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Report: VW pushing lawmakers to go easier on diesels

Filed under: Government/Legal, Volkswagen, Diesel

The push for more diesel vehicles in North America is finally starting to pick up momentum from non-German automakers like Chrysler, General Motors and Mazda, but there are still hurdles automakers face in winning over American car buyers. To combat this, The Detroit News says that Volkswagen is attempting to get government officials to help level the playing field and even create incentives to promote diesel vehicles.

Aside from trying to get the federal diesel fuel tax lowered, VW is looking to get additional credits for diesel vehicles in the stricter 54.5-mpg fuel regulations and trying to get the EPA to adjust how it calculates its combined fuel economy rating. The current ratio takes into account 55-percent city driving and 45-percent highway driving, which a VW exec claims does not “reflect real-world driving.” Diesels perform better on the highway, so on paper, altering the formula could provide a boost for diesel vehicles in the form of a better combined mile-per-gallon rating. This all comes after recent news that VW is working on its next-generation EA 288 TDI engine, a powerplant expected to further increase highway fuel economy to the tune of at least 45 mpg.

VW pushing lawmakers to go easier on diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited diesels

Filed under: SUV, Jeep, First Drive, Diesel

Jeep’s Best And Brightest Lose Their Spark Plugs, Add Whoop-Ass

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’re all suitably bowled over by the chest-hair enhancing Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, with its compression-ratio gulping 6.4-liter Hemi V8 booming out 465 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. Love it all, but we have trouble seeing anyone on Earth actually realizing its promised 13 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, much less its pie-in-sky 450-mile range. Give us a break, Jeep. Tell us anything, but don’t tell us to embrace this new raging V8 as the ecologists’ super SUV. It has Track mode, for the love of Pete. Say hello to $5+ fun every 10 or so miles when the SRT8 is driven as Jeep’s engineers have clearly intended. Then we dare you to tow anything and afford it. We’re by no means damning the utterly awesome SRT8, just saying…

If you read enthusiast outlets, a diesel Jeep has been one of the leading wish-list items, well… forever.

One other recent improvement for Jeep in time for its 70th anniversary – beyond this latest Grand Cherokee lineup that continues to shine – is the nearly 100-percent better (and now nearly competitive) Compass. Then, in the near future, the Patriot and Compass will likely – and rightly – merge into one model, there will be a new entry-level “B SUV” and we suspect the Liberty will return to its proper name, Cherokee. Top all of this off with the promised rebirth of the legendary Grand Wagoneer three-row down the road, and it’s all looking right on track.

So, where’s the common-rail direct-injected turbo diesel?

The Europeans have just been shown their next-generation Jeep turbo diesels and we had a chance to sample these latest and greatest oil-burners at the Fiat Auto proving grounds in Balocco, Italy. We grabbed the ones we like the most: the Grand Cherokee 4×4 Laredo with 3.0-liter CRD V6 and gnarly-yet-comfortable Wrangler Unlimited Sahara with 2.8-liter four-cylinder CRD and wondrous six-speed manual. Word has it that the Grand Cherokee CRD is set to hit the States by late 2013. The Wrangler in Trail-Rated Rubicon guise with a 3.0 CRD V6 and six-speed manual is many off-roaders’ dream chariot, but there is currently no talk of this happy-hour cocktail coming our way or even ever exiting from Jeep’s Toledo, Ohio plant. That’d be a pity.

Continue reading First Drive: Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited diesels…

Gallery: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD: First Drive

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD

Gallery: 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2.8 CRD: First Drive

2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2.8 CRD

Continue reading 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited diesels

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Jeep still considering diesels for North American market

Filed under: SUV, Jeep, Diesel

jeep cherokee overland

Jeep Cherokee Overland – Click above for high-res image gallery

On Thursday, Jeep unveiled a Mopar-modified Cherokee Overland. The safari-ready ute is actually a European market Jeep Liberty, right down to its 2.8-liter turbo diesel four-cylinder engine. The vehicle is only here for promotional purposes, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a diesel option for Jeep buyers on this side of The Pond?

The Detroit Free Press reports that Jeep President and CEO Michael Manley couldn’t agree more, but he’ll need to provide a rock-solid business case to move forward with oil burners in the States. The Jeep CEO said diesels could enter the U.S. market in two or three years if that business case is made, adding “diesel applications in the larger vehicles probably make more sense then they do in the smaller ones, purely because of the cost of the powertrains and the treatments that are required.”

