TDI Vehicles at the Capitol.
Volkswagen Group of America reported Friday that it has sold 100,000 TDI Clean Diesel vehicles from the Volkswagen and Audi brands this year. This is the first time it has reached this milestone in a calendar year. Volkswagen and Audi currently offer 12 different TDI Clean Diesel powered models in the United States.
Audi and Volkswagen pioneered TDI Clean Diesel engines and, as a result, the Volkswagen Group of America is the current market leader in Clean Diesel. Today’s Clean Diesel engines deliver more torque, better highway fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions compared with equivalent gasoline engines. As a result, Audi and Volkswagen deliver remarkable performance and impressive fuel economy, officials said.
“Selling more than100,000 TDI Clean Diesel vehicles is a significant milestone for Volkswagen Group of America,” said Mark McNabb, chief operating officer, Volkswagen of America. “We’re excited to see the increasing numbers of customers able to enjoy the reliability, durability, fuel-efficiency and power of the clean diesel engine.”
“The past year has shown that American consumers clearly recognize the benefits of clean diesel TDI vehicles,” said Scott Keogh, president, Audi of America. “They understand now more than ever that this is a technology delivering real answers to society’s concerns about fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions without compromises.”
More than 75 percent of the diesel engines sold in the passenger car and SUV segments in the United States can be found under the hoods of Volkswagen and Audi models. Ever since 1977, when Volkswagen first offered a diesel in the Rabbit, the company has sold more than one million cars and SUVs powered by these engines in this market. High-mileage, TDI Clean Diesel Volkswagen models accounted for 21 percent of sales in November and 24 percent of sales year-to-date, the best year-to-date results on record.
In 2013, Audi showed it intends to remain at the forefront of clean diesel expansion in the U.S. by enhancing its lineup with the new Audi Q5 TDI, A6 TDI, A7 TDI and A8 TDI models. Those models joined the Audi Q7 SUV in the market, and next summer Audi will introduce its most fuel-efficient model, the all-new A3 TDI sedan.
The TDI models in the Audi and Volkswagen lineup deliver up to 30 percent better fuel economy and 12-30 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline engines and there is no need for driver behavior change except to move from one pump to the other and no need for big infrastructure changes, officials said.
Volkswagen offers Clean Diesel technology in seven different models, six of which get an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 40 mpg or more on the highway. The models include the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat and Touareg.