Audi USA To Launch A4 & Q7 With A 3.0 Turbo Diesel Engine In 2008

Here come the diesels -at last… Audi will launch its diesel-engine “enterprise” in the N. American market in early 2008 with the Q7 3.0 TDI while in mid 2008, U.S. buyers will also be able to opt for the new A4 3.0 TDI. Described by the German carmaker as the “cleanest diesel engine in the world”, the 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel engine fulfils the LEV II Bin 5 emission standard, which is operative in the US states of California, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont.

In terms of power, the V6 diesel unit develops an output of 240 Hp and a maximum torque figure of 405.7-lbs/ft), 90% of which is available from 1,500 to 3,250 rpm. According to Audi, the 3.0 TDI burns up to 35 percent less fuel than the average of petrol engines typically used in the USA.

According to calculations done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. could save 1.4 million barrels of crude oil every day if one third of all passenger cars and light-duty commercial vehicles were equipped with modern diesel units. And while that may sound “utopian” today when the diesel engine share in the American market is just around four percent, a recent study performed by J. D. Power predicts that diesel engines will have a 12 to 15 percent share of the US market in 2015. The sooner, the better we say.