Mini confirms it is considering a diesel for U.S. market

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That would marry the crisp-handling Mini Cooper that's already beloved by driving enthusiasts with an especially fuel-efficient engine appealing to mileage-minders and enthusiasts alike.

Mini Coopers sold in other markets already offer diesels, but meeting U.S. clean-air regulations is daunting and has kept those engines off the market here.

Mini fans have produced an on-line drumbeat of speculation about the desirability and possibility of a U.S. diesel. Mini Vice President Jim McDowell, in comments to USA TODAY, provided official confirmation that such a car is being considered. "It's not certain," he cautioned.

He did say a U.S. diesel Mini — if there is one — would use a new-generation clean-diesel engine rather than a modified version of the overseas diesel.

He hinted that a diesel would be optional across the brand's several models, rather than limited to one. "Minis tend to be pretty modular," he said — that is, components from one typically fit others. Mini Cooper models are a hardtop, a convertible, a long-wheelbase Clubman and, soon, a small crossover SUV.

Diesels get 20% to 40% better fuel economy than similar gasoline engines. But in the U.S., diesel fuel's higher price wipes out some fuel-cost savings vs. regular gasoline. Mini recommends premium fuel, however, and diesel isn't much more expensive on average, just 11% more Monday, according to the Oil Price Information Service and AAA.

Diesel engines are more expensive than gasoline powerplants, and that would raise the price of Mini Coopers, which start in the U.S. at $19,200. though McDowell says buyers typically "go out the door with $4,000" in options.

"We already have a great-mileage car," McDowell says, referring to the Cooper's fuel economy ratings of 28 miles per gallon in town, 37 mpg on the highway. "If we add a diesel, it has to really get" high mileage ratings to appeal to buyers.

Automotive components supplier Bosch is testing a modified Mini Cooper diesel in the U.S., and reports of its 60-plus mpg have whetted appetites but also might have created unrealistic expectations, McDowell said.

The idea of U.S. market diesels is controversial. Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have successfully sold them here for years. But Honda, after enthusiastic promises, late last year said it would not, after all, sell a diesel car in the U.S.

Honda Motor CEO Takeo Fukui said in Japan last December: "To concentrate (Honda's) resources on hybrid models and small cars, the introduction of medium to large-size diesel models in the U.S. and Japan will be delayed."

But Nissan still promises a 2010 Maxima diesel, and BMW and Audi are ramping up diesel production for the USA.

Source:  USA Today

Article Date: Feb 10, 2009
Car Accociations: NEW_MINI
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