Mazda is still investing in diesel: what are its plans for this type of engine?

Mazda does not give up diesel engines.

No, even though demand for the powertrain fell by 34% last year and Euro 7 emissions regulations are poised to make diesel more expensive than ever, the Japanese carmaker is still employed.

The company has promised that by next year it will offer a six-cylinder, 3.3-liter diesel engine in the flagship CX-60, which is compatible with Euro 7, despite the fact that it does not know how strict the rules will be.

“Mazda will meet Euro 7 emissions standards with the new diesel engine,” said Joachim Kunz, senior technical development manager at Mazda Europe’s R&D center, during the presentation of the CX-60 this month.

Kunz is aware that Mazda engineers are facing a moving target, given that EU decision-makers have not decided on how tough the targets will be, especially for nitrogen oxides (NOx).

“Most likely, this will be the latest generation of internal combustion engines, so we will prepare for the toughest expected goal and then adjust using post-treatment solutions,” he said.

The latest generation of internal combustion engines

Kunz said Mazda is willing to invest more and give up profit to provide the engine, while the customer may have to accept a lower engine.

“Having a 3.3-liter engine means we want to be safe for torque and power,” Kunz said, adding that Mazda believes the future diesel will provide fuel economy figures comparable to a four-cylinder turbo engine with the same power.

To achieve this, Kunz said that diesel must have excellent combustion efficiency, so that more heat it produces is translated into power and less heat is lost in the cooling system.

“In order to achieve low NOx emissions, we need low combustion temperatures,” Kunz said. “Having a larger engine keeps temperatures lower, which is good for both reducing heat loss and reducing gross NOx emissions. This, in turn, will allow us to have a simpler post-treatment system. ”

Kunz said diesel will include a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system “to show customers that we are always working to reduce NOx”. SCR, which converts NOx with a catalyst into diatomic nitrogen and water, will be smaller and will require less frequent refills with urea by the customer, Kunz said.

Kunz said Mazda plans to offer CX-60 diesel to its sales companies across Europe, with the possible exception of Norway, where electric cars already account for the vast majority of car sales.