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Audi to offer diesel in U.S. by 2008

Audi to offer diesel in U.S. by 2008

Posted Mar 23rd 2006 7:00AM

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We have total faith in Audi’s ability to engineer an oil-burning uber-engine after watching one of its two R10 TDi racers set a new track record at Sebring during qualifying last weekend and take the checkered flag after 12 hours of endurance racing. Hopefully the trickle down theory of motorsports technology will be in effect when Audi makes its Q7 sport ute available with a diesel engine in the U.S. by 2008.

In addition to the hybrid Q7 we’ve already been promised, the diesel-powered version will feature a 3.0L V6 TDi that generates 230 hp and 369 ft-lbs. of torque. Audi’s engine has already met emissions standards in 45 states, but five remain to reach before the company says it will release the engine in this market. California, which has the strictest emissions standards, accounts for 40-percent of Audi’s sales, so don’t expect to be burning oil in your Q7 until the Golden State’s been satisfied.

[Source: Ward's Auto]

Category: Motorsports, SUV, Green, Audi

Tags: audi, diesel, r10, sebring

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dmotomd

I'm a liberal Obama supporter generally PC except for being a gearhead performance car nut (or so I've been told). I have a heavily modified UrS4 with 330 hp atw, maybe 425 at the crank. I would like to see
Audi and VAG stop wasting time with giant cars like the Q7 (who needs an elephant for 90% of your driving, and don't get me started about the Phaeton, what a waste of engineering resources) and start putting high performance diesels in light small cars. How about an A3 quattro hatchback with a six speed or DSG and a turbo diesel 4 or 6 cylinder that we can "tune". Prius is cute but oh-so-boring. Great for you Ralph Nader lovers, but I think if he had a chance, Barack would like to run a quick turbo diesel hybrid A3 with Stasis suspension, Brembos all around, maybe some Toyo RA-1s, and a Garrett ball bearing turbo at 26 pounds of boost that can get 35-40 mpg in cruising mode. WAY more fun than a Prius or, for you bling-bling guys, an Escalade.

July 01 2008 at 4:49 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Keith

A lot of chatter here with nary a mention of Biodiesel - for shame. My 2006 Jetta TDI running on pure (B100) Biodiesel (with plenty of highway passing power) makes a Prius look like a Hummer (and, contrary to certain spurious reports - a Prius does make a Hummer look like a Hummer) in terms of total resource consumption and net environmental effect.
The sooner Audi gets one of these on the road - the sooner you Californians can start running bio. Why doesnâ€™t the state just mandate the bio mix in all diesel to minimize emissions?
Itâ€™s something that can be done now, unlike Hydrogen which is likely decades away from production.

August 02 2007 at 5:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

green

I can't wait for the german manufacturers (as well as Honda and Toyota) to bring their diesel models over here...I miss the punch and economy of a Golf 130 TDI, tuned up at 150hp, a damn kick-ass engine! :-)

It seems to me that the hybrids are a desesperate solution to provide fuel efficient cars in the US. They can't go diesel (because of psycho barriers in people minds...thanks GM!) so they go gas-hybrids. Gas hybrids may sell in the US where it's quite easy when you compete with thirsty cars and SUVs. But in EU, they compete against high tech, high efficiency diesel engines...And the bottom line for gas-hybrids is: zero sales of course. Even if there would be a great choice of gas-hybrid cars in EU, the sales would be anecdotic.
As somebody said before: Why bother buying a Prius when you can have a clean diesel for much less. Not to mention the fact that if you want to sell the Prius back...Good luck! :-)

As for the polluants from diesel...That was sure true a few decades ago but it is a lot different today. When PSA first introduced a DPF on a passenger car (the 607), the people that tested the car on the emission bench thought there was something wrong with the sensor...It was reading 0 for PM. The german manufacturers were laughing at that time (crazy French!)...They don't laugh anymore, they do exactly the same. :-)

There are more than 600 millions people in Europe on a piece of land that is not too big compared to the US with half the population...And they are all dying over there because of diesel emissions...What a joke!!

