Mazda gets California approval for CX-5 diesel

2018 Mazda CX-5Dedicated Green Car Reports readers keep us going. In response to our story earlier this month about why Mazda's promised diesel engine for the CX-5 still hasn't made it to the U.S. market, reader sent in evidence that the diesel has just been certified for sale (PDF) in California starting Apr. 13. While that doesn't guarantee that Mazda will...

Mazda CX-5 diesel: engine still MIA in compact crossover utility vehicle

2018 Mazda CX-5It's the mystery model, the all-but-legendary vehicle still just beyond reach, years after its maker first announced plans to offer diesel engines. Specifically, it's the diesel version of the Mazda CX-5 compact crossover utility vehicle, first revealed in 2016 and later announced as a 2018 model. In November 2016, a Mazda executive confirmed the...

Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for March 2018

2018 Hyundai ElantraNot a lot has changed since last month: Buyers continue to move from passenger sedans to crossovers and trucks, and gasoline remains relatively cheap. That means you can pick up some bargains fuel-efficient and electrified vehicles. DON'T MISS: Lexus lowers hybrid prices a lot to cut premium over gasoline Our list of deals for March, courtesy of...

Rome joins European ban-diesel bandwagon after German court ruling

Chrome exhaust pipeFirst Paris, then a pair of German cities, and now the Eternal City. Two weeks ago, the mayor of Rome announced on her Facebook page that the city would ban diesel cars altogether by 2024. It's not clear whether the ban applies solely to the older, most-polluting diesels as it does already in Paris, or to any vehicle with a diesel engine. CHECK...

Mixed messages on future of diesel at Geneva auto show

Exhaust emissions from tailpipe [photo: Simone Ramella, 2005, used under Creative Commons 2.0]You can smell the diesel exhaust in any city in Europe, sometimes even before you hear the clatter from under the hood of every other passing vehicle. The Volkswagen diesel scandal that broke in September 2015 brought a laser focus to the software used in all diesel engines, and their inability to meet emission limits in real-world use. At the...

Mercedes-Benz gets its own diesel emission cheating questions now

Mercedes-Benz GLS350d spotted testing near DenverInvestigators probing U.S. models of Mercedes-Benz sold with diesel engines have found software, possibly illegal under EPA rules, that helped them pass emission tests. Such software may be similar to that notoriously used in 580,000 vehicles sold by VW, Audi, and Porsche from 2009 through 2015 in what became the Volkswagen diesel emission...