What's Missing at the North American International Auto Show?

DETROIT, Jan. 7 -- Auto enthusiasts, the media and the general public attending this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit will have a hard time finding one of the most popular technologies in Europe that could save U.S. consumers hundreds of dollars at the pump each year and contribute to cleaner air -- advanced clean diesel engines, according to the Diesel Technology Forum. "The question everyone should be asking this year is where are the diesels?" said Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum. "With overall SUV and truck sales in the US now exceeding car sales for the first time ever last year(1) and the nation working on a plan to develop a national policy on energy, you've got to wonder why US consumers don't have a fuel-efficient choice of clean diesel engines in all vehicle types, especially SUVs."

The facts on clean diesels speak for themselves -- Clean diesel engines won three of the top five government rankings for fuel economy again this year (only hybrids scored higher). -- Advanced European diesel's efficiency beats US gas-electric hybrids by over 60 percent. -- In Europe, clean diesel engines are found in over 70 percent of all luxury automobiles, and power one-third of all new automobile purchases. -- Clean Diesel engines have 30-60 percent lower emissions of greenhouse gases over gasoline engines.

As was shown in the recent Diesel Technology Forum report, "Demand for Diesels: The European Experience", there are dramatic differences in clean diesel technology use and consumer acceptance of light-duty automotive applications between the two continents. "We can learn a great deal here in the US from the European experience with clean automotive diesels," according to Schaeffer. "What we've found is that the Europeans are able to reap the full environmental and energy benefits of today's clean diesel technology," said Schaeffer.

Last year's National Academy of Sciences Report that evaluated fuel economy standards said it most clearly:

"direct-injection diesel engines are among engine technologies with high- potential for improved fuel consumption ... and "the application of small, turbocharged direct injection diesel engines has seen tremendous expansion in passenger cars and light-duty trucks in Europe."(2)

Diesel's inherent performance advantages include more power at lower engine speeds; better fuel efficiency; greater safety; more durability; and more power from a given size engine. Light-duty clean diesel engines, such as those used in luxury automobiles and light-trucks, use 30-60% less fuel than similarly sized gasoline engines. The full report is available on the Diesel Technology Forum Web site at: http://www.dieselforum.org.

The Diesel Technology Forum brings together the diesel industry, the broad diesel user community, civic and public interest leaders, government regulators, academics, scientists, the petroleum industry, and public health researches, to encourage the exchange of information, ideas, scientific findings, and points-of-view to current and future uses of clean diesel technology.