Diesel engines have become a “clean, fast and fun-to-drive” alternative
to gasoline in internal-combustion engines, said Kurt W. Liedtke,
chairman, president and CEO of Robert Bosch Corporation, whose parent
Robert Bosch GmbH manufactures key components and systems for diesel
engines.
Liedtke said Bosch’s new common-rail system cuts emissions by up
to 20 percent. Future after-treatment technology, combined with advanced
diesel particulate filters, should remove nearly 98 percent of the
particulate matter in emissions. Liedtke also said that “clean diesels”
achieve about 30 percent better fuel economy, which adds up to about 30
percent less fuel costs annually for the average driver. Diesels produce
greater torque, up to 50 percent more than gasoline engines. Lower fuel
consumption also means that diesels reduce emissions of carbon dioxide,
the greenhouse gas.
Due to the rising popularity of diesel engines, they now account
for 44 percent overall, plus nearly 70 percent of luxury brand sales in
Europe. Currently, diesels in the United States account for 3 percent of
total vehicle sales and 1 percent of new light-vehicle sales; however,
by 2015, Bosch estimates that diesel sales will rise to 25 percent.
Diesel power will be offered this summer on Chrysler’s Jeep
Liberty SUV. Chrysler may also offer a diesel in the Town & Country
in the U.S. market, if the diesel Liberty sells well here.
