Nissan rolls out clean diesel cars in Europe

Nissan Motor Co. is working hard to develop clean diesel vehicles, setting its sights on the European market, where diesel-powered cars are far more popular than in Japan. “Adding the six-speed automatic to the X-Trail 20GT line, we hope to attract a wider range of customers,” said Chiaki Sumi, project leader on the X-Trail team at Nissan. The X-Trail 20GT, powered by a diesel engine, was released in September 2008 as the first such vehicle to meet Japan’s stringent exhaust fume regulations implemented in October 2009. The regulations, which Sumi described as “stricter than environmentally conscious Europe” require diesel cars to reduce emissions of nitrogen-oxide and particulate material around 50% and 60%, from levels stipulated in 2005 regulations. (August 9, 2010)