Chinese automakers embrace clean diesel technology, but to a limited degree
Several diesel-powered passenger vehicles made by domestic Chinese companies have gone on sale this year. But experts say such vehicles will only achieve low sales volumes because high quality diesel and government incentives for using diesel technology are both lacking in China.
Chery Rely V5
On September 8, Chery Automobile Co. started selling the first model under its Rely sub-brand. The model, the Rely V5 compact sedan, offers three options; for a 1.8 or 2.0-liter gasoline engine, or for a 1.9-liter diesel engine, according to information supplied by Chery.
Selling for 149,800 yuan ($21,932), the diesel-powered Rely V5 is fitted with a common rail system (CRS) supplied by Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., a Robert Bosch AG subsidiary in the east China city of Wuxi.
After the 1.9-liter Rely V5, Chery will launch two other models using Bosch's CRS later this year: the Rely X5 SUV and the Rely H5 minibus, according to Zhu Deli, a marketing executive at Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems.
Compared to similar gasoline engines, diesel engines equipped with Bosch's CRS consume 30% less fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by about 25%, Zhu said.
Such engines also offer a torque level 50% higher than corresponding gasoline engines and thereby enable faster acceleration without gear change and enhanced pulling power at low speeds, she added.
In addition to Chery, other domestic Chinese automakers such as Great Wall Motor Co. plan to sell passenger vehicles equipped with Bosch's CRS later this year, said Zhu.
Yet in spite of these new launches, an analyst is skeptical of clean diesel become mainstream in China.
Although it has clear environmental and economic benefits, diesel technology in China still faces two major hurdles in application: limited availability of high quality diesel and a lack of government incentives for using diesel technology, says Duan Chenwu, who is a technical research analyst with Global Insight in Shanghai.
Currently, the quality of the diesel fuel available in China is too low to be used in modern diesel engines. Refining the existing diesel supply would push up the prices of diesel fuel and risk irking farmers who are the major consumers of the fuel in China.
Meanwhile, instead of encouraging clean diesel, the government in 2008 removed it from the list of alternative energies it pledged to promote in China.
"Diesel technology is mainly used in low-end MPVs and taxi cabs such as the VW Jetta for commercial purposes,"said Duan. "Given the hurdles it faces, it is not likely to be widely used on the domestic market."
