We celebrate spring break driving the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans. Will they build it? Can the South Beach mob stop looking at itself long enough to care?
BMW gave show goers a glimpse of its future diesel range for the U.S. when it unveiled the X5 xDrive35d and 335d at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, but didn’t pin down a date for American launch.
That error is being rectified by a new rumor floating around the internets recently, which makes the claim that the Bimmer diesels will be headed our way sometime around mid-October of this year. BMW officials will only cop to a fall launch of the derv-burners, though they wouldn’t go so far as to deny the rumors either.
Whether it’s earlier or later than the October rumor, we think that the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six diesel, good for a solid 425 pound-feet of torque, will be well worth the wait.
+ Autoblog: Rumormill: BMW diesels on sale in the U.S. mid-October
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Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra announced that it would be offering a diesel-electric hybrid version of its Scorpio SUV for Indian and Asian markets in 2009.
The powertrain was developed in conjunction with engine specialist FEV and is comprised of a 2.2-liter four-cylinder mated to an electric motor and a six-speed automatic transmission. The combined forces of the diesel and electric motors will make 154 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque. A nickel metal hydride battery pack will be used for energy storage. No economy figures for the new hybrid have been announced as yet.
Mahindra & Mahindra distributor Global Vehicles USA claim that the engine will be available in the Scorpio and Appalachian pickup when those vehicles go on sale in North America in 2010. Until then, check out the standard Scorpio in our gallery below.
+ Edmunds Inside Line: Mahindra Unveils Scorpio Diesel Hybrid
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While most of the spy photographs we publish are pictures of entire automobiles, this leaked photo happens to show one very important new engine…all on its own.
Set up for display at a recent dealer show in Las Vegas, the picture above shows Ford’s all-new 4.4-liter V-8 diesel engine, which is slated to be available in 2010 as part of the Super Duty pickup range. An attendant placard tells us that the power output will be around 340 horsepower with 430 pound-feet of torque. Ford tells us that those numbers represent substantial gains over a 5.4-liter gas engine, including a nine percent boost in power, fifteen percent in torque, and twenty percent in fuel economy.
In addition to the F-150 lineup the new diesel should make its way into the Expedition, Navigator, and new E-Series vans.
+ PickupTruck.com: Unofficial Pictures: Ford’s Upcoming 4.4-Liter V8 Diesel
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A new report from German publication Auto Motor und Sport says that Mercedes-Benz will be expanding its diesel lineup in the U.S., by adding tubodiesel engine options to its M-Class, GL-Class, and R-Class offerings.
All three vehicles will run a Mercedes 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel, capable of 210 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, in an effort to burnish the image of M-B diesels among American consumers. New exhaust filtering technology will allow the oil-burners to pass emissions standards in California, as well as Euro 6 regulations.
Even the very heaviest of the new models, the massive GL320 CDI SUV (pictured above), is said to return a respectable economy figure of nearly 25 mpg.
(Check out a gallery of the 2009 R-Class below.)
+ Motor Authority: Mercedes-Benz prepping three new diesels for U.S.
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The Audi Q7 is a sharp, powerful vehicle, and we recently had the chance to test a European iteration of the quad-rung crossover. Drivers in the States currently have their choice of two direct-injection engines: a 3.6-liter V-6 that produces 280 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, or a 4.2-liter V-8 making 350 and 325. While both of these engines have ample power, they do not come close to the turbo-diesel V-8-equipped Q7 coming to the U.S. in 2009, which pumps out 320 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque.
The torque rush in this machine comes on strong at 1800 rpm and lasts well into the upper rev range. This allows the 5401-pound crossover to move from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in 6.3 seconds. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system eliminates the torque steer that comes with turbo vehicles, especially since most of the power is sent to the rear wheels in dry conditions. This allows for a clean boost of acceleration that was greatly appreciated in runs from 40 to 80 mph. Many Michigan highway entrance ramps require that you push the pedal to the metal in order to get up to a proper merging speed, but this was not a problem in the diesel Q7. At one point, a person riding shotgun exclaimed a very hearty “Wow!” when he saw how easily the Audi shot up to highway speeds.
(Click through the jump to read the rest of this review and click the images below to open a gallery.)
