Honda considering diesels for U.S. market; engineers confident of meeting standards
YUZO YAMAGUCHI | Automotive News
Posted Date: 8/30/04
TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. is studying whether to bring diesel engines to the United States.

Honda has no immediate plans, but its engineers are confident that they can reduce harmful emissions from the company's diesel engines to meet stringent U.S. standards.

"We've got to cut NOx (oxides of nitrogen) and PM (particulates matter), so that we can get ready to get in the U.S. market" if diesel demand rises, said Kenichi Nagahiro, the senior chief engineer in charge of diesel engines.

Honda Motor CEO Takeo Fukui supports the effort. "There would be room in America for a diesel vehicle to get in" he said at a company press event here last week. Honda already sells diesel-powered cars in Europe.

Honda is trying to cut NOx emissions to meet California standards - 0.07 grams per mile. The diesel-powered Honda Accord, which is sold in Europe, emits about 0.28 grams per mile, Nagahiro said. The Accord's diesel engine was designed and manufactured by Honda.

He said it's a "big challenge" to meet the California standards, but he expects Honda to do it "in the near future." Nagahiro declined to say when.

Some automakers are looking at offering diesels in the fall of 2006, when petroleum companies will start selling low-sulfur diesel fuel in the United States. Low-sulfur diesel fuel permits lower NOx emissions.

Under today's emission standards, diesels are common on full-sized pickups in the United States. Volkswagen offers diesels in the Golf, New Beetle, Jetta, Passat and Touareg. Mercedes is selling a diesel-powered E class, and Jeep will start selling a diesel-powered Liberty this fall.

Both California and the federal government have adopted significantly tougher tailpipe emission standards that are being phased in during the 2004-09 model years. They aim for sharp cuts in NOx and particulates, which are problems for diesels.

The federal standard, while similar to California's, provides flexibility, accommodating some diesels in states that don't use the California rules.

A diesel-powered car typically gets about 25 percent better mileage than an equivalent gasoline-powered car. Demand for diesels could rise significantly if gasoline prices, hovering around $2 a gallon, stay high, as many experts predict they will. Diesel fuel costs about 10 cents a gallon less than regular-grade gasoline.

But American consumers largely have shunned diesels because the vehicles have been smelly, noisy or dirty.

"That kind of image can be erased by a technology," Nagahiro said.

Mercedes-Benz plans to include a urea tank in each diesel E320 sold in the United States beginning in late 2006 or early 2007. Urea reduces NOx to elemental nitrogen and water vapor.

That should pose little discouragement for buyers, especially in Canada, where 40 per cent of Volkswagen sales are diesels, compared with 10 per cent in the U.S.