Looks like the Germans won't be the only automakers bringing more diesels to the States over the next few years. CEO Carlos Ghosn said Nissan will dip into their European offerings and bring a clean diesel vehicle to the United States by 2010. The vehicle he was referring to is the Maxima, which has gradually become a near-luxury platform-mate of the Altima, much like the Avalon is to the Camry. Maybe this helps move it even closer towards the BMW, Mercedes and Audi offerings. Ghosn mentioned the clean diesel Maxima while addressing the Council on Foreign Relations. To go along with their first-ever clean diesel in the States, Ghosn said Nissan will also introduce other clean diesel vehicles in Japan and China. Europe already gets Nissans with this clean diesel technology. So, with
Mitsubishi,
Honda and now Nissan announcing they are developing diesels for the North American market, we can officially say that diesels are the new
black hybrid. With low-sulfur diesel fuel now available and fuel prices continuing to stay at such high levels, diesels indeed seem to make a lot of sense for economy-minded individuals.
[Source: Nissan]
PRESS RELEASE:Nissan Commits to Clean Diesel Engine in Maxima in 2010 WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 18, 2007) -- Nissan today announced its plans to launch its first clean diesel engine in the United States for use in the Nissan Maxima in 2010. The passenger car will be powered by an all-new Alliance engine co-developed with its partner, Renault, and will clear stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier II Bin 5 emissions requirements. Further details about the car, including its launch date, will be announced later.
"Nissan is fully engaged in reducing emissions and improving fuel economy and efficiency. Launching a clean diesel engine in the U.S. will offer customers the benefits of fuel economy, CO2 reduction and a satisfying, fun-to-drive performance that is a hallmark of the Nissan brand," said Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. "You can expect to see more diesel engines in our product lineup in Europe, Japan, North America and China by fiscal year 2010."
Nissan already has clean diesel engines in Europe offering significant fuel efficiency and the ability to run on bio-diesel fuel blends. Together, this combination reduces CO2 emissions and dependence on pure petroleum-based fuels. During the first half of fiscal year 2007, Nissan will introduce the new Euro 4-compliant, two-liter-class diesel engine in Europe. By fiscal year 2010, Nissan will launch vehicles with clean diesel engines in Japan, the United States and China.
This initiative is part of Nissan's plan to reduce CO2 emissions for the future as outlined in Nissan Green Program 2010, the company's mid-term environmental strategy. Nissan will be investing in a variety of technologies including fuel cell cars, hybrid cars, biofuel-based cars, electric vehicles, improvement in gasoline engines and clean diesels. The company is committed to bringing the right technology to the right market at the right time with the right value to the customer.
In North America, Nissan operations include automotive styling, design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information about Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.infiniti.com.
