Mazda’s long-promised diesel scheduled for mid-2017, but will the company follow-through this time?
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At the Los Angelas auto show today Akira Marumoto, Mazda's Executive Vice President and Representative Director, told the media that by mid-2017 Mazda would be supplying the CX-5 to “North America” with a 2.2-liter diesel engine. This comes after the Mazda brought the topic up again in Late July of this year. However, this is not the first time that Mazda has made a promise to bring a diesel to this market.
Almost exactly four years ago, Torque News reported that Mazda had “confirmed” this engine for the Mazda6 sedan in North America. Mazda’s new engine promised to be robust in operation and have very high efficiency. Even more intriguing, Mazda said the engine was so clean it would not need diesel fluid (Add Blue) and could operate with emissions controls that were much more affordable than other brands' offerings. We now know that there were almost no other affordable diesels that were truly meeting emissions, but rather they (VW) cheated.
- Related: Mazda reported to be working on diesel hybrids
Following Mazda’s confirmation of the diesel in 2012, it announced a diesel racing program which was to further prove the engine’s durability and help Mazda prepare it for market. Then it all fell apart. Mazda pulled the engine from consideration, and we reported on why diesels don’t work for countries like the U.S. with modern emissions standards and hybrid offerings that exceed diesel’s green credentials while offering superior driving characteristics.
The announcement by Mazda this week that the diesel is a go was coupled with all the same promises as 2012. The SKYACTIV-D 2.2 will be “…a smart new option for North American drivers who want both performance and fuel economy” according to Marumoto. Consider us once burned and twice shy.
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