Nissan to introduce 'clean diesel' in US

LOS ANGELES -- Nissan Motor Co., Japan's third-largest automaker, will offer a diesel-powered Maxima sedan in the United States with advanced pollution controls, chief executive Carlos Ghosn said.

The "clean" diesel engine will deliver 30 percent greater fuel economy than previous diesels and also meet US emissions standards that are tougher than Europe's, Ghosn said yesterday. The Maximas will go on sale in 2010 and be sold in all 50 states.

"The launch of the Maxima will mark the start of a broader diesel strategy" in the United States, Ghosn said in a speech yesterday to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. "We are also studying the expansion of clean diesel to other markets."

Nissan joins overseas automakers such as Japanese rival Honda Motor Co. and Germany's Volkswagen AG, in promoting fuel-efficient diesel engines in the United States as an alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles.

The Maxima's diesel engine will be developed and made by French automaker Renault SA, which controls Tokyo-based Nissan and is also headed by Ghosn. The car will be built in the United States, he said.

Nissan has previously said it's studying a diesel version of its Titan pickup in the United States. The company sells four- and six-cylinder diesel-engine models in Europe.