PassCar-Diesels Go West – Roadmap to Clean Diesel Applications Complying with Future Requirements

After its success in Western Europe, there is a rising interest in Diesel-powered Passenger Cars in other regions of the world. Besides well-established Diesel markets like India, consumers in mainly Gasoline dominated markets like Japan or the U.S. have no longer prejudices against an outdated generation of Diesel engines. Triggered by numerous attractive applications, they begin to appreciate the classical advantages of Clean Diesels, such as high low-end torque meaning convincing towing capacity or outstanding fuel economy translating into attractive cruising range.
To serve these changing needs specifically in the U.S. market, a couple of domestic carmakers and several OEM from overseas have been preparing to enter the segment of PassCar- and Light-Duty Clean Diesels. First examples like GM's Chevrolet Cruze or the Chrysler's Grand Cherokee Diesel are already in dealer's showrooms of course accompanied by next generation applications of a whole bunch of Clean Diesel models from German OEM.
When entering into a new market with Diesel-powered vehicles, the question pops up if the future requirements in these markets could be met concerning both emission requirements as well as Green-House-Gas (GHG) or Fuel Economy requirements. This article will show a roadmap to comply with future requirements such as CARB's LEV III, EPA's CO2/ GHG or NHTSA's CAFE. As some of these requirements are really long-term or not even finally fixed, the article will not define a final solution, but reveal different approaches how these future requirements could be met.