By Auto123.com
The Globe and Mail reported recently, in an article concerning the national fuel standard to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, that BMW Canada will start introducing diesel vehicles in Canada as early as next year.
Lindsay Duffield, president of BMW Canada Inc., said that Canada needs cleaner diesel fuel and confirmed that BMW is seriously considering bringing in the diesel version of its Mini already sold in Europe.
The Mini Cooper D will be capable of returning 60 mpg or under 4 liters per 100 km. The D runs on a diesel-sipping 16-valve, 1.6-litre 4-cylinder. Output is rated at 110 hp and 177 lb/ft of torque. The only available transmission is a 6-speed manual. The 100 km/h mark is reached in 9.9 seconds.
The Mini pulls off these numbers by incorporating regenerative braking, a driver-defeatable stop/start system on manual transmission-equipped cars and by adding a shift light that tells the driver what gear to select to ensure maximum efficiency.
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Reader response
“...and isn't it ironic that Smart (Smartcar), one of the most fuel efficient vehicles on the road today is under marketing pressure from the U.S. to phase out its diesel products in Canada. Phasing out its 80 mpg diesels, it will only sell its 60 mpg gas-buggys in the US.
Here in British Columbia, the diesel "Smarts" have been selling like hotcakes, yet the marketing rocket scientists in Europe have elected to remove them from the marketplace ... go figure.
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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