Mazda Still Planning to Bring Diesel Engines to North America
Mazda isn’t letting Volkswagen’s massive Dieselgate scandal hamper its plans to bring diesel engines to North America.
The Japanese automaker has been working on bringing its diesel engines to the U.S. for the majority of this decade, but has been delayed numerous times, leading many to believe it would never happen. But in an interview with Automotive News, Mazda CEO Masamichi Kogai said that the company still plans on bringing diesel engines to the U.S. and even has an internal timeline to do so. Unfortunately, the CEO wouldn’t disclose when the U.S. can expect to see it. He did say that he wants diesel engines to be introduced in the U.S. while he is still CEO.
Adding to that, the general manager of Mazda’s vehicle development division, Hiroyuki Matsumoto, is confident that Mazda engineers will find the right balance of diesel driving performance and clean emissions that it has struggled to reach for the U.S. market.
SEE ALSO: Mazda Remains Committed to Diesels for US
Prior to Volkswagen’s admittance that it cheated on U.S. diesel emissions tests, some automakers were baffled on how the German automaker managed to meet the stringent U.S. emissions standards. Now that the company’s defeat device is out in the open, it’s less of a surprise that other automakers haven’t been able to solve the dilemma of bringing diesel engines to the U.S.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Mazda isn’t giving up, despite all the stigma surrounding diesel engines in the U.S.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Oh really, Mazda in Australia has been selling Mazda Diesels for 50 years in trucks and passenger cars, including latest Skyactiv Diesels. The VW scandal has had a huge impact on Diesel sales in Australia, so much so MA are dropping the diesel in 2017 Mazda 3, you in USA (North America) will not see Mazda Diesels for a very long time, if ever, thanks to VW. Ask GM how well Diesels are not selling.