Shrawan Raja of Indian Auto Blog Updates Honda's Diesel Situation

-Thanks for the tip Shrawan!

Sources have told IndianAutosBlog.com that Honda is working on a 1.2-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine that produces between 70-80bhp for application on its two mini cars Brio and Jazz.

The 1.2L engine is said to be the smallest member of the ‘EarthDreams’ brand and is likely to be ready next year. Honda could have specifically developed this engine for the Indian market which is predominantly a diesel car country. Due to its low displacement, fuel economy is expected to reach close to 25kmpl in the ARAI tests.

Honda’s future programs include the successor to the Honda Jazz, shown back in late 2007, and a minimum of one additional variant on the Brio platform. The Brio platform could be used to construct a sedan featuring different body panels and design. The smaller engine, at least on paper, is perfectly matched to these compact cars. The two projects could be in the different stages of their development now and reach the market in the next two-three years.

Honda has not commented on the development of the smaller diesel engine. Honda officials have told some media channels in the recent past that a diesel engine is under development but they are yet to identify the cars on which it shall be used.

Source;
http://indianautosblog.com/2012/03/honda-1-2l-diesel-engine-brio-jazz-2013

No Accord & CR-V diesels for the Indian market says, Honda’s Jnaneswar Sen

For quite some time now, Honda has been selling diesel engined variants of the Honda Accord sedan and the CR-V crossover in the European market. The engine in question is a 2.2 liter, four cylinder turbo diesel unit, which in different states of tune, has been powering the Accord and the CR-V. In India though, Honda has been steadfastly avoiding the option of offering the Accord and the CR-V with the diesel engine stating that this engine is not suitable for the Indian market due to the quality of diesel available in India not matching European standards, to which this engine is said to be designed.

Here’s what Honda SIEL Cars India’s senior vice president for sales and marketing, Jnaneswar Sen has had to say about why Honda will not launch a diesel engined Accord or CR-V,
While it is technically possible to downgrade both these engines, the low volumes of the Accord and CR-V (in India) do not justify it. Also the engines for the European market have been developed taking into account the low sulphur content in the diesel there, unlike in India.
That said, the prescribed standard for ultra low sulphur diesel for most of the European Union confirming to Euro V emission norms is 10 ppm(parts per million), the ultra low sulphur available in India from 2010 confirms to 15 ppm, which is very close to the EU figure. All in all, this news would come as a dampener to many prospective Accord and CR-V buyers, who for long have been hoping for diesel engined variants of these cars. One factor however, could work in favor of the Accord and CR-V in the future.

Honda is said to be developing a more powerful version of the 1.6 liter i-DTEC turbo diesel engine with EarthDreams technology, that was recently showcased at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The more powerful version of this engine, pumping out 160 Bhp and 349 Nm is said to be aimed at replacing the current 2.2 Liter diesel engine. If that happens, Honda’s bad Indian diesel talk might not be a valid reason anymore in case the 1.6 Liter i-DTEC engine powers the 2012 Honda Civic in India as well.

For now though, Honda’s current focus seems to be on small capacity diesel engines that could power the likes of the Brio and the Jazz in the Indian market, and more importantly these cars would bring in the much needed volumes for the car maker. However, it remains to be seen how well Honda manages to adapt the under-development diesel engines to work with Indian diesel, for that would make or break the brand, highly renowned for its engine technology globally, in the Indian car market.

Source;
http://www.indiancarsbikes.in/cars/honda-accord-cr-v-2012-diesel-india-57299/

No Honda City diesel sedan launch in 2012, confirms top Honda official: ICB Exclusive!

Ahead of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show that will happen very soon, there has been fresh speculation about Honda launching a diesel variant of its flagship City sedan in the Indian market, as early as this year. We got very interested in this seemingly big development and immediately got in touch with a top Honda official to confirm this story. Yet again, the Honda diesel bubble stands pricked as the Honda official clearly told us that Honda SIEL Cars India(HSCI) has no plans whatsoever of launching the diesel variant of the Honda City sedan in 2012. Therefore, the rumors of a City Diesel being launched in 2012 remain just that, mere rumors.

