetrain to be used on the Scorpio SUV and Appalachian pickup truck, which sees its public debut at the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit this month.

Jetta TDI Cup car

Leading up to the start of its new entry level racing program Volkswagen has selected the 30 drivers who will participate in the inaugural season of the Jetta TDI Cup. A qualification event took place at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, AZ from April 3-6 2008 in the new all diesel race program.

Audi's A4 3.0 TDI

Diesel Forecast spent a few hours motoring around southern Germany in the latest diesel hardware from Ingolstadt. The test drives included Audi's A4 3.0 TDI, which may be coming to the US market as soon as 2009 - depending on fuel prices.

Mahindra Appalachian pickup

India's Mahindra and Mahindra is on track to be the first manufacturer from that country to enter the US market when they launch diesel and diesel-hybrid pickups and SUVs beginning in 2010. Diesel Forecast has learned that the diesel-hybrid will be shown for the first time at the upcoming SAE World Congress in Detroit.

The 2009 Acura TSX gets European styling, but not the diesels to match.

Acura and Nissan are each introducing new versions of their TSX and Maxima sports sedans at the New York Auto Show. Both models are expected to be the first in their respective lineups with new 50-state legal clean diesel engines although there were official signs of that in New York.
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The 2009 Maxima diesel

In April 2007 Nissan announced that it would launch an all new clean diesel engine in the US market in 2010. The first model to receive the new engine will be the Maxima sedan which has been completely redesigned for the 2009 model year. The 2009 Maxima is getting a world debut this week at the New York Auto Show.

2009 Mercedes-Benz GL320 BlueTec

Mercedes-Benz expects to be the first manufacturer to launch light duty diesel engines equipped with urea injection when new versions of the ML, GL and R-Class BlueTec models launch this fall. All three SUVs will be fully fifty state legal and Tier2 Bin5 compliant.
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VW's four-month Dieselution Tour kicks off.

In launching a four-month tour to promote its all-new diesel Jetta TDI and all things diesel, Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen of America, says evaluations are “ongoing” into whether the company will invest in a new plant to build oil burning models. (more)

The '08 Ford Focus.

Many of the same powertrain engineers who worked on the European Focus are participating in the transition for the American model, begging the question of whether the Dearborn automaker is moving closer to a diesel passenger car than it's letting on.(more)

Senator Carl Levin and Corland Publisher Rob Cleveland discuss technical evolutions driving diesel and hydrogen for the North American market.

Senator Carl Levin and top automaker and supplier representatives attended the first Advanced Powertrain Forum held at the Detroit Athletic Club by Corland Publishing, producers of online magazines, Hydrogen Forecast and Diesel Forecast.(more)

BMW's diesel Z9 was launched in 1999

Five extravagent diesel concept cars were launched in 2005, yet more diesel-powered dream cars have been introduced this decade, including two each from BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and GM. FOR FULL PHOTO GALLERY CLICK HERE(more)