A diesel engine is more efficient at lower loads (= most driving conditions) than a gasoline engine (more efficient at high engine loads).
A diesel engine is emitting much less CO2 than a comparable gasoline engine.
The problems with diesel engines are: the PM and the NOx. The PM problem has been solved long ago. They are solving the NOx problem. Of course, that technology has a cost but so does the hybrid technology.

Once those problems are solved, that's the end of the gasoline engine (except maybe for bikes...and lawn mowers LOL). RIP gasoline.

April 22 2007 at 12:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

wh88

To the Prius owner,

You have not factored maintenance costs for your electric car. In less than 10 years you'll be shopping around for a set of new batteries for your vehicle. How much? At least a few $K's I would think.

Then you'd have to worry about recycling the old batteries ...

If you get into an accident, I'm sure a first responder cutting you out of the metal car with the "Jaws of Death" is going to be considering about the battery current that might fry him due to an electrical short.

Give the electric cars a few years and all the problems will fully surface.

April 15 2007 at 12:19 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Scott

PRIUS PEOPLE-

1- Check your MPG at 80 MPG, with a 'real' trunk full. You will then realize why I love the TDI Passat. Texarkana to Atlanta on one tank 80+MPH and comfortable and smooth riding.
2- Your battery production will add pollutants.
3- $300 Diesel adder for VW
4- Drives like a V8 on the road.
5- I'll use a Prius to get me from the G5 to the Emmy's
6- You have probably been behind severals diesels and never knew it by the 'noise' or 'smell'. A Civic hybrid owner was in mine for 200 miles before looking at the 41.2MPG on the computer and freaking out.

March 27 2006 at 4:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

josh

I hope that europe brings all the fantastic diesels over. There great cars, i dont believe in the hybrid thing it does not add up to me. I own a 2002 volkswagen tdi automatic and live in mass and were a state which cant purchase a new diesel since 04 models but you can get one from rhode island and register in mass if it has 7,500 miles on it considered used which makes no sense but i wont get into politics. And for Klaatus with his prius worrying about his lungs due to diesel particulates he wont have to worry if he got into a bad accident with that little car. My diesel jetta i have averaged 71 mph travel time 11 hours 38 min and still got 41 mpg and did cruise at 100 mph for at least an hour and sometimes hitting 115 let me see a hybrid perform like that and maybe ill be sold

March 25 2006 at 12:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

wxman

Regarding the comment about diesel smoke containing PAHs, so does gas PM. As a matter of fact, gram for gram, gas PM is ENRICHED in PAHs compared to diesel PM
(http://www.osti.gov/fcvt/deer2003/fujitapresentation.pdf). Diesels that are equipped with particulate filters are FAR cleaner with respect to PM and PAH emissions.

Furthermore, old high emitter gassers are much more toxic than old high emitter diesels (Source: COMPARATIVE TOXICITY OF COMBINED PARTICLE AND SEMI-VOLATILE ORGANIC FRACTIONS OF GASOLINE AND DIESEL EMISSIONS, Joe Mauderly, et al.). So diesels aren't the only ones that need to be maintained.

March 24 2006 at 4:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

mehool

WHY IS DIESEL fuel so expensive these days? it used to be the cheapest..now it is just under Premiums's pricing!!??

March 23 2006 at 10:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

chewy

The diesel will come with particulate trap filters, and if you saw the R10, there is no smoke. If you look into the tailpipes of even new gasoline cars you will see black deposits,the diesel will not be any dirtier than many gasoline engines. I see old gasoline powered cars smoke allmost everyday. You can also probably expect milage of 20 city and 25 highway. Probably higher. Not bad for a full size SUV.

March 23 2006 at 8:56 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

radar1

Don't they already have diesel hybrids? Diesel locomotives use the diesels solely to power the generators for the electric motor propulsion. It would seem that they could combine a small diesel operating in a narrow power range (most efficient RPM's) in a car to charge batteries in order to use electric power. The old submarines used this technology for years too, although they only used the electric propulsion when submerged.

March 23 2006 at 8:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply