Bentley May Offer Diesel Engines In Near Future

With the announcement of the Porsche Cayenne TDI and Touareg 3.0 TDI, Audi’s 3.0 liter turbo diesel engine will be seen in at least eight different models in Europe. It comes as a surprise, but the next place we see that engine may be in a Bentley.

With the recent changes in European regulations giving tax breaks to diesel buyers, the notion of a diesel Bentley - at least in Europe - seems rational. Volkswagen chairman Martin Winterkorn told Auto Motor und Sport that Bentley will react to changing market conditions, and that he could imagine a six-cylinder turbo-diesel in a future Bentley.

The diesel engine Winterkorn refers to is the new common-rail twin-turbo 3.0 liter V-6 currently being developed by Audi. The engine is rumored to produce upwards of 300 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque and will debut in the next generation Audi A8 at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.

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