A company “insider” has reportedly said that Subaru is looking at building a diesel-powered version of its WRX sports car for sale in the UK.
So far the company’s new boxer diesel has only been offered to Legacy buyers, but a diesel Impreza is due out before the end of the year. It would seem a natural progression then, to offer a more powerful sporting diesel to flesh out the Impreza range. Speculation is that such a car would have a power output in the 200 horsepower range, with considerably more torque, and could be sold wearing a WRX badge.
(Click through the jump to read on or on the thumbnails below to check out our 2008 Subaru WRX gallery.)
Daimler’s Smart car, the ForTwo, currently being delivered to early adopters in the U.S., is touted as an environmentally friendly and efficient way to get about town. With the 70 horsepower three cylinder hauling over a ton (driver and maybe a bit of cargo included) performance reminds me of the classic VW commercial which went “0-60, yes!” The bigger disappointment is the claim of not much above 40 mpg in normal use, with the distinct probability that winding the 1.0-liter DOHC power plant in search of highway speeds will drop that expectation to a mid 30s reality. Neither Honda or Toyota are quaking at the introduction of the ForTwo.
However, quietly puttering away in Hesperia, California, Hayes Diversified Technologies has been delivering a machine that not only can run at 55 miles an hour all day but does it at close to 100 mpg. Granted, the luggage capacity leaves something to be desired on the diesel powered Kawasaki KLR based motorcycle, but for those with a helmet and a burning desire to minimize their carbon footprint HDT’s MD670F “Bulldog” makes a compelling argument. Based upon their successful military machines used by the ground forces in Iraq, the Bulldog will be a civilized version able to run on just about any form of diesel. A recycle deal with your local purveyor of french frys and you could be spending less on your transportation fuel bill than you do on bottled water. Unfortunately the military organizations about the world have also come to appreciate the capabilities of HDT’s 30 horsepower, 369 pound enduros so production of the street version has been delayed until at least 2009. Battle tested, incredible mileage, a top speed of more than 90 mph, and potentially the smell of french frys from the exhaust, now that’s environmentally friendly.
Here’s an ad for the new Volkswagen Polo. The song is the Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man”.
+ YouTube: VW Polo Singing Dog ad
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Audi didn’t settle for just shipping the R8 TDI concept back from the North American International Auto Show, instead it built a shiny new R8 TDI to honor the success of the R10 sports car at the Le Mans races. We’re digging the red paint and wishing for production confirmation for this blazing oil-burner. The vital stats are the same for this car as they were for the R8 TDI concept in Detroit, but that doesn’t mean we’re sick of dreaming about this incredible Audi. Take a look at the gallery for each concept below, and then let us know which you prefer in comments. There’s also a full press release after the jump.
While we may not see the Audi Q7 V12 TDI Quattro that flexed its muscle in Detroit, Europe will. Audi has announced the production of the Q7 V12 TDI and will be showing off the powerful production-ready SUV at Geneva this week.
The twelve cylinder monster boasts 500 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. The six-liter engine can achieve the 0-62 mph sprint in 5.5 seconds with an electronically-capped top speed of 155 mph.
The large diesel engine gets an average fuel-economy of 19.77 mpg – not a great number, but modest with strength of the engine.
No word on the pricing yet from Audi. Check back for more details this week during our coverage of the Geneva Motor Show.
(Press release after the jump)
Porsche has said it will introduce a diesel-powered vehicle into the European market in 2009, according to Automotive News Europe.
It’s reported that Porsche will, likely, take the diesel engine directly from Volkswagen and drop it into its Cayenne SUV. However, a Porsche spokesman said the option is still under discussion internally and a final decision has not been made.
Porsche will also introduce a hybrid model of the Cayenne in 2010. The spokesman said that depending on technology advancements, other models may see lithium-ion battery-powered hybrids in the future. As of now, li-ion battery packs are too big to fit into a Porsche sports car.
+ Automotive News Europe: Report: Porsche to have diesel in 2009
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Nissan Confirms Upcoming G37 Convertible, 'Mini SUV' 
Ford Readies 2009 Focus Coupe for American Idol Reveal
Ford Planning to Revive F-100?
Ferrari California Revealed!
Lamborghini Picks L.A. for U.S. Headquarters
