Long considered to be a smelly, loud and harsh power source for industrial vehicles, diesel engines haven't been easy to sell to consumers in North America. Though popular in Europe, our "dirty" diesel fuel was unfit to be burned in many high-tech engines produced overseas, and regulatory hurdles didn't help the case.
But diesel fuel has made a remarkable turnaround in our market in the past
month. The release of lower sulfur diesel opened the doors for a slew of cutting edge new technologies which offer consumers increased efficiency, power and refinement.
At the forefront of the next-generation diesel movement is the Mercedes "Bluetec" powerplant - claimed by the luxury car manufacturer to be the worlds cleanest diesel. Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes plan to market their new diesel engines under the Bluetec name, identifying them as a viable alternative to Toyota's successful hybrid powerplants.
"Three brands have more power" a Volkswagen spokesman said on Wednesday. She suggested that Chrysler may join the Bluetec team in the future as well. It's a move that offers a win-win outcome to those involved, although BMW seems to think otherwise.
The long time adversary of Mercedes Benz and world leading premium carmaker says it has no plans to sell diesel powered cars in North America any time soon. They have also declined to use the Bluetec name which currently helps sell Mercedes E320's in the US.
"We are in the process of thinking of a name that is different from Bluetec" said a BMW spokesperson. A formal announcement was expected at the Los Angeles Autoshow next week.
But diesel fuel has made a remarkable turnaround in our market in the past
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| BMW 320d (Photo: BMW) |
At the forefront of the next-generation diesel movement is the Mercedes "Bluetec" powerplant - claimed by the luxury car manufacturer to be the worlds cleanest diesel. Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes plan to market their new diesel engines under the Bluetec name, identifying them as a viable alternative to Toyota's successful hybrid powerplants.
"Three brands have more power" a Volkswagen spokesman said on Wednesday. She suggested that Chrysler may join the Bluetec team in the future as well. It's a move that offers a win-win outcome to those involved, although BMW seems to think otherwise.
The long time adversary of Mercedes Benz and world leading premium carmaker says it has no plans to sell diesel powered cars in North America any time soon. They have also declined to use the Bluetec name which currently helps sell Mercedes E320's in the US.
"We are in the process of thinking of a name that is different from Bluetec" said a BMW spokesperson. A formal announcement was expected at the Los Angeles Autoshow next week.