Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the new M-B four-pot diesels.

With lots of AMG goodness on the road and in the pipeline, something's got to balance out Mercedes-Benz' carbon footprint. So M-B announced today that it's releasing a new range of four-cylinder diesel mills that balances emissions, fuel economy and performance. The top-of-the-line 2.1-liter oilburner is producing 204 hp and 368 lb.-ft. of torque, or around 20-percent more than its predecessor, while returning better mileage and reducing emissions by over 10-percent. When fitted in the new C-class (250CDI) it's able to make the run to 60 in 7.7 seconds while getting 46 mpg.

The other upcoming C-class models will include the 220 CDI and 200 CDI, producing 170 hp and 136 hp respectively. The boost in performance and fuel efficiency comes from the use of new twin-stage turbochargers, more efficient exhaust recirculation, intercoolers, injection systems and a revised common-rail setup.

All the details are available in Mercedes' press release posted below the fold.

Matt Davis, the European Editor over at Winding Road, was able to get the low down on BMW's strategy to offer diesels here in the Land of the Brave.

During an event to give U.S. journos a taste of Bimmer's 335d Touring, equipped with a 3-liter bi-turbo diesel, the folks at Winding Road opined the fact that North American consumers would never be able to enjoy a BMW diesel stateside. That may all change when BMW announces their plans for diesels in the U.S., in addition to debuting the hydrogen-powered 7-series and new X5, at the L.A. Auto Show later this month. The soon-to-be-released oil burner in question is the 535d, which currently meets all manner of state and federal acronymed organizations, however, when 2009 rolls along and California enacts a 30-percent reduction in emissions, BMW will have to bust hump to make their diesels as clean as can be.

This move is due in no small part to their cross-town rival, Mercedes-Benz, beginning to offer the Bluetec line of diesels on U.S. soil and Audi's plans on introducing a new TDI engine at the Detroit Auto Show (sorry, NAIAS). However, just like MB, BMW will have to offer some form of urea injection, beyond what it currently employs.

[Source: Winding Road]

The design of the horizontally-opposed engine has a myriad of benefits. One of the most common is its compact design, which allows the center of gravity to be lower in the host vehicle. Additionally, since the boxer's pistons cancel out much of the vibration, the rotational balance is second to none. Both of these advantages will lend themselves to the advent of the first boxer diesel, which will find a home within a variety of Subaru models in Europe and possible even here in the States.

Hiroyuki Ikeda, Subaru Europe's President, announced at the Paris Motor Show that the development of the H4 turbo-diesel boxer is almost complete. The design, pictured above, reveals two interesting tidbits: first, the turbo, which is traditionally housed towards the passenger side firewall on most Subarus, will be moved south of the crankshaft to retain the boxer's low center of gravity. Second, the new DOHC diesel will be outfitted with a timing chain, currently only seen on Subaru's H6 engines, and will be the first H4 so equipped.

If one of Subie's diesels does make it to this continent, expect it to reside under the hood of the new Forester.

[Source: GizMag via Straightline]

Cummins Inc. has inked a deal with an unnamed automaker to supply high-performance light-duty diesel engines to be used in various truck and SUV applications. These engines will be a new foray into the mass market for the diesel engine manufacturer, which is best known for powering big rigs across the U.S.

Cummins says the project resulted from a 9-year partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop high-performance, fuel-efficient, clean diesel engines that provide an average fuel savings of 30 percent over comparable gas engines. Cummins has not yet picked a site to construct a manufacturing facility for the engines, but does have a short list.

While the automaker in question prefers to remain anonymous for competitive reasons, our sources tell us that it's likely DaimlerChrysler. DCX would make sense considering Cummins already supplies Dodge Ram heavy-duty pickups with its 5.9-liter HO turbo diesel. Our sources also say that the engines, which will use a V layout and not be inline, will go into the Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango.

Thanks to John and Mike for the tip!

[Source: Cummins]