I was looking for information on Diesels in Canada, and I stumbled across this article: Honda Accord Tourer i-CTDi http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/programs/environment-etv-techtourer-eng-129.htm If this car had been "approved" and available from Honda Canada in 2008 (3 years after it was available in Europe!!!) I would have more cargo space than most small SUVs available to me and better mileage than my '08 HCH2. GRRRR. And now in 2012-13 Im looking and the best i can find is a CX-5 or a Prius V which drives like a shopping cart. Mazdas are nice, but no diesel option in canada, very poor longevity in terms of RUST here in Canada, while Honda is selling CTDi all over europe. Are we really that worried about the pollution of these diesels when 20 year old cars drive around polluting all day long. -end rant!
I feel your pain. No doubt it would sell well here but unless they think it will sell well in the US too, we're not going to see it. Too much money to certify for such a small market.
It's frustrating. I think the North American standards for diesel emissions got unnecessarily tight, too fast. Especially when pickup and heavy-truck standards lagged behind car standards for a number of years. For several years we couldn't get diesel cars at all due to the regs, yet you could buy a Dodge Cummins diesel that spewed so much particulate that you could hardly breathe near one that was running. OVER and OVER again, we've heard rumors of some great car-diesel engine that might finally make its way here -- examples include the Civic diesel a few years ago, Subaru's wonderful boxer diesel a couple years after that, as well as several Fords. Will we actually get the Mazda diesel and the Chevy Cruze diesel that rumors keep saying are imminent? Only time will tell. Believe me, I would love to to have a diesel engine in my car (well, the Hyundai -- I already have one in my wife's VW). And looking at the Hyundai Australia website, I see that in Australia I could buy a 1.6L diesel version of the i30cw -- the gas version of which is absolutely identical to my Elantra Touring -- but not here. And it appears its fuel economy rating would translate to about 38mpg combined on the EPA cycle. VW remains the only automaker willing to commit to diesels in non-luxury cars here. Which itself is incredibly frustrating.
WriConsult, I join you in your frustration. I'm just uncomfortable with VW/Audi regarding long term (10-15 years) cost of ownership. Maybe those 14 or so OEMs suffering 30% decline in EU demand and significant over capacity will finally recognize the pent-up demand in NA for vehicles offering a potential of >50 mpg(US) combined and finally respond to the opportunity ... completely free from US competition ... other than VW/Audi fuel frugal diesels of course. Current estimates are for 2 or more years before the European market begins reasonable recovery. sale of diesels in the US would certainly ease their current overcapacity problems and would probably result in long term volume expansion for those willing to try. One can always hope ....
Come on Honda - sell this wonderful engine across the pond. Be brave. Take the plunge. I'm biased - I've got it in my FR-V - had it 6 1/2 years now! It would definitely be more economical in the Accord than my brick shaped vehicle
I've been trying to replace our 24/32 mpg average/highway 1995 Odyssey with something that provides similar form/fit/function with double the fuel economy since 2004. That is how I got interested in non-US engines, transmissions, and standards. Maybe something soon ... ???
