BMW diesel cars still have a future in the United States. Tom Baloga, vice president of engineering for BMW of North America, said that he was confident that a four-cylinder diesel will show up in a range of U.S.-bound models in the next decade. Baloga spoke to journalists at the BMW University program at the carmakers N.J. headquarters.He said that he is sure that it will appear in the 3-Series but he wouldn’t discount the possibility of having it on the 5 Series. He added that if the engine’s performance is sufficient in the X3, the US customers would likely accept it in the X5 as well.
The diesel four-cylinder is said to be a 2.0-liter (such as in the European 320d) however, BMW isn’t targeting the bargain end of the market. The engine is intended to match the acoustic qualities of a 6-cylinder, and it needs to match the performance, as well as performing better in terms of fuel economy and emissions.
Baloga said that it’s expected that the four-cylinder diesel will impress people who will then see it as a replacement for six-cylinders. BMW aims to produce sufficient horsepower to be comparable [in performance] to the N54/N55 six-cylinder turbos.