We also have gathered that Honda has no plans of launching any diesel engine car in India during 2012 from the HSCI official we got in touch with, consonant with the previous report we carried a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, it seems like the Civic Diesel too will take some time to arrive onto the Indian car market. Honda is the only mass market carmaker in India to not have even a single diesel engined variant in its portfolio and this hasn’t done the brand any good at the hustings, even as the Indian car market has shown a dramatic shift in preference towards diesel cars over the past few years. Honda though, does have plans of launching diesel engined cars in the future and a brand new line of diesel engines are being developed by Honda engineers.

In fact, Honda has deputed ex-Formula1 engineers on the job and the first diesel engine to emerge from this operation is the recently unveiled 1.6 Liter i-DTEC turbo diesel unit, which generates 120 Bhp of peak power and a superb peak torque output of 300 Nm. This engine will debut on the 2012 Honda Civic sedan. Honda is also said to be developing smaller, downsized variants of the 1.6 Liter i-DTEC engine which may power cars like the Jazz and Brio hatchbacks in the future. There is also some buzz about Honda unveiling another small capacity engine at the fast approaching 2012 Geneva Motor Show, which is said to be one of the most prestigious amongst auto shows. Watch this space.

Source;

http://www.indiancarsbikes.in/cars/honda-city-diesel-sedan-launch-2012-confirms-top-honda-official-icb-exclusive-56370/

Honda plans new range of direct injection petrol and smaller diesel engine

Honda plans new range of direct injection petrol and smaller diesel engine
Among the world best small petrol engine without turbo and direct fuel injection develop for use in Honda car around the world start from last decade is nearly at the end of it life.

As Honda announced at the Tokyo Motor Show that is develop a new generation of engines called Earth Dreams Technology that consist of petrol and diesel engine.Including a CVT that designed for compact cars, as well as another for mid-size (Jazz,City,CR-V,Civic and Accord) and even new dual-clutch 7-speed transmission (integrated into a new SH-AW) for premium end of the range of Accord and Acura.

The new petrol engine will be a DOHC engine with direct injection and VTEC arrangement with an Atkinson cycle lower load cam plus extensive friction reduction technologies.Honda say that they hope to be number one in fuel economy in each category within three years.

The range of 4 cylinder petrol start from 1500 cc 127 hp maximum torque of 15.3 kk.-m,1800 cc for the Civic to upgrade. the 148 horsepower and 2400 cc for the CR-V and Accord is the most powerful 181 hp with maximum torque of 24.4 kk.-m.While V-6 gasoline engine with capacity of 3500 cc, will be upgrade to 310 horsepower, which is more than a V-6 engine in the current version that is installed on the TL or Honda Legend around 30 horsepower.The 660 CC and 2000 CC petrol with not disclose power now is going to replace by new one.

The current 2.2 liter diesel engine that power in European’s Honda will be add with new1600 cc 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine, the maximum power of 118 hp at 4000 rpm and torque is 300 Nm at 2000 rpm, while Honda said the new engine is lighter than diesel engines that currently in the market. And exhaust emissions only 100 grams per kilometer.

The new change will happens in late 2012 in model by model.

Source;
http://autoten.com/2011/12/17/honda-plans-new-range-of-direct-injection-petrol-and-smaller-diesel-engine/

2013 Honda Civic getting a Diesel?!? (Not for N.A.)

This doesn't look like it will be for us in North America, although it would be nice to have a limited edition of this car here.
David Hodgetts, Managing Director of Honda UK spilled the beans on the compact diesel engine to a British publication Fleet News. The new Civic will hit the shores of Britain in January 2012 and within a year into its life, a new compact diesel engine option will be made available.

It is likely that this small diesel will be transplanted into the next generation Jazz which will bow in late 2013. However the currently running Jazz will not benefit from this development. Honda is developing a broad range of engines for Accord, Civic and Jazz, the report adds.

