Um, just run peanut oil like Diesel engine was intended for.

Confirms my theory, as I said about a Toyota concept.
If it does not make them tons of money Toyota will not build it. The European companies WILL bring the diesels and will enjoy the American market.
To me it is obvious that diesel is better than hybrid. Sorry Toyota, you put too much money in the wrong direction.

Translation-
Screw the environment, they always blame GM.

Lanapat7 – LOL! The truth.

What they are saying, is that in order for Toyota to design a diesel that meets EPA standards, the cost of the engine could not be recouped in sales. The public majority will not pay the extra $$ for a diesel engine on top of paying 30 – 50 cents more per gallon. This is pretty evident in that the only manufacturers that offer diesels in the US are luxury automakers who have the ‘luxury’ of hiding the extra costs in an already inflated sticker price. And actually, the only one I can think of is Mercedes. Chevy, Ford, and Dodge can offer diesels because the EPA standards for trucks and SUVs are lighter than passenger vehicles.

i know honda vw audi have diesels coming. the problem is that they would need to create a whole new engine and its $$$ where vw has been developing one over the last 30 years.

The big difference will be in resale value. Diesels run forever and will enjoy a higher resale value than the liability that comes with hybrids (check used car reliability stats – electrical problems are near the top of the list, adding a 400 Volt system can only make it worse).

All vehicles experience a degradation in fuel economy as they age but a hybrid will have its fuel economy degrade faster than a diesel’s each year due to aging of the battery pack (even the best batteries lose UP TO 10% of their capacity each year).

So I’d pay more for a diesel up front knowing I’ll get back more in the long run.

I guess you guys haven’t noticed Europe has had diesels from honda, toyota, hyundai , daewoo for years. What you haven’t read on here is that Fuelcell Technologies cost will drop. Hybrids are the future and as much as I love a gasoline engine, its something youll have to accept in time.

If we don’t see a 2008 Rabbit diesel I’m going to be furious!

Jeep will have a full Diesel line up shortly. I’m not sure what the hold up is, as most of the US and Canada is now on ULSD.

Wikipedia says…

Ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) is a term used to describe a standard for defining diesel fuel with substantially lowered sulphur contents. As of October 15, 2006, most diesel fuel sold at retail locations in the United States and Canada is ULSD.

The move to lower sulphur content is expected to allow the application of newer emissions control technologies that should substantially lower emissions of noxious particulates from diesel engines, similar to changes that previously took place in the European Union. New emissions standards will apply in some states beginning in 2007.

I believe auto makers are waiting for emmission standards to be hashed out… By 2009 model year, I expect a whole new list of diesel powered passenger vehicles for sale across the US.

Dude – I remember an 80’s band named “Xymox” Think I even have a tape still floating around… You’ll see a new Diesel Rabbit. VW knows there is a demand. Hell, look what people are selling 20+ year old Diesel Rabbits for! $4500??? Insane, you couldn’t give them away in 1992.

Regulations suck.

pulls out hair……….

I want my torque monster.

Toyota is just being CHEAP! They want to keep thier BILLIONS of dollars!! They CAN AFFORD to create diesel engines! CHEAP ASSES!!

Does anyone really believe that Toyota would advocate any potentially cheaper and more efficient alternatives to an entire segment of the automotive market that they created? Please.

I cant wait until those batteries start to fail and we see mega repair bills on the mainstream news, then this hybrid craze will slow.

Let’s see… how to make a gas miser without expensive hybrid technology OR expensive clean diesel engines:

build an economy car with four doors up to the most basic crash standards.
Do not exceed 2600lbs.
Four-cylinder SOHC 1.0L engine maximum size with 70-90 horsepower and a 6,000 rpm rev limit, ccompletely tuned for maximum efficiency.
Front Wheel Drive.
Only options are a 6-speed manual or an automatic/CVT transmission.

I don’t see them offering this car either but they used to make them way back in the 70’s and 80’s.

People want their acceleration. I say save it for the sportscars and build more cheap, lightweight gas misers.

A car like that did exist once, Hyperion. It was called the Geo metro. Not remembered very fondly. People will pay to have their cake and eat it too.

Toyota has to be the smartest car company ever. All this article says is that they will continue to go the hybrid route for North America. They already have their foot in the door with diesels for Europe, so they’re not totally clueless. And if push comes to shove, they can always tap into their Isuzu partnership.

