Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed a law mandating all diesel fuel in the state have a 20 percent biodiesel content by 2015. Currently, diesel fuel in the state contains 2 percent bio content.

Just as three German automakers prepare to launch a batch of 50-state legal diesel powered vehicles for the US market, BASF announces a price hike on one of the key ingredients making the engines compliant.

In 2009 General Motors is introducing an all-new diesel V-8 for use in light-duty applications such as pickups, SUVs and even passenger cars. The new Duramax 4500 has been specifically designed to fit in the same package size as the classic small-block V-8 engine that has appeared in GM applications for over half a century.
\015\012 

The 2008 International Engine of the Year Awards are announced and some very efficient engines are among the winners.  The Toyota Prius hybrid power-plant, BMW's 2.0L twin turbo diesel and Volkswagen's 1.4L TSI four cylinder were all chosen by the 65 person jury for Engine Technology International magazine.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup kicked off this weekend with 30 race prepped clean diesel Jettas taking to the track in Virginia.  The TDI Cup cars are all running with full diesel after-treatment systems and averaging 25mpg under racing conditions.

Volkswagen and Arciero-Miller racing are preparing  a new race truck powered by the 6.0L V-12 diesel that has been shown recently in the Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans concept. The Touareg trophy truck will use the production V-12 diesel destined for the Q7 V12 TDI later this year rather than the racing engine in the Audi R10 Le Mans prototype.

Volkswagen is announcing the completion of development of its BlueTDI system at the Vienna Motor Symposium in Austria. The first production application will go on sale later this summer in the US market as the Jetta TDI. The new diesel Jetta will be legal for sale in 50 states and have 12 percent better fuel efficiency than the previous Jetta TDI.

The Society of Automotive Engineers is holding its annual gathering of scientists, engineers, and managers from around the world April 14-17, 2008 at Cobo Center in Detroit MI. The theme for the 2008 SAE World Congress is A Climate for Change, with many of the discussions revolving around alternative powertrains, new fuels, and ever increasing demands for reduced emissions and fuel consumption.

Mercedes-Benz has a trio of redesigned four-cylinder diesel engines that will debut in the C-Class this fall. The new engines produce up to 25 percent more torque than the previous units while emitting 13 percent less carbon dioxide.

Powertrain engineering consultancy FEV joins forces with Mahindra & Mahindra on development of a diesel hybrid drivetrain to be used on the Scorpio SUV and Appalachian pickup truck, which sees its public debut at the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit this month.