If you aren’t familiar with the gravely rumble of a diesel powered vehicle you probably will be soon.

They’re commonplace in Europe thanks to better milage and will be in the same position on American shores thanks to increasingly stringent government standards.

Jeff Breneman, executive director of the U.S. Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars, said to the Midwest Automotive Media Association that if manufacturers make more diesel cars available, people will hurry to buy them.

He’s probably right, considering big North American car suppliers like Chevy and Mazda are rolling diesel siblings of their popular Cruze and Mazda6 in 2013. Cummins is also ramping up its engine production in anticipation of greater demand.

It’s hard to think North Americans will turn their noses up at diesel considering the government’s pending 54.5 mile-per-gallon standard to be in place by 2015.

The end result is an incredibly efficient car that offers immense pull from a stop and satisfying top-end power. To say the least, we were impressed.

“The fact that Chevy will offer a diesel Cruze in 2013 is huge,” Brenenman said. “The gas-powered Cruze will get 40 mpg (5.9 L/100 km), so the diesel is expected to get 50 mpg [or more] (4.7 L/100 km), and that will make it a game-changer.”

He also speculated that Ford Toyota and Honda will have introduced diesel variants by 2014.

If you’re don’t want to wait for Mazda to release their new engines, or the new Chevy Cruze, you could always look to Volkswagen. They’ve been selling diesel siblings to their cars in North America for decades, with significant improvements per generation.

Brenenman said that a third of consumers will opt for the diesel version of the Jetta or Passat because of their better fuel economy. The trouble comes in when supplies run out because it takes six to eight weeks for a new shipment.

Of course in a little more than a year that issue will be a thing of the past, but that isn’t the only thing driving diesel into the future. Brenenman said because emissions standards between Europe and North America are on par, it’s easier for already-existing cars to be sold on both continents with little change.

If you’re still skeptical take a look at our review of the Mazda prototype using their new SkyActiv-D engine, it provides a relatively low compression ratio and  tall redline with 340 foot-pounds of torque.

[Source: Wards Auto]

Subaru is looking to increase the fuel efficiency of its vehicles by 30 percent and will introduce new technologies like turbocharging, different transmissions and hybrid systems to help meet those goals.

First up will be a blitz of new product built on an all-new lightweight architecture that will replace the current platform used by all Subaru products. Subaru’s insistence on all-wheel drive means that its vehicles are handicapped in the fuel efficiency stakes, due to AWD’s extra weight and complexity, and the company must take extra steps to stay competitive in this arena.

Subaru will introduce a third-generation boxer engine, a turbocharged boxer with direct-injection and a hybrid powertrain by 2013. Subaru will also launch its new BRZ sports car and XV crossover (pictured) within the same time period.

[Source: Automotive News]

Get more Subaru BRZ news and info at subarubrzforum.com

This is the first year the Southern California-based Motor Press Guild (MPG) is handing out its Motor Press Guild Vehicle of the Year (VOTY) Award, and the list of finalists has just been released.

Chosen by a panel of 18 MPG journalist members who routinely drive and review cars, the final five finalists will be evaluated and voted on by all MPG journalist members at the organization’s annual Track Day Event on October 11 and 12. Making the list are the 2012 Audi A7, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, the 2012 Fiat 500, the 2012 Ford Focus and the 2011 Hyundai Elantra.

To have qualified for the award, vehicles must be all-new or substantially changed for the 2011 calendar year. They must also be available at dealerships on or before January 1, 2012, and these vehicles should represent the unique Southern California marketplace. When reviewing vehicles, MPG journalists evaluate based on safety, quality, value, performance, handling, design, style, environmental impact and technology and innovation.

“We’re proud of the top five cars nominated by our MPG jury,” said Laura Burstein, Motor Press Guild President and VOTY panelist. “Not only are these finalists excellent vehicles overall, they represent a variety of segments and price points – and they show a little So-Cal flair, too. Any of these vehicles would be worthy of the VOTY award.”

The winner of the 2011 Motor Press Guild Vehicle of the Year will be announced during the Los Angeles International Auto Show Press Days on November 16 to 17, 2011.

Hyundai CEO John Krafcik will keep his company’s focus on being a fuel economy leader, and has ruled out a high-performance sports car, even as he discussed the various ways in which the new CAFE regulations can be gamed to produce low fleet fuel economy ratings.

With large vehicles being held to less stringent standards under CAFE (as well as a different formula for measuring MPG than the one used for consumers), Krafcik said that auto makers may not have as strong an incentive to produce compact, fuel efficient vehicles.

Giving the full-size truck market as an example (full-size trucks will be able to comply with more lax regulations) Krafcik told Ward’s Auto that “every well-intentioned action has an unintended negative consequence. This is a classic one. Because of the new CAFE guidelines, the most fuel-efficient segment for pickup trucks, the small ones, aren’t going to be available in the U.S. market. That’s crazy.”

