The Diesel is official now.
http://www.autonews.com/article/201...-ev-plug-in-hybrid-under-fuel-efficiency-push
TOKYO -- After four years of delays, Mazda Motor Corp. says it will make good on its plan to bring diesel vehicles to the United States, announcing today it will introduce the technology in the new-generation CX-5 crossover next year.
As part of a diversification drive, Mazda also will introduce an electric vehicle in 2019 and a plug-in hybrid vehicle in 2021 or later, to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy rules.
CEO Masamichi Kogai said his company, one of Japan's smallest carmakers, has cracked the equation of balancing driving performance with clean emissions that had held up a U.S. diesel launch ever since Mazda said in 2010 it would bring its Skyactiv-D engines stateside in 2012.
A revamped 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D clean diesel engine, tweaked to meet more stringent U.S. regulations for nitrogen oxide emissions, will be offered in the second-generation CX-5 in the second half of 2017, Kogai said. The next CX-5 debuted today at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The EPA must still give an official fuel economy rating for the CX-5 diesel. But Kogai said it would be among the most fuel efficient rides in the small crossover segment, including hybrids.
No compromises
The fix came through adding a urea selective catalytic reduction, or SCR, treatment to scrub the exhaust of nitrogen oxides, Kogai said. Mazda was able to develop a compact SCR unit that not only reduced its cost but also reduced its impact on engine performance, he said. Further gains in performance came through various tweaks to reduce friction throughout the drivetrain.
Mazda spent five years measuring customer feedback to develop the upgrades to the North American diesel engine so that it would be sporty and clean, Kogai said.
Mazda is well aware of the uphill battle in convincing U.S. consumers of the charms of diesel now, after Volkswagen AG's rigged diesel emissions scandal tainted the technology's image.
Clean diesels account for only around 2.5 percent of the U.S. market, Kogai reckons.