Of course Takimoto would say that – he’s just trying to spin as much out of their bogus hybrid technology as he can, before the consumers figure out that the long-term ownership proposition for Toyota hybrids is a fallacy (read: the NiMH battery technology is substandard and expensive to repair/replace). It’s a standard FUD marketing strategy which works on the ignorant – instill Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.

Diesels which meet EPA Tier 2 Bin 5 regulations can be sold in all 50 states and when compared with gasoline powered engines which produce similar power can be shown to produce far less CO2, the real medium-term problem which needs to be addressed, assuming you buy into the global warming issue.

I don’t see Takimoto’s statement as anti-diesel – in fact I believe that in certain market segments Toyota can either bring in diesel or not – their choice but their resistance to diesel will only hamper sales, especially in heavier vehicles such as the truck market.

Toyota spent big money on the new Tundra and it makes perfect sense to me to make that vehicle a slam dunk by offering diesel immediately because that’s where it’s impact would be most useful, a market differentiator and easiest to appease the US regulators. None of the domestics offer diesel in that market space at this time – not the GMC/Chevy Sierra/Silvarado 1500, the Ford F150 or the Dodge RAM 1500 – the direct competitors to the Tundra.

Had Toyota introduced the 2007 Tundra with a diesel option the choice would be singular for many truck buyers.

Toyota sells tons of diesels just South of here. HiLux is the truck-of-choice in Panama. Cleaned up, diesel is the best bet for the common man.

j i m

Toyota is admitting they can’t build a decent diesel. Look at a Duramax to see how its done. Good luck trying to build a diesel that’s even 10% as good as that one.

^^^
LOL

The Duramax is a result of a GM/Isuzu alliance. Toyota has invested in Isuzu to achieve a similar goal. So WTF are you talking about?

Isuzu is **** without GM. You give them way too much credit stig.

The irony is Toyota is still losing money on every hybrid it sells. So I don’t see how he can say hybrids have a better business model than diesels.

He’s just trying to put a positive spin on hybrids since that’s the basket Toyota has put all their eggs in. It’s funny how the companies who have invested the least in clean diesel technology (Toyota and Ford) are critizing it the most.

From a fuel economy standpoint, I think the best solution is a combination of both technologies: diesel hybrids. Diesels make excellent electrical generators, and it is easier to control their emissions if your keep them running at certain RPM and load ranges. A diesel Prius would wave no problem getting 80 MPG. Diesel Jettas get 55 MPG on the highway without any hybrid system.

“The Duramax is a result of a GM/Isuzu alliance. Toyota has invested in Isuzu to achieve a similar goal.
Comment by The Stig, posted on January10 at 11:20 am ”
Toyota has less than 5% ownership in Isuzu, and zero direct ownership in the Dmax joint venture. Toyota has absolutely no say in Dmax due to their small ownership in Isuzu, and their small ownership does not give them full access to Duramax technology. This is not why Toyota invested in Isuzu.

Actually, a lot of cars from 10-15 years ago hardly crossed the 2600lb mark and made do with small economy engines from 1.5-1.8L. The Geo Metro just happened to be the closest we ever got to Japanese “Kei” cars. It was terrible indeed.

Still, there were many others that were much better. People just find it too easy to buy a used midsize car over a brand new economy-box.

Exactly Zo6, Toyota is losing money hand over foot with their pathetic Hybrid hype and this clearly shows that they don’t want to even attempt to take on GM in the diesel market. They are dying, and fast and soon enough the American Revolution is going to be pissing on their graves.

Toyota sux, GM rules!

Toy Ota knows nothing about Diesels, so nobody really gives a damn about what they think. If, however, Daimler-Chrysler, BMW or Volkswagen have something negative to say, then it should be taken seriously. Nothing to see here folks, move along.

Toyota knows about diesel technology. They have a v8 land cruiser in Dubai and you can purchase them in the Phillipines. Did anyone know that the Isuzu Dmax truck is sold overseas and the duramax engines are built with a joint venture with GM in Ohio. Also Ford Ranger has a crew cab in a 3.0 diesel in South America. Hundai and Nissan also have diesel trucks or SUV’s but it is all about the lobbyists in this country. US trade agreements are terrible for importing these vehicles in some cases get over 40 mpg case in point isuzu dmax has a online claim of 1500km on 1 tank of diesel fuel, that is 932 mi on a 20 gal tank. Do the math. These car companies take bail outs but do not sell possible big sellers because it is not in their best interest.