Volkswagen Launches Dieselution Tour to Raise Awareness for Diesel Technology
Volkswagen kicked off its Dieselution Tour today at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The tour is four months long and is intended to change consumer perceptions about diesel power.
Volkswagen sold more than 815,000 diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. since 1977. Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen of America, identified VW as being the accessible diesel brand, in other words, most diesel engines are found in luxury cars or heavy duty trucks, not cars that appeal to average families. Volkswagen hopes to change this with the 2008 Jetta’s available 2.0-liter clean-diesel engine.
(Follow the jump to learn more about the 2.0-liter clean diesel engine and read Volkwagen’s press release about the Dieselution Tour.)
The 2.0-liter engine replaces the 1.9-liter I-4 that was last used in 2006 models. With an estimated 140 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque, the 2.0-liter should deliver increased performance with fewer emissions. Variable turbine geometry allows for the increased power and still returns more than forty miles per gallon around town and between fifty and sixty mpg on the highway.
In addition to the better fuel economy of a diesel engine, CO2 emissions are approximately 40 percent lower than they would be with a comparable gasoline engine.
Meeting Tier 2 Bin 5 is not easy with a diesel engine, and the exhaust system uses a NOx trap along with a particulate filter to satisfy the emissions requirements. Unlike the Bluetec system, there is no urea injection. Owners never need to fill a urea tank to keep emissions within legal limits.
The 2.0-liter TDI engine will be available in the Jetta sedan, with an expected 30 percent take rate and the Jetta Sportwagen, where the take rate could climb as high as 50 percent. If there is enough demand for diesel engines, Volkswagen could even start producing diesel engines in the U.S.
VOLKSWAGEN SENDS DIESELUTION TOUR ACROSS AMERICA TO PROMOTE ADVANCES, BENEFITS OF CLEAN DIESEL TECHNOLOGY
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Volkswagen of America, Inc. is launching the Dieselution Tour, a mobile marketing exhibit, to educate the media and the public on advances in clean diesel technology and alternative fuels.
Using interactive displays and exhibits, the Dieselution Tour will highlight current environmental issues and showcase advances in diesel engine technology, design and performance. Starting today, the exhibit embarks on a four-month tour, making stops at events and locations around the United States, including environmental and alternative fuel festivals, auto shows and the 2008 Super Bowl.
“Volkswagen of America considers the Dieselution Tour an important informational resource for everyone concerned about the environment and improved fuel economy standards,
Comments
Michael
They don't need a tour: there are no leftover diesels on their lots. They do need to improve the quality of their cars, especially Mexican build.
chuck goolsbee
The demand for Diesels oustrips the current supply. Just try and buy a TDI... they are gone before they are delivered! They should build more before they start promoting them.
--chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
(BTW: been driving VW Diesels since 1981. My current one is an 02 Jetta TDI.)
Paul In Jersey
I'm just not sure about the name of this tour...it looks to close to Die Solution! on the side of the truck.
Very disturbing!
Ducati Minor
Read David E. Davis's column about diesels.
It's enlightening.
Tom A.
When/where is it going to be in SoCal (or anywhere, for that matter)? How can they leave out a list of specific dates and destinations? Did anyone in VWOA's PR department ever take a class on PR?!?
Donald
You know what would be a really great idea to promote VW diesels in America..?
Having diesels to sell in their showrooms.
They have the ability to put a clean diesel in every model they sell in the US, yet we only have access to a diesel Toureg at the moment.
Jetta may be 6 to 12 months from now, but as for the jetta wagon, passat, passat wagon, eos, golf, Tiguan, beetle, who knows when those will appear.
Don't pull a GM and advertise cars that are 2 to 3 years away. Save driving a big, thirsty 18-wheeler around the country, promoting fuel efficiency, and just get the damned cars over here.
Ducati Minor
I agree.
I support more diesels on the road, and I feel the diesel engine is superior (operationally, at least) to the petrol motor. But I do not believe, at all, that diesel is the solution to ending our demand for imported oil and, certainly, not for saving Mother Earth.
Even when VW launches its diesel line in Calfornia, the best rating it can get is an LEV (low-emissions vehicle), which is at the bottom of the CARB ratings.
