We admire initiative. So we're pleased to see that Audi has finally gotten around to introducing — or at least announcing the introduction of — diesel engines to its American model range. The company has offered European consumers a range of highly accomplished diesels for years, and this new "TDI Initiative" will at last get the U.S. in on the act. Sure, we won't see the torque-monster 4.2-liter V-8 TDI (560 lb-ft) found in the Euro-spec Q7 and A8 models, and don't hold your breath for the recently unveiled, and truly astonishing 6.0-liter V-12 TDI (pictured at left), with 500 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. But "as early as next year," Audi plans to offer to Americans its 3.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection diesel V-6 (240 hp and 406 lb-ft) in the Q7 sport-utility and, later, in the A4. It's a far cry, power-wise, from the 5.0-liter V-10 TDI that landed briefly on Volkswagen lots a few years back, under the hoods of the Touareg SUV and short-lived Phaeton sedan. (That very sweet engine was quietly dismissed after less than a year for reasons related to emissions-regulations compliance.) But the 3.0 TDI should prove exceptionally easy to live with, returning pretty stellar fuel economy, even in the bulky Q7, and spewing remarkably few unwanted particles from its tailpipe.
We think the arrival of ultra-low-sulphur diesel fuel to America is a big deal that's gone largely unnoticed by consumers — quite simply due to the paucity of diesel-powered vehicles, particularly cars. Having recently spent some quality time recently behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec, we will enthusiastically offer that diesel power, if fully exploited, has a big future in this country. We won't be the first to report it, but state-of-the-art diesels such as the Audi and Mercedes engines are quiet and clean, and just as torque-rich as their old-fashioned, blue-smoke-puffing ancestors.
Read Audi's full release after the break.
Photos courtesy of Audi.
The European-market Audi Q7 4.2 TDI
AUDI LAUNCHES TDI INITIATIVE IN THE USA
INGOLSTADT, Germany - Audi is launching its TDI initiative on the North American market. As early as next year, Audi will be putting the cleanest diesel engine in the world into production in the USA virtually in parallel to its launch in Europe: the 3.0 TDI with ultra-low emission system will initially be available for the Audi Q7, and later for the new Audi A4 too. Audi has been expanding steadily in the USA for many years now, and sees the market as holding high potential for its cutting-edge TDI engines. The low-sulphur fuel required for the engines’ operation was introduced throughout the country a year ago, paving the way for the initiative to begin.
The TDI engine is the most successful efficiency technology in existence; Audi first introduced it into series production 18 years ago and has been progressively extending its lead over rival technologies ever since. “The TDI units burn up to 35 percent less fuel than the average of petrol engines typically used in the USA. This means that the TDI can assume an important role in the rapid reduction of CO2 emissions,” comments Ralph Weyler, Board Member for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. At the “German TecDay”, an information event organized jointly by Volkswagen, Bosch and the Association of the German Automotive Industry in San Francisco, California, Weyler emphasized: “No other drive system can beat the TDI’s combination of high power and low fuel consumption.”
According to calculations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States could save 1.4 million barrels of crude oil every day if just one third of all passenger cars and light-duty commercial vehicles were equipped with up-to-date diesel engines.
Leading market research firms such as J. D. Power predict that diesel engines will have a 12 to 15 percent share of the US market in 2015, which represents a substantial jump compared to the current share of sales of around four percent.
The new Audi 3.0 TDI with ultra-low emission system develops an output of 240 hp and 406 lb.-ft. of torque, making it both powerful and efficient. New technologies optimize the combustion process in the V6: the common-rail injection system builds up 29,400 psi of pressure, while sensors monitor the combustion chambers. One crucial innovation is the ultra-low emission system in the exhaust tract, which largely eliminates nitrogen oxides by means of a carbonic acid diamide solution. With this system on board, the 3.0 TDI fulfils the toughest emission standard in the world – the LEV II Bin 5 classification, which is operative in the US states of California, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont. The high-tech diesel from Audi also already complies with the emissions limits that are due to come into force in Europe from 2014.
Audi is tackling the issue of efficiency with all its resources – with new technologies, new engines and new drive concepts. A host of other forward-looking solutions are available besides the cleanest diesel engine in the world. These include the groundbreaking, ultra-efficient FSI engines with petrol direct injection, as well as technology modules for Intelligent Energy Management (IEM), such as a start/stop system and a micro-hybrid. In view of the fact that the fuels themselves have a key role to play in the reduction of CO2 emissions, Audi is also focusing its attention on the second generation of biofuels which use the entire plant rather than just its fruits.
Whatever new development it is working on, the brand with the four rings stays true to one clearly defined precept: Audi seeks to heighten the efficiency of all its new models, whilst at the same time further enhancing their sporty profile and the driving pleasure they offer.