While Hyundai had the best fleet average fuel economy of any auto maker in the 2010 model year, Krafcik said that hitting the 2025 target of a 54.5 mpg fleet average will be tough. Krafcik also ruled out the idea of a high-end sports car, stating “… it would be expensive, and what would it really do for us?”

[Source: Ward's Auto]

Ford is ready to take on Hyundai in a duel for fuel efficiency bragging rights. Hyundai has advertised the redesigned 2011 Elantra as a 40 mpg rated subcompact, regardless of options.

However, Ford can only officially say that the 2012 Focus attains 40 mpg when equipped with the Super Fuel Economy package and six-speed automatic transmission. Ford is eager to prove that the Focus is more fuel efficient regardless or its options, so the American automaker organized a media drive in Romeo, Michigan.

Ford invited reporters to drive the Elantra at a steady 45 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile track. Then the reporters drove a Focus without the SFE package and lapped the track at the same speed. Conditions were equal for both cars and an engineer sat in the backseat, monitoring the fuel economy. The results showed that the average fuel economy of the Focus was 40.4 mpg and the Elantra achieved 37.8 mpg. This proves that the Focus is more efficient at a steady 45 mph than the Elantra.

[Source: Automotive News]

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Hyundai Elantra Review

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 Ford Focus Review

While fuel efficiency is a top priority when consumers buy new cars, that’s only part of the story. As technology improves, four cylinder engines are cheaper, more reliable, and more powerful then ever before. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder in a compact Ford Contour in 1999 produced 120-hp getting 19/28 city/highway mpg. By contrast, the 2011 Ford Focus 160-hp and gets as much as 40 mpg on the highway.

[Source: Left Lane News]

The all-new 2012 Nissan Versa will boast a 30-mpg city and 38-mpg highway rating thanks to a new dual-injector system. Rather than switch to direct-injection system like many other automakers, Nissan’s solution to increasing demand for improved fuel economy uses two fuel injectors per cylinder (one for each intake valve on the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder), and is the first use of the technology by the automaker.

Also helping to achieve the new fuel economy numbers, improved from the current model’s 28/34-mpg rating, is a lighter overall curb weight with the new V-Platform Versa weighing 150 lbs less than the current B-Platform car.

A sales leader in the sub-compact car class Nissan is hoping its new Versa will continue that trend, although the automaker has decided to take a different path than many automakers, offering basic transportation rather than a pumped up Chevy Sonic or sporty and styling Fit or Fiesta.

The 30/38-mpg numbers put the Versa near the top of its class, falling just short of the new 2012 Hyundai Accent at 30/40-mpg, but ahead of the Ford Fiesta at 29/38-mpg.

GALLERY: 2012 Nissan Versa

[Source: Automotive News via CNET]

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that its E300 Bluetec Hybrid is on the way and will hit showrooms in Europe by the end of 2012. While it hasn’t been confirmed for a U.S. launch, execs also haven’t ruled it out.

The first capable diesel hybrid from Stuttgart available for public use debuted at this past March’s Geneva Auto Show. It combines the latest generation 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel with a 20-hp electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack to deliver a sedate 204-hp. Torque, however, is significant at 428 lb-ft at some very low revs. The fuel economy advantages are impressive with an estimated 57.4 mpg average on the European test cycle. The EPA rating is a less impressive, but no less significant 45-mpg.

What hasn’t been confirmed is the cost, but you can bet it won’t be cheap, with both diesel and hybrid technology certain to tack on significant premiums to this already un-cheap luxury sedan.

[Source: Autoblog]

A trade group representing Detroit’s three automakers as well as Toyota is currently urging the Obama administration to say no to a proposal that could mandate a 62-mpg CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) industry standard by 2025.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, in a letter addressed to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson, said, “fuel economy and greenhouse gas targets should not be arbitrary numbers, chosen before the necessary analyses are completed,” claiming that the proposed standard would ”circumvent the rulemaking process and undermine the ongoing collaborative effort to set sound standards.”

In April 18 senators led by Democrat Dianne Feinstein and Republican Olympia Snowe, California and Maine respectively, urged the administration to consider a 62-mpg standard by 2025, which equates to a 6-percent annual increase from 2017 to then. Depending on how stringent the administration wants to make things, the increase could cost anywhere from $770 per vehicle built to $3,500.

The automakers believe that this requirement could reduce car sales by 14%, owing to the increase in cost per car to meet the requirements (that are then passed onto you, dear consumer). This could lead to an equal 14% reduction in jobs, or 250,000 people—automakers ”depend on reasonable regulations that provide clarity and certainty, without pricing our customers out of the market or preventing them from choosing vehicles that can meet their diverse needs,” cites the Alliance.

Currently there is a 35-mpg CAFE standard set in lace for 2016.

[Source: The Detroit News]