Ford dropping diesel cars in US

Ford won't be selling any diesel passenger cars in its US lineup, but will maintain its diesel powered pickups. The F-150 gets a new 4.4L turbodiesel V8 from Land Rover.

Tougher emissions rules in the US and the low popularity of diesel powered passenger vehicles in North America means that Ford won’t be offering any diesel cars in the US. Its range of diesel pickup trucks will remain, but in an article from Automotive News, the company has stated that it will not launch a vehicle unless it makes money.

The F-150 pickup will be introduced with a 4.4L turbocharged V8 diesel engine co-developed with Land Rover towards the end of 2008, but there are no plans for a diesel powered car anytime soon from the Blue Oval. Instead, Ford will promote its new gasoline direct injection and turbocharging technology known as TwinForce.
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Minion3d - 1/8/2007 10:00:17 AM

+3 Boost

goes to show why the world thinks we (Americans) are idiots. 50 mpg and 250k mile life span, and we dont use 'em. genius

lewissalem - 1/8/2007 10:17:27 AM

+1 Boost

I hear that we will get the next generation of the Focus diesel. I thought the switch to low sulfur fuel was a remedy to the tougher emission standards? Has anybody else read anything about this?

gregsfc - 1/9/2007 8:45:15 PM

+1 Boost

ULSD does allow for technologies to be applied that can reduce PM and NOx up to 90%, which will put diesels on par with gassers with respect to diesels worst categories, and will make them, overall, cleaner than gas cars, but the fuel doesn't do this on its on.

Before ULSD, exhaust treatment systems could not be applied to clean them up, because the the high, sulfur-laden fuel would contaminate this equipment. Without this equipment, however, ULSD will reduce emissions only by about 10%. This ULSD fuel is not revolutionary, and has been the standard for years in Europe.

The problem now is costs. The equipment is of two varieties; PM reducing equipment, and NOx reducing equipment. PM reducing equipment is not the problem. Beggining in January, 2007 all on-road diesel vehicles will now be built with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) installed. This includes big rigs, pickups, and cars. The cost is hefty but manageable, and all new vehicles will immediately, be much cleaner with respect to PM.

NOx reducing equipment is a different animal. Technologies are just now being developed that can cut NOx the required, 70% in one year, and then an additional 20% after two more years, with five states demanding the entire 90% reduction in just one year.

I think that if one looks really deep into this situation, they will find that it is not automakers or technologies that are failing. It is the unrealistic, uncompromising, unnecessary overregulation of diesel automobiles that is the problem keeping them out of America.

Diesels peform better in many categories: i.e, THCs, CO, CO2, and VOCs, but our regulatory agencies demand that diesels immediately meet the standards that were established based on the capabilities of gas-powered cars, and do not give them credit in their favorable categories. In other words, our emission rules are biased in favor of gas-powered cars and were not designed to even consider the huge prospect for improving air quality and reducing petroleum consumption through clean diesel technologies.

Even without De-NOx equipment, diesels will pollute half of what the cleanest diesels polluted in 2006. Cut in half, in one year, and our EPA still says, 'no deal'.

gregsfc - 1/9/2007 8:54:59 PM

+1 Boost

It will be hard for low-end models to be marketed to the U.S. at a profit until NOx reducing equipment becomes less costly.

We will see Audi, BMW, Mercedes, VW, and--possibly--Volvo market diesels here heavily in 2008 for all fifty states. Without ULSD fuel, there would be none. 2009 will bring Honda, Mitsubishi and others, but expect a stiff premium. We're talking hybrid territory with respect to price premiums for low-end models.