For overseas markets, Honda is mulling the 150bhp i-DTEC engine right from day one, but this engine might take the Civic’ price beyond acceptable levels in India.

Source;
http://indianautosblog.com/2011/03/honda-civic-diesel?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IndianAutosBlog+%28Indian+Autos+blog%29

Honda will focus on its engines, says its new president!

Although the Japanese carmaker Honda has a lot of green products under its belt due to its hybrid and alternative fuel programs, it was recently reported that their new president, Takanobu Ito, has made a statement saying that they will not totally abandon the internal combustion system.

In contrast to previous presidents who were all, without exception, engine men, the next president is a chassis engineer. So, although Honda is chasing fuel cell and hybrid technologies, Ito said that they cannot improve the hybrid system without working on engines. He believes that engines still have a long way to go. There is a ring of truth to what Ito has said, since there is still a lot of work to be done in improving the switch between gasoline and electric power.

Although this is more of a transmission and driveline issue, still the engine plays a vital part in all of these. The current hybrid system requires a sensitive balance between the gasoline engine and the electric power unit, batteries, power splitter and the remainder of the car. This is the reason why you cannot just purchase a hybrid system and install it in the car, the engine must still be refined.

Late in coming to Honda are diesel engines which are popular in Europe where the Japanese carmaker utilized Isuzu diesels for its Civic and Accord ranges. Honda has developed its own diesel powerplant and scheduled it for release this year, but the program was shelved due to insurmountable costs. For their larger models, like the Accord, CR-V and MDX, Honda initially intended to use clean-diesel powerplants. The diesel engine will act as a substitute for single-motor hybrid systems, although it is reported that Honda is also working on a two-motor system that can power both hybrid and large models.

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/honda-will-focus-on-its-engines-says-its-new-president/

Honda changes course and switches from diesel back to hybrid

A few years back after getting the hybrid ball rolling with the original Insight and then Civic, Honda added a hybrid version of the Accord. Like the Insight, it was not a strong seller and, after a few years, it was discontinued and Honda decided to switch its focus for larger vehicles to clean diesel. The plan was to keep hybrids in smaller cars and while using oil burners in larger cars, SUVs and vans. Honda had planned to start its U.S. diesel push with a 2.2-liter four in the TSX this year. However, after diesel prices spiked last year and the overall market collapsed in the fall, that program was canceled.

Honda CEO Takeo Fukui has now revealed that plans for larger diesel engines have also been canceled as a result of the cost of trying to meet new U.S. and Japanese emissions regulations. Honda had hoped that its in-house developed NOx catalytic convertor would allow it to avoid using urea injection. Instead, Fukui said the company will develop a hybrid system suitable for larger vehicles. No timetable has been revealed for introduction. Fukui also said that Honda would not drop the price of the Insight in response to Toyota's price cuts on the Prius in Japan.

Source;
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/04/03/honda-changes-course-and-switches-from-diesel-back-to-hybrid/

Honda Rethinks Diesel Idea for North America

Diesel-gas price gap makes Honda rethink diesels for U.S.

Honda Motor is reconsidering its decision to launch diesel-power vehicles next year in the U.S., where diesel fuel has become much more expensive than gasoline.

"Right now we are re-evaluating, due to trends in gasoline and diesel prices, and the price of raw materials we use in the exhaust clean-up system," according to Honda spokesman David Iida.

Honda's move appears to be solo. But Honda's considered a savvy player in the U.S. market, so others might be tempted to rethink U.S. diesels.

Honda has been promising a four-cylinder diesel next year in a sedan from its Acura luxury brand. After that, it said it would sell larger models, probably SUVs and vans, with V-6 diesels.

Diesel cars typically retail for at least $1,500 more than similar gasoline models, but they get 20% to 40% better mileage.

The average price of diesel fuel, though, is running 40% to 50% more than average gasoline prices, according to data from the Oil Price Information Service. That wipes out cost savings from the diesel's improved mileage.

Iida says Honda will decide "sooner rather than later" on going ahead with U.S. diesels, but wouldn't pin down a date.

