Autoblog

Readers of London's Sunday Times kept telling the auto reporters that the official mileage numbers for the Prius were overstated by about 15 imperial mpg. Intrigued, the Times decided to test things out by running a Prius against a BMW 520d with regenerative braking from London to Geneva, a 460-mile trip. Then they added 100 miles of urban running to give the Prius a chance to recover ground on its proper turf.

The verdict: the conventional diesel with Efficient Dynamics beat the full hybrid by 2.2 imperial mpg, or 1.8 US mpg. This means that an executive sedan with all the mod-cons and 500 extra pounds beat the mollusk-shaped sip-tastic wunderkind known as the Prius. And the diesel's CO₂ emissions are just 32 g/km higher than the hybrid poster-child, to boot.

Admittedly, we find the test a bit unfair -- the Prius is not meant show its muscle at "75-mph into a headwind," and adding 100 miles of urban driving doesn't make up for 460 miles of autoroute. Reverse those driving conditions and then let's see who won. Still, for all of us diesel fans out there, it's a feather we won't mind putting in the cap. Thanks for the tip, George!

[Source: Sunday Times via Technoride]

New emissions standards in 2010 will make things too stringent for GM's Duramax diesel, in its current form, to make the grade. To help its prize student pass the looming tests, GM is investing $69 million in its DMAX plant (a joint venture diesel engine factory in Moraine, Ohio) for plant renovations and new machinery and tooling.

While GM doesn't really rate the uptake of diesel in the American market in passenger cars, the Duramax is an engine that has powered its fair share of GM sales. Since its introduction in 2001, more than one million Duramax diesels have found their way on the road in Chevy Silverados, GMC Sierras, full-size vans and some medium duty trucks. The current 6.6-liter Duramax V8 has a diesel particulate filter to meet today's standards. For 2010, GM will add a selective catalytic reduction NOx after-treatment system (along with the particulate filter) to meet the Tier 2 BIN and LEV 2 emissions standards. It will remain good to go in all 50 states.

[Source: GM]

In the fuel economy and future tech debate, the hybrid vs. diesel vs. hydrogen fuel cells vs. smaller cars and smaller engines always provokes a fair bit of discussion among Autoblog commentators. At this point, no one yet knows what's going to win since nobody knows how the volatile mix of products, timelines, prices, regulations, legislation, state standards, and gas prices will ultimately pan out. Bob Lutz's prediction is that diesels, at least as far as the US is concerned, won't be much of a factor.

His reasoning is simple: "I think customers are going to say, 'Wait a minute. At equal fuel prices I'm paying $4,000 more for this." Unlike many countries in Europe, the US offers no incentive for people to buy diesels. In the States the price of a diesel vehicle is often more than $1,000 higher than that of a gasoline-engined car, and diesel fuel is just as expensive as gas (throughout California and other states, it's slightly more expensive than premium unleaded). In that case, Lutz's opinion is that just about all the customer will glean from an oilburner is a higher car payment.

Lutz sees diesel uptake in the US hovering at about eight-percent. The technology he sees as winning the day: ethanol. It's clean, it's easy to integrate into the refueling infrastructure, and it "doesn't require a change in consumer behavior." (Except for the people in emerging markets who've seen the price of corn skyrocket.) For another take on the fuel economy battle, according to Kelly Blue Book, 40-percent of US new car shoppers think hybrids are the future, with just 17-percent citing flex-fuel.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Diesel vehicles have nearly a 50-percent market share in Europe, thanks to tax incentives and diesel-friendly legislation across the EU. Diesels are so passé there that you can buy a BMW 730d and no one will think it odd that your luxury car burns oil. Pull up in a diesel 7-Series in America and people would leer at you like you've alighted from an amphibious vehicle reeking of saltwater and dead trout.

But now, thanks to the oft-reported combo of newly-raised CAFE standards, not-so-newly-raised gas prices, and the 50-state diesel engine, GM, Ford, and Chrysler are about to dip more than a hesitant toe into the diesel game. Chrysler offers a diesel in the Grand Cherokee, but soon all three automakers will offer diesels in their best-selling lineups of light trucks -- the Dodge Ram 1500 is expected to offer a 50-state diesel after 2009. Light trucks are being used to lead the charge since those buyers stand to gain the most with the least amount of (perceived) sacrifice.

Diesels currently have 3.2-percent of the American market. Some estimates put them at 15-percent by 2015. That's a huge leap, and diesel still has plenty of hurdles. Diesels will come with a cost premium over gasoline-engined cars. That should be easy enough to conquer -- incentives and some quick cost and longevity calculations should convince people of the benefit. The real hurdle is the nagging issue of perception. The plan will probably be to attack that with a price that makes the proposition unbeatable. Said Chrysler's director of environmental affairs, "If it's priced right, we can sell diesel here. Diesel can give you an immediate poke in fuel economy -- 20 to 40 percent. Not many technologies can deliver that today."

[Source: Detroit News]

BusinessWeek gets a shoutout from us for saying what's gotta be said (as many of our readers have) -- Americans need to get over their perception of diesels as being stinky, loud slowpokes already. Truly. Part of the problem is the fact that until we get cleaner UltraLow Sulfur fuel starting in October, the stinky part may have some truth to it; however, there's something to be said for the fact that diesel is 30-percent more efficient than gasoline and current oil burners perform near to or at the level of their gasoline counterparts.

DaimlerChrysler is slowly climbing on board with its Jeep Liberty and Mercedes E-class diesel models, but we're all about the day when we, like Europe, can buy almost any car as a diesel or a gasoline model. Onwards to October!

[Source: BusinessWeek]

As noted by Inside Line, Ford decided not to go with the locomotive-inspired theme of the Super Chief concept for its refreshened Super Duty pickups due out this summer. Too bad, as the Super Chief was super cool. Regardless, the new Super Dutes will get bigger and bolder in the front and back, with larger, one-piece headlights that extend down to a one-piece bumper, bigger vents in the grille, quarter panel vents behind the front wheels and the words “Super Duty” branded everywhere it will fit.

The bigger news for the new Super Dutes will be the arrival of an all new Powerstroke diesel to replace the current one that’s been plagued with problems from the get-go. The new oil burner will displace 6.4 liters and employ a pair of sequential turbos to help produce 350 hp and 650 ft-lbs of torque. Those numbers would put the Super Duty ahead of both Dodge’s 5.9L Cummins turbo diesel (325 hp/610 ft-lbs.) and GM’s 6.6L Duramax diesel (310 hp/605 ft-lbs.), in which case it’s time for another race.

[Source: Inside Line]