Audi’s U.S. Diesel Strategy: An Interview with Wayne Killen By Jonathan Spira Read the full story »
On the bright side, it is better than doing nothing. I wonder if the fines have finally caught up with them in these times of tight profit margins. Considering they already have diesel engines it is just a matter of making a new out from LEGO-esque type blocks.
Or maybe European emissions rules have eventually caught up with US regs and as such it's easier for Audi to sell the cars there. Perhaps it's cheaper than trying to develop hybrid technology?
I don't know how much cheaper they can get the diesel emissions equipment. CR TDI owners are getting sticker shock when they see how much the component replacement costs are. One guy was quoted over $4400 just to replace the particulate filter on his VW.
That's a significant part of it. Euro 6 matches the USA on the emissions numbers, except NOx where it just closed the gap (significantly, mind you). But, US targets will be a bit harder to meet because the EPA tests are tougher. But also of importance is that Euro 6 matches Japanese standards. Altogether, diesel manufacturers can now develop for Euro 6, easily sell in Japan and now have less difficulty meeting US standards, particularly because NOx standards can relatively easily be met using SCR, which uses a cheap* urea solution. I'm sure that fuel efficiency pressures mean there's a lot of investment in trying to meet the tougher emissions standards without hurting mileage and that should lead to cleaner, more efficient combustion. On top of it, with fuel prices and diesel consideration both rising the potential for growth in the USA is too much too pass up. The fundamental problem with trying to sell hybrids is that it's a winner-takes-all efficiency-and-reliability market. It's hard to join the competition late. * Just don't buy it from a Mercedes-Benz dealer.
