Dr. Diesel Is On A Roll

It is not easy to get a diesel engine to meet all the latest emissions regulations. However, and no surprise here, Honda appears ready to bring a compression ignition engine to market that meets all the toughest standards. Mercedes and others manage the same compliance, but with an extra injection of fluid into the exhaust to help neutralize oxides of nitrogen. Honda's engine apparently requires no add-ons of this sort.

The Japanese company's engineers are steeped in a Formula One racing background, which is certainly a source of engineering breakthroughs. Some years ago, Honda quietly managed to create a low emissions engine with decent economy and power, at a time the other major manufacturers claimed this task was impossible.

Audi is set to join corporate cousin Volkswagen in bringing diesels back to its North American product line. The German manufacturer has been winning endurance races with its astonishing turbo diesel, so this could be another case of racing improving the breed.

It would be great to see some high-tech diesels in smaller pick-up trucks, as well as passenger cars. It would also be nice if these things came at a reasonable cost. VW always charges a premium for diesels, which means it may take years to break even, despite considerably improved fuel economy.

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