Nissan to Launch Diesel-Powered X-Trail SUV in September

Tokyo, June 9, 2008; JCN reported that Nissan Motor Co. said Monday it will launch a diesel-powered version of its X-Trail sport-utility vehicle in Japan in September.

Diesel-powered automobiles are more fuel efficient and emit less carbon dioxide than vehicles running on gasoline, but have so far failed to win popularity in Japan because they are often associated with black exhaust fumes.

Nissan's new diesel-powered X-Trail is equipped with an engine featuring technologies that clean up exhaust gases.

Specifically, the firm adopted a system to efficiently control the functions of catalysts and diesel particulate filters in order to reduce emissions of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide.

The fuel efficiency of the new model, whose engine displacement is 2,000 c.c., is 20 pct better than that of the gasoline-powered X-Trail with the same engine size.

Nissan did not disclose a price or sales target for the diesel-powered X-Trail.