More diesel-powered passenger vehicles upcoming

Volkswagen Jetta with turbodiesel engine delivers high torque while minimizing noise and pollution.

Choosing a diesel-fed car over its gasoline-powered version should be a no-brainer in the Philippines. After all, diesel is cheaper and delivers better fuel mileage.

Diesel fuel may fetch a higher price at the wholesale market, but is cheaper at the pump because it enjoys preferential tax rates. While gasoline is slapped an excise tax of P4.35 per liter, diesel has none.

The higher energy content of diesel fuel also allows it to deliver more torque and better mileage.

Practically all trucks and most commercial vehicles in the country run on diesel fuel. No vehicle dealer can expect their vans or SUVs to achieve significant sales without having a diesel option.

However, when it comes to passenger cars, crossovers, and even MPVs, there’s a scarcity of diesel options. Toyota, Honda, Subaru and Mazda—manufacturers with world-class diesel engines—don’t offer any diesel-powered passenger cars in the Philippines.

Previously, the disadvantages of diesel-fed engines limited their use. Noise, smoke from the tailpipe, and heavy vibration all discouraged carmakers from offering them in passenger cars.

All of these objections have been negated by recent advances in technology, particularly with the introduction of common rail injection.

Volkswagen pioneered high-pressure common rail injection system, which allows fuel to be highly atomized and more efficiently combusted.

Diesel particulate filters employed by VW and Peugeot diesel cars trap even the finest soot particles, eliminating the cloud of particles associated with inferior or poorly-maintained diesel engines.

Karl Magsuci of ACC-BMW says  BMW diesel engines employ lightweight aluminum construction and use variable turbine geometry. These increase their efficiency and performance (particularly torque), while cutting down on consumption and emissions.

Common-rail injection system with sophisticated computer control and injection nozzles improve running smoothness.

Opening new doors

This should open the door for more diesel-fueled cars in all categories, and indeed some manufacturers are using that as a unique selling point.

Arnel Doria of Volkswagen Philippines notes that “VW Philippines anchors its sales strategy on the availability of diesel powerplants in as many models as possible.”

Diesel fuel can feed high-performance cars like the BMW 6 Series Coupe.

How about the quality of diesel fuel? With high-pressure common rail injection systems, the quality of the diesel fuel is essential as small amounts of impurities including water can foul up or damage the injection system.

Doria says, “The diesel fuel available in the Philippines was precleared with Volkswagen Germany when the [fuel] standard was only Euro 2.”

Fuel quality concerns

Carmakers say that while local fuel is suitable, concerns remain. Magsuci of BMW says that high particle count is one reason why not many European brands are able to bring in their diesel engines, and another is the high sulfur content.

“You can even see some brand-new Japanese models with diesel engines already emitting smoke. Nevertheless, BMW has the capability to homologate the engine according to the requirements of our local market. Thus, the BMW TwinPower Turbo diesel engine can run in Philippine conditions smoothly and efficiently,” says Magsuci.

Cleaner fuel is already on its way, with market leader Petron announcing that it will start domestic production of Euro 4-compliant diesel soon, in time for the January 2016 government mandate.

“The availability of cleaner Euro 4 diesel fuel starting  July 1, 2015, is even better for the diesel-powered Volkswagen cars,” says Doria.

Magsuci says: “BMW is the first in the country’s premium auto segment to offer an almost all-diesel lineup. Except for some models such as the Z4, 6 Gran Coupe, the 730Li and the M models, our model lineup is equipped with the BMW TwinPower Turbo Diesel engine technology.”

THE SUBCOMPACT Manza is one of the more affordable diesel options.

“With the driving conditions we have here in the Philippines, the immediate delivery of torque will be more appreciated by motorists than having a high horsepower rating,” says Magsuci.

“When the time comes that better diesel-fuel quality is made available to the market, we may even consider bringing in the diesel-powered M Performance models, such as the BMW X5 M550d,” Magsuci adds.

Performance is indeed not an issue for diesel cars. Mazda has raced with its diesel-engine Mazda6. Audi has won the Le Mans 24 Hours with a diesel race car, the first manufacturer to do so. Audi will launch the new Q7 with a 3-liter turbodiesel, and the A4 will also be powered by a 2-liter diesel.

Joy Villaflor of Audi Philippines says, “There are no fuel issues for Audi here in the Philippines. Audi develops diesel engines that are compatible to the fuels available here in the Philippines.”

“Regarding sports cars, Audi has continually been a big player in World Endurance Championships with its diesel-powered race cars, the Audi R18 quattro,” says Villaflor.

“Since 2006, Audi has dominated the LMP1 category with its diesel engines. Audi has also been testing diesel-powered sports cars,” says Villaflor.

“Last year, it tested a prototype RS5 TDI. It was powered by a 3-liter V6 turbocharged diesel engine. The engine produced 385 HP and 750 Nm of torque,” Villaflor  adds.