For the second time Mazda has decided to delay the U.S. launch of its new Skyactiv diesel engine.
For the second time Mazda has decided to delay the U.S. launch of its new Skyactiv diesel engine. The 2.2L diesel engine was supposed to arrive in the Mazda6 sedan by the end of last year, but now it is being delayed until further notice due to emissions related issues.
Mazda says that the diesel engine will eventually arrive here. The issue is that the engine can pass U.S. emissions standards, but the automaker needs more time to make sure that the performance of the engine meets Mazda’s standards. When Mazda decided to introduce a diesel engine in the U.S. it decided to engineer the engine so that it would not need the expensive exhaust after-treatment systems that other automakers to reduce the nitrous oxide output of their diesel engines.
“There are challenges with meeting the emissions standards without after-treatment systems,” Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes said. “We believed our Skyactiv technology can meet it — and it can — but the challenge is engineering a car that delivers the kind of performance that a Mazda needs to have and we’re unable to do that given where we are right now.”
Mazda is now looking at other options, including re-working the Skyactiv diesel engine to include either a nitrous oxide-reduction catalyst or a urea after-treatment system to cut the nitrous oxide emissions.
Source: Mazda via Automotive News
