Mazda 6 Diesel Delayed Due To Need For After-Treatment

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

The Mazda6 diesel, long awaited as the first major competitor to the Volkswagen Passat TDI, is being delayed due to difficulties meeting emissions standards without the need for after-treatment. TTAC has learned that Mazda is changing their strategy to incorporate an after-treatment, to help meet both emissions and performance benchmarks.

According to our source, the after-treatment free Skyactiv-D diesel engine was unable to meet stringent US diesel emissions standards. When engineers finally produced a compliant package, the power output was reportedly considered too low to meet consumer expectations, leading to a major re-think of the diesel program.

The solution will apparently be an unspecified after-treatment, with the first diesel car slated to debut in one year’s time. While the Mazda6 is the first candidate for a diesel engine, our source said that its success could mean diesel variants of other vehicles like the Mazda3 and CX-5.

Mazda’s diesel engines previously came under scrutiny for reliability issues in Australia, which led to speculation that the diesel’s delay in our market was due to this issue. Perhaps these issues (of which there is no true solution) will be ironed out as well when the diesel arrives in North America.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

More by Derek Kreindler

Comments
Join the conversation
8 of 92 comments
  • 3800FAN 3800FAN on Sep 13, 2014

    So another year of waiting?? 2.5 years into the current model nobody will care by then. Mazda has never gotten the 6 right. The first gen was too small (body styles kept its sales up) second gen came out 1-2 years too late, and this gen is too small too loud and not engaging as past models and too close in size to the 3 (3 is stealing 6 sales) and then there's the diesel that Mazda promised but then kept delaying delaying delaying..to the point where customer don't take them seriously and look elsewhere.

    • Jacob Jacob on Sep 14, 2014

      I think the first gen was fine, but Mazda certainly got the latest gen Mazda6 wrong considering there is no "premium" engine option, neither a V6 or a turbo 4.

  • SaulTigh SaulTigh on Sep 13, 2014

    The national average price of gasoline right now is just above $3.40 a gallon. I heard an analyst on the Larry Kudlow show today say, with compelling arguments as to why, that that's going to go down to $3.00 a gallon, and then below, possibly as low as $2.50 a gallon. In my neck of the woods, gas today is $3.05 and diesel is $3.45. One of his arguments was that worldwide there is far greater demand for diesel than gas. Just throwing that out there (and feeling more and more content with my purchase of a 5.0 powered F150 earlier this year).

    • See 1 previous
    • Big Al from Oz Big Al from Oz on Sep 13, 2014

      @SaulTigh, What you stated is true, actually there will be a drop in oil price since demand has fallen. Many blame taxation for the higher price of US diesel. Another significant factor is the oil refiners want to sell diesel to the EU as they are making more profit from the stuff. Also, US diesel is of a lower quality than EU diesel, this is causing the Mazda 6 Skyactive to have 'teething' problems in the US. US diesel can't support the low compression ratios required for the Skyactive diesel to work.

  • Jacob Jacob on Sep 14, 2014

    So much intellectual energy wasted making the diesel appealing. After two years of waiting, this is clearly going nowhere. Dear Mazda, instead of wasting your time on the diesel, give us petrol turbo engines. Just get us some 250 HP and torques out of a 2.0L engine in a midsize car or SUV. This is no longer a rocket science, you know.

  • DieselOx DieselOx on Jan 24, 2015

    I went from a Diesel Golf mkIV to a 2012 Subaru gasser, and I hate the power. Have to wind it up to 4-6 grand to get any kind of power, downshift to from 6th to 3rd to pass on a hill, and the fuel economy is crap at 45k miles and getting worse. Diesels are just easier to drive. Quieter at the same torque, no downshifting. Need to speed up? Just push the throttle a half inch. In the US, we are totally ignorant to the advantage of diesel, but we are waking up. The holy grail is diesel hybrid AWD, 130+ MPG. We have the tech to do this right now, and it's criminal that we don't. Seriously criminal, like half the oil industry needs to be in jail for life.

Next