Release of Volkswagen's highly anticipated, 50-state, four-cylinder clean diesel engine is being pushed back. Again. Brandweek reports that the German automaker's now saying their new oil burner will arrive stateside next summer. You know what's awesome about that? Nothing. Keep in mind that VW doesn't offer a single naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine to its American customers, eroding VW's once-famous econo-cred. VW's turbocharged 2.0T engine, spectacular as it may be, delivers modest mileage in exchange for premium fuel. Many automotive customers associate "diesel" with "VW" (Volkswagen sold more than 815k diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. since 1977) and  "reliable" (another facet to VW's brand image that disappeared down the reality rathole). In short, VW needs a 50-state clear diesel to recover their premier position in the minds of the holy trinity of America's European (Mexican?) car buyers: efficiency nerds, torque snobs and Euro-lusters. Even with diesel costing 15 percent more than regular petrol, we reckon the TDI would have been a hit. Now, we wait.

Speaking to Automotive News [sub], GM CEO Rick Wagoner promised his employer will plow the money saved by its new contract with the United Auto Workers (UAW) into "green products."  Specifically, in the next four to ten years, GM will build  more [some?] low-emitting diesels, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles running on lithium ion batteries. "If we have a significantly profitable and cash-generating enterprise, that really opens up the opportunity to be more aggressive and take more risks." Never one to miss an opportunity not to ask GM's jeffe the hard questions surrounding the details of a major announcement, Automotive News doesn't reveal GM's strategy in the event that GM isn't "significantly profitable" and the company's cash conflagration continues. (By GM's own admission, they won't realize any major savings from the new contract for another four years.) Right. That's it. I'm going to the Detroit Auto Show to find this guy. Who's with me? 

American pistonheads, tree-huggers and pistonhead tree-huggers have been clamoring for Euro-diesels long before California passed regulations making them legally untenable. WardsAuto reports that The Boffins of Bavaria will add a urea-injection system to their 3.0-liter variable twin-turbo diesel and bring that bad boy stateside. In the Eurozone, Bimmer's six cylinder oil burner cranks-out 286 hp and stumps-up 427 lb-ft. of torque– which, it must be said, is one Hell of a lot of torque. (Satch Carlson, editor of Roundel, the official magazine of the BMW Car Club of America: "It feels and sounds something like a big-block Chevy when you put your foot down.") The not-smelly, non-clattering 3.0-liter inline six currently serves duty in BMW's European 335d, 535d and 635d models. There's no word on which US models will be blessed with the oil burner, or what they'll cost stateside. 

The Detroit News reports that Chrysler is setting-up a mean, green "skunk works" team. Their mission: accelerate the automaker's [previously non-existent] efforts to produce brand spanking new hybrid vehicles. Chrysler's spokesman confirmed our suspicions that the ADD-speak name of the new unit– ENVI– reflects an ongoing lack of focus at the Crisis Corportation. "It's always been our position that we have our fingers on everything," Nick Cappa revealed, continuity-wise. "It's important to have a lot of resources in all the technologies, especially something as hot as hybrids." Just so. Chrysler will also continue its push for diesel powerplants, and roll-out two-mode hybrid versions of the decidedly Dodgy Chrysler Aspen and its Durango donor. So how soon will ENVI's cardinal sins hit the market? Cappa will only say that product development will be "fast." No joke; the clock is ticking. 

Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Saturn brand manager Jill Lajdziak's threw down the gauntlet to Toyota (again), promising a "2009-ish" debut for a plug-in hybrid Vue. The new Vue's drivetrain will differ from the "mild hybrid" Vue currently on offer; it'll be based on the two-mode hybrid system debuting on the Tahoe. And guess what? She's [smack] talking lithium-ion batteries! The plug-in Vue will be limited to a 10-mile range in purely electric mode. In other news, Lajdziak hinted that Saturn may also offer some of the diesel engines found in the Rethink American brand's Opel doppelgängers. Referencing the engineering connection between the two brands, Lajdziak said "it's a natural for us to consider diesel." OK Toyota, time to talk about your Isuzu oil burners.

