50-State VW Jetta TDI for 2008

After a yearlong hiatus due to tightening emissions standards on diesel cars, a diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta will be back on sale for the 2008 model year. VW unveiled the new Jetta TDI - for turbocharged direct injection - at the recent Washington, D.C. Auto Show. The company is calling this their cleanest diesel ever: The new Jetta TDI will meet emissions standards in all 50 states, including the Tier 2/Bin 5 or LEV II requirement that limits nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to 0.05 g/mile - the same standard that pushed the previous Jetta TDI out of the market for 2007.

Perhaps most significantly, the new Jetta TDI meets 50-state regulations without resorting to the use of urea injection to neutralize NOx emissions. Instead, a nitrogen oxide storage catalyst reduces NOx emissions by up to 90 percent. The engine management system in the Jetta changes operating modes periodically to treat the NOx that has been stored in the catalytic converter.  A particulate filter in the exhaust system further reduces emissions. These technologies make the Jetta TDI one of the first products of the diesel offensive being launched jointly by Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen that will use the BLUETEC name to denote diesel power plants that comply with the strictest emissions regulations of the U.S. market.