Chrysler’s off-road brand already features diesel powertrains in Europe, and 80 percent of all Jeeps sold there are of the oil-burning variety. Those engines are becoming cleaner all the time as well, and the newest Euro diesels could soon also meet emissions standards in the U.S. and Canada.

We’re all for diesel-powered Jeeps, especially since the diesels tend to have similar fuel economy to a hybrid SUV, but with additional capability. And, hey… a Grand Cherokee with a 25 percent improvement in fuel economy doesn’t sound like a bad thing, either.

Gallery: Jeep Cherokee Overland

Jeep Cherokee Overland

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Report: Jeep still considering diesels for North American market originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NHTSA investigation into 100,000 VW and Audi diesels intensifies

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Audi, Volkswagen, Diesel

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI (MkVI) – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to The Detroit News, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is turning up the heat on its investigation into faulty Volkswagen fuel pumps. The administration has announced that it is currently looking into 97,272 diesel Volkswagen and Audi vehicles after receiving a total of 160 complaints about the issue. NHTSA says that in roughly half of those complaints, the bad pumps resulted in an engine stall on the highway or in traffic that prevented the engine from being restarted. Even so, no major accidents have been attributed to the faulty pumps, though one minor fender-bender has been reported as a result of the issue.

The investigation covers 2010 Golf hatchbacks, 2009-2010 Jetta sedans and certain 2010 Audi A3 models as well.

Volkswagen says that the fuel pump issues that it has encountered have resulted from diesel fuel that has been contaminated with gasoline. The company says that even a small amount of gas mixed in with diesel fuel can cause the pumps to shut down. Unfortunately for thusly affected owners, fuel system damage due to using the wrong fuel won’t be covered under warranty.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen has informed NHTSA about 120 separate fuel slip-ups, some of which came courtesy of dealers and service personnel using the wrong fuel.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: NHTSA investigation into 100,000 VW and Audi diesels intensifies originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Audi, Mercedes to double-down on diesels

Filed under: Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Diesel

Audi A3 TDI engine

Diesels have a tough stigma to overcome. Conventional wisdom – or just preconceived notions – characterize diesel engines as loud, slow and dirty. But even without the subsidies the fuel enjoys in Europe, diesels are starting to make an impact in the U.S. market.

Mercedes-Benz recently rolled the fifth of eight diesel models total planned over the next few years. Meanwhile Audi – based on the success of the A3 TDI (accounting for 53% of A3s sold in the U.S.) and the Q7 TDI (43%) – is planning to launch oil-burning versions of the A6 and A8 in the United States as well.

The difference comes down to improving technology (in the form of more advanced particulate filters that keep the exhaust cleaner) and increased availability of the fuel at the pump: studies found that, in 2007, 52% of gas stations in the United States were offering diesel, compared to 35% a decade earlier. Although Mercedes says it does not see the need to subsidize the purchase of diesel models, BMW – a relative newcomer to the diesel game on these shores – offers big incentives to offset the higher purchase costs of diesel models.

Rapidly advancing sales of diesel cars in the United States could, according to Bloomberg, stand to overshadow those of hybrids, whose sales have been slightly dwindling of late.

Report: Audi, Mercedes to double-down on diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Petit Le Mans dominated by diesels again, hybrid Porsche performs well [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Audi, Chevrolet, Porsche, Ferrari, Peugeot, Racing

Rain didn’t cut this year’s Petit Le Mans short. Unlike last year’s race, racers went carbon-fiber fender to carbon-fiber fender for the full 1,000 miles at Road Atlanta during the running of the 2010 Petit Le Mans. By the time the checkered flag fell, Peugeot walked away with a one-two win, effectively establishing a French dynasty in the American Le Mans series. As you may recall, Peugeot took the overall win at last year’s Petit Le Mans as well, beating out arch-diesel-rival Audi in the process. This year, the quad-rings fell to third place, a full two laps behind the leading French racer thanks to a flat tire late in the race. The German car, piloted by Le Mans legends Tom Kristensen, Allen McNish and Dindo Capello, simply couldn’t make up the time lost to the pits, sealing the win for Peugeot in the process.

The pair of Pugs led 299 of the 394 total laps, but that doesn’t mean that’s where the only show was. Hit the jump for a quick recap.

[Source: American Le Mans]

Continue reading 2010 Petit Le Mans dominated by diesels again, hybrid Porsche performs well [w/video]

2010 Petit Le Mans dominated by diesels again, hybrid Porsche performs well [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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