FWIW, a gentleman from HONDA has also recently made some remarks regarding diesel and the assertion that Honda will be putting a heavy focus on development of a diesel for North America, with particular mention of a 6-cylinder.
Traverse City, Michigan 08/09/2006 --
Remarks by John Mendel, Senior Vice President, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.:
"...another key strategy that has earned quite a bit of attention is our plan to introduce what could be the world's first clean diesel engine. Honda's direct injection diesel engine technology now offered in Europe has received critical acclaim for its performance, smooth operation and efficiency... and is selling well in four different vehicles.
Based on this foundation, within three years, we will introduce a new 4-cylinder diesel engine that meets the world's toughest emissions standards. With hybrid technology focused more on small cars, we believe that diesel technology is the best fuel efficient technology for larger vehicles. So, R&D is also working on the development of V6 diesel engine technology. We do not have a timetable for introducing such an engine. But it is a key development goal.
I am very confident that our diesel technology will achieve our goal of creating new value in this market. Some have suggested this will be as important a breakthrough as the Civic CVCC was in being first to meet the U.S. Clean Air Act in the early 1970s. I don't know about that. But I can say that, like the CVCC engine, we will meet our goal without add-on technology like urea. What I have found very interesting is the positive reaction we have received from this announcement of our diesel plans. With the development of this new technology, many customers and analysts are enthusiastic about what they see as the return of Honda's challenging spirit. Hey... we never stopped challenging... it's just that some of our efforts are so far out there it is more difficult to appreciate..."
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