Eideard

Since its first attempt in 1999, Audi has won the Le Mans 24 hour race nine times with the R8, R10 TDI and R15 TDI, equaling Ferrari’s all-time win record. Last Friday it unveiled the new R18, a closed carbon fiber monocoque coupe specifically developed for Le Mans with a 3.7-liter V6 TDI engine and another first for endurance racing – all-LED headlights.

Recognizing that aerodynamic efficiency will be even more important at Le Mans than it was in the past, the new R18 marks the first time since 1999 that Audi will contest the world’s oldest endurance race with a closed coupe. Unlike that of the closed Le Mans prototypes, which consisted of two halves, the carbon fiber monocoque chassis of the R18 features a single-component design that reduces weight and increases stiffness…

With rule makers looking to achieve a substantial reduction of engine power in 2011, significantly smaller engines than those used before will be prescribed. This has led to Audi retaining the diesel concept that saw its first victorious outing in 2006 with a 3.7-liter V6 TDI unit with a six-speed transmission that has been specifically modified for use with the smaller engine.

Another first for the new R18 is the inclusion of all-LED headlights. Aside from optimizing the amount of light produced at night, during the daytime the LEDs form the shape of a “1” which is apparently intended to “inspire associations with Audi’s historic brand logo.” The company says the next generation headlights will also be prepared for future use in production vehicles – although the “1” formation seems unlikely to make the transition.

Average American automobile drivers have little comprehension of the power, efficiency and mileage benefits of diesel engines. First off, if they have any experience at all with passenger car diesels it’s with the crap iron that GM previously rolled out. Second, they have to confront widely varying excise taxes from state to state – resulting from political hacks trying to skim from the trucking industry.

Meanwhile, those of us who use/need pickup trucks as part of our lives can only choose among the large economy size from builders – which are terrific engines for their size; but, unnecessary for a significant amount of use. Our friends at Toyota, Ford, etc. still think they can’t sell smallish trucks with small turbodiesels in the United States.

At the end of August, we reported that Audi would “more than double” its lineup of clean diesel models in the U.S. within the next year, or maybe two. Those words rolled from the lips of Audi U.S.A’s chief marketing officer, Scott Keogh, who adamantly claimed that the company’s highly efficient TDI engine was key to the company’s “growth and success in the [U.S.] marketplace.” Keogh’s admission that the automaker would unleash more TDI-equipped models on U.S. turf was the first time in which we recollect an Audi official uttering such words.

Now, here’s take number two. Audi of America spokesperson Brad Stertz attended a panel to discuss Green Car Journal’s 2010 Green Car of the Year tour. Stertz reinforced Keogh’s statement and added that Audi’s successful TDI-powered A3 model has encouraged the automaker to quickly move forward with plans to bring additional clean diesel vehicles to the U.S. According to Stertz, six out of ten A3 hatchbacks sold in the U.S. are of the oil-burning variety. Stertz added, “We thought we’d be lucky if (A3 sales in the U.S.) would be 18 percent TDI. We’re only limited by the fact that we can’t import any more.”

Stertz reconfirmed that no less than a pair of new diesel models bearing the four-ringed emblem will hit American showrooms by the end of 2012 and additional reports suggest that an oil-burning option will be available on every Audi model by 2015. Clearly, Audi, and even partner Volkswagen, have made tremendous strides in eliminating the American belief that diesels are smoky, stench-filled vehicles of the past. In doing so, both automakers discovered the key to oil-burning success.

I can understand someone like Ford sticking with their turbo-ized small-displacement gasoline engines. They’ve made a commitment to that solution for that part of the potential market. Just as Toyota did with hybrids. Like Toyota, sticking with the drill for significant period of time is required.

So far, the result seems to be sales increasing faster than available product. Not exactly a bad problem.

So far, 2010 has been a very good year for Audi in the U.S. market and diesel engines are playing a part in the surge. Right now, Audi is only offering two TDI models in this market: the big Q7 SUV and the compact A3. In both cases, diesel market share is far exceeding initial projections. Audi had expected diesels to account for about 18-20 percent of the sales of those models, but the TDI made up 56 percent of all A3 sales in February. The Q7 is now up to 40 percent TDI after several months in the low 30 percent range.

In the first two months of 2010, sales of the A3 have more than doubled compared to the same period a year ago with almost all of the extra sales being diesels. Like most other SUVs, the Q7 is down for the year but the availability of the TDI has definitely cushioned the blow. Perhaps the success of the A3 and Q7 will prompt Audi to expand the diesel lineup here, including their biggest volume model the A4.

