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9-5 Product Overview 9
9-5
Diesel in the US?
Many of the revisions under the skin to the
MY2002 9-5 are as a result of the introduction of
the diesel engine for the European markets.
Several of these changes are improvements that
carry over into gasoline vehicles and are a
benefit to the U.S. specification vehicles as well.
Diesel engines naturally produce soot or
Particulate Matter (PM). PMs are limited as it
pertains to emissions with the California Low
Emissions Vehicle (LEV) standards being the
most rigid with a PM tolerance of 0.0 gm. Even
with several upgrades, today’s diesel technology
engines are not currently allowed to be sold in
California. Starting in MY 2004, the following
states will adopt the California LEV standards:
New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine.
More than 30% of our sales are represented
from these four states and California.
Although Diesel technology is much cleaner
than it used to be, the U.S. car buying public
does not view diesel as “Premium.” There
currently is no direct competitor of ours that is
offering a diesel engine in the U.S. Mercedes-
Benz offered a diesel on the 300 Sedan/Wagon,
but with the introduction of the new E-class, they
opted to stop production in 1999. As a result of
this and many other factors, the U.S. will opt to
remain with gasoline engines only.
Diesel technology is readily accepted and
utilized in other world markets, because of fuel
prices and different emission testing standards.