Super-clean Honda diesel for Geneva

Not for us in North America....(yet)....
Here's a tip: Among the sleek concepts and alternative-power greenmobiles on the Honda stand at the Geneva motor show in March there will be a small cutaway car engine on a plinth.
A very small engine.
But ignore it at your peril; this 1.6-litre turbodiesel is the first of what Honda says will be a series of ground-breaking new engines using what it calls, with typical Honda understatement, Earth Dreams Technology.
And we're not talking pie in the sky here; it will be on showroom floors in the recently-announced Civic hatch by late 2012 or early 2013.
Honda says it plans to be the world leader in fuel-efficiency within three years and, as ambitious as that sounds, it is putting its engines where its mouth is.
This 1596cc turbodiesel will replace the current 2.2-litre oil-burner, first in the Civic and later in other Hondas.

Not only that: thanks to a reduced compression ration and a beautifully cast, open-deck aluminium block, an improved cooling system, significantly lower internal friction and a very small, high-efficiency turbo, Honda claims that it will be the smallest, lightest and most efficient 1.6 diesel on the market.
How efficient? Try 88kW at 4000rpm and 300Nm at 2000, at a cost of less than 100g/km of CO2.
The other engines in the programme will be:
A 3.5-litre V6 with 228kW and 360Nm.
A 2.4-litre four with 133kW and 240Nm.
A 1.8-litre four producing 107kW and 180Nm and
A 1.5-litre four with a claimed 93kW and 150Nm, which will first be seen in the next-generation Jazz.

Source;

http://www.iol.co.za/motoring/cars/honda/super-clean-honda-diesel-for-geneva-1.1228278

Honda's new diesel engine unveiled (India not North America)

Considering the demand for diesel cars in India Honda's new 1.6 litre diesel engine is bound to come to our shores. Read on to know more

In 2003 Honda had developed a 2.2 litre i-CTDi four cylinder diesel engine for the Accord in Europe and America. The engine found its way under the hood of many other Honda models sold across various nations in the western world. Then in 2008 Honda introduced the i-DTEC version of the 2.2 litre diesel engine to meet Euro 5 emissions norms.

Now, Honda has revealed a downsized turbocharged version of the old 2.2 unit as a 1.6 litre common rail i-DTEC engine at the Tokyo Motor Show. Honda has used lots of aluminium in the engine and the new engine is bound to be very light. The four pot motor develops 120PS of power at 4000 rpm and 299Nm of torque at 2000 rpm. The engine is said to be fairly rev happy for a diesel like Mazda’s SKYACTIV 2.2 litre diesel engine and is also said to have good low end grunt.

Honda engineers say that they are working on a more powerful 160PS version of the 1.6 litre i-DTEC engine with 349Nm of torque that will replace the current 2.2 litre diesel unit in Europe.

As for India, the new 1.6 litre i-DTEC is bound to find its way under the hood of the Honda City which will help the mid-size Honda ramp up considerably in the sales department due to the demand for diesel cars in India. Also, a downsized version of the 1.6 litre i-DTEC engine should be on the cards for the Honda Jazz and Brio, which will help Honda gain a considerable chunk of the diesel hatchback market share in India.

Honda had confirmed their plans for a diesel power plant for India earlier this year when the Honda R&D Co (Automobile R&D Centre) Managing Officer, Chief Officer (Development Operations) Yasuhisa said, "We are aware of the petrol price increase in India but we consider that as a sign of growth in the Indian market... definitely we are currently developing diesel engine cars.” That comment has been cemented by the unveiling of the new 1.6 litre i-DTEC diesel engine.

Source;

http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/news/hondas-new-diesel-engine-unveiled/10822/1

Diesel to Have Its Day in U.S., Proponent Says

By Jim Mateja
WardsAuto.com, Oct 20, 2011 8:53 AM

CHICAGO – The formula for diesel vehicle growth in the U.S. comes down to a simple equation.

As the number of auto makers selling diesels increases, the number of motorists buying them will increase, too, insists Jeff Breneman, executive director of the U.S. Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars, which represents suppliers to diesel producers.

Breneman tells a meeting of the Midwest Automotive Media Assn. here this week that pending government legislation requiring auto makers to obtain 54.5 mpg (4.3 L/100 km) from their vehicle fleets by 2025 has helped stoke interest in oil-burners.

But, he adds, the fact European auto makers selling diesels in the U.S. have seen unexpected demand fueled by consumer concerns for great mileage and travel range between fill-ups has prompted other car manufacturers to offer diesels in the U.S. as well.

The list includes a Mazda6 diesel planned for 2012 and, more importantly, a diesel Chevrolet Cruze slated for 2013.

An offering from General Motors’ volume division gives the diesel credibility and endorses the engine as a viable alternative to hybrids or electrics, Breneman says.

“The fact that Chevy will offer a diesel Cruze in 2013 is huge,” he says. “The gas-powered Cruze will get 40 mpg (5.9 L/100 km), so the diesel is expected to get 50 mpg-plus (4.7 L/100 km), and that will make it a game-changer.

“Ford, Toyota or Honda haven’t got a diesel for the U.S. yet, but get ready for 2013-2014. That’s when we’re going to see a lot more diesels.”

Breneman says the key to growth is availability, and that will be favorably affected by more auto makers offering more diesel models here soon.

“When given a choice between a diesel- or gas-powered Jetta, 33% of motorists opt for the higher-mileage diesel. But when the supply of diesels is gone, it takes at least six to eight more weeks for the boat to arrive with a fresh supply,” he says, adding he hopes shortage issues will be solved with more players in the game.

The 54.5-mpg mileage standard is just one reason for future growth.

“Emission regulations are now about the same in Europe and the U.S., even California, so it makes it economically feasible for auto makers to develop one product for all those markets,” he says.

“And with the 54.5-mpg regulation coming in 2015, the auto makers have a 14-year window to invest the capital in diesels without U.S. regulations pulling the carpet out from under them.”

Another positive influence is infrastructure, with 80,000 U.S. service stations, or 52%, having a diesel pump.

By comparison, electrics require costly charging stations short distances from one another, and only about 1,000 are in place, Breneman says.

Fortunately, many consumers are too young to recall GM’s failed attempt at offering diesels in the 1980s, he adds.

“They don’t remember the GM experiment, but are old enough to recognize the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat (in diesel version) as great cars.”

Breneman insists diesels deserve a chance that the government has been reluctant to give them.

“We’ve had the flavor of the month from our government for decades,” he says. “Once it was going to be hydrogen fuel cells and a hydrogen highway, but that was proposed 11 years ago and where’s the first hydrogen-fuel-cell car? (ahem.... http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/ )

“There also was going to be ethanol cars and hybrid cars and electric cars. The government has always told us what technology it wanted, but what we are saying is. ‘Tell us you want 50 mpg fuel economy and let us decide the technology.’”

Source;
http://wardsauto.com/ar/diesel_have_day_111020/