Changes Are Taking Place, The Automotive Challenge is Daunting, but Adaptation Has Begun

    AMERICANS listen with dismay to bleak assessments of their automotive future. Efforts to cut dependence on foreign oil and cut air pollution as well seemed to be stalled, going nowhere.

    But one economic decision at a time, the American automotive scene is changing, and it has become clear that some of the action will involve cleaner diesel engines.

    General Motors announced Friday that it will spend $100 million at its engine plant in Tonawanda, N.Y., to make a new diesel engine for light-duty trucks. GM said it will make the 4.5-liter V-8 engine for North American pickup trucks and the Hummer H2 after 2009.

    GM said the engine will improve fuel efficiency by 25 percent and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 13 percent.

    Mighty Toyota also made a move toward cleaner diesel vehicles. The company announced Friday that it is exploring the possibility of cooperating with Isuzu Motors Ltd., the Japanese truckmaker, on diesel engines.

    The Nikkei, Japan's top business daily, said Isuzu has a reputation for top-notch diesel technology, and Toyota decided it needs help from Isuzu to compete with rivals like Honda Motor Co..

    Honda is also strengthening its diesel lineup.

    These moves reflect rising demand for diesel vehicles in Europe, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Diesel campaign to reduce diesel emissions.

    There are 11 million diesel engines at work in the United States, and the EPA wants to clean up their contribution to air pollution significantly.

    Since June 1, 2006, refiners have been required to produce ultra- low-sulfur diesel fuel - at or below 15 parts per million - for use in highway diesel engines.

    The hope is that by 2030, such diesel engines will be putting out 250,000 less tons of particulate matter every year, and 4 million tons less of nitrous oxides.

    "This will result in annual benefits of over $150 billion, at a cost of approximately $7 billion," the EPA said on the Web site for the National Clean Diesel Campaign.

    There is no magic bullet to solve the fuel dependence and clean air problems the United States faces. But investments in adaptive strategies clearly are happening.

    The automotive industry is changing, and that is reason for cautious optimism.

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