The recent spikes in the price of gasoline have forced car buyers to look for more fuel efficient vehicles which in turn affected car manufacturers. Automakers are now focusing on the development of smaller cars which are considered more fuel efficient than large vehicles such as sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.
Car manufacturers like the Toyota Motor Corporation, the Honda Motor Corporation and the Ford Motor Company have developed and produced fuel efficient vehicles using the hybrid technology. While hybrid vehicles boast of a good fuel economy, they are priced much higher than conventional gasoline engined vehicles.
While hybrid vehicles are popular in the United States, in the European car market, clean diesel engines are viewed as a better answer to the growing threat of global warming. German car companies such as Mercedes Benz and Audi have been developing and producing clean diesel engines. Following the steps of these European brands is a Japanese brand - Nissan. The car company’s chief executive officer recently announced that they will be offering a clean diesel engined car in the United States in the near future. This is an effort to address the growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles which are also environment friendly.
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced just recently that they will be releasing a diesel powered Maxima in the United States auto market by the year 2010. The announcement made auto industry experts to predict that Nissan will be offering vehicles which closely resemble those made by German car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.
Aside from the United States, Nissan will also release the diesel Maxima in other countries like Japan and China. Currently, diesel-powered Nissan vehicles with or without Nissan vent visors are made available by the Asian brand in the European car market.
In developing a clean diesel engine for future vehicles to be released in the global market, Nissan is expected to solicit the help of its partner, the French car manufacturer Renault. The development and subsequent release of clean diesel engines by Nissan is a step towards meeting stricter emission standards that will take effect in the near future. These technologically advanced diesel engines are also considered to be Nissan’s effort to protect the environment amidst growing concerns about the threat of global warming.
“Nissan is fully engaged in reducing emissions and improving fuel economy and efficiency. Launching a clean diesel engine in the U.S. will offer customers the benefits of fuel economy, CO2 reduction and a satisfying, fun-to-drive performance that is a hallmark of the Nissan brand,” says Nissan and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn. “You can expect to see more diesel engines in our product lineup in Europe, Japan, North America and China by fiscal year 2010,” added Ghosn.
In Europe, diesel engines are increasingly becoming popular. That is why Nissan is currently offering the said engine in that region. New technologies made these diesel engines perform better and produce less greenhouse gases. In the United States, diesel engines have received a bad reputation in the past decades which makes them not as popular as gas electric hybrid vehicles which seems to be the current trend in the industry.
Last year, Nissan revealed their “Green Program” which focuses on the reduction of greenhouse gas emission. This is one of the major steps being taken by the Asian brand to support the effort of the United States government and a large portion of its citizens to become energy independent.