Rival Nissan says it still plans to sell a V-6 diesel in the premium Maxima sedan in the U.S. in 2010. But spokesman Scott Vazin says the price premium for diesel fuel is worrisome. "It's why we're putting it on our flagship. We don't know where (fuel prices) will be when we launch, but we expect some pent-up demand. And our perception of the diesel buyer is someone who keeps the car longer," minimizing the drawback of its higher price.

Volkswagen, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are selling U.S. diesels. Audi plans a diesel SUV in April. The VW Jetta TDI diesel, about $23,000, is the lowest-priced diesel in the U.S.

Worldwide demand is greater for diesel than for gasoline, keeping the price up even as gasoline has tumbled to less than half its $4.11 peak in July, notes Fred Rozell, price expert at OPIS.

The gap between gasoline and diesel "is higher than it has ever been, and typically those relationships eventually fall back to the norm," Rozell says. "I think the economic slump globally will bring diesel down."

Source;
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2008-12-07-honda-diesel_N.htm

UK Honda Accord i DTEC receives automatic transmission

Honda, recognizing the potential for growth in the demand for more economical diesel engines, has made public its plans to open its first automatic transmission for a diesel motor early in 2009.

The latest gearbox is ready to be introduced in the newest Accord Euro, but unfortunately the automatic option for the diesel engine will not arrive in the Acura TSX saloon of North America anytime soon. Reports gathered of late asserted that plans to launch a diesel TSX gas been placed by Honda on indefinite hold. Instead, Honda is hoping to make the Accord Euro version more attractive to a fresh section of buyers overseas, specifically in the corporate market, by the inclusion of an automatic in its i-DTEC turbodiesel engine.

Honda, which began producing diesel engines only in 2004, says that the automatic gearbox has been developed within as the company didn’t want to “compromise the performance” of its engine by joining it with a non-Honda transmission.

The new five-speed unit utilizes the same straight gate arrangement and paddle shift system as observed on the Accord Euro petrol automatic earlier. CO2 discharges are rated at 170g/km in the saloon version and 173-174g/km for the Touring wagon contingent on the model grade. Fuel efficiency, in the meantime, is rated at 44.1mpg (combined) for the saloon and 42.8mpg (combined) for the Tourer.

Ceiling speed is 129 mph for the sedan and 126 mph for the wagon. Top output is rated at 134 hp (100kW) and 258lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque. The fresh automatic diesel will be available for sale in Europe early next year.

The Accord i-DTEC automatic will go on sale in January 2009 priced from £22,400 (Accord 2.2 i-DTEC ES saloon) and £23,700 (Accord 2.2 i-DTEC ES Tourer).

Now, let's hope that they can perfect this transmission so they can hit emission's standards here in North America and if the moon and the stars align....maybe,.....just maybe......

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/honda-accord-i-dtec-receives-automatic-transmission/

Another Honda Diesel Article; Honda Delays 60-mpg Diesel Acura TSX

The European diesel-powered Acura TSX gets more than 60 miles to the gallon in EU driving tests. But Honda is delaying production for the U.S. due to cost issues and technical obstacles.

Honda announced last week that it will delay the launch of its planned first diesel [1] for the United States. The diesel-powered Acura TSX will be pushed back to 2010 from 2009, and some reports claim the company’s U.S. diesel program may be canceled completely.

The main reason for the delay is cost. Honda claims the expense of creating a diesel engine to meet California’s emissions standards—allowing it to be sold in all 50 states—has increased to more than $5,000 above a comparable gasoline-powered version.

The Japanese newspaper, Nikkei, said Honda is seeking to develop new catalytic converter technology that uses less platinum in order to keep prices down.

“We have to proceed cautiously in this environment.”

Honda spokesperson

In addition to cost factors, Honda has been unable to produce the diesel model with an automatic transmission that would pass emissions standards. Honda was not ready to move forward with marketing only a manual model in the American market.

