Mazda delays the U.S. launch of the SKYACTIV-D diesel engine

It is a well known fact that the diesel engines are becoming increasingly popular in the United States but Mazda has made a rather unexpected announced of its plans to delay the launch of their SKYACTIV-D engine in U.S.

The company did not give any further details about the announcement but said that the SKYACTIV-D can meet emission regulation requirements without the use of a NOx after-treatment system but the company feels that further development is required to deliver the right balance between fuel economy and Mazda-appropriate driving performance.

There’s no word on when the engine will arrive but the 2.2-liter SKYACTIV-D was scheduled to be launched in the Mazda6 this spring. But now it is clear that this will not be happening but Mazda has said that we can expect to learn technical specifications and fuel economy figures closer to launch of the model.

Well the company will have to pull up its socks if they have to take the advantage of the rising popularity of the diesel engines and the sooner they do it the better it is for them. So let us hope that things fall in place soon and the launch does not get further delayed after this delay.