The Diesel Driver has published an article detailing new, updated, and unchanged diesel-powered cars for the coming model year (2012). 2012 Diesel Car Lineup in the U.S. – What’s New By Paul Riegler Article continues here.
Another uninformed dolt with a "pen" and a publisher. Did he mention those pesky turbos that burn up or the expensive emissions equipment on the new diesels? It's all the same. Modern cars are expensive to repair.
If the cars were really THAT good, and the "journalist" THAT good, they would be able to write an article and push a vehicle solely based upon the attributes of it alone. Anytime I read an article that is pushing one vehicle and bashes others to try to further their agenda, I immediately put down an extra 5 strikes against the car (in this case).
Shortage in hybrid production due to Tsunami wouldn't have anything to do with it? More about emission: Non-Methane Organic Gases Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen Oxide Highway Nitrogen Oxide Overall
If you include indirect ("upstream") emissions (per Argonne National Laboratory's GREET model), i.e., "well-to-wheels" emissions, the Jetta TDI actually has lower criteria pollutant emissions across-the-board than the SULEV (actually PZEV) gasoline version of the Jetta...
Can you share the report? Surprising refining and transporting diesel would emit less emission than gasoline?
Those are my own calculations based on the GREET model which is available for download at Argonne GREET Model . I explain the methodology and calculations at Gas vs. Diesel Well-to-Wheels Emissions . These result more or less correlate to the results from a presentation made by the principle developer of the GREET model (http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Environment/EnvironmentalHealthRT/WangGREETPresentationtoInstituteofMedicine1107REVISED.ashx - slides 21-26).
There is more diesel in crude. At least with the heavier, poorer quality stuff we are now mostly using. After distilling out the naturally occurring gasoline, the refinery then has to break up the chemical bonds in some of the remaining heavier fractions to meet gasoline demands. This takes more energy than just distilling alone.
I should hasten to add that the Gen III Prius would have well-to-wheels emissions even lower than the Jettas, due mostly to the low fuel consumption rate (well-to-pump emissions are a function of fuel mileage). However, the Bin or LEV catergory a vehicle hits doesn't necessarily tell the whole emissions story. Well-to-wheels emissions are a better way of evaluating the actual emissions produced directly and indirectly by a specific vehicle, and are another reason to encourage fuel-efficient automotive technology!
The process in increasing octane number in gasoline is needed to produce hydrogen for removing sulphur in the diesel. So, both fuels go side-by-side in a well-to-tank analysis.
