BMW diesels back in America … soon?
Posted By RichC on November 16, 2006
According to the online magazine Winding Road, BMW shared what it is planning to export to the US in 2008 — diesel related — and they will publish it in next months issue. According to Matt Davis from Winding Road, “we’ve just driven the 335d Touring – a thoroughly hot wagon with a bi-turbo version of the BMW 3.0-liter diesel engine first seen in the 535d last year.” He points out that BMW fully intends to talk about their diesel strategy (as well as the Hydrogen 7 mention in a previous post) at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month. Davis indicates that BMW intends to have their “latest and greatest diesel ideas” ready for delivery by December of 2008.” (Groan … 2 years does seem like a long wait) 🙁
The BMW strategy at this point includes bringing over all six-cylinder diesels first in the 5-series and faces the stiff emission challenges posed by the states which it sell the most cars. According to Winding Road, “BMW North America currently sells 85 percent of its cars in … California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut. By 2009 the California 30-percent reduction laws go into effect in these very states as well and so BMW has a mess of work on its hands.” They also are facing the already promising Mercedes BlueTec diesel which claims to already have a 50 state legal diesel ready; they plan on making this announcement at the Detroit auto show in January and could be delivering them by March of 2007.
VW and Audi have their work ahead of them and are making their switch from Pumpe-Duse technology to the common rail diesels; the next diesel models should be available in North America by the 2008 model year (see comment and comment with photo). One piece of the puzzle missing for them is that a 50 state ready diesel has yet to be seen, although I suspect that at this point it is a necessity? Like Mercedes, the BMW’s diesel platform relies on active urea injection and the latest diesel particulate filters to bring down the diesel emissions. I personally think the most promising diesels could come from Japan — Honda diesels which are building their clean diesel around a difference technology.
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