Drive dutifully reports the results of a MINI-commissioned survey of 2,018 UK motorists on the subject of diesel cleanliness. Market-research agency YouGov (who me, Gov?) discovered that “diesel-powered cars are thought to be way behind hybrid models for cleanliness.” Those of you equipped with a functional PR BS-detector will immediately note the “thought to be” proviso and the vague “way behind” qualifier. You’ll also fail to be surprised when MINI’s UK brand manager Andy Hearn follows-up this startling factoid by revealing that his employer’s new, oil-burning model generates CO2 numbers that are “identical” to the Toyota Prius’. This despite the fact that “just three per cent believe a diesel vehicle could be considered a low source of carbon emissions.” On the subject of relative levels of particulate matter emanating from diesel and hybrid engined tailpipes, the survey and its PR lackey the Cambridge Evening News showed no interest whatsoever.

Audi's Q7 arrived at America's SUV party just as the clean-up crew were packing up and heading for home. Despite the timing, questionable looks and hideous fuel efficiency (12/17), it's a hit. Year-to-date, Audi's moved 14,458 Q7s, outselling every other American Audi save the A4. Automotive News [AN, sub] reports that Audi's looking to capitalize on this success by fitting that Billy the Big Mouth Bass snout with a 3.6-liter, 280-hp engine mated to an electric engine. The Volkswagen Group's box fresh gas – electric parallel hybrid will up the Q7's mpg count to a claimed 23 mpg (highway? combine? AN doesn't say). If that doesn't float your boat– the Q7 is a heavy old girl– Ingolstadt will also offer a 50-state compliant 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel Q7 producing "about" 230 hp and 400 ft.-lbs. of torque. AN couldn't get an mpg number for the oil burner, but repeats Audi's claim of a 600-mile range. NOW will you take it off road?

There may be trouble ahead for Australian car makers who don’t offer diesel-powered large cars. According to GoAuto, a Roy Morgan Research survey indicates that some 38.2 percent of current large car owners say they’ll “seriously consider” a diesel model for their next car. If all 38.2 percent of these large car owners purchase oil burners, GoAuto figures “Ford, Holden, Toyota and Mitsubishi could stand to lose more than 100,000 sales combined a year.” GM’s Holden division begs to differ. After pointing out how a diesel-powered car typically commands a price premium in excess of $1K, mouthpiece John Lindsay goes for the financial jugular. “They are interesting statistics, but I think there is a follow-up question that needs to be asked – how much are they prepared to pay for it?” With unleaded gas in Melbourne averaging AU$1.27 per liter, some Australians might consider Lindsay’s comments to be a bit shonky.

Hot on the heels of the launch of their new 67-horse 1.4-litre diesel Mazda 2 (something about that doesn't sound right), the triple-Zoom meisters have announced their intention to go green. Mazda says they'll spend a good part of the next two years fitting their cars with hybrid engines and stop/start technology (presumably nothing to do with the key or brakes). As What Car? points out, Mazda has already shown its commitment to the environment by building and leasing the Japan-only RX-8 Hydrogen RE, which runs on either high-pressure hydrogen or gas. Does this mean the brand will stray from maximum-bang-for-the-buck? The same What Car? article reveals Mazda engineers' fanatical efforts to reduce the Mazda 2's weight to increase efficiency and (we hope) performance. So there is hope.

The Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD) is a German environmental organization that advises corporations, lobbies governments and generally represents for Mother Earth. And just for fun, each year the VCD names the Eurozone’s most “environmentally-compatible” car. For the second year in a row, the 68K member pressure group has bestowed that honor upon the European Honda Civic Hybrid. The Toyota Prius scooped second. The Temple of VTEC (we are not worthy) reports that The Civic and Prius were the only compact cars to make the VCD’s Top 10; the remaining eight were mini and super-minis. The diminutive VW Polo BlueMotion was the only diesel-powered motor to make the grade. Oh, and if you haven’t tried Google’s translation service, we highly recommend you click on the first link above for further insight into VCD's goals (e.g. “We approach the vision of a lasting and futurable mobility only with the help of many particulars.“).   

Who said you can't have your cake and drive it too? Wired Magazine continues the top ten transport trend (thanks Forbes) with its list of "The 10 Fastest Green Cars on the Planet." They range from the ridiculous (muscle-powered FM-4 HumanCar) to the ridiculous (1200hp, ethanol-powered SVS Power Dodge Viper). The list also includes Audi's LeMans-winning diesel R-10 TDI, Ford's record-setting fuel-cell Focus and (of course) the "Where is it Now?" Tesla Roadster. Unfortunately, very few of the cars on Wired list are street-legal or in production. Even fewer qualify as anything remotely resembling practical transportation. Still, gearheads and greenies together forever? As Rodney King famously enquired, "Why can't we all just get along?"

You wait all decade for GM to produce a high-tech, high mileage, low emissions vehicle and then the company shows up in Germany with three. Just-auto [sub] says The General will place the following models on display at the Frankfurt Auto Show: 1. a Corsa equipped with a stop – start diesel electric engine with a lithium-ion battery-powered alternator starter 2. a 'Flexpower' Vectra with a two-liter turbocharged engine that can run on a bioethanol/gasoline mix and 3. a Corsa with a superclean 1.3-liter CDTI ecoFLEX engine. The latter is no concept vehicle; the world's smallest common rail diesel (75hp) will go on sale in Europe next year. Its debut will be shared with a natural gas-powered Corsa and Zafira– vehicles that can run on both compressed natural gas and the standard liquid energy source. Gentlemen, place your eco-bets.

The trend toward class-action law suits against auto companies isn't just an American phenomenon. The Straits Times reports that major Japanese automakers and the Tokyo city government have settled a lawsuit filed by asthma patients 11 years ago over the city's air pollution. More than 520 Tokyo residents claimed that diesel fumes caused their asthma (before authorities imposed strict standards in 2003). The settlement specifies $29m to set up a five-year health plan and a one-time $10.9m payment to the plaintiffs (and their lawyers). Plaintiff Hiroko Ozawa was not satisfied with the pay-out. "The benefits will only be given to asthma patients, not to those suffering chronic bronchitis and other lung problems."

As of June 30th, UK motorists have been brewing-up 2500 liters (660 U.S. gallons) of homemade biofuels without paying a penny in tax to the British exchequer. According to NewCarNet, anyone living in the island nation with a penchant for home chemistry can now cook-up their own biodiesel for one tenth of the cost of commercially available diesel. Setting aside the price of waste vegetable oil (i.e. none), the costs breaks down as follows: methanol (7.6p), Sodium Hydroxide (.52p), energy (0.12p) and purification 1p. Not including labor, that’s 9.24p ($.18) a liter. U.S. biofans will no doubt be discussing the implications at the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Orlando this February.  

Back in May, investment bank UBS and auto engineering firm Ricardo released a report entitled “Is Diesel set to boom in the US?” The document concluded that hybrid technology is America’s preferred propulsion, partly due to the vehicles’ “visible badge of green awareness amongst higher income purchasers.” BUT the authors predicted that diesel sales will outpace hybrids by 300K units by 2012 (1.5m diesels vs. 1.2m hybrids). Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal revealed that Porsche will forgo diesel power and produce a hybrid-engined Cayenne. Max Warburton, a UBS analyst in London, was offended: “They say diesel isn’t consistent with their brand, but a hybrid is? I can’t see that. If they don’t do diesel, it’s going to limit the growth of their company.” And that’s a bad thing?