Holy Smokes: Mazda Diesel on Indefinite Hold for U.S. Following VW Scandal

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Like every other story you’ve read about Mazda’s diesel engine for the past three years, Mazda has again delayed the U.S. debut of its Skyactiv-D powerplant, only this time the wait is indefinite.

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Speaking to Reuters at the Tokyo motor show, R&D head Kiyoshi Fujiwara said stricter U.S. testing “will cause a delay in plans for everybody looking to sell diesel cars in the U.S. market. That’s why we cannot say when we are going to be able to launch our diesel cars in the U.S. market at this point.”

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In response to Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating software on 482,000 diesel models, the Environmental Protection Agency said last month it would conduct spot checks on “any vehicle” and run them on the road “for the purposes of investigating a potential defeat device.” The agency did not share specifics with automakers but said it may rent the test vehicles instead of relying on loaners from the automakers.

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This hasn’t fazed General Motors, which told us two weeks ago there would be “no delays” for the next-gen Cruze diesel and upcoming diesel models for Cadillac. Jaguar Land Rover also is sticking to its fall 2016 schedule for its first Ingenium diesel engines slated for the U.S.-spec XE and F-Pace. The company’s Range Rover and Range Rover Sport Td6 models were certified the day the Volkswagen story broke, although the new Ingenium engine family has yet to be approved.

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• Instrumented Test: 2016 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring

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• First Drive: Euro-spec 2014 Mazda 6 Diesel
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• Mazda 6 Research: Pricing, Reviews, Photos, and Specs

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Mazda’s 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel originally was slated to arrive a few months after the current-gen 6 sedan went on sale in January 2013. It was also to come later for the CX-5 crossver. At the time of each delay (here, here, and here), Mazda wouldn’t say the exact issue holding it up, but the problem boiled down to maintaining performance while meeting our diesel-emissions standards—specifically, on how to modify the engine without using a urea-injection system to treat the exhaust. A year ago, it seems Mazda finally submitted to using exhaust after-treatment yet still didn’t firm up its plans for a U.S. launch. “We’re committed to launching diesel-fueled cars in the United States,” Fujiwara said. “There is no doubt about that.”

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