Intelligence set: Global market review of diesel technology and markets - forecasts to 2013

Abstract

This Intelligence Set includes the latest edition of diesel technology and markets report, plus manufacturer profiles for BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Fiat, GM, Saab, Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Honda, Hyundai, Renault, Nissan, Toyota and VW.

Each profile is approximately 25 to 27 pages, and includes a brief outline of business activity, financial statistics, customers and more. They will allow you to discover where the market is heading, what the latest innovations are, and how your competitors are performing.

Since the last edition of this report two years ago, the environment has started to make a serious impact on manufacturers' model plans. Global oil prices have continued to rise, a pattern we can expect to see continue as we hit global peak oil production, which is expected at some time in the next few years.

Much has changed in those two years, and this new edition looks at the major factors of today and tomorrow, including discussion about the rapidly growing biofuels sector. The discussion is particularly relevant for diesel cars because diesel fuel is produced in greater quantities than gasoline from the available sources.

Forthcoming emissions limits are also beginning to shape diesel engine design, with after-treatment now enabling diesels to meet even the most stringent exhaust emissions limits in force or pending. At the time of publishing, there are currently no diesel hybrid cars in series production but the continuing advances in battery technology and measures to reduce the cost associated with hybrid technology plus the evidence of concept vehicles shown at the 2008 Geneva Show, suggest that we will see them in the next two years.

At the same time, manufacturers are beginning to incorporate the kind of emissions-reducing measures our 2006 report encouraged - for example, applying stop/start systems to mainstream models - while manufacturers like BMW have taken efficiency savings a step further, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions without having a serious impact on vehicle performance.