The engine in question is a new version of Honda’s 4-cylinder 2.2-liter, i-DTEC engine. In Europe, where it’s sold in the Honda Accord—a model known as the Acura TSX in the US—the engine provides 188 horsepower, and more than 250 foot-pounds of torque.

Honda’s change of direction will send its engineers back to the diesel drawing board. In the meantime, Honda is said to already be working on a V-6 diesel that could be used in larger vehicles such as the Pilot SUV, Odyssey minivan, and Ridgeline small pickup.

Reuters recently reported that Honda also based its decision to delay [2] on the high cost of diesel fuel. With diesel prices higher than gasoline and weakening overall vehicle demand, Honda officials argued it was not the right time to roll out a more expensive new model, even with spectacular fuel economy. The European model gets more than 60 miles to the gallon in EU driving tests.

Source;
http://www.hybridcars.com/print/25245

Ward's Auto Confirms: Honda Cancels Acura Diesel

By Christie Schweinsberg WardsAuto.com, Oct 30, 2008 10:29 AM

Honda Motor Co. Ltd.’s plan to bring a diesel-equipped Acura TSX to the U.S. next year is dead before arrival.

“The (diesel in the) Acura has been canceled,” a source familiar with the program tells Ward’s.

A report in the Japanese business daily Nikkei News today says Honda will delay launching a diesel engine in the U.S. until 2010 or later.

A rumor, published this week on the “Temple of VTEC,” a Honda enthusiasts’ website, claims the engine did not meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions standards when tested with an automatic transmission.

The diesel-powered TSX equipped with a manual gearbox reportedly passed muster, but Honda rejected the business case to make the vehicle available in the U.S. without an automatic.

American Honda Motor Co. Inc. declines comment.

Honda first announced plans to bring a diesel engine to the U.S. in May 2006. It later was revealed the engine would be the i-DTEC 4-cyl. turbodiesel, already available in the European Honda Accord that is sold in the U.S. as the Acura TSX.

While Fukui declined to reveal which model would receive the diesel, sources say it was intended to power the TSX midsize sedan.

Fukui was bullish on his company’s diesel plans, which were to include the Honda brand at the time, saying the business case suggested “an appropriate profit level,” despite the price premium applied to diesel fuel. He also forecast eventual annual U.S. sales of 150,000 units.

Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the non-profit diesel-advocacy group, Diesel Technology Forum, expresses surprise at the notion Honda did not foresee testing problems.

In terms of performance and emissions achievements, we’ve seen data presented at technical conferences that (Honda) could make this system work,” Schaeffer says. “People don’t make those kinds of announcements without expecting to meet emissions standards.”

For the rest of the article;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=797648

Rumours Galore! Acura TSX Diesel and TSX V6 Update

Now, this is not good news for diesel fans in North America if it's true and keep in mind that this is truely just a RUMOUR at this point. However to find something like this on Temple of Vtec (which is a very credible source), gives me some concern that this may be true. Now I don't know what this could mean to the prospective diesel Accord or CRV, but it wouldn't look good, although I do know that the Accord and CRV diesel are to be released a year or two later, so that may give Honda the time to get things right.
Earlier this year at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui announced that 2009 would see Honda's first clean diesel engine to be sold in the USA. Though it was stated that the diesel engine would appear in an undisclosed Acura model, it was all but common knowledge that the TSX would be the first model to get the diesel engine.

Fast forward nearly 10 months, and we've received an anonymous tip asserting that the i-DTEC TSX has been delayed indefinitely (if not cancelled outright). According to the anonymous sources, the 6MT version of the i-DTEC TSX has successfully cleared emissions certification, but the automatic-equipped version has been unable to pass certification. According to these sources, Acura believes that the demand for a TSX diesel would be greatly compromised if it were only offered with a 6-speed manual, so the decision was allegedly made to put the TSX diesel on indefinite hold.

That's the bad news. The good news is that a V-6 version is said to be coming soon - it's supposedly being "fast-tracked" to make up for the missing diesel. We're still seeking any details we can uncover on that powertrain.

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=796361