One can only hope – including my personal hope that companies that offer a turbo-diesel pickup like Toyota might relent and start letting them into the United States.

Audi A3 1.6 TDI – over 60mpg

Back in September, Audi first announced the addition of the new 1.6 TDI model to the A3 lineup over in Europe and now it’s available to order in the UK. The newest A3 features the VW group’s latest 1.6-liter common rail injected four cylinder diesel powerplant. In the A3, this engine combines with several other tweaks – including brake energy regeneration and automatic start-stop – to get a CO2 rating of just 99 g/km and mileage of 61.9 mpg (U.S.) on the EU combined cycle.

Audi conducted an efficiency challenge in Europe in late September that included the new A3 1.6 where the cars averaged 59.4 mpg (U.S.) going from Norway to Italy. In the UK, the new A3 costs about $28,500 before value added taxes. Volkswagen and Audi have not given any indication that it will offer the 1.6 in the U.S. market, although other elements like stop-start and regen braking probably will be added here in the coming years.

It feels like some new variant on this theme is offered somewhere else in the world – every week.

Just not in the good old US of A.

For the second year in a row, Green Car Journal has named a German diesel Green Car of the Year.

The 42-mpg Audi A3 TDI topped a field that included three hybrids and two diesels to take the award presented today at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The judges praised the cars “exceptional fuel economy and low emissions” and hailed it as “stylish” and “fun to drive…”

There’s no shortage of awards and honors doled out in the auto industry, but this one actually means something because all of the cars considered are vehicles you can buy right now. The jury includes greenies like Carl Pope, head of the Sierra Club, and Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society. But it also includes certified gearheads like Jay Leno and Carroll Shelby to ensure the candidates are cars you’d enjoy driving…

The finalists included the Honda Insight hybrid, Mercury Milan hybrid, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Golf TDI. Last year’s winner was the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

Ah me. I only wish more of the diesels – especially small to medium pickups – built by brands with significant presence in the U.S market were offered here. I’d trade in Ruff Boy in a flash.

BTW – if you haven’t tried it – production diesel cars and trucks run better on biodiesel than they do on the stuff from the Oil Patch Boys.

If only the other manufacturers of diesel-powered vehicles had their act together as well as Audi, we’d be in a better situation here in the United States.

Diesel is cleaner, diesel is cheaper. We’d be saving money as families and as a nation. We’d lower our dependency on foreign oil – because there’s hardly anything easier and cheaper to produce than biodiesel. Yet, new biodiesel refineries are closing because of underutilization.

If you know anyone with a diesel-powered vehicle – who has tried biodiesel – they’ll tell you their critter ran better and cleaner with the veggie product than the stuff refined from petroleum.

Yet, almost every manufacturer who sells a diesel-powered car or small truck somewhere else in the world – is afraid to market it in the United States. Something else we can thank General Motors for – the crap diesel cars they sold decades ago ruined the market for the fearful.

Of course, like Toyota did with the hybrid, manufacturers like Audi [and Volkswagen] have the smarts and cojones to get the jump on everyone else and establish themselves as the source for clean, powerful, economical diesel-power ahead of all the others who could be doing the same.

Like Toyota, Honda, GM’s Opel, Ford – all candyass manufacturers with diesel cars and small pickups they could be selling here.

Daylife/Getty Images

Audi christened its brand-new R15 TDI with a thrilling debut victory Saturday in the 57th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The second-generation diesel-powered prototype co-driven by Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen crossed the line 22.3 seconds ahead of the second-placed No. 08 Team Peugeot Total 908 HDi-FAP of Stephane Sarrazin, Franck Montagny and Sebastien Bourdais.

The thrilling down-to-the-wire battle between the two diesel juggernauts ended up favoring the German prototype despite McNish having to make a splash-and-go for fuel with 15 minutes remaining. The team’s sister car of Marco Werner, Lucas Luhr and Mike Rockenfeller rounded out the podium in LMP1.

The two Audis also did an exciting job of swapping places with each other. You really couldn’t predict this one.

Lowe’s Fernandez Racing celebrated its maiden victory in the American Le Mans Series, taking the LMP2 class win, while the No. 3 Corvette Racing C6.R took home GT1 honors. Risi Competizione started its 2009 season on the right foot by claiming GT2 honors in the around-the-clock marathon with their Ferrari F430GT.

The story for me was the diesels. Four of the first five places were diesel-powered.

And I still can’t get a small or mid-sized pickup truck in the United States – with a diesel engine.