Any word on a US 2.0 TDI?

[GrussGott]

I'd love to get one as I've seen them with 51MPG in a test. If they aren't bringing them here, Audi USA is really blowing it; they should be advertising it everywhere and it'd probably be their top seller.

[Schneideau]

Here in NA, the VW product range seems to be first up with a 2.0TDI delivery. Audi 2.0TDI products would come later, as the 3.0TDI is the brand diesel, presumably. The VWoA heads have announced recently a delay of the 2.0TDI arrival. The market expectations are being managed towards a 3rd - 4th quarter 2008 rollout. Positioned 2.0TDI vehicles are the Jetta sedan & wagon and or Golf range; As MY2009. The VWoA announcement attributed the 2.0TDI market delay to the emission system.

[MShields]

"It was beauty killed the beast." Closing line from King Kong (1934)

This story is put together from a variety of sources, but it all adds up. I may be mistaken, but I bet not:

First, Low Sulfur (LS) Diesel is 500 ppm while Ultra Low Sulfur ULS Diesel is (15ppm)

The TDI has no problems with emissions, per se, rather I suspect the delay is while the US fuel stations go to wider availability of ULS Diesel. The plans presented on paper two and three years ago are simply not reflected in the day-to-day realities at the present time. This was a realization only recently perceived and a quick, easy story is often better than the truth when it comes to marketing.

Audi and VW choose to bring in the TDI when California mandated ULS Diesel at all road pumps by 06/01/2006. The rest of the county is committed to 10/01/2010, with transition supposed to be 80% ULS Diesel at the refinery level by 6/01/2006. It is the fine print that has caused a problem. While stations may sell ULS Diesel, they are permitted to sell what is known as LS Diesel until 10/01/2010. That is the rub. The stations are in no hurry to change to higher cost ULS while their neighbor is able to pump the lower cost LS fuel into the US fleet of LS burning Diesel trucks.

So, while ULS Diesel is widely available there is a catch-22 in that it would be possible to purchase a ULS Diesel car in 2007 or early 2008 and be 25-50 miles from a fueling station that carries the ultra low sulfur fuel. The potential backlash from this situation is very large. The secondary risk for Audi/VW is that owners will get lazy and that burning non-ULS Diesel will foul the scrubbers and the injectors.

Truckers are not eager to run ULS in their older engines because ULS Diesel has less lubricity and generally requires an additive for use in older engines. While it is common to have coated pistons and/or cylinders in modern gas and diesel engines, many older motors do not, and so burning ULS Diesel has been an issue within the industry, thus, the continued availability of LS Diesel to 2010.

The transition should be much more complete by later in 2008 and into 2009. All Diesel engines sold new from 2007 must run on ULS Diesel. Thus, as trucking fleets are upgraded the demand will go up rapidly. However, the reality is only in late 2008 and into 2009 that we can expect near total availability of ULS at every station selling Diesel.

==m==
Mike

[MShields]

The American market is quite strange. Remember Toyota had to create a new brand, Lexus, to sell "Luxury" cars in the US?

Who wants to bet that Audi will have the 3.0 TDI in all their US fleet save the A3 and that VW will offer only the 2.0 TDI?

That is how the Audi and VW press releases read so far....it is a bet I would love to loose!

==m==
Mike

[Schneideau]

Too funny the King Kong metaphor....

I'll be the first in line for a TDI specified Audi A3 series vehicle when made available here in the states..and a 2.0TDI Audi there will be, that there's no doubt. VWoA goes first with the 2.0TDI though. (I drive the 1.9TDI w/ DSG gearbox in a VW Jetta form... it's a hoot to commute..drive the torque baby all the way to 36MPG, minimum.)

"I went downtown and let Madam X read my mind". She sees a Audi A4 Avant 3.0TDI and a Audi A3 2.0 TDI in our garage... Madam X tell me more, due tell me more....

[Schneideau]

edit: AS POSTED ON; WWW.TDICLUB.COM

November 7, 2007
To: All Volkswagen Dealers
Subject: Clean Diesel TDI Launch
Dear Dealer,
I am writing to inform you that the North American introduction of the new Clean Diesel 2.0 li TDI for the Jetta Sedan and Wagon has been delayed from April 2008, to late summer 2008. We will remain the first volume brand offering Clean Diesel in the USA.

This situation is due to a technical issue that was found during the later stages of durability testing.

As disappointing as this is for all concerned, our first priority is to ensure that the integrity and quality of the new technology is not compromised, so as to maintain a trouble free launch.

A new SOP date has been confirmed for July by engineering, and we will initiate our ordering activities i.e. launch cars, dealer orders, etc. in spring. For image and competitive reasons, we are now working hard to bring early promotional cars into the Country in order to give you the chance to pre-sell the production arriving in October, during the Summer months. We will continue to promote Diesel through the Dieselution Tour, Jetta TDI Cup Series, and feature the technology as a part of our Brand Campaign
in the first half of the year.

For reasons of our mutual profitability, we are investigating a number of actions to make up a portion of the TDI shortfall, such as but not limited to, obtaining additional production of high demand product, ramping up the launch production, and speeding up shipment times of the new TDI, bringing in special edition cars etc.

The launch of all other new models planned for 2008 are on time; Jetta SportWagen, Tiguan, Passat Coupe, M-Van and Touareg 2 with V6 Clean Diesel TDI. With all of these new models coming into the market, and even with the delay of the new TDI, we are targeting to grow next year, and this delay will be discounted from the BPB objectives as we have always promised.

We must now take advantage of the launches that are before us, and not let this set-back to our growth strategy cause us to lose focus on the turnaround that we have begun. We appreciate your understanding of the situation and will keep you apprised of any further developments as soon as they are available.

Yours sincerely,
Adrian Hallmark

[B7Quattro Pete]

the 2.0 is a little ragged and doesn't have big enough hp numbers for the A4 in the US. I know it has decent torque, but that's not where the marketing is here for Audis....they'll have enough trouble explaining the 3.0 in a luxury car initially. Regardless, I think the Q7 will grab most of the US 3.0 TDI's for a while.

[SAC-CA-GTI]

[B7Quattro Pete]

[Plasticar]