VW Reveals 2008 Jetta Bluetec Diesel

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Volkswagen of America unveiled the next step in the company's U.S. diesel strategy at the Washington, D.C. auto show, showing a Jetta TDI that employs an all-new 2.0-liter, common-rail diesel engine that will meet emissions requirements in all 50 states when it rolls out next year.

While the Jetta carries the Bluetec badge, referring to VW and Audi's alliance with DaimlerChrysler on diesel emissions technology, the car will not require the AdBlue liquid urea additive to comply with federal standards.

That is because the engine is smaller than the 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine that the company will install in the Touareg SUV in 2008, which will employ AdBlue, according to Norbert Krause, director of VOA's engineering and environmental office.

Instead, Bluetec refers only to the vehicle's ability to meet federal Tier II bin 5 emissions standards. That means the car will not only be available in states that are governed by national standards, but also in the five states that follow California emissions rules. The four Northeastern states and California that have separate, tighter requirements, account for 40 percent of VW's U.S. sales, Krause said.

The new engine abandons VW's old mechanical fuel injection system in favor of a common-rail system using piezoelectric fuel injectors. This technology permits higher injection pressures, which better atomize the fuel and makes it easier to control pollution, he said.

Diesel engines struggle particularly with oxides of nitrogen (NOx) pollution, and the Tier II bin 5 standard permits only 0.05 grams per mile. Volkswagen will use a NOx trap and two oxidation catalysts to scrub the Jetta TDI's breath.

The new engine is smoother, quieter, more powerful and more efficient than the old Jetta TDI, which won many friends, but it won't cost more. Fuel economy should be better, in the 45 mpg range, while the engine produces 140 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque, according to Krause.

Jetta TDI production will commence in January of 2008, with U.S. availability scheduled for May of '08, at a starting price of about $23,000 and a typically equipped car listing for $25,000, which is in line with the outgoing model, according to spokesman Keith Price.

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