JIM
Michael's comment "They don’t need a tour: there are no leftover diesels on their lots. They do need to improve the quality of their cars, especially Mexican build" shows that he's a MORON and a cry baby with no real knowledge of the Puebla Plant at all.
Has he ever see the factory? Is he a racist? He's an "arm-chair quarterback" who thinks he can do better? YOU ARE A LOSER!
I'm sure you think it's just a "bad decision" that prevents YOU from buying a TDI? Meaning: VW didn't bring you the diesel car because they just didn't bring one!? Did you ever consider the supply issue could be the U.S. government's fault!?!?! Maybe it's too difficult/expensive to get emmissions certified with our crappy diesel fuel.
I could go on forever...but Michael would just say that he wants a POLO TDI and VW is stupid for not bringing it here....that's such a safe comment for Michael. He knows the car won't arrive...so he doesn't have to ever show his money.
Mexican build vehicles? Do you know anyone who works there and how much pride goes into the car? YOU ARE A MORON.....GO CRASH YOUR CAR, please! I Hope it's NOT a VW that you should crash, because then you'll survive...and I'd hate to see you survive!
JIM
fantasyfreddy
They should really be promoting the use of Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) in "converted" diesel engines.. That would help the world much more right now, by allowing people to avoid petroleum diesel completely. And of course, SVO is much better for the environment than diesel. As for bio-diesel, it is still very rare, and currently costs more than diesel, whereas SVO is cheaper.
The name is unfortunate, especially from a German firm whose first car, the Bug, was penned by Hitler!!
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Karkus
"more than forty miles per gallon around town and between fifty and sixty mpg on the highway." LOL !
They must have forgotten that US gallons are 20% smaller than the British ones that WV is more used to. If you look at very similar Jettas sold in Europe, you'd see that those numbers are almost impossible, especially considering the new EPA MPG tests. Combined MPG (US gallons) in the 30s is a lot more realistic. Even some people at TDIclub admit that 30s is about what they expect for the EPA ratings. (Yes, you can easily beat EPA numbers with careful driving, but that's true for any car).
VW advertising 40s and 50s now is just going to make people disappointed next year.
However, I still think this car will be a great option for many people looking for good fuel ecomony, and hope that VW will actually make enough to supply demand (and not have further delays).
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Hassan DeClue
chuck goolsbee states:
Indeed, but this would break with a long tradition of VWoA SNAFU product launches. I was a certified VW, Audi, Porsche sales manager in southern California for a good many years before retiring to the south of France. In my decades of suffering through VW product introductions, not once was there ever new inventory on hand when the marketing boys were turned loose on the public. The intro of the Fox was a classic "how not to".
Customers arrived at the ordained launch date, checkbooks in hand, to find empty showrooms. Salesperson follow-ups with these leads inevitably discovered that the customer's needs could not wait any longer than a month or so and that they had bought Toyotas or Hondas. Blam! VWoA blows off another toe. "Das iss der vay vee do it in Amerika."
On the VW brighter side, upon arriving in France, I began shopping for a car. I decided that I would initially purchase pre-owned until I fully grasped my transportation needs here, and the best type of vehicle suited for the driving style of the local roads.
I found a 2000 model Passat break/wagon with the 190 hp TDI and manual gearbox, 114 km on the clock and in excellent condition mechanically and cosmetically. I had never owned a diesel before, but with fuel costs as they are here it is almost mandatory.
Karkus states:
Au contraire, mon ami. Fuel is sold here by the liter. It is quite simple to figure accurate equivalent US mileage by using 3.87 liters per US gallon and converting kilometers to miles. My TDI Passat always averages between 45 -50 mpg, but then I am on twisty low speed rural roads for 95% of my driving. When I take it out on the autoroute for a long trip, the economy actually drops to about 40 mpg, but then I cruise at around 150 - 160+ kph on the excellent multi-lane toll roads.
Depending on how the US diesels wind up being speced for the US market to make the EPA happy, even a worst case scenario should have US consumers averaging 40 mpg around town with a manual transmission equipped TDI. Staying within the posted US highway speed limits could very conceivably deliver 50 - 60 mpg highway. These are incredibly efficient engines.
Hassan DeClue
Correction: The millage on my car, when purchased, was 114,000 km.
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